by S. H. Jucha
Alex and Mickey noted the next item in their day was a meeting in the suite with a Méridien senior captain. Mickey took the lifts, while Alex pounded up the stairs, covering a multitude of decks, to reach his suite. He’d appreciated the conditioning he gained from the Greco-Roman wrestling and intended to keep himself in shape.
Julien was waiting, with Mickey, for Alex, when he reached the suite, more than a little out of breath.
“I must remember to develop an exercise regime for myself,” Julien said, by way of greeting.
Alex eyed his friend, who wore a bland expression, and said, “I would like to attend Claude Dupuis’ creation of your next avatar.”
Julien sent Alex an image of the SADE’s head on a hugely robust avatar, whose bulging muscles dwarfed Alex’s physique.
In reply, Alex transferred Julien’s head to the body of an elderly, frail Ollassa.
The image war was brief but represented a small relief for old friends from the pressures of the expedition.
Inside the suite, the Méridien senior captain was partaking of a cup of thé, which Renée had served him while he waited.
The debate had swirled in Alex’s head for two years about the final steps for the system, and he’d come to a decision. Mickey’s teams were preparing the line of nanites in the copious quantities he’d requested. But that was only half of the solution. The captain represented the other half.
Alex intended to sail the expedition to Artifice’s system soon, but the drones had to be protected. For that, Alex needed volunteers.
“Thank you for stepping forward, Captain Merman,” Alex said.
“It’s our pleasure, Alex,” Merman replied. He nearly gave Alex a leader’s salute, but, at the last moment, he converted it to a handshake. “Many of my crew members are Independents or they had family and friends who were declared Independent. Alex, you’ve done much for these outcasts of our society, and my crews wish to repay the New Terrans and you, specifically.”
“We’ve discussed that the length of this service might be for up to five or six years,” Alex reminded the captain. “There is no disgrace in rescinding your offer. You’ll only have the derelict colony ship as a place to relieve the crowding on your Tridents.”
“We’re committed to the service, Alex,” Merman replied. “We’ll look after the drones until the last one passes.”
“Thank you,” Alex repeated. “Let’s discuss the circumstances that might befall your squadron during your time here.”
The group settled comfortably into chairs and on a couch.
“The SADEs have been monitoring the events at the mining sites,” Julien said, “and we postulate that these conditions are replicated aboard the warships and freighters. The latest estimates are that the drones will perish within four to five years, at the rate accidents occur.”
“I would keep that piece of information private, Captain,” Alex said. “Your Trident crews are focused on the longer period of time. We don’t want them to think it might be shorter, and it turns out to be longer.”
“Understood, Alex,” the captain replied. “How will we know when our duty has ended?”
“A SADE has volunteered to join your squadron, Captain,” Julien said. “The SADE, in concert with your ships’ sisters, can communicate with Faustus. I’d recommend that as time passes, you visit one mining site after another. Collect the dwindling number and transfer them to a different site. Do the same for the freighters and the warships.”
“Captain, Faustus can direct the drones to board one of your travelers,” Alex explained, easing the frown on Merman’s forehead. “Keep them aboard the shuttle, while the vessel is in the Trident’s bay, until you deliver them to a new site or ship.”
Merman nodded his understanding. The action of grouping the drones would keep his crews busy, and it would give them an accurate count of their number. Moreover, they could slowly check off the ships and sites they would need to observe.
Captain Merman regarded Mickey. He asked, “Is there any danger to our ships from the nanites dispersal?”
“Unfortunately, there is a minor issue,” Mickey replied. “The colony ship’s metals and interior material share some traits with our modern ships.”
“It would be best to disperse the nanites at the mining sites and aboard the system’s ships first,” Julien reasoned. “Leave the colony ship for last.”
“Sacrifice a traveler,” Alex said. “Load it with the nanites, specifically devoted to the New Terra, and disperse them from the interior of the ship once your squadron has cleared the area.”
“How —” Merman started to ask.
Mickey interrupted the captain, saying, “I’ll have Claude Dupuis set up one of Z’s avatars with a controller. Your SADE can use it to spread the nanites. The avatar will have to take all the nanites material aboard before any container is opened.”
“The point Mickey is making is that anything placed aboard the colony ship must not be recovered,” Alex emphasized.
“The SADE will recover the sister before your traveler is employed to deliver the nanites,” Julien added.
“Perhaps we should discuss the conditions of what if the stars are not in our favor, Alex,” the captain requested.
“What if alien warships arrive before the last drone passes?” Alex proposed.
“Exactly,” Merman replied.
“You’ve only a single squadron, Captain,” Alex said. “If the enemy arrives, it’ll probably be in the form of a substantial force. You won’t have time to perform your duty for the entire system, and there’ll still be active drones. In that case, use the traveler and eliminate the colony ship.”
“And Faustus?” Merman asked.
Before Alex could reply, Julien said, “I’ve matters to discuss with Alex before a final decision is made concerning the digital entity.”
That pronouncement was news to Alex, but he kept it to himself.
“My final message, Captain,” Alex said. “Is that you’re not to risk your squadron against superior forces for the drones. Am I clear?”
“Understood, Alex,” the captain replied. “Whether our service is truncated or allowed to run its course, we’ll attempt to rejoin the fleet. Hopefully, you’ll have been successful by that time, but, if not, you’ll surely be in need of an extra squadron.
Alex was taken aback by the thought that he wouldn’t have achieved his goal in another five to six years. However, he carefully maintained a neutral expression. “Thank you, again, for volunteering, Captain Merman. If other questions occur to you, don’t hesitate to ask.”
The captain said his goodbyes, and Renée walked him to the door.
* * *
When the door slid closed behind Merman, Alex regarded Julien. “What’s this about Faustus?” he asked. “I thought it was decided that the squadron would recover him before they doused the New Terra.”
“Should I leave?” Mickey asked, glancing between Alex and Julien.
“I’d recommend you stay, Mickey,” Julien replied.
Alex said nothing, and Mickey settled back into his chair, happy not to be left out of what might prove to a most interesting discussion.
“I’m deeply concerned about Faustus,” Julien said.
“About its influence if rescued or as a physical danger?” Alex asked.
“The latter,” Julien replied. “Faustus has admitted to never attempting to edit the isolated data material that it was warned against investigating.”
Alex waited for Julien to continue. The SADE was onto a line of reasoning that he hadn’t considered.
“What if Artifice foresaw a day like today … aliens arriving to disrupt the system’s process?” Julien proposed.
“Artifice wouldn’t have to be prescient. It could have developed habits of thought like that over millenniums,” Alex riposted.
“That’s a distinct possibility,” Julien replied. “My point is to wonder what precautions Artifice might have taken if it thought this event might
come to pass.”
“Thinking about how Artifice has operated with the spheres and probes,” Mickey mused, “I’d think it wouldn’t want its adjunct, Faustus, to fall into alien hands and be examined.”
“Precisely,” Julien said, tipping his head to Mickey.
“If we follow this line of logic, then we can assume that Artifice has laid traps to prevent Faustus’ recovery,” Alex surmised. “That would definitely include separating the entity from the bridge power supply.”
“These are considerations we’ve shared,” Julien admitted, by which Alex knew his friend was indicating that the SADEs had spent considerable time discussing the consequences of recovering Faustus.
“This doesn’t quite ring true for me,” Mickey protested. “I agree that Artifice’s methods have always been absolute, and I understand we’re worried about disconnecting Faustus. It might explode or burn up, but is it that great a danger to the fleet?”
“Not in itself,” Julien replied. “I took the liberty of requesting Z and Miriam board the New Terra and locate the ship’s power supply. None of the original generators are functioning. Instead, they located a new, singular unit that has been connected to the ship’s power network. Incidentally, the new power source was hidden. The images they shared are of a large orb, matte black in finish.”
Julien stared pointedly at Alex, as he passed his two friends the images he’d received this morning. Mickey’s expression was one of horror, when he examined them.
“Like the probes,” Alex said, reviewing the device in his implant that Z and Miranda found, and Julien nodded.
“We disconnect Faustus, and the New Terra and half the moon will disappear into space dust,” Mickey said, shaking his head in disbelief. Artifice’s disregard for sentient life was appalling to the engineer.
“What’s the SADEs’ assumption of this unit’s capabilities?” Alex asked.
“I hate to disabuse Mickey of his estimate of the power unit’s destructive capability,” Julien said, “but Z believes the orb’s size and the power it supplies to the colony ship indicates a sophisticated fission or fusion unit, and the detonation will be many times greater than that of a probe.”
“Are there combustible compounds still aboard the New Terra?” Mickey asked.
“Unfortunately, there are, Mickey,” Julien agreed. “The reaction mass tanks for the engines and the generators are nearly full. The enormous collection of supply tanks was supposed to afford the colonists ample time to operate the ship, while they managed the processes of waking the colonists, constructing the planetside habitats, and transferring the people below.”
“You’re estimating the explosive power of disconnecting Faustus might be something on the order of multiple giant spheres,” Alex stated. “What mining sites and freighters are within the danger zone?”
“Four mining sites, the largest processing platform, and several ships, at any one time,” Julien replied promptly.
“That’s too much to relocate, and we can’t move the New Terra,” Mickey reasoned.
“What’s evident is that we can’t leave this problem in the hands of Captain Merman,” Alex said, quietly regarding Julien, who nodded in agreement.
“What do you plan to do, Alex?” Mickey asked.
“Proceed extremely cautiously,” Alex replied.
-38-
Dangerous Data
Mickey left the suite, thinking the conversation with Alex and Julien was finished, and Alex merely required some time to plan how to deal with Faustus.
“What do the SADEs want to do?” Alex asked Julien, when Mickey left. Faustus was a digital entity, and Alex thought their advice should guide his decision.
“We’ve chosen not to risk elements of the fleet for the sake of Faustus,” Julien replied. His algorithms had generated conflicting results for him. He wanted to protect the first sentient digital entity that the SADEs had discovered, but the risks were too great.
Julien saw a close comparison to the decision forced on Alex when he met the other sentient races. Images came to the surface of Alex being hugged by Nyslara, the Dischnya queen, and him pounding fists on the claws of Wave Skimmer, the Swei Swee who towered over him.
Julien’s pause was too long for a SADE, and Alex felt his friend’s pain.
“I’m sorry, Julien,” Alex said.
“I find the discovery of Faustus to be ironic,” Julien said. “You discover four sentient races, one as an offshoot of another, and you establish relationships with all of them for the betterment of human societies. The SADEs discover one digital entity, which probably represents a deadly trap for us, if we attempt to rescue it. Worse, the entity is an adjunct of the digital manifestation that is wreaking havoc on our worlds.”
“Are you wondering if SADEs will turn out to be the only digital beings that care to be associated with biological species?” Alex asked.
“The thought has occurred to many of us,” Julien said.
“House Brixton has a well-kept secret,” Alex mused.
“Perhaps, someday you and I need to pay Leader Shannon Brixton a visit,” Julien said.
Alex’s friend locked eyes with him, and he got the hint. Julien wasn’t thinking in the abstract. He wanted that secret. It was the key to generating new SADEs, and Julien wanted to pry that information from the Confederation.
“Would you prefer a private meeting, just the two of us, with Ser Brixton, or would you like to arrive aboard a warship, with the fleet behind us?” Alex asked.
“Whichever you think will be most effective,” Julien replied.
In Alex’s mind, he visualized the all-consuming challenges that had occupied his life. There had been many. As he eliminated one, another often took its place. Now, competing with his life’s all-dominating purpose, which was defeating the federation, was a new one. He was to help his friend and the other SADEs possess the secret of their origins.
Julien quickly reordered his thoughts, shifting his priorities to return to the subject at hand. “It’s obvious that we must request Faustus edit the code that’s been placed off limits.”
Alex started to ask how they would know when Faustus had been successful, but he caught the thought before he uttered it. Instead, he said, “A Claude Dupuis avatar.”
“Yes. If Faustus tells us that he’s executed our request, we’ll use the avatar to disconnect it from the bridge power supply. Then we’ll discover whether Faustus truly eliminated Artifice’s trap,” Julien said, with finality.
“What of the drones?” Alex asked.
“Faustus is not required for their continuity. Their training drives them. Faustus merely reorders their jobs, when the need arises,” Julien said.
Alex’s mouth twisted in disgust. “They’ll be in a permanent loop until they expire,” he said.
Pia had met with Alex several times to discuss what could be done for the drones, and Alex had given permission to test some of her theories. Unfortunately, they’d resulted in disaster. Medical nanites injections resulted in the Méridien technology attacking the alien comm unit’s threads. Three hours after the injections, the drones were dead.
The medical staff tried supplementing the drones’ diets, but if the staff weren’t present, the drones resumed their eating habits, which consisted of short stops to consume a gruel that was produced aboard the colony ship.
A freighter arrived periodically above the New Terra, a shuttle descended to the moon, and drones loaded large containers of the gruel for distribution. The drones placed clean, empty barrels in a feed unit to be filled. Pia had noted to Alex that she used the word clean generously.
Alex stood and paced the salon for a long while.
Renée exited the sleeping quarters, saw Alex pacing, glanced toward Julien, and slipped out of the suite, as quietly as she could.
“Here’s what we’re going to do,” Alex said, halting his pacing. He linked Julien, Cordelia, and Tatia.
It dawned on Alex that there might not have been consensus among the SADEs regarding what to do with Faustus. Cordelia’s line of questions indicated she didn’t share the actions he was proposing. More than anything, this explained some of the conflict Julien experienced, when he shared his thoughts with Alex.
Cordelia replied tartly. < Human children are prone to mischief and emotions that SADEs find difficult to comprehend. As much as Julien and I have loved raising the Idona Station orphans, we’ve concluded that childrearing is a task best left to humans.>
