Tales of the Vuduri_Year Five

by Michael Brachman

  You may wonder how can somebody create a vaccine for PTSD when you don’t even know when or where the stress is coming from. As it turns out, you can predict, under some circumstances, that people are going to encounter stressful situations which would normally have an adverse affect on their psyche. Some very easy examples are soldiers entering combat, paramedics and firefighters, police, medical personnel, aid workers and so on. Just look at occupations that have the highest occurrence of PTSD and there is your candidate list.

  Rebecca stumbled upon this novel use by accident. She had used ketamine on a group of mice for a different experiment and rather than get a whole new colony, she decided to “recycle” the mice for her new experiments regard stress reactions. Ketamine is typically used as a cat tranquilizer or sometimes as a party drug called Special K. Normally, the direct effects of ketamine wear off after just a few hours. But just to be safe, Rebecca waited weeks to make sure there were no lingering effects.

  Imagine her surprise when the group of mice who had received ketamine showed a startling ability to resist the effects of stressful situations as compared to mice who had not received the drug. Remember, this is weeks, not hours after ingestion of ketamine, before the stress was applied. That means that the ketamine had the long-lasting and certainly unexpected ability to enhance stress resilience when compared to mice experiencing triggers that would normally damage their mental health.

  Whether this new approach to PTSD prevention will work in humans is anybody’s guess. But everybody has to start somewhere and Rebecca’s approach is definitely, definitely worth exploring. You can catch Rebecca’s original TED talk on YouTube or on the TED web site itself. Take a peek. It is fascinating stuff.

  Entry 5-165: June 14, 2017

  A Vuduri Prison

  A few days ago, Bonnie Mullen suggested that Rome and Rei interview Nick Greer to garner information as to the possible whereabouts of Dan Steele and David Troutman. Bonnie recollected that Troutman and Greer used to hang around together.

  You will recall that at the end of The Ark Lords, it was necessary to slice off Greer's right hand to prevent him from shooting Rome. It isn't coincidence that he is one of the "recalcitrants" as Virga referred to him. Bonnie accompanied the gang of three in the hopes of being some help:

  MINIMCOM transported them back over the mountains to the prison compound to the north of the Vuduri city. There was simply no other way to describe it. The Vuduri had nothing like it. Keller must have had direct experience with one based upon its layout and security measures. There were tall fences with a peculiar local bush whose every branch was studded with razor sharp thorns. Inside that was a metallic fence with barbed wire running along the top. There was only one entrance and that was through a sally port. MINIMCOM landed in the parking area outside the sally port. The four humans had to enter by foot along with MINIMCOM’s livetar.

  The guard station at the first door opened the gate and let them through then closed the gate behind them. Rei looked around and up. The sally port had 40-foot high walls of thick steel gate with even more barbed wire all around. Virga led them to the internal entrance where another guard let them through. The courtyard opened up to an inside out cell block, each with its own entrance. In some ways, it resembled standard Vuduri housing.

  “They keep Edgar down there,” Bonnie said with disgust, pointing to their left.

  “Do you see him often?” Rome asked.

  “No,” Bonnie said. “I came by once. That was enough. He…” Bonnie stopped short. She shook her head and refused to offer any more explanation. They let it go.

  Virga led them along the walkway to the farthest “apartment” to the right. She knocked once on the door then opened it up. The room reeked of smoke.

  On the inside, it really did look like a prison cell. There was a single bed along one wall, a small refresher, a desk and not much else. Nick Greer was sitting at the desk, smoking a cigarette. Virga left the door open to air the place out.

  “Bierak,” Greer said, looking up. “And all the bitches. What do you want?”

  As the room was constructed out of standard Vuduri aerogel, the walls glowed softly with a light blue radiance that came from no particular source. Somehow, the light became brighter. Rei could see that there was a pair of tracking bracelets attached to Greer’s legs connected by a loose chain. Greer pushed an ashtray forward with the stump of his right arm and stubbed out the cigarette with his left hand.

  Remember, the Vuduri had never had a reason to build a prison before so the design was supplied by Maury Keller. However, a normal Vuduri apartment isn't all that different from the living quarters here. Getting through to Greer may end up being a tall task. I hope we don't run into Edgar. I never liked him very much.

  Entry 5-166: June 15, 2017

  Greer’s Trade 1

  Yesterday, Rome, Rei, Virga and Bonnie stopped by the Vuduri prison to see Nick Greer in the hopes of getting some information from him regarding the whereabouts of Steele and Troutman. Psychologically, Greer seemed in a bad way. All he did was sit in his cell all day and smoke cigarettes. He had sacrificed everything, his family, his home, to come to the stars and here he was rotting in a jail cell. Maybe that was the opening they needed to try and jar him out of his funk and into a more cooperative mood:

  Rei walked over to where Greer was sitting. “There are two members of Darwin still running around on Deucado. Troutman and Steele. Bonnie said you knew Troutman. Can you tell us anything that might help us track him down?”

  “Why should I help you?” Greer sneered. He stood up suddenly and waved the stump of his arm in Rei’s face then pointed at MINIMCOM’s livetar. “Look what your robot did to me. I’m nothing but a useless freak now.”

  Bonnie came over to where he was standing and put her hand on his shoulder. “Nick, you were going to shoot Rome. I saw you. Self-defense is self-defense. The war is over. Captain Keller said so. You heard him. Everybody has to let go. You included. Why won’t you help them?”

  “I just won’t,” he said. “You all sold out. I’m not going to. Not to my dying day.”

  “Please,” Rome said from behind Rei. “Your two compatriots would have killed all of us, including my son, if not for good fortune. We do not want to live our lives in fear.”

  Greer just shook his head then an evil grin spread across his face. His teeth were yellowed by the layers of two years of heavy smoking. He held up the stump of his right arm. “I’ll tell you what,” he said snidely. “I’ll tell you whatever you need to know as soon as you give me my right hand back.”

  “That’s it?” Rei asked. He looked over at MINIMCOM who nodded. “OK, deal,” Rei answered.

  “Wait. What?” Greer said, stupefied. “You can do that?”

  MINIMCOM strode over and gently guided the dazed-looking Greer back to his seat. MINIMCOM laid out the man’s left arm and hand along the desk then placed the stump of the right arm next to it. The livetar took a cast of the left hand and projected a thin membrane, a mirror image of the hand and attached it to the right arm. The animated shell then illuminated his shoulder lamps to get more light.

  The actual operation took little less than an hour. It was more complex than Rei’s back reconstruction but far less delicate so MINIMCOM was able to move faster. The livetar injected the membrane with a passel of VIRUS constructor units which formed cages in the shape of the bones. No need to inject anyone else. MINIMCOM simply used a second group of constructors inserted into Greer’s own remaining left hand as a model and built the reverse. He built it from the inside out. Using his .01% rule, MINIMCOM transported bone cells, muscle, ligaments and tendons as well as circulatory vessels.

  You will recall from The Milk Run that a grown-up Aason Bierak had the same thing happen to him, getting his hand cut off. When his mother finds out, she quizzes MINIMCOM about growing a new one and MINIMCOM said it was one of his specialties. However, everybody has to start somewhere and this is where it all started. Let's see if ge
tting his hand back changes Greer's mood.

  Entry 5-167: June 16, 2017

  Greer’s Trade 2

  Yesterday, "Dr. MINIMCOM" began to rebuild Nick Greer's missing right hand using his intact left hand as a guide. This reconstructive surgery was actually easier for MINIMCOM because he had Greer's good hand as a guide. You will recall that when MINIMCOM rebuilt Rei's spine, he had to use Rome's spine as a template. In theory, when he is done, Greer promised to give them the information they need to track down Steele and Troutman, the would-be assassins:

  Once the interior was complete, MINIMCOM coated the membrane with more muscle and skin then removed the flap of scarred epidermis that encased the former stump to allow blood to flow.

  “I will be transporting the neural cells to the proper location,” MINIMCOM said. “However, you should not expect the hand to be fully functional initially.” MINIMCOM circled his hands over both sets of fingers.

  “Ow, ow,” Greer said, “it feels like it’s burning.”

  “Those are the nociceptors coming online,” MINIMCOM said. “The proprioceptors and afferents will connect last.” MINIMCOM applied pulses of the miniature null-fold to ensure that all the “wiring” was complete.

  Greer looked at the brand new hand in amazement. He tried moving the new fingers and they flexed slightly. A broad smile crossed his face.

  “You should not expect it to respond normally for a while,” MINIMCOM said, slowly closing the hand into a fist then gently opening it again. “I was able to connect the neurons to the proper areas of your brain but the final fine-tuning will require that you exercise the hand every day.”

  Greer turned the hand over and back. “How long?” he whispered.

  “It will take about a month to get all the ‘wiring’ complete,” MINIMCOM said. “You should have full strength by then as well.”

  Greer stood up. MINIMCOM produced an elastic ball and placed it in the palm of the new hand.

  “Squeeze that for a few minutes every hour or so,” MINIMCOM said. “It will hasten the regrowth of the peripheral nerves and help you build up strength. The hand will be completely functional before you know it.”

  Greer flexed his fingers around the ball then eased up on the pressure. He laughed and shook his head. “I knew you guys were from the future but how come nobody told me you could do this before?”

  Rei looked over at MINIMCOM. “Up until about a week ago, we didn’t know he could do it either. Now will you help us?”

  “Sure, sure,” Greer said, distracted by the new limb. “What do you need to know?”

  A bargain is a bargain. The fact that MINIMCOM was able to rebuild his hand kind of blew Greer's mind. Maybe it will do more than that. Maybe it will give him hope again. Let's see tomorrow.

  Entry 5-168: June 17, 2017

  His end of the bargain

  Yesterday, MINIMCOM completed the reconstruction of Nick Greer's right hand which had been cut off during the battle at Darwin Base. Greer was so stunned that such a thing was even possible that he turned from hostile to docile. He agreed to tell Rome and Rei anything he could to help them find Steele and Troutman, the would-be assassins:

  “We need to find Troutman and Steele. Where should we start looking?” Rome asked.

  Greer looked around the room at each of the people there as if he were seeing them for the first time.

  “Steele, I can’t tell you,” he said. “But Troutman and me, we were on the crew that brought down the ingots and metal rolls, maybe once a month.”

  “Why’d you even bother with that?” Rei asked. “You knew the Vuduri could synthesize any materials we needed.”

  “We had to hide the fact that we were building the base so we smelted just enough ore to make it look like we were doing something up there. Ionelli, Troutman and me, we liked playing hoker and Keller wouldn’t let us play at the base. So when we came down, we joined the game going in New Ark City.”

  “What is hoker?” Rome asked.

  “House poker,” Rei answered.

  “I know what a house is,” Rome responded. “But what is poker?”

  “It’s a card game,” Rei said. “So who’d you play hoker with?” Rei directed at Greer.

  “Paul Chung and a couple of other people. We played at Chung’s house,” he said. “You know him? He was one of the regulars.”

  “That was one of the names on Keller’s candidate list,” Rome interjected.

  “Why him?” Rei asked. “Why his house? I’d have thought you guys didn’t want to socialize with us.”

  Greer laughed.

  “What’s so funny?” Rei asked.

  “For him, we made an exception. He lifted one of the Vook food synthesizers.”

  Rei shook his head. “So what? Anybody could have one who wanted one.”

  “Yeah, but nobody else made vodka. His was awesome. His house was the closest thing we ever found to a bar,” Greer said. “So, in answer to your question, I’d start there. If anybody back on Deucado knows where Troutman is right now, it’d be Chung.”

  Rei looked at Rome who nodded then he looked back at Greer. “Thanks,” he said. He bent his head toward Greer’s new hand. “And you’re welcome.”

  A lead! This is awesome. Now Rome and Rei know who their assailants are and they have a person to ask their whereabouts. The case moves on. Tomorrow.

  Entry 5-169: June 18, 2017

  Always Redemption

  Yesterday, Nick Greer was so grateful for getting a new right hand that he gave Rome and Rei some critical information regarding the whereabouts of Troutman and Steele, the would-be assassins. He seemed truly stunned by the medical miracle that MINIMCOM had just performed. Something in him had changed. The way he saw the world had changed. The framework of his mental constitution was based upon concepts that had been left in the dust 14 centuries earlier. He literally saw his new world in a new light:

  Greer held up his two perfectly matched arms. The flesh on the new right hand was paler than the one on the left. A few days in the sun would rectify that. Greer turned them back and forth. Then he threw the elastic ball down to the ground and caught it with his new right hand on the bounce up.

  The four humans and one livetar turned to leave when Greer shouted out, “Wait! Virga!”

  “What is it?” Virga asked.

  “What Bonnie said,” Greer asked. “Does that offer still stand? I think I’m ready to let go now. Can you guys find something for me to do rather than sit around here rotting all day?”

  “It can be arranged,” Virga answered in a level tone. “However, you will have to disavow your previous commitment to violence and promise to contribute to the betterment of our society.”

  “I will, I will,” Greer said, shuffling forward.

  “I will send someone,” Virga said. “You will be watched very closely but we will give you your opportunity.”

  “Thank you,” Greer said. He sounded heartfelt. “And Bierak?”

  “Yes?” Rei asked.

  “Thank you, too. I guess I should have listened to you a long time ago.”

  “It’s never too late,” Rei said. “Good luck with your new life.”

  Greer nodded and they left.

  After exiting the sally port and climbing aboard MINIMCOM, Rei and Rome took their places in the cockpit. Virga and Bonnie joined them.

  “It’s a kind thing you’re doing,” Rei said to Virga. “Giving him another chance like that.”

  Virga nodded. “I have not and never will berate you for the class of Essessoni you sent to us,” she said. “After all, I did say to you the more primitive the better. The more we can use, the quicker we can heal.”

  Rei blushed a little bit. “Well, they were useless to us and you did ask. I couldn’t think of anything else to do with them.”

  “It is fine,” Virga said. “We are not displeased. As you can see, the vast majority of them have had an epiphany and have settled in nicely here. That prison block back there only has six resident
s although now it would appear that number will dwindle down to five. It is a small price to pay for the benefits we have derived.”

  If nothing else, my books have always been about redemption. Everybody makes mistakes. It's what one does with the knowledge gained by making that mistake that makes us better people. For Nick Greer, it took a while (and a new hand) but now he has found redemption as well.

  Entry 5-170: June 19, 2017

  I’m still waiting

  I've been writing this blog for four and half years. Nearly 1640 entries and counting. I've been following science and technology my whole life. Many new and fascinating discoveries have been duly recorded and many documented here. But what of them? I'm still waiting for them. They've always been in the realm of could be or some day but that day just has not arrived.

  Some examples:

  --Elon Musk's ventures: Tesla's Model 3, the SolarRoof, the PowerWall, SpaceX's Falcon Heavy, the HyperLoop... still waiting.

  --What about the propellant-less reaction drives like the EmDrive and the Cannae Drive that will take us to the stars... still waiting.