Tales of the Vuduri_Year Five

by Michael Brachman

  “It was me,” answered the Ibbrassati who, up until now, had been standing silently by the door.

  The three people turned toward him.

  “Can you tell us anything about this?” Rome asked.

  “Not much,” replied the man. “The woman was definitely Vuduri. I could tell from her dismissive attitude toward the mandasurte. I, too, found it strange that she would wear darkening glasses. Our casino is not that brightly lit in the first place.”

  “Did you hear what she said to him?” Rei asked.

  “No,” replied the man. “The room was very loud and she was whispering to him. I am sorry but I did not hear a single word. But whatever she said must been interesting to the man you were watching. He left the game immediately.”

  “Did you ever see her again?” Rome asked.

  “No,” replied the man. “In fact, I never saw either of them again.”

  Rei sighed. He looked at Rome.

  “When was the last time you saw Troutman?” Rome asked.

  “I haven’t seen him in over a month.” She looked at the readouts on the screen. “In fact, I probably only saw him once more right after this video was made.”

  “OK,” Rei said. “Thanks, Andrea. This has been sort of helpful. And you said you think Troutman lives on the western side of the city?”

  “Yes,” Andrea replied sadly. “But I’m not sure how I feel about you finding him. He’s not a bad person.”

  “I have no intention of causing him harm,” Rei said. “Unless he gives me a reason. By rights, since he tried to kill me, I should be able to do anything I want to him. But I just want my family to be safe.”

  “I understand,” Andrea said. “I guess in that case, I do hope you find him.”

  Rei turned to his livetar friend. “Thanks, MINIMCOM. We’ll go collect Bonnie and head toward the west. Why don’t you go back to the ship and we’ll stay in touch.”

  The livetar nodded his head and disappeared.

  Next, Rome and Rei head west and end up turning Rome into the human equivalent of a GPS or bloodhound.

  Entry 5-246: September 3, 2017

  The Sun, the Moon and the stars

  Unless you are living under a rock (how's the Wifi reception there?), you know that about two weeks ago, on August 21, 2017, we had a total eclipse of the Sun pass over a goodly portion of the U.S. for the first time in 38 years. Sadly, here in Cherry Hill, NJ, we were too far north to see a total eclipse. And what's worse, even if we were, it was so overcast that you wouldn't have been able to see anything anyway. It just looked gloomy out for the duration.

  But even though I couldn't see anything, it got me to wondering. How is it that our Moon is exactly the right size to blot out the Sun so exactly? I mean perfectly. So perfectly that scientists use the eclipse to study the corona of the Sun using ground-based instruments. How come the Moon isn't too big to blot out the corona or too small so that a portion of the Sun is visible around the boundaries of the Moon?

  The answer falls out of the math. Right now, in our lifetime, the Sun’s diameter is about 400 times greater than the Moon but the Sun is also about 400 times farther away so that their apparent size is nearly identical. The Moon is drifting farther away from the Earth about 1.5 inches every year. That means in the distant past, the Moon completely blotted out the Sun and way in the future, the Moon won't be big enough to totally eclipse the Sun but right now it is perfect. What are the odds?

  I guess to figure that out, you'd have to look at other planets with their moons and see whether this is a rare or common occurrence. What planets you ask? To date, scientists have discovered well over 1,000 exoplanets. Unfortunately, they are too far away to determine whether they even have moons, let alone how big they are.

  Within our own solar system, all the gas giants like Jupiter, Saturn and Uranus all have moons but none of them are the right size. Mars has two dinky moons, Phobos and Deimos and they certainly wouldn't blot out the Sun.

  To figure out the answer, you would have to turn to math to deduce how many planets are exactly the right distance with exactly the right sized moon to get a total eclipse like ours. And even if you came up with the right answer, how would you know? Nobody even knows if there is life on any other worlds in the entire universe so just consider this happy coincidence among a vast ocean of cosmic coincidences involving our wonderful planet Earth.

  Entry 5-247: September 4, 2017

  Voyager

  Yesterday, we considered the question as to why the Moon was exactly the right size to create a perfect total eclipse of the Sun. Not too big and not too small but just right. On the day of the total eclipse, I turned on the TV to watch some coverage because I didn't have a pair of eclipse glasses. Also, where we live, it was very overcast so I wouldn't have been able to see anything anyway. Even at the point of maximum eclipse, it just looked gloomy out. Right after that show was a documentary about the Voyager spacecraft which were launched in 1977 making this the 40th anniversary. From watching that show, I found out some astounding facts about these spacecraft that you might want to consider.

  Voyager 2 was launched first, on August 20, 1977 and Voyager 1 was launched on September 5, 1977. Now why they were launched in backwards order is a little odd but we'll ignore that for now. Voyager 1 is currently 11.7 billion miles away. It is so far away that by all standards, it has left our solar system and is now in interstellar space. Voyager 2 is "only" 9.5 billion miles away and is still in the heliosphere, a bubble of charged particles and magnetic fields that is considered the outer boundary of our star system. It is expected to leave the solar system in about four years.

  Voyager 1 is on a path that will carry it close to a star called AC +79 3888 which is 17.6 light years from Earth. It will take it about 40,000 years to reach that star. If anybody is home and they detect Voyager, they can snag it and listen to the "Golden Record" that was bolted on to the outside of the probe. So if that is all it takes to make intelligent life aware of us, we have 40,000 years to get ready. Voyager 2 is headed for the star called Sirius, only about 10 billion miles away. We have less to worry about that one because it will take Voyager 2 about 296,000 years to reach it.

  Of course, if either the Voyager probes run into an alien probe and they merge and the new entity decides to return to Earth to meet its maker, we might have some problems. After all, the was the plot of the first Star Trek movie, with the main antagonist being V'ger. But that story doesn't take place for another 200 years so I think we're OK there as well.

  In summary, here is a hearty well-done to the scientists and engineers that designed and launched the twin Voyager spacecrafts, all the science they performed and now their final mission, a message in a bottle to the stars.

  Entry 5-248: September 5, 2017

  A Human GPS

  Now that Rome, Rei and Bonnie had retrieved all the information Andrea had to offer, it was time to resume the hunt for Troutman and Steele, the would-be assassins. While Rei told Andrea he didn't need any of his winnings, I hope he kept a few Deucats in case he needed them along the way. If he didn't, oh well, he could always make more. So let's see where they go next:

  “Are all men obsessed with sex?” Rome asked Rei mentally as they left the casino.

  Rei laughed out loud and then thought back, “Of course.”

  “That’s what I have come to realize,” Rome replied. “First Paul Chung, then the merchant below and the way the men at the card table were ogling me. What they were thinking!”

  Rei had a hard time holding back laughter. When he was able to compose himself, he said, “If you’re going to dive into people’s heads, you have to be prepared for what you find there. Our people are used to their privacy. They’re not like the Vuduri where somebody is always peeking in. Sometimes we don’t think the greatest thoughts.”

  Rome sighed. “I suppose you are right,” she replied. “I have to keep that in the forefront when I am probing their minds.”

  Rei tried steering the
trio toward the elevator but Rome resisted. She looked longingly at the spectacular vista before them. She had vowed several years ago to always take the time to appreciate the beauty that nature provided her. Within her, a tug of war raged on but finally, practicality won. First things first. They had a job to do. Reluctantly, she turned away and followed Rei and Bonnie back the way they came. After the elevator ride back to the ground, the three of them ducked into an alleyway to strategize.

  “Did you find anything out?” Bonnie asked Rei and Rome.

  “One thing, yes,” Rei answered. “The thing we know is that Troutman probably lives to the west.”

  “So that eliminates half the town,” Bonnie said dismissively. “That still leaves us with the entire other half to search.”

  “I think I may have a method,” Rome said. “We now know that even if I am not in direct contact with them, I can still read people’s minds. At least at the superficial level. I think that if we walk toward the edge of town, each of you should take turns bumping into people. This will get their attention. Immediately show them a picture of Troutman and Steele. It will only take me a moment to determine if they have seen them or not. That should help us home in on the proper direction.”

  “That’s a pretty sleek idea,” Rei said. “Like a human GPS.”

  “A GPS?” Rome asked.

  “Never mind,” Rei said. “Let’s get going.”

  So they are going to wander the town, bouncing into people, flash pictures and the stronger the "signal", the closer they will come to finding Troutman and Steele.

  Entry 5-249: September 6, 2017

  The House Is Found

  Yesterday, Rome figured out a way to turn her mind-reading ability into a kind of human GPS. They would bump into people, flash pictures of Troutman and Steele and Rome would detect whether the person had ever seen them before, maybe even how long before. As the "signal" got stronger, they would know they were getting closer to the would-be assassins' lair. It was a brilliant plan:

  They wandered through the western side of the marketplace with Rei and Bonnie pretending to bump into people. Rei carried a picture of Troutman. Bonnie carried a picture of Steele. Even as they were excusing themselves, Rome was able to get flashes of recognition. No one had seen Steele but Troutman stood out because of his height. Rome had Bonnie switch pictures. They quickly discovered that if they moved in one direction, fewer people showed any recognition. If they turned another way, more people showed flashes of recognition. Rei’s description of Rome as a human GPS device turned out to be more accurate than any of them realized.

  They soon found themselves on the far western side of the city, well out from beneath the shadow of The Hand. Even though the streets were built the same as on the eastern side, the construction technique for the residences here quickly degraded. In fact, while there were many residences here, they steadily decreased in attractiveness as they got closer to the edge of town. Unerringly, their technique took them closer and closer until they got to one of the last streets, right on the outskirts of Ur. Most of the people here hadn’t even bothered to use aerogel to construct their dwellings. They were more like sophisticated shacks. The one or two properly built homes stood out like sore thumbs.

  Rome pulled a Vuduri gentleman aside and even though no words were spoken, mentally, she had a conversation with him. He pointed to the third house on the left. Rome thanked him and returned to Rei and Bonnie.

  “He saw Troutman enter that house this morning,” Rome said. “To his knowledge, he is still in there.”

  “How do we grab him?” Bonnie asked. “If we go right up to his door, he’ll see us and take off.”

  “Yeah,” Rei said. “Let me think about this for a minute.” He surveyed his surroundings. “You ladies stay here,” he said. “Let me scout around.” He drew the Deucadon cloak over his head, drew his hand down the front and promptly disappeared.

  Nothing like being invisible for going under cover. Rei will try and sneek a peek inside the shack, hoping he will find Troutman. Let's see what happens.

  Entry 5-250: September 7, 2017

  Sneak attack

  Yesterday, Rei pulled one of the Deucadon invisibility cloaks, right outside of David Troutman's house. Since they didn't want Troutman to see them, that was probably a good idea. However, Rei hadn't told Bonnie or Rome what he was planning on doing. They had to ask:

  “Where are you going?” Rome asked him mentally.

  “I’m just going to do a quick recon,” Rei replied. “I’ll be back as fast as I can. OK?”

  “Of course,” Rome replied. She and Bonnie backed up a little bit and removed themselves off to the side.

  Rei was gone some time. Rome thought she heard a whoosh and pop off in the distance but could not be sure. At last, Rei returned, making himself visible again. He pulled down his hood and spoke in conspiratorial tones.

  “Here’s the deal. There are two entrances to his house,” he said quietly, pointing at the dwelling identified as belonging to Troutman. “There’s one door around the back. I’ve got that one taken care of. Romey, you stay out of sight till we go in. Bonnie, I want you to pull your hood up like you’re hiding your face and go right up to the front door. Your cover story is you snuck back here from Helome and want to hook up with the Darwin people again. I’ll be there with you.”

  “Won’t that give things away?” Rome asked sharply.

  “Not if I’m invisible,” Rei said. “After we take him down, Romey, you come in and do your telepath thing with him so we can find Steele. Everybody OK?” Rei looked at each woman. Both Rome and Bonnie nodded.

  Rei drew his hand along the cloak and disappeared again. Bonnie pulled her hood over her head and walked slowly toward the house. Rome dashed past her and went around the side of their target house to hide.

  After making sure that Rome was out of sight, Bonnie knocked on the door.

  “Who’s there,” came a gruff voice from inside.

  “David, it’s me, Bonnie Mullen,” Bonnie whispered.

  The door opened a crack. Light streamed into the room and Bonnie could see Troutman was just behind the door. She pulled her hood back a little so he could see her face.

  “What the hell are you doing here?” he said.

  “Just let me in,” Bonnie pleaded. “I need to get off the street.”

  “OK,” Troutman said and he opened the door wider. Bonnie pretended to trip and bumped into the door, forcing Troutman to open it wide for just a minute. As soon as Bonnie was inside, Troutman slammed the door shut.

  Quick thinking by Bonnie, huh? So now Rei and Bonnie are in the bomber's shack and MINIMCOM is guarding the back door. It is time to spring the trap.

  Entry 5-251: September 8, 2017

  How did you find out?

  Yesterday, using the pretext that she was still a loyal Darwin member, Bonnie Mullen was able to get David Troutman to let her in. Little did Troutman know that Rei Bierak was in the room now, too. Rei was wearing a Deucadon invisibility cloak so Troutman had no idea. It was time to spring the trap:

  The tall man walked over to the window and pulled the threadbare curtains aside to look out. “Did anybody see you come here?” he asked.

  “No,” Bonnie said. “I’ve been real careful.”

  She looked around the house. It was tiny, just two rooms. In the corner was a workbench with wires and electronics and a pile of something that Bonnie assumed was an explosive. It was a typical bomber’s lair.

  “How the hell did you escape?” he asked. He pointed to a table covered with litter. He shoved a clean space and pulled out a chair. “Sit down,” he said. “Do you want anything to drink?”

  “No,” Bonnie said, “but thanks.” The room smelled strongly of body odor. Troutman clearly didn’t take much care of himself.

  He sat down next to her. “So what gives?” he asked. “Where did you come from?”

  “Well, when they rounded us up, they shipped us off to Alpha Centauri.”

>   “Jesus H. Christ,” the tall man said. “Alpha Centauri?”

  “Yeah,” Bonnie replied. “The Vooks call their world there Helome. I gotta tell you. It’s actually quite beautiful there, not like this dump. You’d be surprised.”

  “OK, I believe you,” he said. “Then what?”

  “You know the Vooks. They asked us if we were going to be good. We said yes so they pretty much let us do what we wanted. I got the job of running a farm which was pretty peaceful. But Keller started plotting how to get back.”

  “Keller, sure,” Troutman said, nodding. Then he tilted his head. “How did you get back here?”

  “I know it’s going to sound stupid but I just asked. The Vooks there, they didn’t care. Keller put up a stink for me so they let me hitch a ride on a ship back to this dopey planet.”

  “So how’d you find me?” he asked. “How did you even know where to look?”

  “Well, I started with the fact that you and Steele were never caught…”