The Maid docked to a Sumo III module. When the connection was secure and sealed, docking gates opened and warm air from the base flowed into the ship until it equalized. Karen passed through the corridor that ran directly into one of the transport modules. She was joined by Neil Gibbs who was going to be commissioning the completed drive system. Because of the complex nature of the system, the rest of his energetics team would be arriving the following day to help with the installation.
“Hi, Karen. We've emptied the sixth module. The energetics team can board anytime,” the chief engineer said to her when she appeared.
“Hi, Surinder. Okay then, when they arrive, they can get straight down to work. We brought the control equipment, it's pretty sensitive. It will need protection.”
“Then we'll coat it with heat-absorption foil. Any changes in the control system?” he inquired.
“Hello, Neelam,” said Gibbs, coming over to join them. “There'll be a third type of drive which is based on gravitational radii technology.”
“Interesting.”
“At last, we have managed to sort out the gravitational environments we need to take into consideration and, using a one hundred point scale which is always relative to the actual drive's efficiency rating, we have divided it into four parts: low values indicate a gravity-free environment, from zero to ten. NGI drives will mainly be used in this range. The next includes weak gravitational environments up to fifty. These may occur in cases where asteroids and dwarf planets are in the vicinity of the vessel. In this case use of newly developed G-radii positioning system is recommended. Basically, it allows the vessel to be directed with rays by throwing them out to the surface of objects, which it then uses to ‘crawl’ through space, some what like a spider,” he said, imitating the motion with his fingers. “The G-radii system can also be used in conjunction with the other two drive systems.”
“I see.”
“From fifty to eighty-five on the scale we classify as strong gravitational fields,” he continued. “These would be similar to the gravity that exist on the planet Earth. In this environment it's possible to propel the ship with DCG drives.”
“And what do we have over eighty-five?”
“From eighty-five upwards we indicate extremely strong gravitational forces that pose a threat to the ship. These must be avoided as the propulsion systems are not designed to cope with them.”
“Okay, that seems clear.”
“I heard that the power plants have been installed,” said Karen.
“Yes, the mini Gravitors are already in their places; a total of thirty-two per ship, and the large ones too in the central cores.”
“Not a bad idea to distribute energy resources this way. It will make the power supply smoother and more reliable,” said Gibbs.
“Yes, and in the case of damage or break-downs, the risk of equipment failure or large scale power cuts is much less,” Karen explained.
They nodded in agreement.
Through panoramic windows the dark side of the Earth was visible, glinting with tin pin pricks of light that could only have been major cities.
Then the temperature began to rise noticeably, and the climate control system switched on. The sides of the Sumo began to vibrate with loud pops and squeaks as the outer layers moved against each other as a result of the differing temperatures between the inside and outside surfaces. During construction this had been accounted for, so no one was particularly worried about the phenomenon.
“When do you begin the outer shell?” Karen suddenly remembered, after hearing the noises from the Sumo.
“The last phase will begin in about two weeks. The communication spires are already in place, and Daniel Valsson and his team arrive tomorrow as well to install the space-fragmentation scanner. They'll be working from the seventh module. Parallel to this, we're also building the elements for the negative gravitation shields.”
“There'll be quite a crowd up there, then.”
“Yeah, that's right. We'll be dividing the area so that we don't interfere with each other out there.”
“The outer shell construction will be a delicate operation,” observed Karen rhetorically.
“Yes, I know. Liquid cover. It makes the whole thing a fairly big challenge,” said Neelam, looking like he could barely believe it himself.
The truth
As usual, the Maid returned to Earth after a two hour stop. During that time, the cargo was unloaded and everything that had required decontamination treatment was returned to the ship.
Karen was on her way back to earth alone. Some distance away from her, damaged SRT units were standing in their docks, some with arms missing, others simply out of order. She had no feelings whatsoever for the machines, she simply regarded them as working tools.
Over the horizon of the planet, a thin arc of light appeared, blinding her for a moment, but as the ship approached the night side of the Earth the piercing sunlight disappeared and the lights of civilization winked into view. The ship passed through the network of probes, which diligently collected and relayed information that gave the IRD divisions plenty to do, even after the final confrontation with China. Most enforcement operations were small local conflicts that did little more than cause senseless destruction.
Karen noticed that she was becoming irritable the closer she got to home. She was surprised at her reaction, but was sure of the reason. It was the changes in Steersman's personality that were bothering her. She had absolutely no desire to meet him and was, in fact, hoping to avoid him.
At that point, a voice crackled out over the on-board comm-terminal.
“Karen, I want you to pop in to my office after you have landed.” It was Steersman.
She hesitated involuntarily for a brief moment. “Okay,” she replied as all of her neurons protested.
*
After the Maid had docked at the IRD station, Karen went though the ASEC underground conduits to the tower elevator. At the top she left the elevator and walked slowly to his office door, stopped in front of the door, sighed, and then entered.
“Is there something wrong?” she asked as soon as she entered the room, feeling tension building inside her.
“Oh no, not at all. Come in. There's something I have to tell you,” he said with an unusual note in his voice. Karen immediately noticed the change in him. He was behaving more naturally than he had in ages. She didn't really care though, and wasn't too sure what to make of it all.
“Do you? I can hardly wait,” she said, a little brusquely.
They sat opposite each other. Steersman came nearer her.
“I've met them,” he said, almost whispering.
“I'm sorry. Who did you meet?” she asked, puzzled.
“The aliens,” he said, then went on. “There's a place I go sometimes. Many of my ideas come from there too. I met them there.”
“A place?”
“Yes. It doesn't matter where it is. The point is that I saw them,” he said, his old character shining through.
Karen was dancing on knife's edge, trying to decide whether to get up and leave him, or wait and hear him out. With her teeth clenched, she gave him more time to explain.
“Tell me something more about this meeting, because so far, ‘I've met the aliens in a place’ sounds absolutely insane,” she said rawly.
Steersman visibly pulled himself together. He did not want to push the limits and frighten her off.
“It was awesome and exciting,” he said softly, remembering again that brief meeting. “I saw them only for a few moments, but they noticed me and turned to me. We didn't really communicate because they vanished, or rather the place disappeared.”
Karen's expression did not soften one bit. In fact it grew slightly more agitated.
“Sean!” she said, looking more and more like she was about to start smashing things.
“Okay, I know. I realize that unfortunately our relationship has been a bit strained lately, and … I've been acting strangely, but I've
never lied to you about anything, Karen. When I have decided to tell you something, it has never involved deceit. I have always told you the truth.”
Karen's tension began to subside and she found the strength to gather some threads of understanding from what he had been telling her.
“So this is why you've been acting so weirdly lately?” she said. “Because of this place?”
“Yes.” He paused. “I know what effect this whole thing has had on me and I'm sorry.”
“I'll admit, Sean, that it's seemed, more often than not, that you'd been on drugs or something. One day cheerful, the next day acting like it was the end of the world.”
“No, of course not. It wasn't like that.”
“But, Sean, you've been here the whole time. Where is this place?”
“It's here in this room,” said Steersman, and Karen looked around. “It's here, right in front of you. It's inside me.”
“Okay, now I'm not following you.”
“Even I don't know how it happened, but it has something to do with the aliens. Karen, I am the delegate!” he looked deep into her eyes. In the sudden silence they could each hear the others breathing.
Then, she clearly understood it, all of it.
“Oh, my God!” she shot up, nearly sobbing. “That explains everything, right from the start. Everything! But then, what are they like? Does that mean they look just like us?”
“Listen! I'm human, if that's what you mean,” he said with a laugh. “The delegate means here that I can establish contact between us and the aliens.”
“Why did they need a delegates, or this place? What do they want?”
“I don't know. As I said, I've seen them only once.”
“What were they like?” Karen said, more seriously.
“Strange, very strange. The word ‘alien’ barely describes what I saw. At first it was frightening, even for me.”
“So what's the plan now? Will you go back to the place?”
“Yes, as soon as I'm ready to meet them. I found a way, which means that I can get to them now, anytime.”
“A passage that leads to knowledge,” Karen quoted.
“That's right. I have to get to know them. I need to learn from them. I hope I'll be given the opportunity.”
Karen suddenly felt deflated, as if someone had suddenly removed huge weights from her shoulders and from her chest. Her strength left her.
“I'm tired, Sean. So tired. I want to sleep for a year,” she lamented.
Steersman moved closer and did something that he had never done before. He hugged her. The woman in her surrendered. She could have fallen asleep right then and there.
***
Chapter 19
Beyond Earth
In early July, the Carapace space fleet returned to Earth after nearly two-months of testing. The furor surrounding the fleet's arrival was unmatched anywhere on the planet. Because of their sheer size they were unable to land which meant that they remained stationed in the lower atmosphere. The three ships were each almost the size of Excolopolis itself, their smooth surfaces were interrupted by various enormous extrusions housing navigational and sensor devices. The now stationary ships hovered in a star formation over the city, offering citizens a breathtaking spectacle.
Zachary Nishihara's design team had brought a plan to the table that even managed to gain unqualified approval from Steersman. Ultimately, the ships had no distinct color. The thin liquid coating, held onto the ship's surface by opposing static charges, reflected the colors of the surrounding environment in muted matte tones. The outer layers played a major part in keeping the crew alive, acting somewhat like the ozone layer of the Earth, filtering out deadly radiation from space. In addition, these layers were also the last defense against any impact from a foreign body. If an object made it through the gravity shield, it had to contend with the energy absorbing capacity of the outer shell in order to penetrate the interior of the ship, something that would require an immense force.
The spacecrafts were in perfect condition and all of the on-board equipment had performed just as expected. They had been able to safely avoid all obstacles while traveling at one and a half million kilometers per hour. Whatever couldn't be avoided was smashed aside by the shields, like a wedge. The only possible danger was a strike from the side of the vessel at high speed, something the was not anticipated.
Robots had cleaned out tonnes of space dust while the ships were in space, but the sterilization of the fleet – ensuring that no alien pathogen might remain inside – could only be done after mooring.
Karen was readying herself for the biggest organizational feat of her career in preparing the space fleet for its first mission. The entire ASEC staff was now working for her, making the ships construction seem a mere walk in the park compared to organizing the requirements for the manning and provisioning of the ships themselves.
An eight thousand five hundred and fifty strong crew would be going on the mission – the result of two years of staff recruitment and training – and would only return to Earth after a number of years. The program had initially been run on a voluntary basis and it seemed that there was no lack of adventurers, yet, after a time, targeted invitations had had to be sent out because of the low number of applicants with the required qualifications.
Each and every crew member and machine was to perform a specific and integral task on the journey, which meant applicants were chosen on their ability to perform more than one specialist task. No crew member would be able to stand idle if a rich mineral deposit was discovered. Extraction would take months and require all hands, and until that time, they would be carrying out intense research and development.
*
The loading of the ships took place in three stages, and was done at fierce pace. First, equipment and laboratories for scientific research were installed. Simultaneously, a seemingly endless legion of robots were moved into specialized docking bays on board and lastly, all other equipment and tools necessary for day to day living were stowed.
The second stage involved establishing an entire ecosystem that would ensure air, water and provisions in a continuously renewed cycle. All of the consumable goods required for the mission were packed into the holds. These would also be continuously recycled, right down to the last molecule.
After the completion of loading, the only thing that remained was to berth the crew. All of the crew members met their common living areas for the first time, which meant that the majority of the loading time was spent in the last phase. Of course, in theory, they had learned the location and function of every device during intensive simulator training, and were able to perform their job well, though, in real life it was naturally quite different.
Only commanders and those in higher positions, responsible for the ship's operation, had undergone the incredibly sophisticated and comprehensive boot camp training. They were still going over the details of their mission at the training center, even after ship loading and settlement was well under way. Thousands of case studies and hypothetical situations had been engraved on their minds, enough strategies to do justice to a grand master of chess.
In the absence of veteran fleet commanders, they were tested and prepped by scientists who bombarded them with detailed questions, pushing them to the very limits of mental endurance.
“An unavoidable meteor shower is in your path, coming in from the side at high speed, what do you do?” asked Surinder Neelam, who all together had spent nine months on the Moon, with one or two short breaks. For him, returning to Earth had been salvation.
“We need to turn the ship away from the oncoming meteor shower so as to offer the minimum surface for impact, then we assume the meteor speed and direction, change to G-radii propulsion systems, and get the hell out of there by using the meteors to crawl through the shower,” said Valko. As a result of his performance in the final confrontation, Valko had proven his abilities, so Murinko had assigned steadily heavier responsibilities. Finally, when he was
asked to command the Carapace space fleet, he said yes. He loved the unknown, and he certainly wouldn't even have minded if the expedition was to take decades.
“Practically, yes. Okay, now there's an emergency; a gravitation field of level eighty-five has been detected coming from a source on the positive Z axis at a distance of only one terameter. What order would you give?” asked Dr Martins.
“I would order the five NGI drives – on both sides of the X and Y axis, plus on the positive Z axis – onto full capacity against the field and the Z negative drive set to zero.”
“And?”
“If necessary, search for objects in the direction of movement within the range of the G-radius drive, and fix radii on them.”
“Okay.”
While Valko was being grilled by the scientists, Karen arrived at the training center.
Near the end, the base was transformed into a more relaxed area to reduce tension. She observed the trainers walking back and forth, talking with commanders in much the same way a friendly physician would talk with a patient, throwing out succinct questions on any and all issues pertaining to the mission. Karen made sure that she also had a word or two with everyone.
“Jeff, I'm sorry you didn't get a fleet command post. Your illness sure came at a bad time,” Karen said sympathetically to the young commander.
“Actually, I don't mind, Ms Colella. This way, I'll have more time to continue my biochemical research, and there is plenty for me to do here on Earth.”
“That's certainly true.”
“Dave will make a perfect commander, he has incredibly quick reactions. I have never known him unable to make a quick and concise decision, and his heart is in the right place. He has to learn patience though, but it will come. Sometime it just takes a little time for thing to develop.” Jeff looked over at his former partner, who was talking to a lieutenant commander.
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