The Horicon Experience

by Laughter, Jim

  “Well, I was just beginning to wonder,” Jake said.

  “Wonder what, my love?” asked Sherry, certain she was setting herself up for some of her husband’s dry humor.

  “Just wondering how you were going to do the dishes without the kitchen sink.” He turned and looked at his wife. “I thought we were going for a short weekend trip instead of moving across the galaxy.”

  Sherry fixed him with a frown. “You’re the one who told me to be prepared for anything,” Sherry replied as she scooted across the small back seat. Jake folded himself up and squeezed through the small door to join her. The move set his artificial leg to aching but Jake determined himself ignore it.

  “I just meant that you never know what to expect with these conferences,” Jake said as he settled in the seat next to his wife. The driver engaged the power unit of the flitter and it rose into the air. In a matter of seconds, they were traveling at low altitude toward the capital of Mica.

  “All I know and care about is that you’re the main attraction at this engagement,” Sherry responded sweetly.

  “I know it’s an honor and all that, but I’d still rather be addressing our home folks,” he said sullenly.

  “Oh! You’re just worried about how you’ll be received,” Sherry chided. “I’m not worried. I know you’ll just knock their socks off!”

  “Easy for you to say,” Jake said. “You’re not the one standing up there in front of four thousand professional pencil-pushers taking notes and waiting for you to make a fool of yourself.”

  “Unseen One, help us!” remarked Sherry, then turned away to look out the window before Jake could respond.

  ∞∞∞

  The Reacher sped away from Shalimar on its maiden voyage toward the mothership many light years away. Captain George Citti sat in his new command chair, his left hand firmly on the axis ball and his right hand grasping the throttle bar. The ship handled smoothly and effortlessly, answering the helm with even the slightest movement of the controls.

  Akir Asmed had taken station at the communications console. The displays were clean and orderly arranged. Actually, the controls in Axia ships had not changed much since the earliest inception of manned space travel. After all, communications was communications, regardless what the controls looked like. The real magic is in the components, Akir thought, and this baby has it all!

  “Do you realize this new ship has the new T31/K2 subspace transmitter and receiver?” Akir asked George.

  “Yeah,” George answered. “I saw that in the spec sheet. I should be able to get a signal out of just about anywhere with that thing.”

  “It’s more than that,” Akir said. “The T31/K2 is equipped with a subspace pinpoint transmitter.”

  George shrugged his shoulders. “So?”

  Akir shook his head. It was clear that George did not fully grasp the importance of the T31/K2.

  “It means,” continued Akir, “that you can key in the name or registration number of any Axia ship and pinpoint its exact location anywhere in the galaxy. Then you can transmit an immediate signal to that ship regardless where it is, and your signal doesn’t have to retransmit through transponder beacons along the way. There is virtually no loss of signal clarity, and it’s almost instant.”

  “Wow!” George exclaimed. “I knew it was good, but I had no idea it was that good.”

  “Why do you think they designated this class of scout a Galaxy?” Akir asked. George shrugged his shoulders again. Akir rolled his eyes. “It’s because this ship can really go anywhere in the galaxy and has the power to transmit reports back to command with no delay in time.”

  George pushed the throttle bar forward a notch and felt his new ship respond to his touch. The trip that had taken them a week in the old Starduster would only take them a day in the Reacher.

  “Have you had a chance to check out our armaments?” George asked Akir as he marveled at the smooth feel of the controls.

  “Oh yeah!” exclaimed Akir. “We’re fully armed. Torps, long-axis ray, swivel mounts. We’ve got it all! Any Red-tail jumps us will have a surprise for dinner, and it won’t be us.”

  George smiled at Akir’s pun. He wished he could keep Akir onboard after they reached the mothership, but he knew that would be impossible. Once this mission was over, they would both receive new orders. George assumed he would be reassigned watcher duty over the same closed planet. It only made sense since he had previous knowledge of the planet, and especially now that he had the latest equipment with which to report his findings.

  George pushed himself up from the control seat. “Want to take over for a while?” he asked Akir. “Call of nature.”

  Akir nodded and crossed the control room to the command chair. If my parents could only see me now, he thought. A poor kid with nothing to his name now sitting in the command chair of the Axia’s latest achievement.

  “No more caste system for me,” Akir muttered aloud.

  “What’s that?” George called back over his shoulder as he headed for the bathroom. “Did you say something to me, Akir?”

  “No sir,” Akir answered. “Just talking to myself.” Akir smiled. It had been only a couple of weeks ago that George had said something very similar to him and he thought George was a nut case. I guess it’s true that the people you associate with really do have an influence on you, Akir thought. In George’s case, Akir figured that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

  The trip to the mothership took just a little over a day to complete. The Reacher appeared on the mothership’s scopes at approximately 0330 hours ship time, and was directed to land in the central docking bay.

  The attention the Galaxy class deep recon scout drew when she glided silently through the docking bay was priceless to George. Crewmen working on other ships stopped whatever they were doing and watched the beautiful new ship settle down on its designated landing pad. Then with unabashed pride, they exited the Reacher and reported to the debriefing officer with their package from Shalimar.

  Chapter Eight

  The rented ground vehicle pulled up in front of the dormitory and a late-middle-aged couple got out. It was obvious that the man had a definite limp but declined the offer of help from his partner.

  “They’re here!” Delmar shouted and turned from the window where he had been keeping watch. Stan nodded his acknowledgment, but otherwise continued to peck at his computer keyboard. Files flashed by as he rapidly scanned the material for the reference he was searching for. The buzzer on the lobby intercom sounded and Delmar rushed to answer. He activated the lobby door release and then began to pace back and forth.

  “You’re more nervous than you were at basic graduation,” Stan remarked, glancing up at his friend. With practiced skill, Stan saved his work and shut down his machine. He turned his desk chair toward his friend and just shook his head at Delmar’s impatience. A knock at the door cut short Delmar’s reply.

  Delmar rushed over to the door and flung it open, startling Jake and Sherry Sender with the suddenness of his movement. “Mr. and Mrs. Sender!” Delmar shouted.

  “Cut the formality, Delmar,” Jake said with a wave of his hand as they walked into the room. “You’re a big boy now, so just call us Jake and Sherry.”

  Stan stood up as the couple entered. Delmar stammered his way through the introductions.

  “So you’re the Stan that Agnes thought so highly of,” Sherry said as she looked into the young man’s face.

  “Don’t worry, Stan,” Jake said, watching the young man’s face redden. “She had nothing but good to say.”

  “I’d ask you to sit down but we’re a little short of chairs,” Stan said, trying to change the subject. Sherry took in the sparsely furnished room with a glance.

  “No, thank you,” she said politely. “We were hoping you’d want to go out.”

  “Yeah,” agreed Jake, “grab your jackets and let’s go.” In moments, the young men were ready. They rode the lift together downstairs to the ground car.

 
; “How about we go to that nice little café we ate at last time we were here?” Sherry recommended to her husband as he drove them off campus.

  “Sounds good to me,” Jake replied. “You boys hungry?” Delmar and Stan looked at each other and grinned.

  “We’d love to if it’s cheap enough,” Delmar admitted. “They haven’t gotten our pay vouchers to us yet.” Stan nodded in agreement.

  “Don’t worry about it,” Jake told them. “Our treat.”

  Both young men broke into big smiles. Jake carefully watched Delmar’s friend in the rear view mirror. With a practiced eye, he noted signs of suppressed emotion but kept his peace. There will be enough time for that later, he thought.

  A short time later found them seated around a table at an average priced home-style café.

  “Not much to look at,” Delmar remarked, surveying the décor. Although there were different artifacts displayed around the dining room emphasizing the eatery’s theme, it was low key and simply decorated.

  “Just remember that you pay for everything in these places, one way or another,” Jake said with a chuckle, “and you can’t eat decor.” The arrival of the server with menus and water changed the subject to more pressing matters.

  Go ahead and order whatever you want,” Sherry admonished the two young men while they all scanned their menus. Although there was a wide variety of offerings to choose from, it didn’t take the boys long to decide. After the waitress had taken their orders and poured coffee all around, Jake noticed the look in his wife’s eyes. Here she goes! He thought with a chuckle. As soon as the waitress left, Sherry began to pump the boys for news.

  “Slow down, woman,” Jake interjected with a snort. “Let them at least get a sip of their coffee first.”

  “No, it’s all right Mr. Sen . . .I mean Jake,” Delmar countered. That was all Sherry needed to continue. In her own coy way, she began questioning Delmar. Several minutes later the waitress appeared with their food and interrupted the interrogation. Though only observing, both Jake and Stan felt the same relief Delmar must have been experiencing.

  As soon as they saw their food, both Delmar and Stan let out a gasp. “Getting a little tired of synthesized food?” Jake asked with a smile.

  “How’d you know?” Stan asked.

  “It’s not that bad, really,” Delmar added hastily.

  “If you don’t look at it,” Stan continued. Jake and Sherry both chuckled. They well remembered being at the mercy of synthesized food when in uniform themselves.

  “Now you know why I pray over what’s on my plate,” Jake replied with a disarming smile. They bowed their heads while Jake offered thanks.

  “So, what do you two want to do today?” Jake asked when the meal wound down. The boys had cleared their food right down to the flowers on the plate.

  “Oh, I don’t know,” answered Delmar. “Maybe see the sights or something.” He leaned back in his chair and rubbed his full stomach. Stan just shrugged.

  “It was the ‘something’ that I had in mind,” Sherry interjected. “Come on, you three,” she added, taking command.

  Jake and the two young men realized they had lost the fight before they even knew there was a battle. Gathering their things, they made their way toward the cash register. Stan and Delmar hung back, and between them managed to scrape together a decent tip. Back in the ground car, Sherry gave Jake the address where she wanted to go.

  “By the way,” asked Delmar, “why did you rent a ground vehicle? You could have used the transit to get to campus and all over the city.”

  “You’ll see,” Sherry answered. Jake smiled but kept his mouth shut.

  Several minutes later, Jake pulled the vehicle into the parking area of a giant second-hand goods establishment.

  “That room of yours is too bare,” Sherry said as she opened her door. “It might as well feel like a home while you’re there.”

  The boys helplessly followed her inside. Jake brought up the rear, chuckling to himself. Knowing he was out of the loop, Jake looked for a place to rest and wait for the inevitable.

  Once inside, Sherry continued to maintain command. She soon had a sales clerk and the two boys moving furniture around, much to the great amusement of Jake. Although she was careful to consult the boys as to their tastes and preferences, Sherry clearly intended to furnish their room and would brook no argument. Within half an hour, a procession of furnishings surrounded the ground vehicle.

  “Did I mention that Sherry is a former Lady of the Fleet?” a winded Delmar asked his friend as they carried yet another bookcase out to the parking lot.

  “You did. But it wouldn’t have been hard to figure out if you hadn’t,” Stan replied between breaths.

  They set the bookcase down beside the ground car. Sherry soon appeared to supervise the loading, and the boys saved their breath. Several minutes of careful arrangement were required to fit it all in or onto the vehicle. Just as they finished, Jake wandered out from the store.

  “Where have you been?” Sherry asked. The boys looked up and saw Jake’s slow approach. Delmar remembered seeing him safely hidden among the easy chairs.

  “I was busy testing upholstery,” Jake answered with a straight face. Delmar hid his grin as Sherry shook her head at her husband.

  They all squeezed in among the smaller purchases and Jake drove them back to the dormitory. Realizing there was no getting around it, the boys began to move the load of furnishings upstairs to their room. Jake kept himself clear of the activity by helping unload the smaller items and holding the lobby door. Several trips later, the task was finished and Sherry wisely let the boys decide on the arrangement of the furniture. When it was all roughly in place, they locked up and returned to the car.

  “Now we can go sightseeing,” Sherry announced. Delmar and Stan found themselves too tired to argue.

  ∞∞∞

  Nearly undetectable levels of current coursed through the sub-atomic circuitry. Patiently, methodically, the unit analyzed the signals it picked up inductively from the cables below. However, in spite of all its effort, it was unable to decipher the codes. If it had been possible, the unit would have felt frustration. Instead, it examined all of its recorded options for alternate solutions. Either because of damage to some of the memory cells, or because it had never been provided with the answer to this unforeseen situation, the unit was unable to find any instructions dealing with such an unusual series of dilemmas.

  Discarding that fruitless effort without a flicker of emotion, the unit expanded its search to include all of its available memories. Most dealt with the mundane chores regularly consigned to machines by their organic masters. Still, it searched these for any possible directive that was applicable to the circumstances the unit faced, but found no answer.

  The final set of files the unit searched were the most incomplete or damaged. The unit had to create new pathways occasionally to replace ones made inoperative by the ravages of time. Through one of these shunts, the unit’s processors finally accessed the historical files. It checked for instructions or directives from its long-dead masters. The few that looked promising were too badly damaged to be workable, stumping the unit again. It pondered this dilemma for many hours in real time, interrupted only by occasional appearances of the odd bipedal creatures.

  ∞∞∞

  The monitor in the Observation Section displayed the signal trace of the frequency emissions from the closed planet. The trooper on duty smiled to himself and looked to be sure the recorder was getting it all. This was the third time the closed planet had sent out transmissions during his shift, and he was glad that he had been here to see it. His personal interest aside, it was still good to get such excellent recordings from the relay system.

  Turning back to the main monitor, he watched the amplitude of the signal, and jotted down several notes. Footsteps interrupted his musings as his section supervisor walked up behind him.

  “How’s it going tonight, Chad?” the trooper-second asked. “Anythi
ng interesting?”

  “That,” Chad said, pointing to the trace on the monitor, “is the third transmission this shift.”

  “Are all three the same?” the section supervisor asked.

  “No, sir. And that’s what’s interesting,” Chad replied. “They seem to be sending out a different carrier signal each time. It’s as if they’re unsure of what they’ve got.”

  “Well, considering it may be equipment they’re unfamiliar with, I’m not surprised.” The two men watched the trace in silence for another minute.

  “I guess I better leave you alone,” the trooper-second said. “Call me if anything really interesting happens.”

  “You’ll be the first to know,” Chad said with a chuckle as his supervisor headed out the door.

  The trooper-second continued down the passageway to the Analysis Section. Entering the compartment, he found two troopers pouring over the data recordings from the previous shift. Hastily scribbled notes covered the printouts, along with circles around specific parts.

  “It looks like you’ve been busy,” he said as he approached the pair. One looked up and motioned for the trooper-second to come closer.

  “See this signal variation early in yesterday’s first transmission?” the trooper asked, pointing at the report he was studying.

  “Yes,” answered the supervisor, examining the highlighted part of the printout. Although his training had not been as thorough as that of these specialists, he was well enough versed to recognize that it indicated frequency variations. He said as much.

  “Notice that it’s at amplitude inconsistent with normal Red-tail equipment,” the analyst continued. “The repetition is also at a consistently decreasing time interval.”

  He pointed to duplicate patterns circled throughout the graph. “What we think is that if, and I mean if, they’ve acquired Red-tail equipment, they’ve already deduced its function and have started modifications of their own.”

  “That would be quite a leap, even for these people,” the supervisor said. “Could there be another explanation?”