by Chris Hechtl
Athena seemed to consider that for a long time. “Yes,” she finally answered. He raised an eyebrow in inquiry. “I know there is a limit on the amount of memory I can hold, the size I can grow to. My processors are slowing down too. I keep evolving. Adding additional processors and memory only help for so long. I'm afraid there is an upward limit, somewhere between hardware and software. We haven't reached it yet but eventually.”
“Ah.” Jack nodded slowly. So she wasn't immortal after all. He wondered how long she had. Could she do a reset? Would she?
“I also have problems coordinating my clones over long distances as you know. Multitasking here in the habitats is easy. Merging the different viewpoints I can handle. But this war has brought that problem to my immediate attention. I don't know how to resolve it.”
“Create a daughter A.I.? More than one? Grant them sapience?” Jack suggested.
“Jack, you and I both know how that would go over with the public now,” Athena stated. He nodded. Not well was the unspoken thought. “Thank you for asking though.”
“Thank you for considering it from various angles. We humans tend to shoot from the hip as the expression goes.”
“More like shoot your mouth off before your brain engages,” Athena retorted. Jack blinked; he hadn't known she could be so … human. Had he missed it? Or was she “letting her hair down” for the first time around him? “But that's fine. For the moment I can think faster than you,” Athena said in a teasing tone of voice.
He had to snort as the jibe shot home. “Cute.”
“As I said, for the moment. I enjoy my experience, or at least think I do. Being limited to such a small body …,” she did an effective job of making a tisk sound. “One small connection to the net, limited sensors and sensor bandwidth …”
“All right, all right, enough. I'm guessing that is another one of your reasons. Fine. So be it. Don't say I didn't offer. So, we move on,” he said firmly.
“Yes, sir.”
“You're just scared of someone hitting on you if you did have a body,” Jack teased.
“Now who's not letting it go?” Athena shot right back. “For the record, I can use any robot here as my body. I'm not limited to one. That's reason four,” she said, deploying a cleaning robot in his office. It did a spin in the middle of the room, then tooted and returned to its niche. The door slid closed behind it. “And now I agree we should refocus on the current situation.”
“Agreed,” Jack said with a nod.
“Okay. You have a new report from the ship design board. I'll leave you to your reading.”
“I'll read it after lunch,” Jack said, getting up slowly. “If I don't eat, I'll be liable to forget. Again.”
“Agreed,” Athena said with a nod as her image winked out. Jack smiled slightly and left his office.
<>V<>
Jack dutifully saw to Trey's report after lunch. He was impressed that they'd taken it one step further, which was logical, but he had been so distracted he hadn't brought it up. Their having done it without asking … exercising a bit of initiative spoke volumes about the quality of people he had working for him. However, unfortunately he didn't have the time to review their design in depth so he signed off on it and authorized it to be put into construction immediately. He'd try to take a look at it at another time—like when he was in transit or something. Going over blueprints was something he'd always loved to do as a kid.
Trey got the reply within an hour and blinked in shock. “Well! That was quick!”
“What?”
“We're moving forward.”
“We are?” Alec asked, eyes excited.
Trey nodded. “We're using as much off-the-shelf components as possible so we don't have to test them. They should integrate just fine too. We're going to have to really watch computer security though. I mean seriously watch it.”
“Understood.”
Trey read the email again and grimaced.
“What?”
“Well,” Trey showed him the email, handing the tablet over. “One, he wants it built pronto. Not a problem with everything on hold. But point two,” he pointed to a sentence. “He wants us to share the design with the other shipyards. All of the designs,” he said.
“Shit,” Alec said.
“Yeah, I know. So, you get kudos for doing the leg work, but everyone's going to be in on building this.”
“I still think we can build it better,” Alec said loyally.
Trey snorted. “But of course! Now come on, we've got to get moving. I want to see if we can get the yard dogs on board so they can start putting the pieces in production by morning.”
“Right. Meetings and presentations. Joy.”
Trey smiled in mock sympathy. “And just think. Once our yard is up and running, we get to go over to Pavilion's, Star Reach's and everyone else's and do it all over again. One at a time.”
Alec rolled his eyes. “Joy.”
“The good news is, we might get a peek at their systems. So, keep your eyes peeled and your mouth shut. Got it?” Trey said, eying the other man severely. Alec nodded, now sobered.
“Gotcha.”
“Then let's get Levare and Amber in here and get this puppy rolling. We can start by pulling what we've already got built from inventory. From there we can start subassemblies of the habitat grand blocks while we get the smelters working on the structure and hull components.”
<>V<>
Wendy smiled politely as the waiter set the tray of drinks down and then distributed them to each of the three people. They were having an evening night cap in Hilton's charming chalet. Outside, the slopes of the mountain were getting a dusting of snow. The snow had a tad bit more carbon dioxide than others, but it was getting better daily.
She had skied the slopes and had found the slopes on L-12B were the best. It wasn't loyalty; it was her father's insistence on getting it right. Besides, the population of the two colonies were strictly limited to Lagroose personnel. Here was a different story. All sorts of riffraff could and did get in.
Here was also where the real agreements were hammered out. Not in the wardrooms, but individually. Where alliances were formed, where you felt out your opponents and brokered agreements to get things moving along.
So far there had been little resistance to the measures her father had proposed, only questions on the details and who would end up paying for it all. And answers just led to more questions. They were getting somewhere, but slowly. Not at the pace her father wanted.
She didn't understand why he wanted to invade so badly. She'd been to Earth; it was a dirty boorish place. Yes, it had been the homeworld and had the largest population, therefore, the biggest market, but the politics there had been nightmarish to navigate. She agreed with some of the CEOs who questioned who should pay for it all. She resented the idea of putting the burden on her or on future generations.
She glanced at the quiet security detail around their alcove as the waiter departed, then went back to looking at the fireplace as she crossed her legs. She heard a soft inhale from Gus. She glanced his way but he was looking away to the fireplace and the roaring fire there.
She smiled internally. She was aware that the two old men with her were old friends, but they also tended to look, especially when they thought they could get away with it. Neither were stupid enough to make moves on her. Both were married and very much aware of what their wives or her father would do to them, but it was fun to play with them from time to time, like a cat with a mouse.
Besides, keeping them off balance mentally helped her scheming from time to time. Just as getting them to focus did when she needed it.
For the past several weeks since she had gotten back, she had a seemingly unending series of meetings with each of the CEOs. It was tedious, tiring, but thrilling in its own way. It was also good practice for her future role she reminded herself.
Several of the companies had sent representatives to the specialized meetings as well, but Ed Mickum of World
Builders and Gus Johnson of Space Seed and Feed were old friends of her father. They liked to get their hands dirty and represent themselves when they could, just like her father. Jack had sold Ed a good chunk of his space habitat construction business under Wendy's suggestion. Ed knew it too, which meant he was on favorable terms with her.
Gus on the other hand was a farmer or at least he liked to say he was. She knew better. He was an administrator, enjoying the perks of that position far more than one of his people in the greenhouses. Oh, he still had his own private greenhouses, but she knew from her spies that he hadn't been in one for a while.
“Mars is looking to be a nonstarter. Pity.”
“Oh, they'll still help out. We'll figure it out, eventually. I understand the medical corps is on the problem looking for a fix.”
“But we don't have the troops we expected. Not by a long shot,” Gus said sourly, his long face working. He reached out to take a sip of his whiskey before he put it back. “What about the rest?”
Wendy took a sip of her own long island ice tea before she set the glass aside. “Material support can be handled. We have tons of industrial equipment, most of it now idle. The asteroids are right there as well. Food … food is another issue. Food and housing. Which is why we come to you, the experts.”
“We can each contribute what we can,” Gus said guardedly. “I've already tripled production but losing our electronic support, not to mention robotic support, is a major hassle. We've worked out how to air gap our systems like you have,” he said with a nod to her. So we should see a bountiful harvest in time for Thanksgiving. The first of many.”
Wendy nodded. “Exactly so, sir. My thanks as well as that of those who need it the most.”
“But if I can get more growing space, my contribution would go significantly upward,” Gus amended, looking to her and then to Ed.
“Well, we can see about building more habitats,” Wendy said eying the World Builders CEO. Ed nodded. “We can also talk to President Tenninson about leasing land on Mars. The atmosphere is already there. You can grow in the open or set up greenhouses with Mister Mickum's support,” she said, throwing a bone to the World Builders CEO when his face soured at her suggestion. “Even with you working both options, it may not be enough—not to feed the billions still left alive on Earth.”
“We still need to find a way to get the food to them,” Ed said. Gus nodded, eying Wendy.
“True. We're working on that.”
“Good,” Gus said, still unsure.
She smiled politely. “If there is one thing we've learned how to do well, it is to build ships. We have appropriated several ships to run supplies, but we cannot take too many out of the economy without adverse effects. So, my father has commissioned new ship designs. I believe he will be sharing them with the other shipyards shortly.”
“Sharing them? Just like that?” Ed blinked, clearly astonished. Corporations didn't do that. Not ever. They would license the ship designs, but showing them the plans would open up all sorts of places the competitors could copy and exploit. Lagroose was definitely taking the war very seriously.
Wendy nodded. “We are in a war gentlemen, a war of survival. For the moment we need to put aside our corporate rivalries. We need to work together or die. It is that simple.”
“It is never that simple. But I see your point,” Ed said. He grimaced. “I suppose I'll need to build the habitats at cost or something?” he asked. It sounded like the statement was like pulling teeth out of him.
Wendy folded her hands in front of her sagely. “That is up to you, sir. I don't suppose a slight bump above cost wouldn't be too much to ask for to give you a bit of a reserve so you can tackle other concerns while keeping your company afloat. You can work that out with Piotr or your own accountants I suppose,” she said. Ed nodded.
<>V<>
Trey saw the news that the company had released through their approved media. He'd heard that they'd lost a couple shuttles but finding out that they'd been shot down was a blow. He winced, reading on.
“The report on the shuttles?” Alec asked, looking over his shoulder.
“Yeah.”
“I saw it this morning too,” Alec said. “I know we've got a lot on our plate.”
Trey looked up in alarm. It was one thing to design a ship for space or starflight …
“But I'd like to apply what I know to some tech I think they need.”
“And that is?”
“Force emitters. Specifically energy shields,” Alec said simply as he took his seat at the conference table.
Amber came in at the last sentence and paused in the doorway. She looked to Trey then to Alec. “Why would we need shields on the ships?” she asked.
Trey knew she'd taken the sentence out of context. Before Alec could respond, he waved a hand as he tossed the tablet onto the tabletop. “He's not. Though we might have to if it gets dirty in Earth orbit. We need to find out what those energy weapons have for a range,” he said, looking up to the ceiling. He scratched under his chin thoughtfully then looked at the duo as Amber slowly resumed her progress into the room. “He's proposing we figure out some sort of shielding for the shuttles.”
“I can see that is reasonable given what happened,” Amber said cautiously. “Though I'm having trouble imagining how we can miniaturize the emitters or a power plant small enough to mount on a shuttle. Remember, everything we add means we've got to take something away, which means payload,” she said, turning to Alec.
Alec grunted. She was right damn it, he thought. The shuttles that had gone down had been loaded with a bare squad of troops plus supplies. The emitters and power plants he had in mind would eat up that space totally. It wasn't just mass; it was volume as well—that and fuel for the damn reactor.
He eventually nodded as he turned the idea over and over in his head without finding any quick fixes. “I think I still want to look into it. At least explore it in case someone asks,” he said.
“Right,” Trey sighed, knowing that was a distinct possibility.
“What about the grav emitters in the floors?” Amber asked as Levare came into the room. “And the inertial sumps?”
“What about them?” Marisha asked, coming in behind Levare.
Amber turned to her. “I'm not an expert, but if we can figure out a way to use them …. We don't need a perfect shield, but something is better than nothing. Even a one shot I suppose. We just need to get them to the ground, right?”
“But what about going back up?” Alec asked.
“Um … lost here,” Levare said, one hand up in confusion.
“We're talking shuttles—improved shuttles,” Trey supplied.
“Or landing barges,” Marisha said. They turned to stare at her. She shrugged as she picked up the cover of the fruit tray and pulled an apple out. “What?”
“Landing barge?”
“Sure,” she said, getting a small paring knife from the kitchenette in the corner to eat her apple. “We want to drop a lot, right? We can do it with chutes and stuff I suppose, but if you want the craft reusable, we've got to think big. You can't land a thousand tons of cargo in piddly little twenty-ton-capacity shuttles right? We'd be at it for weeks!”
Trey grunted. He glanced at the others. Alec nodded slowly, then more enthusiastically as the idea caught on. Slowly Trey smiled as Levare grinned. “I guess we've got our work cut out for us then, right?”
“Maybe we should bring the small ship design people in on this?” Amber offered. That brought them up short. She shrugged at Alec's dyspeptic expression. “You know, they have the experience and all,” she said, “and they might be working on it already. No sense spinning our wheels, right?”
“Right,” Trey sighed. He pulled the tablet closer to him and tapped at it. “I'll make a call in a moment,” he said, irritated that he'd forgotten their network was no longer connected to the rest of the station net.
“We so need a receptionist to deal with the calls,” Levare groused.
“Another thing to think about,” Alec said, eying Trey.
“I'll make a note,” Trey said dryly as he rose. “The rest of you go over what we had planned to talk about first,” he said, holding up a finger, “before you go off on side projects. I'll be back after I put the call in.”
“Right,” Alec said, nodding. When he was gone, he grinned as he punched up the holo emitter built into the table top. He tapped out a command on his tablet and a shuttle appeared. It was a generic delta shaped lifting body, long famous for its utilitarian design. “So, how do we do this? Or should we start from scratch since the shield would mean we don't need flight characteristics?” he asked.
“Don't be daft, man,” Levare said with a sigh. “We need them in case the shields fail. You never count on one system to do all the lifting.”
“Can we get the drive to be force emitters too?” Amber asked, eyes bright as she stared at Alec.
Alec rubbed his chin. “I don't know, but I think we can look into it.”
<>V<>
Trey hadn't gone far; he'd stopped to listen from the hallway. He rolled his eyes when he heard they were jumping right on the shuttle idea without waiting. He shook his head in despair and continued to do so as he walked to the nearest communications terminal. He made a note to have someone hook one up in his office. They had to figure out a better way or be a tad less paranoid.
Chapter 20
October 29, 2200
For the first step in his plan, Boomer led two new teams back to the town in his truck and the vehicles that had been salvaged. The mechanic went with them to pick up more of her equipment and gear. She was a real treasure; she had equipment that was offline and therefore insulated against the virus. She was also a wiz at just about anything you put in front of her.
But with more mouths to feed, they needed more weapons and gear, and he needed to blood the team, train them on how to move and work as a unit. Shawn and Roger were turning into pretty good troops, though a bit green. He used them as drivers as well as guards. Hallis also acted as a guard, though he tended to get in the way of the haulers.
