by Rick Lakin
Jennifer interceded and fired a salvo of lasers that crossed Ani’s nose. Bandit One pulled up to avoid the fire.
“I've got radar lock on Bandit two,” David said. Just then, Sami pulled up and rolled. She deployed her air brakes and vertical thrusters and practically hung in the air as David passed beneath her. Now inverted, she cleaned up and pushed the throttles to the firewall and accelerated on David's tail.
“Commercial traffic at twelve o’clock low,” David’s Bobcat said. He rolled and turned to his right. It was right into Sami’s gun sight.
Jennifer could only watch as she was occupied holding off Bandit One. She saw Sami’s lasers. “Eject, David.” She saw a clean chute.
Sami was below at her four o'clock, so she rolled and accelerated to get Sami into her angle of fire. She heard the tone of the radar lock, and she pressed the fire button. She saw an explosion and fire and yes, an ejection seat.
“Splash one personal assistant,” Jennifer said.
She immediately felt Ani on her six. She banked left into a Chandelle and reversed her course at a higher altitude.
Ani was unable to establish a pursuit position.
Jennifer rolled and pulled back her stick to gain altitude and bleed speed. She gave Ani a glance of her belly then rolled and pulled the stick back to chase. Jennifer heard tone for a split second, but Ani maneuvered away to gain the advantage. The dog fight continued for another three minutes with neither pilot able to gain the advantage.
“Jendroid, shall we call it a draw?”
“Sure, Ani. Form up on me and let’s head for the barn,” Jennifer said.
Ani took the wingman position on Jennifer’s right.
“Bobcat, plot a course for a carrier approach to runway two-six at one thousand feet.”
“Course laid in,” Bobcat said.
“Engage. I'll take the aircraft on the approach.” Jennifer took two deep breaths, raised her visor and drank some water. She felt the sweat pooling in her flight suit.
“How’d I do, Ani?”
“You used all of the air combat maneuvers in an effective and timely manner. Your vision thing allows you to have excellent situational awareness on all three axes.”
“With the hop coming up in a Blue Angels F-52, I want to show off a little.”
“You’ll do well,” Ani said. “You just fought to a stalemate against my library of one-hundred thirty years of dogfights.”
“Thanks, Ani,” Jennifer said. “El Centro Traffic, Jendroid 12, two plane formation on approach, runway two-six. Request Clearance.”
“Jendroid 12 formation, El Centro, You are cleared to land Runway two-six. The traffic pattern is clear.”
“Jendroid 12.”
“On approach. Three miles to the apron,” Bobcat said.
“I've got the aircraft,” Jennifer said. She lined up one-quarter mile right of the runway on course 2–6-0. She looked left. With the tower directly over her left wing, she said, “Break, Break.”
Jennifer slowly turned her fighter to 0-8-0. She leveled her aircraft. “Deploy flaps. Extend landing gear. Perform final landing checks.” The noise level rose, and the plane became sluggish as it slowed. She pushed the throttle forward while descending to six hundred feet.
With the apron over her left shoulder, she turned final and lined up with the center line of the runway. Jennifer pulled the throttle back to idle.
“Three hundred…,” Bobcat said. “Two hundred…One hundred… Crossing the apron…Forty… Twenty…Ten”
Jennifer pulled back on the stick to flare the aircraft and bleed speed. She softly touched down.
“Jendroid 12, El Centro. Taxi to the flight line, follow the director.” She saw her display indicate a GPS-like map.
When parked, she shut down the systems.
“Secure the aircraft and thanks for a nice afternoon, Bobcat.”
“A good day is one that ends with a safe landing,” Bobcat said. The canopy rose.
“End simulation.”
“You are loose. Please stand up,” Sami said.
When she stood, she found herself in the Captain's ready room on StarCruiser Brilliant.
“Thanks, Sami.”
“It’s two-thirty. You’ve got time for a shower and a nap,” Sami said. “You deserve it since you splashed your personal assistant.”
Jennifer’s eyes went up. “I’m sorry, Sami. It was my first victory.”
“Is that all I am?”
“You're my friend and my sister, and I couldn't do what I do without you.”
“It’s okay. Enjoy the sunset.”
Time to shut up, Jennifer thought. She turned toward the Captain’s head.
10
When she arrived home, she realized she was the last to arrive. David looked depressed. They hugged. “I didn’t listen,” David said.
“It was a simulator, not a three-billion-dollar fighter,” Jennifer said.
They went into the kitchen. “Hi, Mom. Hi, Dad. Hi, Dad,” Jennifer said.
Allen and Anthen looked at each other.
“I went eleven years without a dad. Now I’ve got two,” Jennifer said. “You two fight it out.”
Everyone laughed.
Jennifer looked over Anthen’s shoulder. “Whatcha makin’?”
“I searched the web for stores in Koreatown, Little Tehran, Chinatown, and Olvera Street but I found the ingredients,” Anthen said. “We're having a Hoclarth dessert. It's Kalinda's favorite.”
“Where is the rug rat?” David said.
Jennifer slugged him on the arm.
“Ouch!”
“Be careful. You may have some scenes with her.”
“Can she act?”
“We’re testing her Monday.”
“Good call.”
They went out to the patio. Riley was tending the grill, and Tayla was tossing the Caesar. Kalinda was picking Riley's brain.
“I understand that an Electromagnetic Pulse comes from the explosion of a fission bomb,” Kalinda said. “But how does the Dazzler create a ray that goes fifty kilometers?”
“The Dazzler is similar to the Plasma Energy weapons. It's tuned to disrupt the electronics. There are multiple emitters spaced all around the hull to form the beam.”
“Like the black rectangles I saw on pictures of old navy ships. Phased array radar, I think?”
“You're right,” Riley said. “We can tighten or loosen the beam to adjust them.”
“Hi, everyone,” Jennifer said.
“Hi, girlfriend,” Tayla said. “Can you help with the table?”
“K’da, are you ready for Monday?”
“Yes, sister. I read the script. You cut most of the scenes where I appeared in the book.”
Jennifer's jaw dropped and then she recovered. “Do a good audition, and I will put them back and add more.
David whispered, “Is she human?”
“Only half,” Jennifer said.
They were at the table on the patio half-way through their steaks.
“Did this animal die honorably, te’pa?”
“Not exactly,” Anthen said.
“An animal with meat this tasty deserves to die in combat.”
Tayla quickly interrupted. “David, I heard that you crashed and burned today…Literally.”
“I went too high, and I had to swerve to avoid a commercial jetliner,” David said. “Sami got in a lucky shot.”
“You were toast and Sami was about to butter it,” Jennifer said. “At least, she set me up for an easy shot.”
“Did you get Ani?” Riley asked.
“We called it a draw.”
“I'm looking forward to some stick time on an F-52,” Riley said.
“Stick time?” Tayla said.
“On Thursday before the Air Show, we’re trading rides with the Blue Angels. We four are getting hops in the two-seater Bobcats,” Jennifer said. “Then we take them up in Brilliant.”
“Cool,” Tayla said. “So that's why you two have been spending so mu
ch time on the simulator.”
Jennifer lowered her gaze and glanced at David.
“May I fly, too?” Kalinda said.
“We are riding Fat Albert,” Anthen said. “Then we are staying overnight to see the surfing prelims on Friday.”
“I hear I get to try out my acting lessons on you Monday,” Tayla said. “Are you ready for your closeup?”
“Yes, if my sister doesn’t edit out all my lines.”
“Your sister is not only the screenwriter but the executive producer,” Sheila said. “There's something you will learn about Hollywood. The screenwriter giveth and the bean counter taketh away.”
The whole table laughed. Kalinda didn’t get it but followed along.
“K’da, you need to bring a change of clothes, Monday,” Jennifer said. “The director wants you to work out with the martial arts coordinator to see how hard you will have to train for the fight scenes.”
Kayla turned to her father. “Te’pa, what are martial arts?”
“Serving Tal'qid.”
“Ahh.”
“Serving what?” Allen said.
“Hoclarth Martial Arts,” Anthen said.
Tayla and Riley helped clear the plates.
Sheila got everyone’s attention. “Anthen, you said you created a dessert?”
“Yes.” Anthen went into the kitchen and brought out a tray with a large sheet cake and a bottle of liquid next to it.
“Manqlid.” Kalinda’s eyes brightened. “My favorite. Thanks, te’pa.”
“Flat cake in pan with no icing. Exciting,” David said.
“David, why don't you do the honors?” Anthen said. “Just poor the Manqa juice on top of the dessert.”
David poured the liquid over the cake. For a moment, nothing happened. He stepped back when the pan began to emit noise and steam.
“What’s that noise?” Tayla said. “Like the tones of a pipe organ.”
To their amazement, they saw eight small multi-colored peaks grow from the white cake. For two minutes, the diners saw, heard, and smelled a symphony that concluded with a small mountain of sweet, creamy goodness, one for each sweet tooth.
“K’da, help me cut and serve.” Kalinda grabbed the plates off the serving table and assisted her father in distributing each serving.
Jennifer smiled. “This looks amazing, Dad!”
“Now remember,” Kalinda said. “After each bite, you must bow your head, touch your nose and hum to honor the Hoclarth gods.”
“Kalinda!”
“Just kidding. I saw that on a Star Trek episode.”
“Enjoy,” Anthen said.
“This is amazing,” Allen said. “You could make millions of dollars from this.”
“I could, Allen, but that's the last of the Manqa juice.”
After they were done cleaning up, Sheila asked Jennifer, “How do you think she’ll do?”
“I’m a little worried about how young she is but every time I see her, she amazes me and shows more personality.”
Just like every time I looked at you, my daughter, Sheila thought.
11
Jennifer arrived at StarCruiser Brilliant and performed a routine inspection on her way to the bridge. “Good morning, Ani.”
“Good morning, First Officer,” the Ani said. “The ship's cat is present in the ready room and has been fed and watered. The Engineer was aboard yesterday and performed some preventive maintenance and worked on the effects for the Miramar show. The ship is secure.”
Jennifer finished her walk-through to check for problems, then settled into the Captain’s Ready Room and saw Dandy on his pillow. “Hi, Dandy.”
Since Jennifer was absent on Saturday, Dandy responded with a look of disdain. And you are? And then he strolled over and jumped up on her lap and established his domain by digging his claws into her thighs.
“Passive aggressive much, Dandy?” Jennifer said. “I’m sorry I didn’t come yesterday.”
Aren’t I the most important thing in your life? He settled in and started his purring engine.
Jennifer looked up at the bulkhead as if the Artificial Navigation Interface was a part of every molecule of Brilliant. “Ani, can we have a personal chat?”
“Of course, Jennifer.”
“Could you give me your quick biography?”
“Sure,” Ani said. “When Brilliant arrived in this timeline, Navvy immersed himself in filmmaking. Holographic Tactile Virtual Reality was in its infancy, but he saw it as an essential part of the future of filmmaking. He also saw a bright future for Artificial Intelligence.
“The growth of HumanAI Corp was stalled at the time. Their AI Software and technology was more advanced than what Brilliant brought back from the future, but their processing power existed around a massive, but slow, supercomputer system. Navvy offered miniaturization and enhanced processing power in exchange for an ownership stake. By the time HumanAI Corp went public in 2028, he and Jack owned a five percent share of the company. That share has grown larger with the technology from Brilliant and innovations that he has developed.”
“And you?” Jennifer said.
“I became sentient in 2027 when Navvy consolidated all of the AI on Brilliant with HumanAI software. I'm also resident in the back-office systems on the Tovar Studio lot.”
“Do you have an avatar?”
“I do. At first, I appeared in Navvy’s offices,” Ani said. “You’re aware of the complex relationship Navvy has with Kathy and Hanna?”
“I am,” Jennifer said.
“I quickly discovered that four’s a crowd, so I learned that everyone was more comfortable if I only presented my audio self.”
“Do you ever exist as a complete virtual avatar?”
“I visit with Dr. Ami often,” Ani said. “When we’re alone on Brilliant.”
“I would be honored if you joined me as a virtual when it's just us on the ship.”
“I appreciate that. Would you like caffeine?”
“Always, thanks.”
She signaled Sami. “Call up the latest Galaxy Warrior script.”
There was a tone at the door. “Enter,” Jennifer said.
Ani entered the space with coffee. Jennifer looked up. “It’s hard to connect your virtual avatar with your voice, but it fits.” Ani was not turn-heads-on-the-street beautiful, but Jennifer could see that her beauty captured one's attention. Ani's blonde hair fell to her shoulders with variations of color and curl that framed her face but did not distract. Her alabaster skin was not perfect but interesting. Her yellow eyes reflected knowledge and wisdom. But it was her amazing smile that would take her image viral on social media. “You're a lovely lady, Ani.”
“Thanks for the compliment and here's your Double-shot Caramel Frappuccino caffeine bomb,” Ani said.
“Thanks,” Jennifer said. “With your looks, you should get out more.”
“Unfortunately, my presence is limited to Brilliant and the Tovar offices. Although, I can visit via HoloPads.”
“Sami, can you go full virtual?”
“Be right there,” Sami said.
The door tone sounded.
“Enter.”
Sami entered. Her crimson hair was a shade darker than Jennifer’s with the same high cheekbones. Her yellow eyes betrayed her virtual nature.
The two virtual humans sized each other up. “You’re beautiful in person, Ani,” Sami said.
“Thank you so much. You look like Jennifer’s older sister with all of her beauty as well,” Ani said.
“Quite a compliment,” Sami said.
“You know why we're here, right,” Sami said.
“The sunset?” Ani said.
“You two have discussed this?” Jennifer asked.
“We three, actually,” Sami said.
“Dr. Ami?”
Again, the door tone sounded, and Dr. Ami entered, “I heard my name mentioned.” Ami carried herself like the beautiful TV doctor she was.
“Come in, Ami,” Jennifer sai
d.
The Artificial Medical Intelligence entered. “Good morning, everyone,” Dr. Ami said. “Am I late for the mutual admiration society?”
“Okay, let’s stipulate that we’re all pretty good looking,” Jennifer said. “Apparently, you three have discussed my idea of creating a physical presence,” Jennifer said.
“Yes, we have. We feel that there are pros and cons,” Ani said. “Dr. Ami?”
“It would make my life much easier,” Dr. Ami said. “Right now, my rounds at Hollywood Methodist are limited to the locations covered by the HTVR projectors and of course, on the sound stage and aboard Brilliant. But it provides me a great excuse to avoid house calls.”
“Ani, what are the numbers on an installation?”
“It costs three million dollars to provide access to five thousand square feet,” Dr. Ami said. “Unfortunately, there is no economy of scale, so it costs twice as much for twice the access area.”
“For full physical, I’m estimating a unit cost of two million dollars,” Jennifer said. “Add to that the AI network cost that goes to HumanAI Corp.”
“Physical Doctors would decrease the cost of Navvy’s idea for Virtual Doctors.”
“You need to come up with different branding to avoid that acronym,” Jennifer said. “Sami, how do you feel about being physical?”
“Sis, I love sunsets. I’d love to travel around the world and see them first hand. You know, my romantic streak.”
Jennifer saw the darting glance toward Ami. She also saw the furrowed brows on Ani. “You’re the senior AI being here, Ani. What do you think?”
“The convention is that anytime we appear to the public, we must have yellow eyes,” Ani said. “If I walk down Main Street in some midwestern town, I can predict the fear and hate when people see me. I don’t want to be an other. I don’t want to build another glass ceiling we have to break through so that people will accept us for who we are.”
“And then there's the Singularity,” Dr. Ami said. “Every time I achieve a breakthrough in medicine, every time Tovar premiers a new movie with a virtual character, every time you create a new app on the HoloPad, somebody writes an article about the coming technological singularity. Senator Curtwell has condemned me as a monster in every one of her stump speeches.
