by Warren Dean
"--The log then shows that it entered another portal to get to its next survey subject. That subject was an exoplanet within a small star system that used to be here; even closer to the centre. The Repository records that this system was later swallowed by Sagittarius A. When Seeker emerged from the portal, it found itself within the black hole's gravity field. The last thing recorded in the log is the drone crossing the event horizon. Nearly five hundred years later Seeker was recovered and brought here, to the Repository. No-one knows what happened to it in all that time.--"
"--Are you aware that the Constructors who examined the log concluded that it had, in all likelihood, been compromised by the forces around the black hole?--" said the Journeyman.
In response, Xzaroth spoke up. "--I am perhaps best able to answer that. While working on the drone, I reviewed the old diagnostics that were run when it was first recovered. It is true that the results suggested that its log was unreliable. However they were not conclusive and, when I applied newer diagnostics developed recently on Aquasolis, they found no sign of damage to the log.--"
The Journeyman considered his words, intrigued despite his reservations. "--Do you believe that this drone crossed the event horizon of the black hole and later re-emerged?--" he asked the flyer.
"--I cannot reject the possibility. According to its log, that is what happened.--"
"--Er, for those of us who are not space geeks,--" Connor asked the Journeyman, "--why is it that nothing is able to come back through the event horizon?--"
"--At the centre of every black hole is a singularity, a point of incredible density. Because it is so compact, its gravity is far stronger than that of a conventional celestial object, like a planet or a star. Beyond the event horizon the gravity is so strong that an object would have to go faster than light to be able to escape.--"
"--And because nothing can go faster than light, nothing can break free,--" concluded Connor for himself.
"--Indeed, not even light itself can escape.--"
"--But there's a first time for everything, right?--"
"--Not always,--" replied the Journeyman.
"--What happens to something that goes through the event horizon?--"
"--The gravity crushes it into the singularity.--"
"--How big is the singularity?--"
"--Hold out your hand in a balled fist.--"
Connor did so and the Constructor looked pointedly at it.
Connor's eyebrows rose. "--That big, huh? But if we can't see anything inside a black hole, how do we know all this?--"
The Journeyman's giant shoulders bobbed up and down in a very human-like shrug. "--It is the prevailing theory.--"
"--So, it's just a guess?--"
"--It is the explanation most consistent with the observable data.--".
Connor silently mouthed the word 'guess' to Christina
Azee frowned at him before asking her own question. "--If Seeker did go through the event horizon of Sagittarius A, could that account for the gap in its log? Isn't it correct that time slows as an object approaches the event horizon?--"
"--Relative to time as it continues in normal space, yes,--" replied the Journeyman.
"--So, what if it took Seeker a short time to escape the black hole, while five hundred cycles went by outside?--"
This time it was Xzaroth who answered. "--This is indeed possible. I have calculated that, based on the size, mass, and rate of spin of Sagittarius A, if the drone spent the equivalent of a hundred and seventy daily cycles within the black hole's gravity field, approximately five hundred annual cycles would have gone by in normal space.--"
Ant spoke to the Journeyman again. "--You once told us that, although nothing has ever been observed to return from beyond an event horizon, the universe teaches us that nothing is impossible,--" he said.
The Journeyman was silent for a moment. The idea was intriguing and perhaps not as flawed as he had at first thought. "--I concede that it is possible for the drone to have gone through the event horizon intact. The black hole's rotation may have assisted it to establish an orbit around the singularity, which would have enabled it to avoid being crushed. But an important question remains; how was the drone able to generate enough velocity to escape?--"
"--That we don't know,--" Ant admitted.
"--That's why we have to take Seeker with us,--" said Connor.
"--Take it with you? Where?--" asked the Journeyman, suddenly feeling like he had missed a whole leg of the conversation.
"--Into the black hole,--" said Azee grimly, her tone radiating disapproval.
"--Am I to understand that you plan to enter the supermassive black hole at the centre of your galaxy?--" asked the Journeyman incredulously.
"--Not me,--" she replied with a shudder. She inclined her head towards the others, "--them. I've done my best to talk them out of it. Perhaps you'll have better luck.--"
The Journeyman was genuinely taken aback. It was an outlandish proposal, even for a race as impulsive as humanity. "--Which of you intends to participate in this undertaking?--"
"--Christina and I will go,--" replied Connor with quiet certainty.
"--Would it not be more sensible to send the drone back in alone?--"
"--It wouldn't be able to transmit any information back to us,--" said Connor, "--and its log wasn't able to record anything the first time it went in, so there is no guarantee that it would record anything the second time. We believe the only way to find out what might be in there is to go in, take a look, and then come back out by whatever means Seeker used before.--"
"--But did you not report that your restoration of the drone has not revealed how it was able to achieve this?--"
"--Nor how it came to be so seriously damaged,--" muttered Azee.
Connor sighed. "--Yes, but we feel that we're running out of time and that this is the only game in town.--"
"--This is a game to you?--"
"--No, that's just an expression,--" interjected Azee hastily. "--It means that we have no other options at this time.--"
"--There are about six months left until the drones on Mars return to Earth.--" said Connor. "--Xzaroth says it will take us three or four days to outfit a modern transit drone and then travel by portal to the edge of the black hole's gravitational field. If we use a second portal jump to go straight to the event horizon, we should have enough time to make our observations and get back before the six months elapse in real time.--"
"--Do either of you have the necessary skills to carry out this venture?--"
"--They do not,--" said Xzaroth, "--which is why I have agreed to be their pilot.--"
The Journeyman hesitated, reluctant to accede to the mad scheme. "--I find it difficult to understand why you are prepared to take such an extravagant risk.--"
"--It's what my father would do,--" was Connor's prompt reply.
"--You are aware that if your plan fails, you will never return?--"
"--If the plan fails, then millions on Earth will die and the planet itself will probably never recover.--"
"--What about you?--" asked the Journeyman of Christina. "--Why are you prepared to sacrifice yourself, if that is what it comes to? You have not lived on Earth for centuries. Is it truly still your home?--"
"--Perhaps not,--" replied Christina, "--but I'm still human. It's a part of me that I thought I had let go, or lost, during my time on Aquasolis. But when I returned to Earth as your envoy, I was surprised to find how much it still means to me.--"
She took Connor's hand as she spoke. "--I realised that it isn't just a place where I once grew from a child to an adult, it's the home of the memories I have of my father, and my mother, and of my beloved Alvaro, and my dear old uncle Hernan. Earth is also home to the wreck of my father's ship, the Christina de la Fuego. I dedicated my young life to searching for the ship and for four hundred years I lived with the regret of having failed to find it. But when I returned to Earth, Connor was kind enough to take me to see the wreck so that I could la
y to rest the ghost that has dominated my life.
"--For that I'll be forever grateful to him. Now, nothing of my family remains except memories and if I'm destined to save the home of those memories, then I'm prepared to pay whatever price is asked of me. I've already lived far longer than any human ever has and if it's time for me to re-join my family in whatever afterlife there may be, then I'm ready.--"
Her words gave the Journeyman pause, their expression of her sorrow resonating with his own recently intensified feelings of loss.
"--And what motivates you to accompany our human friends?--" he asked Xzaroth.
"--Cxza'xza has been my ward, and that of my mate Elexzath, for all the time she has dwelt in the City of the Bay. She is much beloved of us and were I to return home having allowed harm to come to her, Elexzath herself would end my existence.--"
The exchange gave the Journeyman further pause. The three of them were firm in their resolve to go and, in truth, he had no right to interfere with their decision. Azee, Ant, and the other Nerds had come to the Repository at his instigation and he was obliged to guide and protect them, but Connor, Christina, and Xzaroth were there of their own accord. At most, they were asking him for the use of two drones – one of them a disused relic – a request it would be churlish of him to refuse given the extremity of the circumstances.
"--Although I cannot pretend to be pleased by this turn of events, I cannot fault your desire to do what it takes to save your race and your planet. I myself have been ruled by a similar motivation for as long as I can remember. I shall have a suitable transit drone brought here by portal tomorrow.--"
He stood, his joints protesting alarmingly, and laid a massive hand on Christina's shoulder, and another on Connor's. "--I have known each of you for but a short time,--" he said gruffly, "--Christina since she answered my call for an envoy, and Connor since he arrived here a scant time ago, and yet I find within me an affection for you which would ordinarily have taken many planetary cycles to develop. Perhaps the human penchant for rapidity is rubbing off on me. Whatever the reason, know that my regard for you is absolute and that the sincerity of my wish for you to return unharmed knows no bounds.--"
Christina gave his arm a hug, while Connor pretended that he had got something in his eye.
Then the Journeyman walked stiffly out of the refectory, free at last to head for his infusion chamber.
THREE DAYS LATER
Christina watched them working on the big transit drone with mixed feelings. True to his word, the Journeyman had brought it in the night after the discussion in the refectory.
Mindful that time was in short supply; Xzaroth had called in more flyers from Aquasolis to help him with the modifications. Together they had been working solidly for two days and two nights.
The new drone – quickly christened 'Hunter' by Connor – was spherical in shape and, like Seeker, was constructed almost entirely of regeneralloy. Despite being more than three times the size of the survey drone, it was not designed to carry passengers, so the flyers had spent most of the time at their disposal adjusting its internal design so as to maximise the open space inside.
They had installed additional systems capable of supplying the mixture of gases that would enable its occupants to breathe, and had also installed three seats, complete with safety harnesses. They were now arguing about how best to accommodate Seeker. Thoughts of placing the smaller drone within the body of the larger were quickly discarded. There was not enough space, for one thing, and even if there was, it was thought that the key to triggering Seeker's memory of how it had escaped the black hole lay in exposing its regeneralloy to the same forces it had encountered then.
Hunter had two circular access hatches set equidistantly into its shell, which the flyers had been using to access its internal workings. After a highly technical discussion of the mechanics of it, they decided to remove the protrusions at Seeker's rear end and join the opening in its regeneralloy to one of Hunter's hatches.
The resultant combination looked decidedly odd, as if the survey drone was in the process of erupting through the side of its host, but the flyers pronounced themselves satisfied with the configuration. By merging the regeneralloy of the two drones at the join, they were confident that the craft would not be torn apart by the forces of the black hole. An added bonus was that Seeker's interior could be accessed from within Hunter so that if any of the smaller drone's systems required repairs, the occupants of the larger drone could reach them.
The modifications were almost complete, which meant that their departure was imminent, and a cold, sinking feeling settled into the pit of Christina's stomach. For all her brave words to the Journeyman, she could not help but be afraid of embarking upon what would, in all likelihood, turn out to be a suicide mission. She tried to stop thinking about it and instead made her way up to the roof of the Repository to wait for Connor.
He had gone to Earth to see his family for what might be the last time. Before he left two nights ago, he and Christina had spent some time arguing about how much he should tell them. His preference was to say nothing of the deadly risk he was about to undertake. He felt that telling them of it beforehand achieved nothing. If something happened to him, they would not be any less heartbroken because they had been forewarned.
Her view was different. Her father hadn't told her of the dangers inherent in his voyage to the New World; giving her the impression that he was going on a glorified shopping expedition. She had never forgiven him for that. Her sorrow would not have been diminished had he told her the truth but at least she would have been better prepared for it. She would not have spent weeks on end waiting at the docks, her eager anticipation of his return turning slowly into an icy dread as she gradually realised that he was not coming back.
It was the first time she and Connor had come close to a serious disagreement and she had been saddened by their frosty parting.
She wasn't sure how long she would have to wait for him, so she walked over to the railing at the edge of the massive outdoor platform. She sat down with her legs dangling over the edge and looked out over the City of Shapes. For a while she sat lost in thought as her eyes roamed the clusters of prisms, pyramids, rhomboids, and domes glinting in the silvery light of the Repository's night. Eventually, the light began to brighten as dawn approached and she knew she would soon have to go below to escape the uncomfortable luminescence of day.
She was just about to get to her feet when the portal became active. She stood and then waited with her eyes averted as its internal zone brightened. Someone stepped through and, once the light had faded, she saw Connor standing there. He was swaying slightly with disorientation and she ran over to him and put an arm around his waist.
He didn't react immediately and for a moment she wondered whether their dissonant parting had changed his feelings towards her, but then his arm came up around her shoulders and he gave her a reassuring squeeze.
"I couldn't tell them," he said gruffly. "I thought about what you said but I just couldn't."
"It's fine," she replied. "There's no right and wrong in these things, just different points of view."
"My father knew, though," he said. "I didn't say anything, but he could tell I was there to say goodbye."
"It's not going to come to that," she said with what she hoped was an air of confidence. "We have the technology of the most intelligent race in the universe behind us. Hunter is one of their most advanced drones. And Xzaroth is one of the best pilots on Aquasolis. If anyone can steer us through this, he can. It isn't time for us to say goodbye just yet."
He smiled. "And don't forget Seeker. The little guy has done it before and he hasn't forgotten how, I'm sure of it. Machines don't forget."
They went through the portal into the 'hive and made their way down to the city. When they arrived at the workspace, they found the flyers running diagnostics on their modifications.
Ant was there, watching. "Hey man," he said to Connor. "Welcome back. Xzaroth says th
ey're almost done. The drones will be ready to go in a couple of hours so go and get some sleep. I'll call you when it's time."
"Thanks, Ant," replied Connor with a yawn. "Intergalactic travel really takes it out of you. See you in a bit."
Christina decided that it was a good idea for her to rest too. There was no benefit to be gained from standing around getting more and more anxious. Together she and Connor went up to the dormitory and did their best to get some sleep.
All too soon Ant shook them awake.
They stumbled into the refectory for a hot drink and something to eat before making their way back into the city. There they found most of the Nerds in attendance, their presence adding a buzz of excitement to the proceedings.
"--How are they going to cook food in there…?--"
"--Don't you ever think about anything else…?--"
"--No, I'm being serious…--"
"--That would be a first…--"
"--He was serious that time NASA ran out of burgers…--"
"--They're gonna to be gone for a hundred and seventy days, right? So, they gotta eat…--"
"--No, to them it will be just a few hours…--"
"--But what if something goes wrong and they're stuck in there for weeks…?--"
"--The butterflies have installed a system for that…--"
"--It's like a mini refectory…--"
"--I get that, but what if the food runs out…--"
"--They'll have to drink their own urine…--"
"--That's disgusting…--"
"--Don't call them 'butterflies'; it's rude…--"
"--Don't worry about it, they can't hear us…--"
"--Actually, they can, we're using mind-speech…--"
"--Ohh yeah…--"
Christina tuned out the babble so that she could concentrate on what was happening. Without any preamble Xzaroth called her over and showed her how to clamber into Hunter's access hatch; the one on the opposite side from where Seeker was mounted. She was shocked at how cramped it was inside, and had to fight off an attack of claustrophobia.
