by Ken Pence
Fran continued. "Susan got some help from Joel and made him promise not to tell you anything. She's been down here day and night, ship time, and really driving herself. Work is kind of a compulsion with her and I couldn't have done much without her," Fran said humbly.
"Thank you for telling me. Something tells me I ought to see what the rest of my crew has been up to. See you later," Andrew said walking away, deep in thought. After a few minutes of walking and reflection, Andrew headed to Susan's cabin only to find it empty. He then went looking for her in the ship's two entertainment, study lounges. At the second one he saw Susan intently concentrating on an EnterTain table with one of the medical aides.
The aide looked up briefly when Andrew came in and jumped to attention.
"Evening Captain," the aide said.
"Evening," Andrew said realizing that he didn't even remember this crewman's name even though there was such a small crew.
"Relax Ivan," Susan said eyeing Andrew and introduced the crewman to the captain.
"As you were. Ivan. Do you mind if I talk to Susan alone for a few minutes?" Andrew said.
"We'll finish the game the same time tomorrow. OK. I need to get back to sickbay anyway. Goodbye Captain," Ivan said and left.
"Computer, hold this game for me until tomorrow at this time," she said into the table's display and then turned to Andrew as he sat down across from her.
Susan said nothing and waiting in the uncomfortable growing silence, she patiently regarded Andrew.
"Why didn't you tell me about your work with Fran. It may be the most important work we get from this whole voyage," Andrew said.
"I didn't realize that you wanted daily, personal reports. Besides, I doubt that my contribution will top some of the stuff the crew has come up with so far. You've changed Andrew. I'm scared that you haven't finished changing yet. I fell in love with a man whose personality has grown so much that I'm afraid I'll be submerged if I get too close," Susan said on the verge of tears.
"Listen," Andrew said moving over to sit beside her and held her in his arms. "You're wrong. You won't be submerged. You will only fill in those gaps in my personality to make us much more than the sum of our individual personalities. This trip won't last forever. We can drop this façade as soon as we finish but you're right; I don't think we should let the rest of the crew see us as lovers."
"It would jeopardize discipline. "
"I love you," he said as he held her close.
"I love you too, Andy," she said. "But we can't let our relationship interfere with this trip."
Suddenly, Andrew disentangled himself and held her at arm’s length.
"Just what has my crew come up with that would top anything you and Fran have done," Andrew said trying to switch to a neutral matter.
Susan wiped her eyes, then smiled and told him about some of Steve's work with the computer on guidance and fire control. Then she told him about Desiree's equations on directed fields and how Tod was developing the practical application of her theory. As Andrew's eyes got wider and his jaw dropped, she told him about Joel's work with the doctors to develop a method to use the relative time-rate-change aspect of the field to speed tissue regeneration. She also mentioned Tod and Steve's new detector system plus her own work with Fran and Ling.
"Now you see what I'm talking about. With two computer aided workshop/laboratories; there has been a lot of innovations ground out of those new theories," she said.
"Wait a minute," he said startled. "Did you say we've got the ability to direct a field? That would mean... " he kissed her on the cheek and then popped up and hurried out to find Tod and Desiree. Now he realized the implications of his group's work and how he could adapt that research for use with the inertia-free belt he had built.
When he finally tracked down the others in the ship, he found Tod and Desiree busy in the 'gym', actually an open area in one tank. They were sparring against Brad in a two-on-one session where Brad was, definitely, the more skilled. Desiree's grace and quick reflexes had Brad sweating up a storm. Tod was attempting to use his greater weight to off-balance Brad so Desiree could move in toward Brad's side for a strike. All Tod's kicks and punches were being lightly blocked or simply where he stepped out of the way, showing Brad's superior experience.
Andrew was impatient and decided not to wait for the three sweating combatants to give up their tunnel-vision and notice him.
"Hey Brad. Kyger! I need to talk to these two," Andrew yelled from the edge of the small gym.
Brad didn't say anything but he momentarily flicked a glance over at Andrew and doing so, left his weight a little too long on his front, left leg. Tod didn't notice the yelling but he did see that foot and kicked the rear of Brad's left knee with the top of his foot. As Brad's body was knocked off-balance, his arms flew up. In that moment, Desiree punched under Brad's exposed right armpit with a resounding thud.
Brad momentarily held his right side and then gave the time immemorial time-out signal and got back to his feet and began to towel himself off.
"Good Tod, but you're too offensive and you're often exposed too much during your attacks. Desiree, why don't you do that more often? You've got the speed and you don't telegraph your intentions like Tod but you're not aggressive enough," Brad said with his characteristic grin. "What's up Captain? ...or, do you just like to see me hit?" he asked Andrew.
"That was a pleasure to watch but I've got to talk to these two. You all go to the showers and get back to Lounge Two on the double after you dress. I hear you two have been conspiring recently and I want full confessions," Andrew said trying to keep his face impassive.
"But..." Tod said.
"Move," Andrew ordered as the two hustled off.
Brad swung the towel over his shoulder and cocked his head at Andrew. "What mischief are you brewing up? I know it's not anything they've done wrong because have been so busy. It's hard to get them to come down here every other day for a workout."
"If this works out, we'll let everyone know about it soon enough," Andrew said.
Brad tried to pump him for information but Andrew wouldn't talk. Brad finally went to take his shower.
It was only a few minutes until a slightly damp Tod and Desiree came hurrying into the lounge. Andrew was seated and they sat down in front of him where he indicated.
"Don't you realize you should keep your captain informed about any new apparatus you've built?" Andrew said.
"We were going to tell you about the new sensor system when we finished integrating it into astrogation," Tod answered.
"I'm not talking about your sensor system though I'm interested in that too. Tell me about your apparatus to direct a field. Can the field be shaped? Do you project it? Is it very efficient? How large is the device and how much force can you develop?" Andrew asked.
"Oh, that," Desiree said. "We haven't even built it yet."
"How far along are you?" Andrew asked with all pretense dropped.
"We've got the specifications ready to turn out a prototype," Tod said proud of their accomplishment.
"Tell me what it will be able to do," Andrew said.
As Tod and Desiree showed Andrew what brought about this development, the conversation became more and more technical. Andrew unleashed his news about the new inertia-free belt that was similar to the one the alien had worn only more effective. Andrew explained that he could only alter the overall strength of this field and not any segment of the field like the ship's drive field. The ship was propelled by weakening an outer drive field on the side of the ship opposite the direction of intended travel. The same weakening effect was used when they needed to fire the neutron projector.
Since the personal field belt couldn't be so altered with its small size, another means of propulsion had to be found. A directed field would lessen the gravitational inertia on the mass it was directed and also on the projector side through a reciprocal force, or the lack of it, in this case. It was very similar to the pressure differences on the top
of an airfoil that develops lift for an airplane except that this method developed force in the opposite direction.
Tod explained that they could only use it as a pressor beam to create a force to push mass away by creating higher pressure than normal space, similar to the deck generators creating "gravitational effects" so mass would be pressed ‘downward’ within the stressed space field to reproduce the effects of gravity within an inertialess state.
Andrew became engrossed in the problems and Steve, Susan, and Joel were also called into the conference. Specifications were written and just as quickly, discarded until they came up some ideas that appeared to be practical. They worked well into the night cycle and crewmembers would drift in and out of the lounge for needed breaks. The meeting finally broke up and all attending were ordered to bed. After about seven hours of sleep each, they started work again but the main ideas came from Andrew, Tod, Susan and Joel as Steve went on and began to install the new sensor system.
Steve was putting the finishing touches on the main control room console two days later when Andrew broke away to see his progress.
"How's it going under there?" Andrew asked Steve, who had his head and shoulders stuck well under a section of console.
"Just about finished," came the muffled reply as Steve slid out and started replacing the console cover. "Hi Captain."
"How does this thing work?" Andrew asked.
"Well, I don't know if it does work yet but I'm almost finished tying into the computer. I'll tell you how it's supposed to work. We use a conventional microwave detection system up to about one-eighth light speed if the field strength isn’t too high. It gives the best close range detection up to that speed. Any faster velocity than that, it's useless…too much latency. By the time you detected something you’d already be running over or past it. The new system uses sensors with a field around it like a globe. Masses with a gravitational field large enough to detect at some distance affect the balance of the field and the computer analyzes the true mass and distance. One of our hardest chores was to enable the computer to discern between a smaller mass, close up, and a large mass at a distance. Manipulation of the weak force, gravitons they used to be called, lets us build a computer simulation of gravity wells caused by mass. A field being artificially produced, like the ship's drive field, ought to really show up. At faster than light ship velocity, relative velocity, the computer automatically alters course around obstacles."
"At multiples of relative light speed, the detection sphere drops, of course, but not as far as we feared. We can greatly increase detection distance by turning off the main drive fields. Since we are monitoring the effects of gravitational waves, for want of a better term, we can even detect masses to our rear. Granted, not very far away, but that's better than some computer computations and a blind spot behind you at faster than light velocities. "Well, if you're ready I'll turn on the projected image on the main viewscreen. You should be able to see a three-dimensional image. It should be elliptical with a red dot, the ship, being at one of the foci of the ellipse with the shortest distance being to our rear since our detection range is very limited in that direction when we are moving," Steve said. "Here goes."
Andrew gasped, "My God, this looks like I'm out in space myself. Surely you don't get images like that out of those sensors the drones attached to the hull."
"Not exactly," Steve said. "Most of what you see is computer enhancement of the image returns. Better than I thought; almost two parsecs while we're moving and one-half light year detection to the rear. Great. The ellipse enlarges and becomes more circular as we slow and decreases and becomes more elongated as we increase relative velocity."
"Computer. Side view," Steve said to the console.
"Wow! Now where is our direction of travel?" Andrew asked.
Since the computer was still keyed to voice response, it projected a green arrow on the viewscreen and green lettered designations for all stars in the range of the sensors.
"Show off," Steve said quietly toward the monitor.
"How much coverage will we get when we stop and reduce the main drive fields? I think it is worth our attention to stop and try it out." Andrew leaned over and keyed in the ship's intercom, "All crewmembers not engaged in delicate work or computations are requested on the bridge."
Turning back to Steve he said, "Work out so we can come to rest for about an hour so we can try this thing out. I need to find out how much detail of stellar and planetary masses we can get out of this arrangement. Work out a program to keep us on our original schedule and after we stop, cut the main drive fields."
As the remainder of the crew trickled into the control room, Andrew's eyes were riveted to the viewscreen showing the side view of their detection limit ellipse. Even as he watched, the ellipse rounded and the ship was displayed more toward the center. More and more stars came into view and the computer added their designations for a time until they became too numerous.
When the changes stopped, the red dot representing the ship was at the center of an enormous sphere, almost five parsecs in diameter. Andrew keyed the monitor, "Designate the Sun and Tau Ceti."
The green letters and suns appeared only about a fist width apart on the meter wide viewscreen.
"Reduce detection sphere size to include only the Tau Ceti System and the Earth," Andrew said to the computer.
As the sphere shrank, the resolution grew and details began to show in the solar systems of the stars remaining in range.
"Look, you can see three of Sol's planets even from almost two parsecs away. The other few stars in range have at least one planet showing," said someone in the assembled crew.
"Tau Ceti has four planets showing," Susan said. "Tod, Desiree, and Steve are going to revolutionize astronomy too. Now we really have promise of finding something."
Suddenly the stars began to get fuzzy as the ship resumed speed and the scale and shape of the detection sphere became elliptical again. Few of the crew had realized that they had been staring at the view-screen for the better part of an hour in the darkened control room.
As the lights automatically became stronger, the crew began to murmur in hushed but excited voices.
"We've only six more days until we get into the Tau Ceti System proper. Then a few days locating a planet or planets that might be worth exploring. I suggest we all finish preparations for that exploration. Susan will assign duties for charting and exploration," Andrew stated; whereupon he went back to the lab to finish work on the new personal belt for all the suits.
ES DISCOVERS EARTH TECH
Rett came back to consciousness, out of his apathetic state, only when prodded electronically.
Another feeding, Rett thought. At least they intend to keep me healthy until we get to that planet. The Exploration Service would not keep me healthy if they find that the native race has gotten any technology from my trip that, they had not released to the population themselves. The Exploration Service was known for not wanting radical technologies to be introduced into non-member societies.
Innovative races had been submerged in the culture of the older star-faring civilizations and generally stunted technological developments of the fledgling worlds. Even when it was decided to introduce technology into a culture, the process was licensed and controlled by the Administrative arm of the Exploration Service. Probably so the E. S. could gain the power and wealth of being the benefactors of technology, Rett decided.
Surely, this world was too far near the spiral arm to come under E. S. control. Rett had heard rumors that the Central Government was going to pull all E. S. Enforcement ships back to the Sector bases due to personal and budgetary restrictions anyway.
The Exploration Service officer looked at the viewscreen with mixed curiosity and homesickness. He had been in space for a long tour of duty and this world they were approaching was similar in mass and proportion to his home world though there appeared to have much more water. He was approaching cautiously, since he didn't know how advance
d this planet's technology was.
He had enough experience to know that every planet has its own dangers and beauties.
"Sir," said one of his crew. "I've picked up electromagnetic broadcasts. Definitely not random patterns sir. Also, here are planetary readings. It has one large natural satellite and sir..."
"Yes," replied the officer.
"The scan shows numerous artificial satellites. Some of them are radiating electromagnetic, seemingly undirected broadcasts," said the crewman who was describing some of the aging weather satellites that were still broadcasting sporadically.
"How do you know that those are artificial?" The officer asked.
"Sir, many of those satellites are at equidistant, stationary orbital positions. This civilization is pretty advanced. You should see how many of those things I'm picking up, on sensors. Some of them are so small that the only way we can detect them from this distance is by the signals they are transmitting. We are just about to come within the orbit to their moon."
"We're that close? All stop and hold this position until we get more information. Bring the Tros, Rett, to the interrogation room and set the linguists to work on any voice broadcasts. Get the Chief Technician to try to make sense of those other transmissions. Have we been detected yet by the natives?" The officer asked the crewman.
"I don't think so," said the crewman hesitantly, "but if we go any closer I assume they would be able to detect our ship. I don't find any evidence of any powered flight in any of the space I can reach nearby with the detectors."
"Very well. Keep me informed of any developments," said the officer as he left the sensor room.
He was disturbed by the technology of this race. It was far in advance of any the Tros had mentioned but considering the size of Rett's ship, Rett wouldn't have had detectors anywhere near as sensitive as those on this ship.
The E. S. officer also felt uncomfortable because this race was advanced enough to have homegrown space flight. They were so much more valuable and volatile to transplanted technology. An uncharted race such as this had thrust many a lowly captain to the ranks of sector commander in a short time. If I decide for quarantine, I am in jeopardy from cultural contamination from the Tros. If I try to make them an associate member of the Central Government, I cannot assure them protection from exploiters or I may ruin native alternate technologies.
