Future in the Stars Page 11
Everyone matched Ollie energetically move around, bolstered by his new experience. Kimberly and Cansina chattered as they discussed technical questions. Negiani carefully checked and rechecked the recording equipment. Captain Long stood and watched, measuring the mood of his people.
“Ollie, everything squared away?”
“Shut down, Cap. I did leave the ramjet ticking over, in case we needed a quick launch.”
“Good thinking. OK, gentle beings. Let’s go.”
Everyone filed out, with Negiani lugging a stuffed duffle bag. When they reached the energy dome, Captain Long held up his hand. Everyone stopped.
“Mz. Baker, you seemed to have the best repour with the A.I. would you please enter and request permission for the rest of us?”
“Me? I’m a programmer, not a diplomat.”
“Well, I’m sorry to say, you volunteered for diplomatic duty when you stepped up last time we were here.”
“And here I thought I got away from getting voluntold when I resigned my commission.”
“When you’ve got the skills, you get the duty.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
“I’ll go with her, Cap.”
“No, Ollie. You weren’t there the first time. I don’t want to give the A.I. any surprises.”
“Bummer, dude. I want to see the spaceship.”
“You will. Mz. Baker, you ready?”
“As I’ll ever be. Here goes nothing.”
Still in her simple shift and sandals, the software engineer, hacker, and now diplomat, stepped through the energy field. A few minutes later, she stepped back out.
“Backman says that it’s alright that we enter, Cap. I told him about the recorders and Ollie. He wants to inspect both.”
“Ok. Ollie, as soon as you step through, remain in place with your hands at your sides. You will get dowsed with a blue light. It doesn’t hurt.”
“Will do, Cap.”
“Negiani, set the pack on the ground and step back.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Let’s go, people.”
Everyone stepped through. Ollie froze in place and got scanned. Negiani carefully set the duffle on the ground. It got scanned, also.
“You may seek your knowledge. Ask your questions.”
This time the huge hologram displaying the Ballisonian bust spoke in its native language. With their translators, the five members of the newly formed crew understood.
“Bachman, let me introduce you to the pilot of our ship. This is Pilot Oliver Briar.”
“Welcome, Pilot Oliver Briar.”
“Can I see the ship? Will you teach me about it?”
“I apologize, Bachman. Pilot Briar is very enthusiastic about flying.”
“I recognize his enthusiasm. His body motions and voice inflections resemble those of a young Ballisonian eager to play or compete.”
“Engineer Cansina and Engineer Baker also specialize in space travel and spaceships. Would it be possible that you take them on a tour of the ship you have inside your dome?”
“You are here to learn about Ballisonian technology. Therefore, that does not conflict with my safety protocols. However, I will not be performing the presentation. The ship’s artificial intelligence will perform that task.”
“Cool!”
That outburst got Ollie a look from the captain. Ollie made a zipping motion across his mouth.
“Would it be permissible for everyone to mount their recorders?”
“Yes. It is permissible, Engineer Kimberly Baker.”
“You heard the man. Grab your gear.”
Negiani opened the duffle and began handing out the recorders, with their harnesses.
Ollie pulled a sports cap from his pocket and put it on backwards. Then he clipped the small camera to his forehead. Next, he shrugged into the harness and strapped a full sensor unit to his sternum.
Everyone followed suit, replacing the sports cap with headbands. Once everyone had donned their equipment, Captain Long turned back to the hologram.
“Sire, while Pilot Briar and engineers Cansina and Baker learn about your ship, would it be permissible that you lead Guardsman Negiani and me on a tour of your buildings?”
“That is permissible.”
Suddenly a Ballisonian popped into existence. Everyone jumped.”
Guardsman Negiani, Captain Long, please follow the hologram. It will take you on a tour of my structures, explain their purposes and answer any of your questions.”
“Thank you, Sire.”
“Pilot Briar, Engineer Cansina, Mz. Kimberly Baker, the hatch will open when you approach the ship. The ship’s artificial intelligence will be waiting inside.”
“Sweet!”
Ollie quick-stepped towards the strange Ballisonian spaceship. Kimberly and Cansina hurried to catch up.
The full Ballisonian hologram spoke. “If you would please follow me, I will begin the tour.”
While the hologram led Negiani and Long into the structures, Ollie reached the ship. Just as Kimberly and Cansina joined him, a hatch opened, and a ramp dropped. Before the ramp’s edge hit the ground, Ollie hopped up and raced into the ship’s interior. Shaking her head, Kimberly followed. Cansina trailed.
Ollie came to an abrupt stop, being confronted by a Ballisonian.
“Whoa! I didn’t know that there were Ballisonians here!”
“I am the artificial intelligence assigned to this ship, Pilot Oliver Briar.”
“You’re an avatar? Where’s your central processor?” Kimberly asked this as she reached Ollie.
“No, Mz. Kimberly Baker. I am an autonomous android with links to the ship.”
“I see. Then you are a completely independent entity.”
“That is a true statement, Mz. Kimberly Baker.”
“Can you shorten your reference to me from Mz. Kimberly Baker to just Kimberly?”
“Yes I can, if that is your request.”
“I request that you address me as Kimberly.”
“Yeah. And I request that you address me as Ollie.”
“Those requests have been recorded and accepted.”
“Do you have an emotions matrix?”
“For my purpose, an emotions matrix is not required. Therefore, I do not possess one.”
“Oh. Then, other androids with other purposes would have emotional matrices?”
“Yes. Those androids are mostly for domestic, managerial and political purposes.”
“I see. Are you allowed to leave your ship?”
“As I am always remotely connected to the ship, I am allowed to leave.”
“How are you connected?”
“There is a quantum entanglement communicator within the ship. The paired counterpart is within me.”
“It doesn’t go through Igaklay or the Bachama A.I.?”
“No. the ship and I are completely autonomous.”
“Interesting. What would happen if technology associated with Igaklay were brought onboard?”
“At a minimum, the technology would be forcefully removed or destroyed. If that were not possible, I would self-destruct myself and the ship.”
“That’s gnarly, Kimmy.”
“Shut up, Ollie.”
Again, Ollie made the zipper motion.
“Would you destroy the ship if Ballisonians were onboard?”
‘No, Kimberly. I would have them leave the ship in survival pods. Then I would activate the destruction sequence.”
“Good to know. If non-Ballisonians, such as Humans and Elonians were onboard, would they be notified before you activated the destruction sequence?”
“Yes. Those non-Ballisonians would be notified and encouraged to evacuate the ship.”
”Thank you for your openness, sir. What is your designation?”
“I am Ship Android eight thousand, one-hundred and ninety.”
“Oh, OK. Would you please give us a tour of your ship, starting with the bridge?”
“And the engine room,” Can
sina added.
“If you will follow me.”
Ballison – H.E.B. Alliance Pyramid
The Griffin crew wiled away the time as they lounged in the comfort area on the ground floor of HEBA Headquarters. Periodically, one of the six would glance at the pyramid’s wall, willing it to iris, announcing the arrival of the Mortek frigate and its crew.
Finally, the arrival happened. The wall irised. Captain Long led his charges, Pilot Ollie, Specialist Kimberly, Engineer Cansina, and Guardsman Negiani, through the newly formed opening. The Griffin crew watched as Long’s team made its way over to the lounging area, finding places to sit.
“Get some food and drink,” Keiko recommended. “I’m sure that you are hungry after your long day.”
Ollie snapped back up and hurried over to the food counter. After placing his order with the replicator, he stepped out of the way as the other four arrived. Once everyone had their orders filled, they returned. As they took their places, nanites from the pyramid walls swarmed and formed eating trays. Then the nanites vectored back to the walls and once again disappeared.
“Thank you, Preceptor Igaklay.”
“You are welcome, Captain Long.”
“I don’t think that I will ever get used to this.”
“This is really good,” Ollie commented. “Just as good as the food on the Mortek ship.”
“Once I understood the needs of the Humans and Elonians, it became a simple task to replicate the food service on Griffin.”
“Thanks, Igaklay.”
“You are welcome, Ollie.”
Showing his impatience, Krag Asked, “What did you guys find?”
“A really cool ship!”
“Once again, Ollie is the master of understatement. First, the bad news.”
“Lay it on us, Slim.”
“If Preceptor Igaklay succeeds in introducing any Ballison technology linked to him onto the ship, everything self-destructs.”
“That is bad news. So, there’s nothing there that we can use. Let’s shut it down.”
“Not a good idea, Hawk.”
“Yes, it is. Igaklay is more important than anything we’d find there.”
“That may not be true, Hawk.”
“Why not, Kimberly?”
“We found out where the Ballisonians were headed.”
“OK.”
The Frehey system.”
“Oy. Never heard of that system.”
“Well, you wouldn’t have. The Ballisonians discovered it. It’s on the other side of the Milky Way. In the Cygnus Arm.”
“I have reference to the Cygnus Arm in my data banks, but no reference to that star system,” Igaklay stated.
“They probably found it after you were put to sleep, Igaklay.”
“After reviewing my data on the Cygnus Arm and doing some quick math, you are saying that the Ballisonians settled eighty-thousand lightyears from here?”
“From what the ship’s android says, that’s about right, Buster.”
“I’m thinking, that can’t be right. There isna any way that a jump ship could travel eighty-thousand lightyears.”
“A jump ship didn’t,” Kimberly answered.”
“She’s right, Mack. Cansina?”
“Yes, Captain. The ship we found under the energy dome is not a jump ship. It is a wormhole ship. It creates wormholes then enters them. Like the gates that cover the Human-occupied star systems.”
“But, those are slow. It would still take thousands of years.”
“Not if the folds in space are sharper. The gates are gentle bends. From what the ship’s A.I. tells us, these wormholes are almost complete folds.”
“That’s why we can’t isolate the Bachama dome, Commander. We need that ship to find Igaklay’s people!”
“Settle down, Ollie. We’re working the problem.”
“OK, Captain.”
“Another thing, Hawk.”
“What, Slim?”
“Negiani and I were taken on tour of the buildings under the dome. It’s a whole community, complete with factories, services and habitats. Almost everything that Preceptor Igaklay manufactures here can be replicated there. There are nanite printers, quant-com builders, the whole works. It’s just that everything is Igaklay proof.”
“Oy, Iggy. You sure must have ruffled a lot of feathers to get your people so hopping mad at ya.”
“Yes, I did. I drove them away!”
Everyone heard Igaklay’s wail.
“We talked about this, Igaklay,” Keiko soothed. “You weren’t you then. You didn’t have an emotional matrix. You functioned on pure logic. You weren’t who you are now. You were just a machine. You didn’t drive your people away. Your logic matrices did.”
“But they’re gone,” Igaklay sadly continued. “My Creators are gone!”
“And we will find them, Igaklay. I promise.”
“But, Commander, you can’t, without a wormhole ship. And I do not have any specifications to build one.”
“We’ll work something out. I gave you my word. We all did. You helped us. We will help you.”
“OK.” Igaklay’s avatar actually sniffed and wiped his nose in acceptance.
“You are getting more human every day, Igaklay.”
“I am constantly learning, Mz. Sue.”
“What else did you learn, Cansina?”
“The jump ship has a maximum range of one thousand lightyears per jump, Commander.”
“Eighty jumps. Is there a recovery time after each jump?”
“Yes, Legate Buster. Three Ballisonian days.”
“Since a Ballisonian day is twenty-six hours, that’s seventy-eight hours per stop-over. How long does the ship take to traverse the wormhole?”
“I apologize, Legate. I did not acquire that information.”
“Then the trip will take, at a minimum, six thousand, two-hundred and forty hours. Two hundred and sixty Old Earth days.”
“Plus time spent in the wormholes, themselves, Buster.”
“Yes, Sue.”
“Whowe, That’s a right long flight. What kind of ship is she? How big?”
“She’s a long-range scout ship, Mr. McCauley.”
“Mz. Baker, why don’t you bring up your videos of your walkthrough.”
“Will do, Cap.”
“Just a moment, Mz. Baker.”
Igaklay froze for a moment. Silver nanites flowed from the pyramid’s walls, swarmed, and returned. A large, white screen stood where they had collected.
“Will that do, Mz. Baker?”
“Perfect, Iggy.”
A video, with sound, flashed onto the newly erected screen. Everyone saw the Ballisonian standing in the strange ship’s hatchway.
“That is the ship’s A.I.,” Kimberly began. “There is a dedicated quant-com between him and the ship.”
“He doesn’t pilot the ship. That’s my job,” Ollie interjected.
“Ollie’s right. It seems that the liberated Ballisonians, that’s what they called themselves, they didn’t want any A.I. control over their actions. The ship’s A.I. is there to handle the complex tasks required for ship operations.”
“Oy, Tinman. That Ballisonian android is you, before Sweet Sue and the Elonians gave you an upgrade.”
“That’s my assessment, Mack. By Elonian standards, this android would be a level two intelligence. It has no emotional matrix, but it is self-aware.”
“No survival matrices, Kimberly?”
“It didn’t seem to, Sue.”
“That’s like the synthetic that replaced Vidhee on Wisdom Seeker.”
“No. Veelo is a third level synthetic. She has no self-awareness. Continuing, here’s the bridge.”
Everyone saw a ring of five stations facing forward. At the center, a larger, raised station stood. Behind that, a vertical post with waist and head clamps had been mounted to the deck.
“The five stations are for second-in-command, navigation, sensors, piloting, and communications.”
“None?”
“No, Gopai. The ship has an upgraded shield system. It is managed at the ship monitoring post. The liberated Ballisonians thought that, between their shield and wormhole technology, they could just flee from any danger.”
“That is in line with Igaklay’s pacifist programming,” Keiko remarked.
“As you can see, there is a centralized, raised chair. That is the captain’s chair. The post is for the ship’s A.I. That is where SA8190 stands during ship operations.”
“Oy. That is one terrible name, Kimmy.”
“Yeah. I don’t like wrapping my tongue around it.”
“What about the ship’s complement?”
Around forty-five people, Commander. Seven for bridge crew and three for engineering and maintenance. The other thirty-five are for non-ship personnel. There is also a cargo bay. It is empty, now.”
“Igaklay, if Captain Long and his crew succeed in gaining usage of this ship, would that bother you?”
“I am the Griffin Den Protector, Keiko. Tribune Ambakai deemed that Captain Long and his crew are members of the Griffin Den. Since I would not have access to this ship, I would be bothered by them flying this ship. Also, it is a constant reminder of me driving away my creators.”
“After the meeting, let’s talk about this. I’ll contact Vidhee. Buster, will you join us?”
“Of course, Keiko. Igaklay is my friend, too.”
Krag took back the meeting.
“Slim, what do you think about trading your Mortek frigate for the Ballisonian wormhole ship?”
“If we can pull it off, great. I don’t see any other way to reach the Ballisonian people.”
“Then that’s the way we go. Ideas, anyone?”
“I do not think that this A.I. has the logic or memory capacity which I have,” Igaklay stated. “And, no, Mack, I am not pointing out my big head.”
“I dinna say a thing, Iggy.”
“Yes, but I could smell the wood burning. You were thinking it.”
“Wood burning? Buster, you give him that?”
“Not by the hairs of my chinny-chin-chin, Wrenchy.”
“Now, the three little pigs? You two are ganging up on me.”
“Igaklay is right, Commander. This dome A.I. is not as intelligent or has the data capacity which Igaklay has.”