Darkworld: Earth

36.

“So in conclusion, while the sensors on the Keeper are so sensitive and measure things which we can’t even detect with perfect accuracy and clarity, the probes that we sent out from Earth and which we were originally tasked with gathering still retain significant scientific value,” Gabriel said, swallowing nervously. He hated public speaking, and right now the entire staff of both the Seeker and those who had migrated their stations to the Keeper were in attendance.

“Even the Yonohoan scientists we’ve spoken with see the value in the original goal of our overall mission. They are, in fact, eager for us to complete it, informing us that we are on the edge of a major discovery. They will not tell us what it is. They want us to get there by ourselves. They have said that it will fundamentally change our understanding of the universe in ways which we are presently incapable of understanding.

“Rather than being frustrated that they will not simply come forward with the answer, I find their belief reassuring and encouraging. Even if we’re repeating an ancient experiment that aliens have performed countless times throughout history, we are still contributing to the scientific advancement of the universe.

“You cannot make a scientific conclusion based upon performing an action once. You have to reproduce the results. The very foundation of science, the scientific method, requires that we test our hypothesis over and over and over again before we can conclude that it might be true. Because even when a result has been ‘proven’ by previous understandings, sometimes some new piece of information comes along and causes a paradigm shift so profound that it shakes the very foundation of science.

“Galileo. Sir Isaac Newton. Einstein. Hawking.

“It might not be our names that get attached to the discovery, or the rediscovery, but we’re on the trail of something.

“While they have access to technology so advanced that it makes us look like we’re playing with sticks and mud, the fact remains that we got where we are all by ourselves . We have the right to be proud of our accomplishments. The Yonohoans assure us that we’re tracking something major. Something worthwhile. So let’s make our ancestors proud and hunt it down with our own relentless persistence and stamina and grind the universe into submission until it serves us the delicious feast of understanding!”

Despite his impassioned speech, the room remained somber. He sighed. “Anyway, that’s all I have to say. The Yonohoans want us to continue the science missions which launched the Seeker in the first place.”

“All in favor of transferring the science objectives of the Seeker of New Discoveries to the Toormonda ship, The Keeper of Dreams ?” Anders asked formally.

“Aye,” the crew called in unison.

“Motion carries. Now, let’s talk about specifics. Rebecca, how close are we to getting the Toormonda to understand how to control our probes?” he asked.

“Unfortunately, the power of random number generation is against us,” she said, sighing. “Corporate and government paranoia placed encryption protocols on the command protocols for some of the probes which use the physical properties of the actual hardware itself for RNG. The computers aboard the Toormonda, as we understand them, use a fundamentally different type of hardware. They have more computing power in a block the size of my fist than we have in the entire ship. But, ironically, they have trouble with binary.

“They have six variables to account for besides on or off. It makes the computers smarter in some ways, but ironically it makes emulating to our systems more difficult. We can’t just load up our software and let the Toormonda run the calculations for us. In order to complete the handshake protocols, it needs to run on the physical systems of the Seeker ,” Rebecca concluded.

“Can we remove disassemble them, move them to the Keeper , and complete the mission in that way?” someone suggested.

“We can, but we’ll run into space issues,” Antoine said. “Some of these machines are quite large. We’ll have to strip them down to their motherboards and reload them in the destination. That alone will be difficult, but we’ll run out of space before we assemble them all. The Keeper is half the diameter of the Seeker . While the interior seems roomy, the fact is that it has one eighth the volume. It’s easy to forget just how big the Seeker is because of all the junk we crammed inside of it.”

“We still need room for the crew,” Captain Moon reminded everyone. “With the revelation that Tunnel Drive Exposure is affecting all of us to some degree, maintaining morale and reducing stress are factors which cannot be ignored or dismissed.”

“So, I have a suggestion,” Diego said. He wasn’t really there, but was taking part in the meeting through the use of a small disc-like device that projected his hologram. Captain Moon had brought it with her from the Keeper .

“You have the floor, Sergeant,” Anders said.

“I’m the best pilot with the drones anyway,” he said. “So… have me pilot them. Ship the guidance computers and the antennas or whatever to the Yonohoan flagship. We’ll assemble it here and follow the Keeper to the rendezvous points, which are non-classified information. I’ll fly the probes to the Keeper , and you can retrieve the data. There’s what, eighty two probes left to collect, right? But the largest model is still only the size of a watermelon, so you should be able to store them in one of the unused rooms after the data dump.”

The room went silent as they considered the option.

“Would the Yonohoans be willing to extend such assistance?” Anders asked.

“Eolai is my brother now. We’re about to separate and possibly never see each other again, but I think that we have the right to take an interstellar road trip before that happens,” Diego joked. “But seriously, I’ll ask him. One minute. Bob, where’s Eolai? Sorry guys, I’ll be right back.”

His hologram flickered, and the staff looked towards Anders, who was commanding the mission now.

“It’s true that the locations of the rendezvous points are non-classified information,” he admitted. “His suggestion has merit.”

“We’d still have to transfer some computers over to the Keeper to decrypt the files. Once we’ve done that, however, we can upload the raw data to the Toormonda’s computers. It has no problem storing binary data, it just doesn’t think like a binary computer,” Gabriel said. “That means that we don’t need to move all of the servers. The theoretical limit to the Toormonda’s data storage space is literally astronomical.”

“I thought you wanted to accomplish this on our own, with our own systems,” Hilda said.

“I do. I’m not saying that we ask the Toormonda to analyze the data for us. I won’t be going with the mission to collect the drones because I’ll be useless. But considering all the help we’re accepting already, I don’t think that utilizing our rides built-in hard drive for data storage is cheating any more than we already are,” Gabriel rebutted.

“Right. So we’re coming close to an actionable plan,” Anders said. “What steps are we missing?”

“Okay, I found him,” Diego’s hologram said, suddenly reappearing. “Captain Anders, permission to bring my Yonohoan brother into the meeting for a few moments?”

“Permission granted,” Anders said.

Eolai appeared standing next to Diego. The young man was smiling. “I understand that you have a request for me, Captain?”

“Yes. We are attempting to modify the parameters of our science mission to accomplish those goals using the Toormonda which your government has graciously provided for our use. However, we are running into space issues. I am formally requesting further assistance,” Anders said.

“If it is within my power I am pleased to provide it,” Eolai said. “Please describe the sort of assistance you require.”

“Would you be willing to follow the Keeper of Dreams to the locations of its objectives? You would effectively be tagging along with us for several weeks with our accelerated mission goals,” Anders said.

“Yes,” Eolai said. “Although if you are worried about protection I assure you that nobody in this galaxy would even think of firing upon a Toormonda.”

“It is not for protection,” Anders clarified. “The suggestion has been made to transfer some computers and machines to the flagship, install them, and have Diego use them to pilot the drones remotely during retrieval. We’re still in the early planning stages so we’re exploring the feasibility of the plan.”

“You have adapted the Toormonda to power your instruments, correct?” Eolai questioned.

“We have.”

“Then with your permission I can gain the data from the Keeper on how to power your instruments. I have a large hangar bay which has some useless junk taking up space. I will simply empty it out and you will have as much space as you need,” Eolai said. “How will you transfer the material from your ship to mine?”

Anders paused. “We will have to have Diego fly the shuttle back to the Seeker to transfer the equipment using its cargo space. It is too early to determine whether or not we can relax quarantine between our peoples, Eolai. Perhaps you are comfortable with it, but unfortunately we are not. As such, we will be suiting up and decontaminating ourselves between each trip. We will send one member of our staff to assemble the devices aboard your ship.”

He paused, frowning. “Depending on the circumstances, they might not be able to return. I will request volunteers.”

“I understand your caution on the matter. I shall follow your policy as closely as possible on the matter,” Eolai agreed. “I can host two guests as easily as one aboard my ship. I make no promises of brother or sisterhood, but I have named all passengers of the Seeker and the Keeper clan. They are welcome aboard my vessel.”

“Thank you, Eolai,” Anders said. “We would appreciate it if you would send details of the storage area where the equipment will be stored to our computer at your convenience so that we can begin planning the transfer.”

“I shall have the data sent immediately. Is there anything else?” Eolai inquired.

“That’s all I can think of for now, Eolai. Thank you for your time and consideration, and your promises of helping us fulfill our objectives. At this time I politely request privacy while we discuss internal matters,” Anders said.

“Of course. Thank you for requesting my assistance, for it gives me pleasure to assist you in this matter,” Eolai said. “Goodbye.”

His hologram vanished. Everyone turned to look at Diego, who shrugged. “I’m already in a different room than him.”

“Right. Okay. So, we need to discuss personnel matters,” Anders said. “The Keeper has room for twenty crew members for its mission. We need to discuss who goes and who stays and completes the diplomatic mission which is now the Seeker’s primary objective.”

“I thought that we decided that everyone who had reached level 2 in the exposure syndrome was going to be moving to the Keeper ,” Takeshi said.

“Yes, but no,” Captain Moon said. She cleared her throat. “Due to the importance of ensuring that our crew recovers from their exposure to the Tunnel Drive, those who are showing signs and symptoms of progressing past simple exposure will bunk on the Keeper and, if they are able to, perform some of their duties from that posting. However, once we leave to continue the scientific mission, they will be transferring to the level two medical center on the surface of the planet Totola.”

This was a surprise to the majority of the staff, who had several questions.

“What about exposure?”

“That is part of the reason we are delaying. Eolai and Diego are currently in the middle of an experiment to see if our species can coexist together without infecting each other with our normal flora. However, even once we have established that, the transfer to the facility on the surface of the planet will be performed using a sterile shuttle transport, and we have been assured that the rooms will be sterilized for our use,” Anders explained.

“So far, Diego and Eolai are coexisting just fine,” Captain Moon pointed out. “The Yonohoans are confident in their ability to avoid exposing us to anything in transit or during our stay at their facility. They were somewhat insulted when we suggested it would be difficult.”

“To any concerns about staying in inhumane conditions while receiving medical care, I’d like to reassure everyone who might be affected by this command decision that an entire hospital wing is being prepared just for us,” Anders said. “You will have a private room, a common area, and an exercise area. You should be more comfortable there than even aboard the Keeper .”

“I’ve seen holos of the facility. It’s nice. Like, five star hotel nice,” Diego said.

The staff took some time to process this. Not everyone had revealed their diagnoses yet, but many of the ones who were experiencing symptoms were secretly relieved that they wouldn’t be expected to continue on the science mission. Others were frightened of the prospect of visiting an alien facility on an alien planet. Most felt some combination of the two.

“Right. We have a general plan,” Anders said. “Let’s start assigning specific tasks to get the preliminary preparations underway.”

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