Guardian Stone 2: Stone and the T-Raptors Page 4
"Finally, AI Dosia has come up with an innovation that has similar promise. Some of us take the teleport transportation system pretty much for granted because as senior officers we have priority call on it. It is amazing what we can become used to in a short time. Until now, we have been pretty much limited in how many persons can use that method by the amount of other things in which our AI's are involved when transportation is needed. The person transported has to be located, destination computed, condition at destination determined (is it occupied or otherwise dangerous) and a number of other factors. By moving all these computations to a separate core with that as its dedicated function, the AI can handle about 5000 transfers a second. Imagine what a capacity like that could do if a mass evacuation became necessary. Even the precision placement of combat troops is possible. Dosia will share around what it takes to do that along with the various components needed to make it work well and smoothly."
"Other AI's are currently working on other improvements that will enable us to be more efficient."
"Now, back to exploration for a moment. Some previous exploration has been done and all the data collected is in your navigation databases. Since we are now able to travel at unimagined speed that will likely increase in the near future, it behooves us to secure better data. I am particularly interested in navigational hazards such as black holes and free roaming planetary masses that are not part of a star system. To the extent possible the black holes need to be located and mapped so they can be avoided. Any free roving planetary masses should be catalogued and mapped for potential useful minerals or strategic location."
"The next item on the list is the locating of life and any habitable systems not currently occupied. If you encounter intelligent life out there, remember Arber, and do a complete scan before deciding to make contact. Keep your cloaks and shields up. If you come in contact with anyone with space travel capability, be extra cautious. We have not yet identified whatever weaknesses we might have that could cause us a problem. If you find any, alert all stations. Each station is going out with some of our strongest T-Raptor teams. Every station now has several teams comprised of Human, Glarin, Gar and Linan. The varied species composition makes for a very broad range of capabilities. Utilize them well. What they find could give you an enhanced position. In the limited area of the galaxy we know about, life has proven to be of unexpected variety. Keep an open mind on what you see. Before bringing anyone on board, be sure you have taken all precautions for the safety and protection of your crew and your AI. Be sure that you have the concurrence of your AI before you bring anyone aboard."
"Your tour is a two year tour but that does not mean that we do not want to hear from you. I ask that you report in often and give us updates on what you are finding. For this effort, the authorized limit is 50,000 light years from Arber for Divisions 4 and 20, and 50,000 light years from Earth for Divisions 10 and 17. Commanders you can exceed that at your discretion but send me a special report citing circumstances when you do. There is no requirement to go that far because the area between here and there is immense. It may take multiple trips to cover this much area. There are sizeable spaces here and there that are going to be relatively empty. Your crews are large enough to allow you to be fairly thorough. You have a large supply of cloaked surveillance devices that will send the data it collects back to Tau Ceti for distribution to all. If you see something that warrants a continuing look, drop one of these devices and then register its coordinates so its output is properly attributed. This is a huge and interesting undertaking. I envy you this opportunity. Godspeed."
Chapter 6: Update for Earth
On Station 1 in Earth orbit – September 25 – C Day 391
"Barana, would you please check to see if President Johnson is available for a chat. It is pretty early but here is hoping."
A minute later,
"Sam and I are ready, would you send us down please and join us as well."
"Well, hello Billy. My but you have grown. I under-stand that you had a birthday this week. Congratulations. Would you like a birthday present?"
Billy replied with more presence than he would have expected of a six year old, "That would be very nice General Stone."
"Well this is a really special gift and it is not a toy, so it is not something that you can play with, is that OK?" As he said this he sat on the floor in front of Billy in an informal kind of kneeling position.
Everyone was now looking on intensely with curiosity and Billy said, "Yes sir, I understand that many things are not toys and some things must be treated with great respect."
Hank's eyes widened with surprise at such a mature response and said, "Well Billy, is it ok if I call you Billy?" and Billy nodded yes in agreement as Hank went on, "then it is ok for you to call me Uncle Henry, are you cool with that?"
Billy said with a big grin, "Yes sir, Uncle Henry, I am definitely very cool with that." Billy assumed an identical posture in front of Hank.
Hank returned the grin, "Outstanding, lets take a look at what we have for you. When I was on Gar, I asked my friend Lord Dranz to have this made so he had his best metalworker do this. When a person turns six on his planet, that person is given his Taju blade. For a person on Gar, this blade represents his soul, his being and it is treated with great respect and honor. Nobody touches another's Taju with out invitation in polite society. It is a different story in combat situations. Here on Earth, the Taju is also a reminder that we each of us have a soul and must strive as best we can to keep it unblemished. This Taju is locked in its scabbard until you reach the adult age of 18 years. I have also treated the blade in a way you may have seen on the news so it is basically indestructible. I also made the scabbard look like glass because I was sure that you would find 12 years an awful long time to wait to see what it looks like. If anyone touches this blade who does not have your freely given permission or if someone tries to steal it, it will immediately be returned to Barana who will then return it to you. This blade is a beautiful thing to see and it is my wish that your soul reflects the beauty of this blade. Happy Birthday Billy." He then offered the Taju to Billy with two hands with the blade edge away from Billy and a slight bow. Billy, who accepted with two hands and turned the blade edge toward himself with a slight bow, traditional Gar acceptance actions. Billy explained that he had seen a special on the Gar Taju Blade the previous evening and the special had shown a Taju presentation being made to a young person. Anne Johnson was in tears and Dean Johnson was managing not to show his.
President Johnson was clearly taken with the emotion of the moment and found it hard to say more than thank you.
Hank and the boy arose from their positions on the floor and Hank turned to President Johnson and said, "Mr. President, your first term has certainly been eventful and I understand that things are looking very good for a second term. Congratulations." Sam, Anne, and Billy quietly left the room leaving the President and Hank by themselves. Hank maintained a link with Sam so she could hear everything said in case there was something she could add to the discussion.
"That, my friend, is in no small part due to your actions. I am amazed that this has evolved and concluded in such a short time. I have quite a bit to report as well as some questions. I have a couple of hours blocked for 'personal time' so we should be able to cover everything. First, thank you for what you just did for Billy. He will remember that for the rest of his life as will Anne and I. The video feed that came in from Gar has everyone talking, not the least of all Billy who remembers his visit to Station One. You are his hero and to have his hero treat him so will have a lifelong impact."
Hank said, "send him to me when he is old enough and I'll show him Gar and whatever else he wants to see. He is im
pressively mature for his age. He surprised me a few times there. He even knew the appropriate way to receive the Taju. With your permission, I would like to share footage of that scene with Lord Dranz. He would be most pleased. I will also send you a copy because you will probably enjoy it more as time goes by."
"That would be most appreciated. Please convey a copy to Lord Dranz with my compliments. Lord Dranz sounds to be a pretty impressive individual in his own right. I'd love to meet him sometime."
'That's a date Dean, I mean Mr. President, the day after you finish your second term we will have you on Station One and two days after that at the Gar Royal Palace.
"Henry, it is about time you started calling me Dean when we are in private. Besides, you govern a lot more people than do I. But how can you get there in two days?"
"Lets just say that one of our AI's saw impediments in our drive structure and fixed it resulting in a huge increase in our top speed. I wouldn't be at all surprised if by then she will have the travel time down to a day. Who da thunk it."
"The reason I wanted to chat with you, is to update what has happened since our last visit. You know about our engagement with the Gar and ultimate determination that they were really under the control of another party, General Artus Brondin of Arber. He was clearly the driving force behind all of this. He is presently in a maximum-security prison on Arber and is under surveillance by one of our stations there. We have five stations at Arber as of today, picking the place apart. We did have eight stations there up until a few days ago. We think there are more who are culpable but do not believe we have identified all of them yet. We also think some were highly placed. Brondin is an arrogant and obnoxious little snot and we have yet to interview him. He is not going to like it when we do. No rough stuff or torture or anything like that. He is just so full of himself and his self-perceived intelligence that a careful interrogation should pull things out of him he would not otherwise reveal. We know a bunch of things he does not suspect and that will, I think, open the flood-gates to get us a full picture. General Sean O'Connor is in command of Division 16 at Arber. He, his AI Maudie and the teams there are doing a great job. It is only a matter of time and we will have the complete picture."
"Later today, we will be proceeding to the colony worlds, Artemis, Betina, Cecilla, Diana and Janice to place the colonists at the locations they have selected. Each will have a Type 2 station in orbit for assistance. Stormproof housing and other facilities have been installed as well as additional units for those to come later. That will allow for expansion and growth of the colonies. Those are beautiful worlds and they have each unique items of attraction. I suspect that when people see how they are doing there, we can expect to see more emigration. They will have the advantage of non-polluting technology that most just dream about. I suspect that these worlds will become vacation destinations for many who are not prepared to live full time on a colony. A number of our colonists have determined that they want to establish resorts to attract off-world visitors. We have set up an orbiting receiving station that will assure that no viruses, bacteria, bugs, or anything foreign gets on or off the planet, so these will be safe destinations. This will also provide opportunities for Earthian and colony joint ventures to handle. It will likely be cheaper to vacation there than it is to take a cruise here. I would expect that the worlds will be looking for customers this summer. There will be summer and winter destinations with many things to do. No non-resident can own land on a colony world and the arrangements made with persons involved from Earth or any other planet will be subject to review by the Fleet to assure that the contracts are equitable and are not passing control off world. Wait until you see the promotional materials that will come of this."
"I understand that there has been considerable progress on the Space, Inc. program. We can add the vacation/tourist transportation structure to that so that group can oversee its development and assure treatment from this end is equitable. The ships that will be used can do about 50,000 xSL, so a trip to the colony worlds from here will be about 2 to 3 hours and more comfortable than your upscale aircraft. It will be a real experience for the uninitiated and a routine hop for those that are more experienced. How is the rest of the program doing."
The President said, "It is operational. We had a bit of a struggle at first but when reports of your early encounters with the Gar started coming in, the others started getting serious. They realized that if they did not want the program languish to the point that it might not happen, they had better get on board, because their economies would likewise languish. It was kind of fun to watch that realization take hold. I definitely think those that took part in your upgrade program have been a major force in pushing their countries into line. That has certainly been a factor here. We worked out a program very much like you suggested using the Alaska Permanent Fund as a guide or template. Your General Friedrich Hess and his AI Pandora were extremely helpful. Pandora's name selection was not lost on the group either." He commented with a chuckle. "They were able to give us the dimensions and ground base resources that would be needed to support the vessels made available. Pandora suggested that the moon be used as a base for the ships and to use cargo and passenger shuttles between them. This made preparing the Earth sites a lot easier and agreement flowed rather easily after that. General Hess said that the Antoran Fleet would help with the moon base construction using Earth labor. He even provided for much of the prefabricated components on the facility. Final construction and installation is almost complete. It will be ready for operational use by the end of next month as will the facilities on Earth. Never thought I would see anything like this in my lifetime."
"Many of the ships that will be leased by Space, Inc. are currently being housed by the orbiting stations. Some are in orbit around the moon. Earth crews are being trained and familiarized with the different vessels. The last day of next month will probably become a new worldwide holiday hereafter. There are amenities on that base that are a surprise to many. First out will likely be the mining ships. Every country has its mineral wish list so those ships will be well occupied for a long time to come. They all know which systems are reserved for the other emerging worlds and the group has suggested that we may wish to consider a multi system application of Space, Inc. so that the restrictions become moot except for the two worlds where there is emerging intelligence. What do you think?"
"It is better than I hoped for. You realize that you are initiating an interstellar society by doing this. That is definitely more than I hoped for and I absolutely welcome it. By all means go for it. If you are successful, and I see no reason why you should not be, you will have saved us a substantial effort. We will help as much as we can. We can provide interstellar shuttles for your envoys. Stations at each of the occupied planets will be advised to assist where they can. I will follow this one with considerable interest."
The President said, "I thought you would feel that way but I told the group that I would pose the question next time I saw you. In fact we already have the preliminaries completed, agreements drawn and envoys are ready to go with that approval."
"In that case, I will have 8 shuttles prepared and delivered where you tell me you want them. They will be delivered by 8 am tomorrow. These shuttles are 30 person shuttles and each is 80 feet diameter by 100 feet in length. They are capable of speeds that will deliver your envoys to any of the planets they will talk to in less than an hour. They will also land weightless, so you can land them on a lawn if you want to without wrecking the grass. Just tell Barana where you want them. I will probably decorate them a bit for you but not to worry, nothing embarrassing."
"Wow, that will speed things big time. Sometimes, I wish I could do the same with our government. Ok, tomorrow at 8 am at Andrews Joint Base in Maryland. I will alert the Base to expect them and clear the airways for their arrival. I will have them mark out silhouettes on the ground so your pilots will see where to put them."
"Good, but Dosia from Station 19 will fly the
m down and land them. Station One will be leaving for Artemis and the other colony planets after this meeting. Today the colonists are going to take possession of their planets and I intend to put in an appearance at each one of them. One more thing, I will need your pilots for those shuttles sent up to Station 19 this afternoon for training. After a night in our trainer and an hour in a simulator, they will be able to fly one of those things in their sleep. The shuttles will be keyed to the individual pilot. The shuttle will only admit the pilot it is keyed to and will allow access only to those he admits. Each pilot will be wearing a protection package much the same as yours so they should be hijack-proof. The entry for the shuttle is at ground level in the nose. Once a person enters they stand on a plate that takes them individually to their designated seat. Once in flight they are free to move about the cabin. No entry into the pilots cabin is possible by any passenger. It is not wise for any one to attempt access, the results can be most uncomfortable. If anything happens to the pilot, the shuttle is returned to the nearest station at top speed. Hopefully that never becomes necessary. Nevertheless, each pilot you send up will undergo a complete physical in one of our med units. If repairs are necessary for the pilot, you will be advised how long he will be out of commission and repairs will commence. These rarely take longer than a week even if massive repairs are necessary. You are probably going to need a few weeks before those shuttles are ready to carry envoys. Barana, please alert and brief General Montand. Also, if General Montand is available, would you ask him to join us for a few minutes. As of today the new Defense Guardian for Earth is Phillip. He is Canadian by birth and I think you may know him. His AI is Dosia and they are just in from Tau Ceti. He has one other station in his division assigned defense duty in the solar system"