"Commodore,
please excuse the intrusion." Susanna was speaking.
"Yes,
Commander. Is there a problem?"
"There
is a major storm on Chromos, which has cast off a considerable amount of
plasma in a wide arc. Our projected path goes right through this plasma,
which Colombina judges to be very dangerous for the life support systems
on board. I am seeking authorization to reprogram our itinerary."
"Permission
granted. Let me know when the new projectory is established, and how this
might affect our travel time."
"Thank
you, Commodore. Colombina is preparing several alternatives as we speak.
I should be able to report back to you shortly."
"Encelav,
where were we? Oh, yes, the fifth dimension. Once there, we send out powerful
signals, or force beams, that crumple up a local area of the continuum,
somewhat like you'd crumple up a table cloth. The stronger the beams we
send out, the greater amount of the 'table cloth' we can drag towards us.
We move by jumping over the warp at very high speed, about 95% the speed
of light; then we release the warp so that the 'table cloth' spreads out
evenly again, moving us forward a huge distance, although we ourselves
have only traveled a fragment of that distance; the 'table cloth' dragged
us along the rest of the way. Then we begin the process all over again.
It sounds easy the way I'm telling it, but scientists of our world spent
decades in research and our navigational staff has spent years learning
how to do this."
"By Oarnn!
And to think that the hyperfast jet planes that are the ultimate in travel
on Damos take almost a day to circle the globe, and our spacecraft have
not yet sent anyone to another planet. And we've never taken the idea of
a fifth dimension seriously. Lotsirb would feel avenged if she could hear
you now! Our technology must seem primitive to you!"
"We've
been at it a lot longer than you, don't forget, about 800 years longer!
If after all that time we didn't have some technological advances over
you, it would be astonishing! But you've got all the elements in place:
a sound scientific background, a unified planetary government, a society
that wants to enter the space age as rapidly as possible, all the natural
and intellectual and political and economic resources you need. You also
have one advantage over us that we didn't have in 2020 our era: we could
only hope that there was intelligent life out there, and you know there
is."
"I certainly
hope that our civilizations will be able to cooperate with one another.
I'm not sure what we can offer you in exchange for all the knowledge we
hope to be able to absorb: eight hundred years of knowledge doesn't come
easily!"
"Once
our peoples formally establish relations, I'm confident that the exchange
will not be one-sided. For one thing, we've still not mastered the non-violent
ethic you have on Damos, we still think of doing things competitively rather
than cooperatively, we still think almost exclusively in terms of winning
and losing. It's true you've not seen that side of us with the great crew
I have on board Constellation, but you'll have to take my word for it when
I say that we here are not your typical Earth people."
"I hope
some day to meet Earth people on Earth. Until then, I'll take your word
for it, even though what we've seen is not at all like you're describing
it. I have another question for you, now that I know that you're law-abiding
travelers. What kind of power source do you have? The amount of energy
required to warp space must be enormous. You must have almost a limitless
supply!"
"Limitless
may be putting it a bit too strongly. Still, we do have a tremendous energy
source."
"Commodore,
the new course has been set. The disturbance has caused plasma to explode
into the atmosphere of Chromos at the poles, but there is no danger lurking
at its equator. We've set a course to the starboard side of the sun. This
will add just over four hours to the trip at our projected speed."
"Thank
you, Commander. Anything else I should know now?"
"Nothing
for the moment, Commodore."
"Signing
off."
"Christina,
I've noticed that down on Damos your staff usually speaks to you by your
name, but here on board you seem to go by your title. It's curious."
"Actually,
on board or on the ground I am called by my title when we're functioning
formally as a crew. Sometimes I address them by their titles. For example,
at state dinners, I call Susanna Lieutenant and she calls me Commodore,
while at the racquet court it's Susanna and Christina. Up here, off-duty,
it's informal. We do spend years together on a mission, you know, and so
it's not surprising if we get to be friends. On the bridge it's somewhat
more formal. This protocol reminds us all of our particular and relative
responsibilities, when necessary. But now I've forgotten what we were talking
about."
"We were
talking about energy use when you go at warp speeds."
"Right.
We also use as little of it as we can get away with. For instance, instead
of warping a relatively large sector of space, we try to create a path
of warped space: my analogy of the table cloth breaks down here, because
with the table cloth you warp the whole thing in length and in width. We
limit the field that's warped. The action of limiting the field takes about
half the energy of crumpling the whole thing, which in effect gives us
double the apparent speed that the same burst of energy would provide otherwise.
Maybe it's more like creating a fold in paper, or falling over the cusp
of a hidden chasm, except that it's all controlled, all planned."
"I like
your table cloth analogy better. But doesn't this warping action disturb
the entire universe? It could cause cataclysms, maybe destroying entire
galaxies or at least solar systems."
"Fortunately,
for reasons I don't fully understand, these manipulations take place only
relative to Constellation. There's no danger to other worlds."
"OK,
back to my original question: what is your energy source?"
"Constellation's
engines are run by the same kinds of colliding devices we used to remove
the tops of countless mountains over four hundred years ago, when Earth
was threatened by a new Ice Age. It's an antimatter collider. You know
the tremendous energy created when you bombard matter with antimatter:
the trick was to learn how to harness this energy. Before we topped the
mountains, we had learned how to store this newly-created energy for use
in our space stations as well as on our space ships. In theory, we should
be able to fine a new fuel supply everywhere something breaks into the
void of space, something like a star with a planetary system, or rogue
asteroids or comets, which we could pick up while we're traveling; again
in theory, we could store these relatively little bits of matter and antimatter
in isolated storage areas."
"You
seem to be saying that the theory and the facts are not in agreement. And
I can see why: in theory, you could use, say, iron or calcium and their
antimatter components for fuel. The problem is breaking off individual
electrons and protons, which is not really feasible except with highly
radioactive materials. So you can't use any chunk of rock you happen to
see on your flight. You need uranium or some other radioactive mineral."
"Exactly.
And we replenished our supply outside the wormhole, while we were doing
the necessary repairs. We're fully stocked now. Now, to continue with our
fuel needs: the collisions of this material provide so much energy that
a little fuel goes a very long way--literally. Of course, the higher warp
factors require exponentially increasing quantities of fuel, which is one
very real limit on our speed. Another limit is the strength of the material
used to construct the craft. Not to mention the constant, although slight,
drain of fuel caused by simply keeping Constellation livable and lit up,
maintaining a good gravity level on board, operating the colliders, and
doing the other things that make these long flights feasible. And tolerable."
"Didn't
you tell us a few months ago that it took you three years to cross the
galaxy?"
"At maximum
warp factor, that would have been the case. We saved about a year thanks
to the wormhole. In fact, probably more than a year, because I don't think
we would have dared to traverse the galaxy at the central core or bulge.
Too many black holes there, too much danger. Going around it might have
added a year to the trip, making it four in all. The flight took us about
two years, but the part in the middle, in the wormhole, was terrifying.
I'm sure we'll do better on the way back. The problem was with the sixth
dimension, which is where the wormhole exists."
"The
sixth dimension! I haven't even gotten used to the fifth yet!"
"We have
learned how to cope with the fifth dimension (our brains, like yours, are
made to visualize three dimensions and our mind can easily deal with the
fourth dimension), but the fifth dimension is beyond our basic concepts
of the space we live in. What we try to do is convert the fifth dimension
to four-dimensional logic. We can visualize it in a way, thanks to Colombina's
careful calculations and her presentation of data. But the sixth dimension
caught us by surprise. We tried to manoeuvre in it as though it were the
fifth. The combination of the two extra dimensions brought about phenomena
that we misinterpreted; some of it was like illusions, some of it real.
By now, though, thanks to some clever thinking by Kwali, Colombina has
had time to sort out the data she collected on our first swing through,
has seen where we made mistakes, and can help us fly more safely, or at
least with more assurance, through the wormhole. Along with a big dose
of human imagination and daring, I think we'll make it through smoothly
when it's time to go home."
"But
that won't be for at least two or three years, right?"
"Yes,
we'll explore Unias with you, and also Tertia Major and Tertia Minor. We're
all excited about that. All the more so in that we never expected to be
so well received by an alien civilization: we feared encountering a society
even more aggressive than our own, rendered very dangerous by virtue of
their being a millennium ahead of us in technology. But in truth we all
wondered if we'd survive the wormhole experience, let alone meet with new
intelligent species."
"Survive!
Was it that bad? People have made allusions to that experience, even starting
at the first state dinner when you materialized, but no one has ever really
described it and its effects, either physical or psychological. It must
have been traumatic."
"Traumatic
is a good word for it. It was terrifying, even if it lasted less than an
hour! The effects stayed with all of us for a long time. We had extensive
damage to the interior and the exterior of the craft that took a long time
to repair. Of course, we couldn't travel safely until the exterior was
fully repaired; but the interior needed lots of patching up and reconstruction.
Even hovering up here the work continued, and has finally been successfully
completed. We're as good as new now."
"Good.
I thought for a moment that you were trying to frighten me into thinking
that Constellation was about to fall apart."
"Scare
you, Ecnelav? No, I'm just letting you know well in advance that your team
may be in for more than they bargained for in terms of adventurous living.
And the risk of boredom."
"Boredom
and adventure together?"
"Commodore
and Professor Enohr, this is Commander Kwali. We have just received very
distressing news from Damos. It appears that a terrorist organization has
been formed, and has bombed a Police Commissary in Bobol."
"By Oarnn!
Terrorism on Damos? Who could possibly have created such a group? Have
there been any casualties?"
"A group
of fundamentalist commandos, the Schadite Tactical Units, formed by a preacher
named Ogatrac, has claimed responsibility for the bombing. Preliminary
reports indicate that five officers have been killed and scores wounded.
A large store of weapons has been stolen. This has just happened moments
ago. We have no further information at this moment."
Both
Christina and Ecnelav had gasped at this unexpected news. Ecnelav was deeply
distressed; she could not hide her initial reactions. Christina's mind
was working with great rapidity, trying to see what she and her crew could
do.
"Commander,
get in touch with Security Chief Neac in Ihled. Ask him if we should postpone
our flight, or if there is some way we can help out. I suspect that this
group is really after us. I've lived through this kind of thing before,
with the Militia. I wouldn't be surprised if this is the same sort of organization."
"I will
get right on this, Commodore."
Ecnelav
seemed to have made up her mind to return to Damos at this moment of crisis.
"It will be emotionally difficult to postpone this trip, difficult because
we're all so excited about it. And yet we must help in some way, do whatever
we can. I find it hard to believe that a group of people could even conceive
of doing something like this. It's so completely against our culture, our
way of living, or even our way of thinking."
"I must
admit that when Kwali mentioned this I was stunned. I love your people's
gentle and cooperative but vigorous patterns of life and thought. I wonder
if we shouldn't postpone this trip. Your security forces might need the
kind of help we can provide; it could save you years--decades even--of
grief and murder. On the other hand, it may be that the best thing for
us to do is carry out our mission. We'll do whatever your government tells
us to do. What is this Schadite group? I know of the Book of Oarnn and
the devotion to Schad, but I don't know anything at all about these Schadite
Tactical Units."
"There
is a group of fundamentalist believers who are opposed to any advance in
science. It may be that your very presence here is threatening to them
because your existence can invalidate their interpretations of the scriptures.
But until now they've never been aggressive."
"No more
than the other Damosians?"
"No more
than the rest of us. I'm very worried. Our civilization has not encountered
this kind of activity for over five or ten centuries. I'm not sure we know
how to deal with it."
Christina
looked at her friend, who appeared to be distracted and concerned. She
tried to smile, then said, in a comforting way, "Well, let's get back to
space travel. It might take your mind off this problem for a few minutes."
"A good
idea. I hope it works."
"We were
talking about boredom on board. A three-year journey is a long time. In
many respects Constellation flies itself; we're there mostly as observers,
and in case of emergencies."
"You
will have to tell me about the wormhole adventure, Christina."
"I'll
tell you what: when we're on our way around Chromos, we'll all, all the
flight deck staff, we'll all relate what happened. Each of us experienced
the passage through the wormhole differently, and maybe you Damosians will
want to ask us, and for that matter, the other crew members, about different
aspects of our experiences."
"In any
case, we knew before getting on board that there's no guarantee we would
come back alive. You made that very clear."
"When
we've made preliminary investigations of your solar system, we would like
to be able to take a delegation of Kolok across the galaxy, to see how
we live on Earth, Mars, Venus, Mesnos and Paracelsus, not to mention the
five space stations we maintain. But it can be a dangerous trip, not the
least because of that wormhole. It's not traveling within your solar system
that should worry you."
"We understand
that a trans-galactic voyage will be even more dangerous than a solar-system
voyage. I've often wondered, since meeting you, how your people are affected
by a voyage like this. If I understand correctly, when you return to Earth
you'll have been gone about ten years."
"We'll
all be affected in different ways, but there are two very different kinds
of reactions our space voyagers have. About half the crew are ELBers like
me. We remain to all appearances, and in all bodily functions, as we were
when our genes were altered: same age, same physical state. I think we'll
all return to Earth pretty much as we were when we left it. But the other
half of the crew will age more or less normally: when they get home they'll
look and feel ten years older than they were when we left. It will be harder
on them than on us, not only because in fact everyone they know will have
aged, and so will they, but also because unlike them, we ELBers don't have
family to go back to. Still, for all of us, there will be ten years of
news to catch up on with the people we know, many of whom might have died
in our absence. Not to mention news of the world, or of our worlds (our
crew comes from four planets!) and our local areas. I'll have people to
visit on Earth and my best friends on Mars. You can come with..."
"Commodore,
I have established contact with Security Chief Neac. I'll open up your
visucapsule."
"Commodore
Vasa, Director Enohr, you are familiar with the main part of the tragic
events. We have captured two of the terrorists. So far, they refuse to
speak. About half of the stolen weapons have been recovered, but it appears
that the rest of the STU has escaped. We are currently attempting to track
them down."
"Chief,
have there been any further casualties?"
"No,
Director. Five deaths, and several wounded, but none in a life-threatening
way."
"Is there
something we can do to help? I could dispatch a security squad with some
of our latest equipment, and perhaps a medical team, which could put the
latest medical advances at your disposal."
"And
perhaps all of us Damosians should postpone the mission to Unias."
"No,
Director, that is what the terrorists want. You must continue on your journey
as planned. You will be able to keep in contact with us, I understand.
And Commodore, I will be happy to accept your gracious offer."
"Within
the hour you'll have two crews on the ground, with full equipment."
"We appreciate
your generosity more than I can express right now. I must leave you to
organize our pursuit. Kluuk spar, Encelav!"
Colombina
chose to leave the traditional "bon voyage!" untranslated.
Christina
contacted her right-hand man, Kwali, immediately. "Commander, get the two
teams you heard us talk about readied as soon as possible, maybe ten members
in each crew, as many as twenty. Try to find volunteers; many of our crew
have good friends on Damos, and might want to work with them, even if it
means missing out on Unias this time around. You might offer them incentives,
like a guarantee that they'll be among the first on Tertia Minor or Tertia
Major."
"I will
see to that at once, Commodore, and let you know when we're ready. Will
you want to address the volunteers?"
"Yes,
I will. Signing off."
"Our medical
equipment is in truth a marvel. You might not believe it to look at them,
but some of the crew have had extensive reconstructive surgery, and have
been restored to a state that is at least as good as normal. I was almost
killed twice, and was made whole again. Brrr! The memory of those struggles
both freezes me and inflames me. I hope these Tactical Units will not be
as vicious as the Militia was. It took us literally hundreds of years
to stamp them out!"
"Fortunately,
we won't have to cover as much space as you: five planets in three solar
systems, and all those space stations! If we're lucky, our police can track
them down quickly. We've only got one planet to cover."
"We'll
make sure that some of our best tracking devices go with the security force.
Without them, I don't think we could have flushed out the Militia on Mesnos."
"What
kinds of injuries did you have that were so dangerous?"
"The
worst, and the most terrifying, was the severed spinal cord when a boulder
slammed into me on Paracelsus. I needed to have several organs rehabilitated,
bones repaired, and nerve cells regenerated. If the operation had failed,
I would probably be paralyzed, or more likely dead, today. But as you see,
if I hadn't told you about it, you'd never know."
"We've
just begun to experiment on frogs with techniques for regenerating nerve
cells. So far it's been a success. In the long run we hope to be able to
use frog nerves to link severed nerve cords in Kolok. Some religious groups
are opposed to the research, though. Hmm. The Schadites are among them,
now that I think of it."
"The
parallels with Earth society are just..."
As Christina
was speaking a voice broke out of a speaker. "Commodore, everyone is settled,
the crews are waiting to be teleported, and the countdown can begin whenever
you're ready."
"We're
on our way, Commander. We'll be at the Den as soon as we can get there.
I want to speak with each individual volunteer personally."
"I would
appreciate the opportunity to see them all myself, and offer them thanks
on the part of the scientific group on board and all Damosians. They are
brave and selfless people. What is this Den you spoke about, Christina?"
"I'll
tell you about that en route. Come on, Ecnelav, this way!"