Chapter 9
Wondrous Technology
Jenny and Born walked for a few minutes through fields of long grasses, swaying and flowing in the cool early evening breeze. As they walked, Jenny again noticed the bobbing balls and streamers on Born's suit.
"Is that a gravity suit, the same as the one I found?" she asked.
"Yes, it is."
"How come it looks so...different?"
She wanted to ask why it looked so silly, but did not want to be rude.
"It is designed to match the clothing of another planet where we sometimes collect water, and yes, I know, it looks ridiculous."
Jenny smiled to herself. She was starting to feel more comfortable with Born, and a little more optimistic about the whole desperate situation.
"But, I had to wear this suit, because somebody took my other one, which I would normally wear on your planet," Born added, sounding somewhat frustrated.
Jenny looked into the strange creature's protruding eyes. They were very similar to human eyes, in that they had black pupils, and white, surrounding gray irises. Born had lids, and short lashes, but no eyebrows. His face was quite featureless, no nose, just two holes where a nose should be, and no lips as Jenny recognized them, just a slit for a mouth. Born's teeth were just small white nubs running along his gums. His ears, though difficult to see under the headgear, appeared to be very small. He had very little chin or jaw line, his face just kind of became one with his long neck.
"Boy, you scared the heck out of me last night," Jenny said.
"And you, frightened me as well," Born said with a smile, as he looked at Jenny.
Jenny thought how bizarre the whole situation was, Here I am, walking along, talking to an alien from another planet, on my way to see his space ship, to find out if he can save Earth from destruction. It's hard to believe that just days ago I was complaining about how dull it was around here. She felt she could use a little bit of dull right about now.
They cut through a clump of trees into the next clearing.
"Oh, my goodness!" Jenny was jolted out of her thoughts by the sight of a massive object, Born's intergalactic spacecraft.
"She is called the Traveler," informed Born. "She's a little old, but it gets me from planet to planet."
Jenny could tell he was very fond and proud of his space vessel.
She craned her head from side to side, and up and down, her mouth gaping open.
"It's amazing."
The ship was huge. It took up the entire field in which it hovered, motionless, about ten feet above the ground.
"Why does it need to be so big when it's just you on board?" Jenny asked.
"The propulsion system takes up some room, but most of the space is reserved for valuable cargo. The Traveler is equipped with water tanks capable of containing five million liters of water."
Jenny could not comprehend how something so large and obviously heavy, could simply hover over the ground. "How does the ship just kind of, float there like that?"
"It is the same technology incorporated into the gravity displacement suit you are holding hostage," Born answered, looking over at her. Jenny ignored the look, and the comment.
"How is the ship powered?" Jenny asked, changing the direction of conversation away from the suit.
"We are equipped with eight nuclear particle accelerator compressors which allow us to achieve velocities upwards to four times the speed of light. There are vessels now, with new technology, capable of reaching almost five times the speed of light," Born explained.
"Wow! What do you use as fuel?" she asked.
"We use the most basic and plentiful element in the universe, hydrogen."
Jenny knew hydrogen is the first element in the table of chemical elements, and it is the starting point for the other 115 known elements and their creation. It is also the main fuel for the billions of stars in the universe.
Born continued, "Hydrogen is everywhere throughout the universe in varying quantities. We collect our fuel as we travel through space. We super compress and accelerate the hydrogen atoms to simulate how a star burns. The nuclear particle accelerator compressors are like having eight tiny stars burning in the back of the ship."
"Wow. That gives new meaning to the term starship," Jenny commented, and she walked towards the ship in order to get a better look at it. She walked from one end of the field to the other, looking up at the hulking object. It looked like a giant hot air balloon as it floated above the ground, but this hot air balloon was actually a sleek, out of this world, intergalactic space vessel.
"It seems hard to believe, I'm looking at something close up that's been a source of mystery to people on my planet for centuries. To think a lot of those UFO sightings were actually genuine, and they were all probably witnessing spaceships from your planet all these years. Is there a front or a back to it? The shape seems so uniform all the way around," Jenny commented.
"Over here is the rear of the ship, although it becomes the front during the de basement ration phase," Born commented as he led Jenny around.
"The de basement ration phase? What is that?" Jenny asked.
"You know, when we slow the ship down."
"Oh! Deceleration," Jenny realized.
"Yes, that is what I said."
"Yep, that's what you said," Jenny agreed.
"Why does all of the dirt and rocks and stuff just float around underneath the ship?" Jenny asked as she followed Born around the vessel. It was a peculiar sight to see large rocks floating freely in mid-air.
"Everything under the spacecraft is affected by the ship's gravity displacement device, and therefore is not under the influence of the planet's gravitational pull," Born explained.
"This is the propulsion end of the ship. Those are the primary thrusters, and all of those smaller ports along the entire surface of the ship are the secondary or stabilizing thrusters, and there are 300 of them."
Jenny could see eight large ports, lined side by side along the back of the Traveler. The intense heat produced inside the nuclear engines had slightly discolored the ports.
"The eight star chambers are housed back here, and super-heated tachyons are released through those ports at speeds up to four times the speed of light. Soilan spacecraft are styled and designed in order to provide the most space dynamic, low resistance performance," Born explained.
"What is it made out of? It must be pretty tough stuff to withstand the constant friction of space travel, and if you have to spin the ship around to slow down, aren't you traveling through your own super heated exhaust?" Jenny asked.
"Very astute observation, and you are right, it is a difficulty, but we have overcome it by developing a force-field wedge that is incorporated into our vessels. It is an energy field that can constantly be built back up as it is broken down by heat and friction. The force-field wedge is designed to deflect matter away from the ship as we speed through space. It is resistant to heat, and resilient to solid material up to a certain size, and as I mentioned, it can be regenerated as it breaks down, which makes it very adaptable. The hull and the star chambers are made from a very tough metal called Merrinium."
"Hmm..." Jenny pondered Born's explanation for a moment and pictured it in her mind. "But, when you are slowing down, and you have the force-field wedge engaged, doesn't it just deflect the exhaust right back onto the ship?" Jenny asked.
"Again a very perceptive question, I am impressed with your intelligence. I see now why your race has made so much progress in such a short time on this planet," Born praised.
"Hopefully we can continue to develop. That is, if you help us get past this dangerous situation," Jenny added.
"Hmm, now to answer your question. The Zorbite force-field wedge is unique in that it acts like a flow valve. Energy is free to pass through it from one side, the ship-side in this case, but cannot pass back through from the other side," Born explained.
"Wow, that's amazing. I know what a flow valve is. It allows water to flow through it from one end
, but it can't come back through the one-way line. What's Zorbite?" Jenny asked.
"Zorbite is a mineral that has the ability to absorb and retain energy. The longer the mineral is subjected to energy of any kind, the more it retains. For example, if a chunk of Zorbite lay on the surface of your planet for thousands of years, absorbing, but never releasing the energy of the starlight from your sun, it would have stored an incredible amount of power over that time. We have developed a process by which we can extract or release that stored energy, and put it to practical uses.
"We use Zorbite as a battery source. Zorbite powers the gravity displacement suits for example. Very rich Zorbite has the capability of providing years of power, depending on the energy requirements of its use. Zorbite is perfect for the one way force-field wedge, because of its natural one way properties and capabilities," Born explained.
"That's incredible. I don't think we have any Zorbite here on Earth," Jenny said.
"No, I believe this planet is completely devoid of Zorbite. However, you certainly make up for it with your richness of water. Given a choice between the two as your dominant natural resource, water would be the first choice. It is the substance from which all life develops and is maintained. You are very lucky to have such an abundance of it. My planet's Zorbite supply was exhausted centuries ago, along with our water. Now we must venture to far away planets to find both. It takes millions of years to develop rich Zorbite," Born explained.
"Where do you get your Zorbite from now?" Jenny asked.
"There is a massive planet called Spacemark Four between Earth and Soilanglobe, as rich in Zorbite as you are with water. They are also as deficient in water as we Soilans are, so we trade water for Zorbite. I should actually be on my way there right now, but I am stuck here trying to get my property back," Born reminded.
"You mean you trade Earth water for other things you need? Why don't you open lines of trade with Earth then?" Jenny asked.
"Because the water we take from Earth is right on the surface, and can be taken easily and not missed, while the Zorbite on Spacemark Four is under the surface and needs to be mined, so we must trade for it," Born explained.
"I've got an idea. For all of the water you have taken from Earth to sustain life on your planet over the last few centuries, we will trade you for this one favor I ask of you. I think that's a fair deal, don't you?" Jenny challenged.
"Hmm, you are a very clever creature, and I will certainly consider your proposal."
"Can we go inside?" Jenny asked, excited about viewing the spaceship.
"I suppose so," Born said, and he began walking towards the center of the ship. A set of stairs extended from the vessel to the ground below. Born reached into the pocket of his ornately decorated suit, turned the dial on the controller, and sprung to the top stair.
Jenny chuckled, "Show-off." And proceeded to climb up the stairs. "I wish I had my suit, umm, I mean your suit," she said, sounding slightly embarrassed by her comment.
Born entered the colossal ship and Jenny followed, her heart beating hard and fast.
"Whoa, how come I suddenly feel so light?" she gasped.
"Obos keeps the interior of the Traveler at a gravity level comfortable for me, equal to my planet's gravity," Born answered as he removed his gravity suit, looking rather relieved to get it off. He wore a light blue jumpsuit underneath that had a slight luster to the material.
Jenny could now see Born had no hair, and his ears were just tiny flaps on the side of his large head.
"My people did not need to evolve the heavy bone and muscle structure your planet demands. Your planet's gravitational pull is five times greater than Soilanglobe," he added.
Jenny noticed Born's slender and frail arms and legs. He had very little flesh on his skinny bones. He looked like a stick man to Jenny.
She looked around at the area. "Nice, but it's not quite as big as I pictured. I thought it was going to be huge, judging from the outside. The term spaceship certainly doesn't apply to the amount of space inside, does it?" Jenny commented.
Born revealed a glimmer of a smile. "Most of the ship's space is reserved for valuable cargo."
Jenny looked around the control center and viewing area. There were two comfortable looking chairs bolted to the floor, and a panel of lights on the wall of the otherwise very plain looking area. The outside of the ship was much more of an amazing visual experience.
"Where is Obos?" Jenny asked.
"Obos is really the entire Traveler. Its circuits control every aspect of the ship and reach to every corner. There is the communication center on the wall over there. Obos, this is Jennifer Thompson, the human life form hole dingaling my gravity displacement suit hostage."
Jenny laughed at the translation error. "I think you mean holding," she corrected.
"According to her, we are having some translation difficulties, Obos."
"Yes, I am correcting and adjusting as we move forward. Hello, Jennifer Thompson," replied the computer in a smooth soothing voice.
"Hello, Obos. Please, call me Jenny, everybody does. Born tells me you're the brains of the ship," Jenny ventured.
"Yes, I suppose in a way I am, a synthetic manufactured brain, but yes, brain none the less," Obos replied, in an almost amused tone.
"Wow, he's amazing. This entire ship is amazing."
"Obos, Jenny is concerned about the comet on a collision course with this planet. Do we have the capability to alter its course, and what are the risks?" asked Born.
"It is within our technological capabilities to guide the comet away from its collision course with this planet," Obos said, and Jenny's heart leapt with an intense feeling of hope. "The risks range from damage of varying degrees to the shell of the ship, to destruction," Obos concluded.
"Did you hear that? Destruction it said."
"Yes, I heard him. He said destruction. I understand the word, because that's what's going to happen to my planet if we don't try something!" Jenny argued.
"Obos, detail what strategy we would use on this mission, what is the specific nature of the danger, and what are our mathematical chances of successfully, and safely, completing this mission?" Born requested as he looked over at Jenny with an annoyed expression.
"In order to change the course of the comet, the Traveler would need to make physical contact with it, and gradually push it off course, or use the force-field deflector wedge as a buffer or cushion between the comet and the ship. One of the dangers associated with the mission is a methane gas explosion at the surface of the comet. As your sun heats the surface of the comet, trapped methane gas pockets expand, and can unexpectedly, and explosively release their energy, spewing shards of ice and rock.
"I would recommend using the deflector wedge. Then we have some protection against a methane explosion. But the force-field wedge will only protect us from small pieces of ice. Any large pieces may have sufficient force to bend the energy of the force field inwards enough to make contact with the ship. The ship's internal stabilizers would cushion most of the collisions, but a large section of ice and rock delivered with enough explosive force, could create sufficient trauma to your bodies to take your lives.
"We will need to situate ourselves very close to the comet, and remain there for days, in order to push it sufficiently past Earth's gravitational influence. Then, it will miss Earth and continue on, towards the sun. The comet is only loosely held together by ice, and its own weak gravity, so we may disturb the fragility of the frozen piece of space debris, and split it into pieces. It is not possible to accurately estimate the probability for success, because there are too many unknown variables, but if we are cautious, I calculate the chances of successfully completing, and surviving the mission, at roughly eighty percent."
Jenny looked over at Born, who had a thoughtful but troubled look on his alien face.
"Eighty percent, that's pretty good odds," Jenny said hopefully to Born.
"Yes, but it's the other twenty percent that worries me," Bor
n said, as he rubbed his temples.
"I think we should try it," Jenny blurted, momentarily forgetting her composure, and her place.
Born shook his head in frustration.
"How much time do we have until impact, Obos?" he asked.
"Approximately 165 hours. Keep in mind, time is of the essence if we are going to attempt this. It will require approximately 110 hours of steady pushing to achieve our goal."
Born looked surprised. "Why so long?"
"The comet has a large mass compared to us and it is moving at a substantial rate of speed, so it will require a long slow continuous process of pushing in order to move the comet away from its collision course with Earth. And, the rotation of the comet will require us the reposition ourselves often," informed Obos.
"I suggest completing our water collection before attempting this task, the extra mass would serve us well," Obos recommended.
"Yes, good point." Born agreed.
They seemed to be discussing it as though it was actually a possibility.
"So when do we start?" ventured Jenny.
"I haven't yet decided!" Born snapped. "I need time to think about it. Go home and come back in the morning for my final decision."
Jenny realized she had pushed it as far as she could and now it was out of her hands. "It was nice to meet you both. I know we can do it. I'll keep good care of your suit until you make your decision," Jenny said as she exited the starship, Traveler. "See you first thing in the morning."
"She is infuriating," Born said to Obos.
"She is a very interesting and focused biologic being. It's quite refreshing actually."
"If she irritated me this much in the first hour of our meeting; I couldn't imagine going on a long space journey with her."
"It's just the situation," the computer replied. "Under different circumstances, I'm sure you would find her pleasant and charming."
Born grimaced and shook his head. "What a predicament, Obos."
Jenny walked down the space ship's stairs, feeling heavy and sluggish after becoming accustomed to the lower level of gravity inside the Traveler. The air was getting cooler as she made her way home in the early evening sunshine. The shadows lengthened as the sun began to set, and small groups of flies darted around the open area. Jenny looked up into the sky. She found it difficult to comprehend, somewhere up there was a mountain-sized chunk of ice and matter hurtling towards her planet. She tried to keep up her faith that Born would agree to take on this dangerous task.