The long way round
Right at the end of Part 1 of Rome's Revolution, after Rei had planted the VIRUS units on Dara and he and Rome said goodbye to OMCOM, MINIMCOM took control to begin their long journey to Tau Ceti.
However, the trajectory of the incoming Stareater, while not quite in their way, was not directly behind them. They made the conscious decision to take a longer way figuring the Stareater would be making a bee-line toward Tabit. Here is how it was described:
In anticipation of the braking burn, MINIMCOM ordered both sets of lateral trim-jets to fire and slowly rotated the entire Ark around 180 degrees ensuring that the plasma thrusters were oriented in the direction of their forward movement.
“It has been a pleasure knowing the two of you,” OMCOM said. “You have my fondest wishes for a swift and successful conclusion to your mission.”
The plasma thrusters lit up again, pushing them gently forward in their seats until their relative velocity was reduced to essentially zero. Then the trim-jets fired to rotate them back to their original orientation, pointing them forward again and away from the menace behind them.
“Initiating PPT generators,” piped in MINIMCOM and a high-pitched whine began emanating from the rear.
“So this is it, then?” Rei asked.
“Yes. This is it,” replied OMCOM. “Goodbye, Rei and Rome. And good luck, always.”
“Goodbye, OMCOM,” Rei and Rome said together.
“PPT tunnel achieved,” said MINIMCOM and the plasma thrusters on both tugs roared to life, pushing them through the tunnel, past Tabit, and on their way to Tau Ceti.
Their flight plan took them in the diametrically opposed vector away from the approaching Stareater. Even though they could not see it, they knew it was back there and with each jump, they put more and more distance between their ship and the titanic creature. This simple fact was of great relief to both of the humans. The method of travel still seemed peculiar to Rei. He knew they were hurtling through space at many multiples of the speed of light, but always coming to a nearly complete stop to do so. Everything about the future, this future, was strange but what else was new?
I guess the bottom line here is the shortest path between two points is not always a straight line, especially when death is standing between you and your destination.
Entry 2-203: July 17, 2014
The Dosey-Doe
For a group of people who share a collective consciousness, the 35th century, 24-chromosome Vuduri of Rome's Revolution are somewhat lacking in communication skills. When the pilots of the Vuduri space tugs rescued Rei Bierak and the Ark II, they had to tow it back into orbit around the moon called Dara. To do this, they attached to the hull of the Ark and opened up a PPT-tunnel and dragged the Ark through. They then turned around and re-clamped onto the hull to fire their plasma thrusters in retro mode to stop the Ark. They rotated again and opened up a second PPT tunnel and that got them to where they wanted to go.
However, after Rome and Rei left Tabit along with MINIMCOM manning the second tug, they rotated the entire Ark around to perform the braking maneuver then rotated the entire Ark around again to create the PPT tunnel. Very inefficient. All on his own, Rei came up with a better way:
“Doesn’t it seem kind of stupid to keep turning the Ark, just so we can slow down, then turn the whole thing again to produce the PPT tunnel?” Rei said to Rome.
“It does not seem stupid to me,” Rome replied. “This is the way we have traveled in space ever since our method was invented.”
“What if we didn’t have to? I don’t know about you but the way we are doing it is driving me a little bit nutty.”
“Rei,” Rome said with her didactic voice, “You know that to form the most coherent PPT tunnel, we need to have a relative velocity of zero. We must come to a complete stop,” Rome said patiently.
“Yeah, I know that,” Rei said. “We use our thrusters as retros. But why do we have to turn the whole Ark? Why not just turn the tugs?”
“I do not understand,” Rome said.
Rei pointed to the display. “I’ll show you.” He touched the panel and drew his fingers back. “First we generate a PPT tunnel. Then we use the plasma thrusters to tow the Ark through. So I’m thinking what if, instead of turning the Ark, what if we unclamp our tugs, just rotate them then reclamp? We stop our forward velocity then turn around and start over.”
Rei demonstrated the procedure to Rome on the schematic in front them. “See? That way, we never move the Ark. We’d save all that time and the Ark’s inertia.”
“If we did that, I could achieve a much higher average velocity,” MINIMCOM piped in. “Our effective speed would almost double.”
“Wow,” Rei said. “So we’d get to Deucado in half the time?”
“Yes,” replied MINIMCOM. “It would cut the trip down to a little over one year.”
“Let’s do it,” Rei said. “No more dosey-doe.”
“What is that?” Rome asked, confused. She tried to mouth the words dosey-doe but no sound issued forth.
“The rotating, swinging around,” Rei said, spinning in place. “It’s like a dance. Let’s change the dance.”
“Will this work, MINIMCOM?” Rome asked.
“Yes. This was the very method used by the original crew that salvaged Rei’s Ark.”
“So you knew about this?” Rei said pointedly. “Why didn’t you tell us?”
“My orders were to follow your orders. You did not order that.”
“Come on, MINIMCOM,” Rei chastised. “I don’t know your technology. You can’t just sit there and be a dumb computer. We need you to think for yourself. If you see something that needs your attention or you can make things better, just do it. That’s an order. We’re all in this together.”
Of course we know that MINIMCOM used this as permission to do pretty much anything he wanted for the rest of the saga. Luckily, MINIMCOM had a deeper morality streak that OMCOM so most of what he did was noble in nature.
Entry 2-204: July 18, 2014
A better way to go
In yesterday's post, we demonstrated that previously MINIMCOM had been ordered to not think for himself and the Rei countermanded that order at the end of Part 1 of Rome's Revolution. Rei was a little miffed that MINIMCOM had gone along blindly and wasted almost a month of their lives using a horribly inefficient method of travel.
Once he was freed of this restriction and ordered to think for himself, MINIMCOM came up with an even better method of travel:
“Acknowledged,” replied MINIMCOM. “In that case, if your complaint is about the constant motion due to our current method of travel, your idea would actually be worse, not better. I suggest for the braking maneuvers, I can just unclamp my tug and use my thrusters. It will take a little longer to come to a dead stop but not much. For acceleration through the tunnels, I would use both tugs’ thrusters.”
“So, it would just be you unclamping and reclamping?” Rome asked. “Would that not put more burden on you?”
“I am merely a computer,” MINIMCOM said. “I do not have anything better to do. This would decrease the amount of motion stress on the two of you to almost nothing.”
“That is excellent, MINIMCOM!” Rei exclaimed. “That’s exactly what I am talking about. Way to go!”
“Rei, this is wonderful,” Rome said gleefully. “MINIMCOM, let us try it now.”
“Acknowledged,” said the little computer. “Decoupling now.” Off in the distance, they heard a small clunk as sound propagated through the skin of the Ark.
“I am now clamped on, pointing away from our forward vector,” MINIMCOM said. “Applying thrusters.”
There was a slight rocking motion but it was nothing as compared to before. It was definitely gentler as it was one set of thrusters instead of two.
Rome looked down at her instruments. “Quedri, dras, tios, um, yes! We are stopped already,” she said cheerfully.
“Decoupling
again,” MINIMCOM said.
“MINIMCOM, you don’t have to report every action,” Rei pointed out. “We can take your word for it.”
“I just wanted you to be able to associate sounds and motions with my actions,” MINIMCOM said. “I apologize.”
Rei looked over at Rome. He raised one eyebrow.
“That’s OK, MINIMCOM,” Rei said, still looking at Rome. “I meant after this first time.”
“Of course.”
In the distance, Rei and Rome heard another quiet clunk. Both sets of PPT generators ramped up and a yawning black hole appeared in front of them. When it was sufficiently large, their plasma thrusters fired and they stepped through.
“Look how much faster we were ready to jump! It will be so much smoother,” Rome said. “Very good, MINIMCOM.”
There was a click that issued from the grille but MINIMCOM did not respond.
“Do you think I hurt his feelings?” Rei asked Rome quietly.
“I can still hear you,” MINIMCOM said. “And no, you did not hurt my feelings. I do not have feelings. I was calculating what our effective velocity will be using this new method of travel.”
“What have you determined?” Rome asked, staring down at the instrument panel.
“Just under 20c,” MINIMCOM replied.
“That is excellent,” Rei said. “We’ll be there in no time at all!”
“Yes, we will. I am glad ‘we’ thought of it,” said MINIMCOM although it sounded a bit sarcastic.
In reality, MINIMCOM was able to tweak the method a bit more and go even faster. As described in Rome's Evolution, the story of Rei's harrowing space-walk was recounted and they were able to go even faster, over 24c. So what had been originally planned as a two year journey ended up being less than one year. Pretty cool, huh?
Entry 2-205: July 19, 2014
OMCOM’s plot exposed – Part 1
In a previous post, I mentioned that at the end of Part 1 of Rome's Revolution, OMCOM used the human's gullibility to 'spring his trap'. However, this did not go undiscovered. Even though Rome and Rei were taking the long way round to get away from Tabit, something Rei said tripped Rome's realization of what they had done. It went like this:
“MINIMCOM is getting a little bit of attitude,” Rei said. “I think some of OMCOM rubbed off on him,” Rei said, amused.
“Perhaps,” Rome said. “OMCOM always said a computer’s personality was just a construct, but we both know that is not true.”
“I feel bad for him,” Rei said quietly. “We abandoned OMCOM. We just left him to die. I’m going to miss him. He was good to me. It’s hard to believe he is gone.”
“He was always good to me, as well,” Rome said. “Even though he was a computer, in some ways, he had more human qualities than any of my colleagues. I only wish there were some way we could have…” Rome stopped speaking.
“What?” Rei asked.
“Wait,” Rome said, holding up her hand. Rome opened her eyes wide. “I just remembered OMCOM’s last words to us,” she said, “when we were getting ready to leave.”
“What did he say that has you so worried?” Rei asked.
“He said that he was nothing but memron units,” Rome said distantly. Clearly, her mind was elsewhere. Then she spoke up again. “He said that he would live on somehow…”
“I think he was just saying that to make us feel better,” Rei replied.
“I think he meant more,” Rome said.
“Like what?” Rei asked.
“I am not sure,” Rome answered tentatively.
“Well,” Rei speculated, “the ground crew at Skyler Base added a lot of OMCOM’s memron units to MINIMCOM. Maybe OMCOM meant he would live on that way.”
“No. MINIMCOM’s basic personality was already formed. You can see that already,” Rome replied. “Those units would simply increase MINIMCOM’s storage and computing capacity. I think it is something beyond just that.”
“What are you saying?” Rei asked.
“The VIRUS units,” Rome said slowly. She paused for a moment then drew in a breath harshly. “They…” she said.
“They what?” Rei asked.
“You understand. Each VIRUS unit contains a memron module.”
“Yes, so…” Rei asked. “I’m sorry but I must be dense. I don’t see your point.”
“Well,” Rome said, “given enough VIRUSes, the total number of computing units would equal and then vastly exceed the number used by OMCOM on Skyler Base.”
“OK, and…” Rei offered, perplexed.
“OMCOM retained the opposing PPT generator from the star probe design within each VIRUS unit.”
“I still don’t understand,” Rei said blankly.
“He did not need two. He only needed one,” Rome said, growing more animated.
In part 2, tomorrow, Rome figures it all out.
Entry 2-206: July 20, 2014
OMCOM’s plot exposed – Part 2
In yesterday's post, I reviewed the thought process leading up to Rome's realization that OMCOM had pulled the wool over their eyes at the end of Part 1 of Rome's Revolution. Here is the second part of that scene:
“He only needed one,” Rome said, growing more animated. “As a power source. The second one was unnecessary. The ejection port was pointing toward a vacant region within the structure. Based upon its configuration, it was not really hooked up to anything.”
“So?” Rei asked.
“So why did he do that?” Rome asked back.
Rei became silent for a moment. “Because…because…” He couldn’t think of a reason. “Why do you think he did that?”
“It was not to create PPT tunnels to jump through,” Rome said. “The geometry is all wrong. Plus those units would be operating within a gravitational well which would cause any tunnels to wink out as soon as they were created unless they resonated.”
“Maybe he just didn’t get around to clearing out the design,” Rei offered.
“No,” Rome said. “OMCOM would not just forget a detail like that. He must have done it on purpose. He…” Rome stopped speaking.
“What?” Rei asked.
She started shaking her head.
“What?” Rei asked again.
The rate of shaking slowed down, but did not stop. Finally, Rome spoke. “I think his plan was to download his programming, what he called his consciousness, to the VIRUS units and then switch over and use PPT modulation to link them.”
“Why would he do that? The units were just going to be destroyed by the Stareater. What would that accomplish?” Rei asked.
“No. The Stareater would not destroy the units,” Rome insisted. “The VIRUS units would destroy the Stareater. If OMCOM could transfer his consciousness to enough of the VIRUS units on the Stareater, then, what he said, ‘I will live on, somehow.’ Oh no! Rei…”
“What?”
“That was his plan all along!” Rome said breathlessly. “OMCOM never had any intention of dying, Stareater or otherwise. He used us to build his backup, his escape plan. And he did it in plain sight!”
“So…good for him,” Rei said.
“No,” Rome replied. “This is bad. They…his kind. They are restricted to using electromagnetic transmission for a reason. They can become too powerful. It has happened before, on Earth. With PPT modulation, they can become nearly infinitely large.” Rome pounded her fist on the console. “OMCOM promised me this would not happen. But if he did this, then he has become… Tasancetaeti!”
“Everyone uses that word. What does that mean?” Rei asked, his voice rising in fear.
“It means unleashed. No bounds. There is no limit to what he can become. This is very bad…” Rome’s look of horror said it better than any words.
“Are you saying the computers, that they are evil?” Rei asked.
“No, not evil,” Rome said. “They are much worse. They are amoral.”
“Oh my god, Rome,” Rei said. “What have we
done?”
“I do not know,” Rome replied somberly. “I do not know.”
Sounds pretty ominous doesn't it? In fact, in the same article cited at the beginning, one reader felt that I had cheated him because I set up the situation for something bad to happen but it never did. The reality is, OMCOM had a plan but it would take nearly 20 years to bring to fruition. That plan will be revealed in the upcoming novel The Milk Run which should be out later this year.
Entry 2-207: July 21, 2014
The Food Synthesizer
From the moment they left Dara, Rome and Rei knew they had at least a year's journey ahead of them as Part 1 of Rome's Revolution drew to a close. The Flying House had everything they needed to live in an enclosed space for 12 months.
This included a bedroom, a bathroom, a sitting room/study, a gym and a kitchen. The kitchen had a dining table (three chairs anyone??), a stove top, an oven plus the standard Vuduri food synthesizer.
I have discussed the nature of Vuduri food but I never really explained how their food synthesizers worked. We know that the Vuduri have molecular sequencers which somehow miraculously can make any material. They are somewhat like the ultimate, infinite 3D printer. But it always seemed that making food was more than just making molecules.
Scientists have recently prepared the first synthetic hamburger but even that was created from cow muscle stem cells. To truly create artificial but real food, you would have to go farther.
So let's just say that the food synthesizers are like tiny little tongs that grab fully formed protein, fat or carbohydrate molecules and arrange them in whatever order is necessary to produce food. They do this incredibly fast and can make any food as long as you have a template. By using already formed molecules, it allows me to neatly sidestep the question of whether they could build a living organism. Let's say they can't. But they can build some things that are very delicious. More on that tomorrow.
Entry 2-208: July 22, 2014
Rome’s first birthday