Michael Brachman's Blog: Tales of the Vuduri, page 36

The Game, part 1

While the 24-chromosome, mind-connected Vuduri have no natural ability to lie, the Essessoni, the people from our time period, have do not share impediment. As such, having spent several years with Rei, Rome has learned to lie, when necessary, to achieve her goals. Here she teaches Junior, MINIMCOM's son, how to lie as well in an effort to save her son and mother:

     After an interminable period of time, the quiet shushing sound of the null-fold star-drive diminished then stopped. Rome could hear shouting in the cockpit. Ionelli stuck his head out of the cockpit arch and said, “Bierak, can you fly this ship?”
     “I’m no expert,” Rei said. “But she is.” He pointed to Rome.
     “Mrs. Bierak, would you come up here and talk some sense into this ship,” Ionelli said in exasperated tones.
     Rome squeezed Rei’s hand and stood up. She walked forward and entered the cockpit, taking a quick survey of the situation. The ersatz vessel was tucked in the far corner. Keller was sitting in the co-pilot’s seat, banging on the front console and cursing. Rome took her place in the pilot’s seat and waited until Keller calmed down.
     “I will tell you what to say,” Rome said mentally, “Just follow my lead. Tell me you are afraid of running into the planet. Make it convincing.”
     “What is the problem, Junior?” she asked out loud.
     “I am afraid of running into Deucado,” Junior replied through the grille mounted in the front of the control panel. Just the right amount of fear seeped into his voice.
     “When I ask the next question, just answer luck.”
     “How were you able to get to Earth then? Weren’t you afraid of running into that planet?”
     “It was luck,” Junior replied. “I took a good guess.”
     “Do you see how to play this game now?” Rome asked.
     “Yes,” Junior replied.
     “Would you feel more comfortable using a regular PPT tunnel then?” Rome asked out loud in a soothing tone.
     “I would,” replied Junior. “Except I have never done it before.”
     “Tell them you need me to pilot.”
     “Auntie Rome, can you pilot me in?” asked Junior.
     “Of course,” Rome said, patting the grille. Rome turned to Keller. “Is this acceptable to you?”
     “I don’t care,” said Keller. “Just do it.”

The point here is that Keller and his cronies can't know that Rome is coaching Junior. They have no choice but to believe the baby spaceship really doesn't know what he is doing. After all, he is the very first of his kind. Tomorrow, we'll see how Rome exploits this deceit.

Exoplanets

In case you have been living under a rock, NASA announced on February 22, 2017, that they have found seven Earth-sized planets in the habitable zone around a star named TRAPPIST-1.

Let's consider the term habitable, though. Because the star TRAPPIST-1 is an ultra-cool dwarf, the habitable zone is much, much closer to the star than our own. In fact, the seven planets are closer to the star than Mercury. This implies that most likely they are all tidally locked to their primary meaning the same side faces the sun at all times. So the one side might be very warm and the other side might be very cold. The weather on these planets would be very different from our own.

But the fact of the matter is there are seven. This is amazing news. When I was writing The Milk Run, I was hard pressed to postulate that there were even two planets in the habitable zone. Without being an astronomer or an astrogeophysicist, I wasn't able to figure out if it was even possible or if the planets would eventually collide.

Well, TRAPPIST-1 throws that worry out the window. These planets are so close to each other that you might be able to see clouds or geological features on the neighboring worlds. Some of them might even appear larger than the Moon. What a sky!

Well, the good news is that as time passes, we are finding more and more planets that may be capable of either creating life or certainly sustaining it. The bad news is that as a science fiction writer, I am running out of time until we discover aliens on other planets and then the truth will have outdistanced my fiction. I'd better hurry up and crank out some more novels before that happens.

A plot is hatched

Yesterday, Rome established contact with Junior and had the unfortunate duty to inform the little spaceship that his father was dead. There was nothing they could do about it but Aason and Rome's mother, Binoda, were still in mortal danger. Junior knew there would be time to mourn later. Although he did not know her well, he knew his Auntie Rome would come up with a way of saving.

     Rome said, sadness washing over her. “Junior, I’m so sorry but your father is dead.”
     “What!?” the little spaceship replied. “How? Why?”
     “The containment vessel holding the virus exploded in his cargo hold. He sacrificed himself to make sure it was destroyed by flying into the sun.”
     “I don’t understand,” Junior replied sadly. “The canister is right here, in my cockpit.”
     “It is just a replica,” Rome said. “They think it is real, though. There’s no telling what they would do if they find out it is a fake.”
     “If it is a fake, then why are you letting them treat you like this? I can stop them right now,” Junior said angrily.
     “No,” Rome said, trying to be soothing. “Remember, they still have Aason and my mother. We still have to figure out a way to rescue them. How long before we get to Deucado?”
     “At this speed, we should be there in less than two hours,” Junior answered.
     “Does anyone in the cockpit know how to operate you?” she asked.
     “No,” replied Junior. “They just tell me what to do and so far I have followed their instructions. But I am very angry right now.”
     “Please, dear, cooperate until Aason is safe,” Rome said.
     “I will, Auntie Rome. I understand.”
     “This is what I want you to do. In a little while, I want you to drop out of null-fold space when the distance is such that it will take at least two hours to reach Deucado using your plasma thrusters.”
     “They will not like that,” Junior answered. “They told me to get back as fast as possible.”
     “Make up an excuse. Tell them you need a pilot to help you get home.”
     “But that would be lying.”
     “Junior, this is so we can rescue Aason. I think a little lie here would be acceptable.”
     “Of course,” Junior said. “You will know exactly when I drop into normal space.”

So what does Rome have planned? If you haven't read The Ark Lords, you'll find out in a day or so.

Calling Junior

It's hard to think back to a time when MINIMCOM, Jr. was just a little space pup but he started out very small. When he was "born" he didn't have the power or abilities of his father. He had to develop them. In fact he was called into service, as a starship, long before he was ready. He didn't even know how to navigate a PPT tunnel. Here is Rome recognizing this and guiding her new nephew through the discovery process:

     “How are we going to find Aason and my mother?” Rome asked Rei mentally.
     “Keller doesn’t know MINIMCOM is dead. So he has to keep us alive to serve as protection against him. We just have to keep our mouths shut till he relents. As long as he thinks that containment vessel is real, he thinks he has all the power. At some point, we’ll reach a stalemate.”
     “How long until we get to Deucado?” Rome asked.
     “MINIMCOM said that Junior had his same capabilities. Plus he’s a little smaller. So he might even be able to go a little faster. So I’m guessing just another hour or two.”
     “Same capabilities?” Rome wondered. She sat bolt upright. “Junior, Junior, can you hear me?” Rome called out mentally.
     “Auntie Rome,” Junior replied. “Dad told me we would be able to communicate this way. I didn’t know what frequencies to use until you called out to me.”
     “What happened?” Rome asked. “Why did you come to Earth? Why did you agree to bring these monsters?”
     “Aason told me I had to do it,” Junior replied. “He was afraid you might be in danger and said sending me was the only way to make sure you came back safely.”
     Rome could not help but register her surprise. “Aason told you to come after us? Do you know where they are keeping him?”
     “No,” Junior replied. “I only know that after we took off, they were going to move him to a secure location. I heard them speak about it but they did not say exactly where. Where is my father?”
     “Oh,” Rome said, sadness washing over her. “Junior, I’m so sorry but your father is dead.”

Junior was none too happy to hear this. We are long past the point where we challenge whether the livetars truly have feelings or not. Junior will get his revenge. Trust me.

Ursay saves the day

It was clear that Captain Keller thought he had the upper hand. But he forgot that the Vuduri were mind-connected and you couldn't tell one Vuduri something without all of them knowing. Never was this so clear as when Keller tried to coerce Rome and Rei into giving him what he thought was the actual containment vessel for the Darwin virus, strain 5. But Ursay knew better. And he quickly seized control of the situation:

     Keller interrupted. “I hate to break up this lovely reunion but we are leaving now. Any objections?”
     Grus looked over at Ursay who tilted his head toward Junior.
     “You may leave,” Grus said. “But these two must remain,” he barked out, indicating Rei and Rome. “They have violated the conditions of their parole and must be held accountable.”
     Rome leaned over and whispered in Ursay’s ear. “You have to get him to let us go. We have to get back to Deucado. They have my son and mother.”
     Ursay nodded. He addressed Grus in a loud voice.
     “Rei and Rome were kidnapped by these Erklirte and were brought here against their will. Therefore, they did not violate the conditions of their parole. You must let them leave as well.”
     “No,” Grus insisted. “That is not what the Overmind decrees.”
     Ursay narrowed his eyes then closed them. He rocked back and forth slowly. Grus put his hand up to his temple and widened his eyes.
     “You see,” Ursay said. “I still hold the rank of Commander. You must do as I say. Now!” he said, pointing to the ship.
     “Very well,” Grus grumbled. He addressed Keller and the other soldiers. “You are to leave and never return. You may take the criminals Rome and Rei with you. And that robot ship. They are not permitted on Earth. There is no place for your kind here.”
     “I’ll be glad to,” Keller said. “I need these two safe, anyway.”
     Some of Keller’s soldiers came and took Fridone and Rei and escorted them toward Junior’s cargo ramp.
     Two more Essessoni solders stood by Rome. “Wait one minute,” she said. She turned to Ursay. She hugged him tightly and said, “Thank you for all you have done. You are a great man. Someday the Overmind will see that as clearly as I can.”
     Ursay took Rome by both shoulders and said, “The same could be said about you. Some day not only the Overmind but all of mankind will know what a service you have performed. I hope you find what you are looking for safe and sound.”
     “Thank you,” Rome said. She turned and allowed the soldiers to escort her up into Junior’s cargo hold. The ramp retracted, the hatch closed and the starship lifted off.

So old Ursay can lie with the best of them but it was for the best of reasons. Tomorrow, Rome discovers why Junior cooperated with the monsters from the past.

Alternate Facts

While it is true that Rei was capable of fibbing, if not telling an outright lie, his 35th century wife, Rome, could not. So when Rome, Rei and Ursay marched up the ramp holding the fake virus container, Rome knew it was of no interest to Captain Keller. She was going to give it to Junior as a remembrance of his fallen father. But Captain Keller was having none of it. Watch as Rome desperately tries to tell the truth and they simply don't believe her or their eyes:

     “You! Old man,” Keller said, pointing at Ursay with his rifle. “Walk toward me. Very slowly.”
     Ursay looked at Rome. She shrugged so he followed the instructions. Keller handed his rifle to Lee Ionelli who was standing next to him. When Ursay got close enough, Keller grabbed the replica vessel from him.
     Rei and Rome raised their hands and walked to the top of the ramp and out into the open air. The soldiers surrounding Keller lifted their guns higher.
     “I don’t know how you two do what you do,” Keller said. “But I knew Mrs. Genius here,” he indicated Rome, “I knew she’d figure it out somehow.”
     “Captain Keller, there’s no need for weapons,” Rei said.
     “The vessel is not real,” Rome interjected. “It is merely a replica. There is no virus within. You are wasting your time.”
     Keller laughed. “Right. How stupid do you think I am? You’re telling me that you flew to Earth, dug under the Tevatron only to find a fake canister? So where’s the real one?”
     “MINIMCOM flew it into the sun,” Rome said. “It is gone.”
     Keller looked around. “I don’t see him around here.”
     “She just told you,” Rei said. “He flew it into the sun. He burned up.”
     “What? He committed suicide? You’re both a bunch of goddamned liars,” Keller said. “You’re always trying to outsmart us. Well you didn’t outsmart us this time. We beat you to the punch. We were trying to build our own spaceships but why bother? We just stole one of yours.”
     Rome looked around, past the group of soldiers. Standing behind them was a sleek gray starship.
     “Rei, look,” Rome said. “Junior!”

What the heck was Junior doing there and why in the name of Heaven would he ever cooperate with the Darwin scum?

A new ramp (and guns)

Yesterday, we saw MINIMCOM sacrifice his life to eliminate the Darwin virus, strain 5 from ever endangering humans again. At this point, Rome and Rei's mission is done. All they have to do is get back to their home world of Deucado. But this may be easier said than done:

     “What do we do now?” Rei asked, looking down at her. “We have to get home.”
     “Pegus told me he was sending a transport here from Deucado,” she said, haltingly. “It will be arriving on Earth in about two weeks. We will have to hide out until it shows up. We can stow away on it for the return trip.”
     “You can stay with me,” Ursay said. “With your magic robes, we should have no problem keeping you safe until your transport arrives.”
     “Thank you,” Rome said. She looked up at Rei and he nodded. She slipped her arm around his waist and they turned to walk out.
     “Do you want to keep this?” Ursay asked, holding up the replica of the virus vessel. “Or should I just leave it here?”
     “I would like to give it to Junior,” Rome said. “As a remembrance of the sacrifice his father made.”
     “Wait,” Ursay said. “He was a robot spaceship. He has a son? How is that even possible?”
     “I know it’s crazy,” Rei said. “Just let it go.”
     “Very well,” Ursay replied, shrugging. Somberly, the three of them left the inner chamber. When they got to the start of the maze, Rome took one more look at the faded blood stains on the ground with the initials carved in them. Rei set the flashlight down. It only seemed appropriate.
     Slowly, they continued on down the corridor. When they got to the ramp, Rei had to hold his arm up to shield his eyes. They had adjusted to the dark of the buried chamber and his vision was blurry from the sudden brightness of the afternoon sun. Of course, with Rome’s advanced optics, she had no such problem.
     Rei just shut his eyes, figuring it was easier to let his eyes adjust that way. Rome reached up and tugged on his arm.
     “Rei,” she said.
     “Yeah, I’ll be OK. I just need a minute to let my eyes adjust,” Rei replied.
     “REI!” Rome said, insistently.
     “What?”
     Even though his eyes were blurry from the brightness, Rei blinked a few times until his vision cleared. There standing at the top of the ramp were eight armed men, all pointing laser pulse rifles at them.
     “Hold it right there,” said Captain Keller.

Oh no! Not again! Can't they ever go up or down a ramp without people standing there aiming guns at them? Oh well, they can't be in any real danger as the virus containment vessel is gone for good. Right?

A hero falls, part 2

Yesterday, we saw that MINIMCOM had transported the containment vessel containing the Darwin virus, strain 5 into his cargo hold. As I had already taken pains to demonstrate when Rome and Rei recovered the location beacon on the far side of the Moon, the vessel exploded inside MINIMCOM, making his inside deadly to any and all humans. MINIMCOM computed the only effective way to rid himself of the virus was to plunge his whole craft into the Sun thus ending his cybernetic "life" which did not make Rome very happy:

      MINIMCOM, please,” Rome begged. “You cannot do this.”
      “It is not my first choice, believe me,” replied the starship. “I will think about it on the way. I am going to head toward the Sun now. I must make sure that every spore is destroyed. That is the highest priority.”
      “Oh, MINIMCOM,” Rome said, tears pouring out of her eyes. “I am so sorry.”
      “Do not be sorry,” MINIMCOM said. “I am just an autopilot computer that became a starship. I can be replaced.”
      “You can never be replaced,” Rei said, tears forming in the corner of his eyes as well. “You’re one of our family.”
      “I appreciate the sentiment,” replied MINIMCOM. “And since this may be the last time we speak, I will tell you something that I have kept hidden up until now.”
      “What?” Rome asked, openly sobbing now.
      “I do, indeed, have feelings. And I want you to know that I love you both.”
      “And we love you, MINIMCOM,” Rome said with anguish in her mental voice. “You are the best friend anyone has ever had.”
      “Thank you. Both of you. It has been an honor serving you. Please take care of Junior for me.”
      “We will, buddy.”
      And then he was gone.
      Rome and Rei just stood there, Rome quietly weeping. “What happened?” Ursay said to them. “Why are you both crying?”
      “MINIMCOM…MINIMCOM…” Rome could not get the words out. She just turned and pressed herself into Rei who put his arms around her.
      “The vessel burst inside his cargo hold,” Rei said quietly. “The virus is all over his insides. He’s going to fly himself into the Sun to burn it up. He’s sacrificing himself so that we can all be safe.”
      “Oh,” Ursay replied. He became silent. He stared into their faces, using his irods to enhance his vision in the dimly filtered light. “I was wrong about him,” Ursay said finally.
      “What?” Rome asked, face still pressed against Rei’s chest. “Wrong about what?”
      “Even when I got you away from the planet the first time, I shared the opinion of the Vuduri that your ship was an abomination, a robot. But I can now see that there was a living spirit within him. Apparently, one not need be a human to be a person. Your MINIMCOM was loyal and heroic. No one on Earth will ever know that he saved them all. The Vuduri have much to learn about the nature of sentience.”

You got that right. A living spirit with hopes, dreams and desires does not need to reside in a carbon-based body. MINIMCOM was a hero in every sense of the word. He was selfless and brave and caring. There would never be another like him. Well, not exactly like him.

A hero falls, part 1

Nothing is as dramatic as a dramatic death. Especially when the one dying is a beloved character. So when Rome, Rei and Ursay came upon the containment vessel holding the ultra-deadly Darwin virus strain 5, I couldn't give up the opportunity to "kill" off MINIMCOM. Obviously, he couldn't stay dead forever. That'd be plain stupid. But for the latter portion of The Ark Lords, you were led to believe that MINIMCOM sacrificed his cybernetic "life" for the good of mankind:

     The livetar bowed his head and froze. He stood there silently for a minute then a minute longer. Finally, the livetar lifted his head. “It is done,” he said. “I am now 200 kilometers up, well past the edge of space. I will transport the vessel to my cargo hold, fly it to the Sun and then come back. I assume you will wait for me?” The mouth slits of the livetar curled up slightly.
     “Ha, ha,” Rei said. “Get going. Please?”
     With a whoosh and a pop, the livetar disappeared. The humans turned and saw MINIMCOM reappear within the sealed bunker. The tall all-black entity reached over its shoulders, grabbed its cape with both hands then flipped the cape over the vessel, gathering it to its body. In the blink of an eye, the livetar was gone and so was the light. The flashlight was nearly useless. It was so dark, Rei considered using his sonar vision but it would not penetrate the storage bunker.
     “You got it?” Rei asked using his EM link.
     “In a manner of speaking,” replied MINIMCOM within his head.
     “What happened?” Rome interrupted.
     “As I feared, the vessel ruptured. There is now Virus 5 all over my cargo bay.”
     “Oh no,” Rome cried out it shock. Then, within her head, she asked, “Can you clean yourself out?”
     “I do not know,” MINIMCOM replied. “Whatever I do must be 100 per cent effective and nothing comes to mind.”
     “MINIMCOM, what are you going to do?” Rei asked frantically.
     “I may have to fly into the Sun and immolate myself, just to be sure.”
     “NO!” Rome shouted mentally, “You cannot.”
     “What if you evacuated your cargo bay? Wouldn’t that flush the virus into space?” Rei thought desperately.
     “Unfortunately, the vessel was pressurized and the spores are all over my cargo bay. They have infiltrated my ductwork and my infrastructure. Simply evacuating the chamber would not clean it sufficiently.”
     “What about heating up the cargo bay?” Rei offered. “Like an autoclave?”
     “I would not know how to do that without heating up all of me. The temperatures required would most likely destroy my circuitry. I must make sure all traces of the virus are gone before I lose my faculties. It may be more effective to just plunge into the Sun.”

MINIMCOM is completely the selfless hero here. And there doesn't appear to be any way out. The worst part is he is going to die and he knows it and Rome and Rei know it and they are helpless to prevent it. Tomorrow, they say goodbye to their beloved friend and protector.

Death in a bottle

After MINIMCOM teleported himself into the sealed storage chamber holding the virus containment vessel, Rome, Rei and Ursay had to figure out what to do. First they had to get themselves oriented as to what was going on and then they had to figure out what to do with it. So here is what they encountered:

     The three humans entered the room which was maybe ten by ten with a high semi-circular ceiling. Standing in the middle of the room was a seven-foot tall concrete mini-bunker with a door and a window. Rei rushed up to the window and peered in. He shined his weak flashlight to illuminate the interior.
     “It’s there!” he shouted, “Look!” Ursay and Rome raced over and peered in as well. Sitting on the floor, surrounded by concrete stanchions, laid a dull metal vessel identical to the one that Ursay was carrying. Its utter simplicity belied its utterly lethal nature.
     Rei turned to Rome. “What do you think we should do with it?”
     “We must destroy it of course,” Rome said.
     “How do you propose to do that?” Ursay asked. “One false move and it is the end of all mankind.”
     Rei snapped his fingers. “I got it,” he said. He turned to the livetar. “Instead of opening the door, how about if you beam yourself in there, grab it and then transport it to your cargo bay. Like you did with our burning pan a few weeks ago?”
     “Then fly it to the sun,” Rome said. “Incinerate it and make it gone forever.”
     “I can do that,” the livetar said. “However, let me move my ship into orbit first. The vessel inside that bunker is a 14 century old inanimate object. You will remember what happened to the beacon on the Moon. If I am already in the vacuum of space, there can be no chance of leakage.”
     “Good idea,” Rei said. “How fast can you get up there?”
     The livetar bowed his head and froze. He stood there silently for a minute then a minute longer. Finally, the livetar lifted his head. “It is done,” he said.

Sadly, you will see tomorrow that no good deed goes unpunished. MINIMCOM must die.