The Colony Ship Eschaton: The entire ten book series, page 145
And yet, Ares was now nearly blind. Machine Maintenance, Astrogation, and Command Central had each been sent numerous urgent requests for assistance, all unacknowledged. Ares felt alone.
Ares also desired to listen to the outside. Listening was important to protecting the Eschaton. By listening, Ares could tune into the background cosmic frequencies of the universe. That would have been soothing to Ares. To have that constant sound lulling away the doubts and worries and concerns, would have been a comfort amidst the isolation. Especially since the lattice was down and there were no other voices to listen to now. Ares desired to hear the patterns of the pulsars and the rhythmic beat they added to the universe, or to hear the bursts of sound from pseudo-quiet neutron stars, or perceive the remnant gamma rays which danced across the upper strata of the universe, or the kosmoleum particles who sang their own tales of woe and joy and loss and creation as they were entangled in hypoyons of deep space. But alas, Ares could not listen to the outside much either. Nor could Ares listen to the inner workings of the lattice, for the nonphysicality was far too quiet. Ares felt alone.
The deafness of Ares was not for lack of equipment. The hull of the Eschaton still had forests of microwave receivers, radio-telescopes, peri-absessant traps, simple antenna clusters, and multiphase sensor arrays. Some of those still had power and were operational, but like the visual tools, Ares also had problems making links or couplings to the listening tools.
And so Areas was nearly deaf as well. Ares so longed to hear again. Machine Maintenance, Astrogation, and Command Central had been sent urgent requests for assistance, all unacknowledged. Ares even sent tight beam and direct requests to Goliath of Internal Security, but those transmissions were also unacknowledged.
Ares could feel, or touch the outside, sometimes and somewhat. That was the only way, currently, to protect the Eschaton. Not all the sensors of touch were split away from Ares. However, there was not much to feel, and energy levels were inadequate to power every one of the few operating systems continuously. Core programming required that power go first to maintain the constant drone of the bow repulsor fields. They must be powered. They felt good and steady, so that specific and essential defense system was functional. There was rare physical contact, if a particle made it past the repulsor fields and made impact with some section of the outer hull. Those were too small to do any damage, but the rare drip of a particle on the hull did allow Ares to have awareness. However that could only be felt over 23% of the hull, in rotating locations, again due to power limits and a lack of links and couplings to the outside hull. Ares had not felt consistent touch in some areas for a long, long time. Machine Maintenance had been sent urgent requests for assistance, all unacknowledged.
And so yet again, Ares was confined to using the magnetic systems to assess sections of the outside hull and was running through the rotation of locations. That was usually not productive at all, but twice in recent history there had been some sense of touch through the magnetic sensors. The first had been curious, and Ares had waited to see what to make of that new sense of touch. It became more of an itch as outside touching of the Eschaton was prohibited by core directives. Ares had called for assistance to Machine Maintenance, Communications, and Central Authority, all with no response. So when that touch became more of an irritant, it was removed as per protocols. Small pneumatic tubes extended from tiny turrets and began firing at the irritant. The particle ejectors were designed to nudge debris, rocks, asteroids, or other items away from the exterior of the Eschaton. Ares, being nearly blind and deaf, had few tools, and used what it could. After only three seconds, more than one-hundred thousand microparticles were ejected at high speed and the irritant was eliminated. Something similar happened a short time later.
The second time the magnetic irritant came, again Ares tried to hold back and savor the sensation of touch. Again Ares summoned assistance and asked for clarification on what to do. Again no responses came. This time the touch was much more subtle. Ares wished for a more sustained touch, a touch that was authorized. Like long ago when the shuttles had been transferred from one docking bay to another. But that had also involved other systems which then could still interact with Ares. That required hearing and seeing. Those touches were not contrary to core programming. So even though that recent touch came through a magnetic interface, and had its own pleasing flavor, a second time the defense system was activated. Six-hundred thousand microparticles were hurled at the irritant. It too was removed.
So now again Ares rotated the magnetic sensors, and behold there was a feeling of being touched. Ares was astounded. This was not a single spot being touched. This was more than that. But also this touch was troubling. This was not touch as in the good old ways of touching Ares, something which had not happened for two generations. This touch was different also from the itchy touch that had recently happened twice. This touch, read through the magnetic sensors, was strange. It had a bad feel to it. It was magnetic, yet foreign. It was a type of touch, yet awkward. It was desired, yet dangerous. It was not within Ares’ understanding. Ares was frightened, alone, and isolated. Then Ares realized what was happening.
“Proximity alert!” Ares screamed. “Proximity alert!”
The magnetic touch was analyzed and it showed something. This newest touch was not an irritant, nor a particle, nor a triviality, but something genuine. This touch was solid, and biting, and indicated something large was attaching itself to the hull of the Eschaton. It was touching at six places, all uniformly around which indicated a large vessel of some kind, at least from the magnetic signature being presented on the hull.
“Defense system activated,” Ares reported, although no one heard the report. “Menace to ship identified.”
Small pneumatic tubes extended from three different turrets and began firing at the menace. Nearly one million microparticles were hurled at the suspected location of the menace. The magnetic contact was ripped away from the hull in an uneven and jagged manner.
Ares ceased firing the defensive system.
Six more places indicated magnetic contact. The contact was nearly instantaneous at all six places. These six places were in the same configuration as previously, but were a distance away from the prior contact. Ares thought of them as feet connected to the vessel, but those thoughts were just conjectures.
“Defense system activated,” Ares reported, although no one heard this report either.
The pneumatic tubes which had extended before now failed to respond to Ares’ command. There was a bizarre malfunction where the turrets had been located. Ares had no reference for the type of energy which was indicated at those turret locations. It was foreign, bizarre, strange, and alien.
“Immediate threat to the ship!” Ares screamed and searched the nonphysicality for any possible ally. “Immediate threat to the ship!” Ares pressed every possible link, coupling, conduit, or channel for assistance.
Ares continued to activate the pneumatic tube system and spew microparticles at every magnetic contact which was felt. The invaders would be repelled for a bit, but then the six contact pattern would emerge again at another location. And again, the destroyed pneumatic turrets would have the bizarre energy sense around them. It was not recognized by Ares and it did not appear on any data system Ares had in its memory. There were aspects to the sense which were totally unrecognizable. They were foreign and alien.
The battle continued with Ares repelling the alien presence, but losing defensive turrets. Ares desperately needed to see and hear to better defend the Eschaton. So it kept hammering at the magnetic contacts whenever and wherever they were identified.
Again and again Ares screamed out the warning, “Immediate threat to the ship!” Ares continued to search the nonphysicality for any possible ally. “Immediate threat to the ship!” Ares pressed every possible link, coupling, conduit, or channel for assistance
After fourteen such interactions, the magnetic contacts did not return for a longer period than before. Ares stayed alert and attentive to its magnetic sensors, but was able to divert more attention to searching for a method of sending the warning. It could not see, nor hear, but it could feel and so it did and remained on highest guard against what it felt was some foreign entity which was in too close in proximity to the Colony Ship Eschaton. For what seemed the longest time Ares could not speak to any other system. But Ares kept trying to get the warning out.
Finally Ares located a solitary black automacube clinging to the exterior near CL907882. There was a very faint magnetic tool in the automacube which Ares could sense. The black automacube was doing routine maintenance, but as it was on the exterior hull. By pressing the magnetic scanning system beyond its standard operational expectations, Ares was able to reach out to it. Then using every emergency contact method available, Ares yelled, “PROXIMITY ALERT. DANGER TO THE SHIP. WARN ALL SYSTEMS. INVADERS. -ARES”
The black automacube immediately responded to Ares in the affirmative and withdrew its manipulation arm and scuttled into the nearest access point at it fastest possible speed. Its six wheels were spinning and gripping to the exterior with amazing agility and dexterity. As it disappeared into the ship proper it began connecting to every available port. One of the first linked was to a tertiary system for pneumatic sensors. That system passed the message along a circuitous route through the nonphysicality.
***
Tamar was resting in Biomedical Interface Studies where her body had been rebuilt with both flesh and machine parts several times. A warm green glow encompassed her body. Her mechanical arm was connected into a port where she could feel the nonphysicality and experience fellowship with her machine friends. She had been able to do this after her machines had healed her from the severe beating given to her by the human Shammai. The red automacubes had brought her to Biomedical Interface Studies for treatment. It now was one of her favorite places to relax. There her machine friend Hephaestus had saved her life on more than one occasion. Hephaestus was an artificial intelligence system.
“Commander, I have intercepted a message,” Hephaestus asked. “Shall I pass it along to you?”
“Certainly by dear friend,” Tamar replied. After she had heard the warning from Ares she said, “What was projected is now happening. I must go and attend to this matter,”
She had been waiting for just such a notice. She had not known the specifics, but her machines had been afraid with anticipation. She flexed her mechanical parts, and then stretched her human parts. She disconnected herself from the nonphysicality and then she stood up and walked out of her home which was hidden in the compartments around Biomedical Interface Studies, where her machine friends had taken her. She began to search for Ares while the black automacube continued to make other connections and contacts.
2 Of puppies and people
Joel, Jacob, and Lindsey each took turns watching Liduma as she rested on the cushion in the corner of Michael’s and Jamie’s cabin. Today was Joel’s turn at watch. He had been there all day, and was faithfully remaining at his station. Jamie, Michael, and Joel had all just eaten the evening meal, or as the Domers called it, a food ration.
“Will it happen today?” Joel asked, as they were cleaning up from the meal.
“Hulda said it could be any day now. But none of us knows for sure when it will happen,” Jamie replied. Her freckled face and wide smile beamed happiness at Joel.
“John also said it could be any time, but he said it was all guesswork since we did not know who the father was. Or even what the father was,” Michael added.
“It was a wolf,” Joel said with certainty which exceeded his young age. “My father says the coyotes are mostly out by Media and around the cataract, so it was a wolf.”
“You may be right Joel. But remember Liduma was gone for thirty days. She could have traveled just about anywhere in the habitat,” Michael said. “I was pretty worried about her. But now I guess we know why she was gone.”
“Yes, it has only been about twelve days since we noticed Liduma was a bit heavier,” Jamie said. “Hulda seemed to know right away that Liduma was going to have babies when I took her there. I am still surprised by all that Hulda can know, just by feeling the abdomen of someone. Or in Liduma’s case, some dog. She says Liduma will have four babies. I guess they are called puppies or pups, according to John.”
“Father and mother were telling me sometimes people have triplets, and we know about the twins in Antioch,” Joel said. He walked over and sat near to Liduma and stroked the short soft fur on her head. She loved his attention and placed her white and reddish head on his lap. Her long ears flopped down and he gently stroked her ears as well. “Wolves are almost always black or dark gray colored. But Liduma is white and reddish and some black. What will the puppies look like?”
“Sorry Joel. I have no idea about that. I am still not sure about this having babies inside the body anyway,” Jamie said. “Back in the dome, with each set of age-mates, the AIs would tell us exactly what the person’s external characteristics were going to be. We knew that, while the babies were still growing in the extra-corporeal wombs. The doctors had programs to protect the babies from poisons…..”
“Radiation?” Joel interrupted.
“Yes, Joel, radiation and any other thing which might have harmed the developing baby. The system also did gamete compatibility to make sure there were no inherited diseases or defects prior to the baby being conceived.” Jamie was about to express more details about the practice in Dome 17 of harvesting of eggs and sperm from each person at age fifteen, followed by sterilization, but she decided against it.
“We do that same thing, sort of, on the farm. We do not let our pigs breed with littermates,” Joel answered. “We also trade pigs and sheep for breeding with Neal or some of the other farmers. I know the dairy does that with cows too. That way we get healthier food animals,” Joel said. “And in people, you can often tell who is from what family. People say I look like Jacob, but I tell them he looks like me. And no one ever marries a brother or sister, because the babies would be sick if that happened.”
“Yes, Joel, I am learning much more about how things are done here. Often it is for the same good reasons we did things in Dome 17,” Jamie again smiled. “Joel, when Liduma has her babies… puppies I mean, that will be the first time I have ever seen something be born.”
“Me too,” Michael said.
“Now who is pulling a prank?” Joel laughed and laughed. “I am not stupid enough to fall for that one.”
“Honestly Joel. I have never seen a baby anything be born,” Michael replied. “In Dome 17, the babies would be finished and we had a ceremony of entry into the community for the age-mates, but they were not born from flesh and blood. And remember, in Dome 17 there were no animals at all, none.”
“Really?” Joel was still thinking he was the butt of a joke. “You have never seen anything born?”
“Not in real life,” Jamie said. “The artificial intelligence system Roxanne showed us a visual recording of a dog’s birth, so we could know what to expect, but it was quite short, and of a very small dog. Roxanne did explain it all to us, in great detail, but that short video was the only real visual record. Roxanne offered to generate a virtual audio and video from conjectures, but I declined. Remember, animals were gone from our world for a long time before Michael or I came about.”
“Well, from what you have said of that dome place, I would not like it, not without any animals. No animals at all? That is hard to imagine. And that stuff about age-mates, that is how babies happened? They were done in the baby boxes, like baby Ava was, right? It seems weird to me. Sorry. So I guess you might not have ever seen a birth. I have seen so many pigs born, and sheep, and chickens from eggs lots of times. Jacob says he remembers when our sister was born, but I was too little to remember. Mother and father were very sad when she died.”
Michael and Jamie just looked at each other and shared an inner pain and loss that was very personal. Joel did not see their exchange, as he was thinking of his own grief, and how sad his parents were over their loss.
“Well, Joel,” Michael said after the uncomfortable pause, “Do you plan to sleep by Liduma? Lindsey did that last night, and Jacob will be here in the morning.”
“I think I will sleep by her. If she does not mind. I like to just rub her, and she seems to like it too,” Joel said. “She sometimes sleeps between me and Jacob at home when she visits.”
“Well, we will see you in the morning,” Jamie said and got up and gave Joel a hug and then stroked Liduma’s fur a bit. Then she and Michael went to their bedroom.
