Ancient Birthright (5 page)

“Sorry, Bel, all vacations are on hold until these upgrades are finished.”

Terrie came in through the open door and stopped next to Beldon. She took his left hand and pulled his arm over her shoulder as she snuggled close to his side.

Beldon tightened his arm around her shoulder and gave her a small hug of acknowledgement.

Duane logged into the NRAO network and accessed the command and control area of one of the upgraded dish antennas. “Our plan is to look at any object that could be a threat to Earth and get an exact prediction of its track, speed, and time to impact.”

Beldon watched as he entered commands that popped open a video window showing a view from one of several cameras mounted on the dish and its drive mechanisms. With a few clicks on the parameter screens, he showed Beldon how to aim the antenna, select and tune the receivers, and record or stream the signal over the network in real time.

The final demonstration was of the newly installed pulse generator. Duane turned the antenna until the Moon centered in the bore-sight camera. Selecting a transmission of a single pulse and full analysis of the return signal, he clicked on the execute button. The analyzed data popped up within seconds, giving the exact distance to the Moon to the hundredth of a mile, its relative speed as referenced to Earth and the strength of the returned signal. “If the entire array were on line, we could have gotten an exact velocity vector, relative to Earth, that would have been correct to the tenth decimal.”

Beldon leaned close to his father to get a better look at the screen. “This upgrade is amazing. Just think of the possibility to discover new objects and track them.”

Encouraged by Beldon’s interest, Duane filled in more details. “We can vary the pulse strength. For example, say we’re trying to interrogate an object at the edge of the solar system, we have to transmit a much stronger signal.

The pulse duration and strength are programmable by pointing the pulse controller at a data table with the number of pulses to be transmitted, along with the pulse duration, repetition rate, pulse strength, and listening delay...all comma-delimited on a single line.

That way, we can search for an object using long pulse duration and slow repetition rate and then switch to a short pulse and high repetition rate for precise tracking data.

“It’s the same method fighter aircraft use to track an enemy plane. We can even tie the movement, or slew as we call it, into the controls to the return data-velocity-vector so the dish automatically tracks an object once it’s located. The aiming and slew controls can be set up to search an area automatically by assigning them to work from a similar kind of table holding azimuth, elevation, and slew direction and rate.”

Beldon’s computer emitted a musical fanfare. “Mom’s file is finished. I need to write the data back to the memory module and get the next one started. Thanks for the demo, Dad. It looks like it’s going to be a great system once you get the entire upgraded installed.”

“It’ll be the most advanced radio telescope in the world when we’re done, but it’s going to take almost a year. Well, I need to get to bed. Don’t stay up too late.” Dad stood and kissed Terrie on top of the head as he passed her.

“I won’t,” Beldon called as his Dad walked out and pulled the door shut behind him. “You better get to bed before Mom notices you are still up,” he told Terrie.

“All this computer stuff’s kind of boring but at least you get to spend a little time with Dad and get to stay up as late as you want,” Terrie said.

“Get going, squirt. You need all the beauty sleep you can get.” Beldon smiled to himself waiting to see what kind of reaction he’d get from his sister. He sat on the computer chair to change out the data module.

Terrie opened the door and turned to stick her tongue out at him.

Beldon glanced up from the computer in time to catch the gesture. “Work on it some more, and one of these days you’ll be as good as a toad at catching flies.”

Beldon lowered his head to his chest as the door closed behind her. “As if I have a choice about staying up. I can either sleep or help Mom keep her job, so we have some place to live and food on the table. Screw it. Sleep’s over-rated anyway,” Beldon muttered as he forced his eyes open and shook his head to stay awake.

Talking to himself kept him from nodding off again. “Nineteen more data modules at twenty minutes per module, that means a little over six hours from now I can get some sleep. I wish Mom would let me put my programs on her work laptop. She could get twice as many files analyzed in the same amount of time. I bet it would create a total crap fest if her IT people found unauthorized programs on a company machine.”

He dropped his head into his hands, elbows propped on either side of the keyboard.

“Oh well, I don’t have school tomorrow, so at least I can sleep in. She has to get up at five to go to work.”

While Beldon waited for the data analysis, he began thinking of ways to improve and speed up a large area search using one of the VLA antennas. At first, he thought he would send a series of pulses and keep the antenna pointed at the same location waiting for a return signal. However, if he locked the antenna so it rotated with the Earth, the pulses would sweep an arc. Since he was looking for objects beyond the solar system, the listening window would not begin for close to an hour. Plenty of time to swing the antenna back to the starting point and open the receivers to listen for a return signal. By using the two upgraded antenna dishes, he could overlap the coverage.

With a seven-hour listening time, he could search out to about five billion miles before the Earth’s rotation took his search area below the horizon. His computer indicated the current data file was processed, only eighteen more to go. While it processed the next one, he did an Internet search for any objects within the solar system that orbited off the ecliptic plane. Very little information seemed to be available or reported. He had read somewhere that almost all objects within a star system formed on the plane of the star’s equator or ecliptic.

Astronomers had identified most objects on the plane of the ecliptic over the hundreds of years of regular nighttime optical observation. If he looked there, it would be almost impossible to tell whether he’d found something new. He wanted to find something unique—something that he could name and get credit for. He’d have to search deep space where no one else was looking.

The idea of developing computer programs that would use the array to find new objects in space was fascinating. I’ll make discoveries that
I‘ll name after myself. I’ll become famous and can tell the Billys and Dannys of the world to sit on it and rotate. Maybe I’ll even discover the next asteroid that will hit the Earth, and become known as the man who saved the planet.

This search project was going to take some study and several trips to the library. The “Star Filled Sky” astronomy program on his computer would give him the data necessary to aim the antenna at known objects, so he could test his algorithms.

Use of the two spare antennas was the least NRAO owes me for the unpaid hours I’ve contributed. Of course, they won’t see it that way.

He was sure they would call it misappropriation of government resources and throw him in prison for the rest of his boring existence.

That would be one way of getting out of this dried-up sun-bleached town and away from the bullies.

The next morning, Beldon’s eyes snapped open, and he strained to focus on the clock next to his bed.

Ten o’clock already. I need to get going. Marcie is going to have to find someone else to fix her computer. It’s going to piss off Danny big time, but I got other things to do. I need to get started developing my computer program.

It’s more important than seeing Marcie in a bikini. He jerked to a stop at the picture forming in his head. “Knock it off. This
is
more important, dipstick! Get your priorities straight: develop program, discover previously unknown space object, get scholarship, make the big bucks,” he lectured.

Marcie in a bikini is not on that list. She doesn’t even know I exist. She has no interest in me other than what I can do to make her exalted position in school society more comfortable.”

I need to win that full-ride University of Arizona’s astronomy scholarship I found on the Internet. Since it’s competitive for the most significant astronomical discovery by a high school amateur astronomer, whatever I discover will have to be important. Maybe it will help that NRAO sponsors it, and my parents work there. If I can win a full-ride, then Mom and Dad can cut back on their hours, and we can get back to being a family again. Terrie can use the money they’ve saved for me to go to college since Sandy has no interest in attending.

Sandy and Terrie were in the kitchen talking when he rushed in and pulled open the refrigerator door. Beldon stared at the contents without a clue about what to have for breakfast.

A minute later Sandy said, “Bel, the penguins in there are still going to be black-and-white tomorrow. Close the door and let them go back to sleep. Do you want me to fix you some breakfast?”

“What do we have?”

Sandy walked to the stove before answering. “Unfertilized fowl embryos and ground pig parts with assorted spices.”

“Sounds good. I’m hungry. Sorry about missing breakfast this morning. I didn’t finish with mom’s data until after two.”

Sandy broke eggs into a heated skillet and rewarmed the already cooked sausage in the microwave. “Want toast?”

“Please.”

Terrie dropped two slices of bread in the toaster. “What time are you going to the pool today?”

“Not going, heading to the library,” Beldon said as he gathered eating utensils, a plate, and napkin.

“But Marcie told me you had to fix her computer,” insisted Terrie.

“Let Danny do it. He gets all the hot tub benefits.”

“You must be trying for a new personal best...getting every bully in town after you on the same day,” Terrie said.

“I’ll be safe in the library. Billy and Danny can’t read and wouldn’t have a clue as to what to do with a book without pictures. As long as I stay away from the children’s section, they won’t find me. Billy will be on the golf course sucking up to his dad, and Danny will be showing off the bulge from his—IQ at the pool. So the library is the safest place in town.”

“Looking for anything special at the library?” Sandy asked, expertly flipping the eggs.

“Just researching some astronomy stuff Dad and I talked about last night.” Bel filled a glass with juice.

“Let me grab my summer reading list, and I’ll go with you,” Terrie called over her shoulder as she ran from the kitchen.

Bel turned to Sandy with a protest already on his lips.

“Forget it. I don’t want to hear it. You’re already heading to the library, so it won’t inconvenience you in the slightest to let her walk with you.” Sandy tipped the eggs onto Beldon’s plate then added the sausage.

“You’re right. I can always use her as cannon fodder. It’ll give me time to get away if one of the village idiots finds me,” Bel said taking the plate from Sandy and claiming a chair at the table.

Sandy grabbed the slices from the toaster and threw them on Beldon’s plate causing him to lean back. “We talked about this last night,” she said through clenched teeth. “You’re older and need to look out for her. I don’t like it when you talk like that.”

Beldon shrugged. “Then come with us,” he challenged.

“I have plans. You’re old enough to get to the library without me holding your hand.”

“Yeah, but the question is will my hand still be attached to my arm when we get there?”

Beldon finished his breakfast and started to leave the kitchen. A glare from Sandy had him loading his dirty dishes in the dishwasher.

“Come on Terrie! I want to be off the street before Fatman and Slobin leave the rat cave,” he said as he grabbed her around the neck and lightly rubbed his knuckles on the top of her head.

#

Late in the afternoon, Beldon dropped a stack of library books next to his computer, and then closed and locked his bedroom door. The trip to the library hadn’t been as safe as he thought it would be. But fortunately, he’d seen Billy lurking at the corner of their block, and they’d taken the longer route through alleys and backyards to avoid him.

That night, Beldon opened his high-speed Internet connection and used the codes he’d memorized from his dad’s demonstration to access the command and control screen for one of the modified antennas.

“First, I’ll interrogate Mars to get a better feel for the time it takes a signal to travel there, back again, and be processed by the VLA equipment,” Beldon said to himself. “Then I’ll work my way outward and build up a database of information on the other planets and their moons that I can use to validate my search programs. When I get the programs working properly and can prove they work, I think I’ll have a good chance of winning the U of A scholarship.”

Five hours later, he had detailed distance and velocity information on every planet and moon within line-of-sight of the VLA. Now he needed to repeat several of the observations using the two modified antenna as a linked system. He set the data stream from the receivers to come directly to his computer so no record of his using the VLA would remain once he logged off. If they were going to catch him using their equipment they’d have to do it while the system was active. His first indication that he’d been discovered would be a knock on the door from an agent holding out FBI credentials.

Chapter-5

Colony ship
Universe Explorer
: Transjump plus 0 years, 60 days:

Two thirty-cycles later, Saigg didn’t recognize his life or his room for that matter. His normal habit of sleeping in until mid-light cycle, then rushing to get to school was only a dream he dimly remembered. For the first thirty-cycle of his punishment, he’d been so tired after finishing his waste-recy cleaning assignments, he’d come home and fallen into bed and been asleep before he’d even pulled the covers up. His gang of friends treated him like an outsider. They had quit asking him to join them in their thrustboard sessions.