Archaea 3: Red (12 page)

It seems that
nothing has the ability to catch Dak off guard, however. “Janis, please excuse Gene, he appears to be overcome with envy.” he smiled at me. “This is some damn fine machinery, dear.”

“Thank you sir.” she said proudly.

I swallowed loudly and composed myself. “Janis, he’s right – this is exceptional work. Do you mind if I take a closer look?”

“Not at all Gen
e, please do.”

The captain and I kicked
closer. The larger appendages on the ends of the limbs that were working on assembly had folded back, and four smaller opposable 'fingers' had emerged from sockets. They were manipulating tools with incredible precision, with a motion that looked organic.

“What is this using for power, Janis?”

“Gene, this unit uses a simple fuel cell with a gallium-aluminum reactant to generate hydrogen, which is then catalyzed.”

“Interesting… h
ow much water does it require?”

“There is a four-liter tank that will last for six standard months, depending on the amount of usage, though I am utilizing condensers to
charge the tank from atmospheric humidity. I reclaim the alumimum from the hydride left over from the reactant to produce additional reactant for the process. It is foamed to have a high surface area, and quite easy to install in block form.” A panel opened up and ejected a shimmering foam block cartridge. I pushed it back in, and the panel slid closed.

“Jani
s, that is...” I trailed off. I was transfixed by the precise, unfailing, surgical motions the limbs were performing, but even more impressed by the working space. If Shorty was doing the work, the entire area would have become a snarl of tool tethers in just a few moments. I don't think I would have been able to keep a work area this well-organized.

“Janis, what are you using for actuators? Are these pneumatic, or hydraulic?”

“Neither of those methods provided me with the capabilities I required. I used nanotech fabricants to assemble chained-molecules of electrochemical myofibers that function similarly to muscles at the cellular level. The fibers contract and expand when current is applied.”

“What do you do when the components fail? Wouldn't those fibers require continuity to function correctly?”

“They do… however with fabricants the maintenance layer can be engineered in at a molecular level using specialized assemblies. You stated that systems need support systems, to reduce maintenance requirements, and this methodology supports that tenet. Because I wanted a proactive response, the maintenance fabricants rely on fiber continuity for their survival, and are motivated to seek and correct faults in the myofibers. I suppose you would consider them symbiotic, in the purest sense.”

“Janis, I have very li
ttle experience with fabricants, to be honest. This really sounds like something Pauli would work with.”

“Gene,
he has assisted me greatly in the design and implementation of these components. Steven is positively brilliant in this specific field.” As usual, whenever she spoke of or about Pauli, her voice took on a respectful tone.

Dak spoke up, “Janis, just so you are both aware… I don’t even know what language you’re speaking at the moment. You lost me at the word ‘gallium’ a while back. I feel like I am reading an old sci-fi novel at this point.”

Janis laughed brightly. “In one sense sir, the only difference is scale. Nanotech requirements are similar to any other mechanical system, the implementation of assemblers, support, and reclamation units drive the process.”

“Um, well I am going to take your word for that Janis”, Dak said with a smile. He and I (and probably Janis) knew he understood far more of this than he wanted us to believe. Part of his secret to success is that he does actually know a little more than he needs to be dangerous, about damn near everything.

We took a moment more to watch, and I caught his eye. “Dak, we need to make sure we have enough funds left over to keep our material stocks up. Janis should have been in charge of this a long time ago.”

He nodded thoughtfully.
“I agree Gene, this is really astounding stuff.” We both watched the assembler's limbs unerringly seek and select individual tools using impossibly precise movements. “Janis, how are you able to see?” he asked, after a few moments. I was curious about that as well, from looking over the smooth carapace there didn't seem to be any indication of visual inputs.

“Captain, I am not utilizing visual light as you do. I guess it is safe to say that I don't 'see', rather, I sense through passive and active receptors placed strategically through the unit.
I sense my environment through wave-triangulation of various wavelengths of energy. Sound, for example, works very well for passive sensors, though I utilize other frequencies during active scanning for precision location of manipulator units.”

“But what if you were to need to see something visual, like... well, what if you wanted to see Gene's scowl?” he said with a smirk.

“Is there a reason to do so, sir?” she said innocently.

He laughed, while I
fixed him with a look. “Janis, not as such, no… it is safe to assume he is scowling as the situation requires. I've been doing that for years, and it's never let me down. In contrast, you do not need to see me to know that I am smiling whenever you speak. You make me more proud with every passing day.” He smiled and tossed me a wink. The man was a charmer. “Now, Gene, on the other hand... he's looking more and more obsolete as time goes on.”

“Captain, from your wink, I extrapolate that you are not being serious, and I am glad. Gene is a necessar
y component of our mission, sir.”

“Wait, I thought you said you couldn't see us?” I asked,
momentarily caught off guard and looking around for a camera.

“Gene, I can't 'see' in a visual sense, but I am nonetheless completely aware of your physical translation and motions.”

“You are?” I exclaimed.

“I understand how this works Gene,”
Dak explained, “it's like when she replayed the motion track of Red Martigan aboard the Archaea. It was visual, and very detailed. She 'sees' more detail through sound and RF interactions than we see visually--” 

“Captain, conn”
, Yak called back on comms. “I need you on the bridge at your earliest convenience, sir.”

He flashed me a look. “On my way, mister” Dak replied
, kicking for the lock. “Time to get back to work, it looks like. Gene, let's get that sensor package done as quickly as possible – Janis, if he falls asleep again, poke him – but gently. And make sure his coffee cup stays full and most importantly… make sure he drinks it!”

“Aye sir.” she said sweetly.

*****

As I kicked through the cargo bay headed for the bridge, I was caught slightly off-guard by another assembler unit at work with a welder on the deck below. It looked like a twin of the one in engineering, and looked just as supremely competent and efficient. Seeing a second assembler on my ship, I had a fleeting moment of doubt, but it was overwhelmed by the realization that with Gene and Shorty busy overhauling their respective systems, this new role Janis filled was a perfect compliment. I might not know everything that happens around me, but I have to trust my crew to do the right thing. There really was no alternative. It was the least I could do in return for the trust they put in me.

As I transited through the inner lock to the gun deck
, I nearly had a mid-air collision with Shorty coming towards me with a strapped pack of crates. As it was, I just about pulled a gluteal hauling my legs around enough to snap-roll to the side.

“
Make a hole, Shorty”, I called, as she hurled past me.

“
Sorry sir, I didn't see you there!” As usual, she had somehow found the one patch of dust in this gleaming gun deck, and cleaned it with her face.

“Steady on, Shorty – I didn’t see you either, to be honest. How’s it coming along in here?” I asked, as I floated to a port-side grabber. 

“This is the last load, and I'll be ready for testing”, she said proudly, “I think you're really going to be impressed, sir.”

“I'm sure I will,
Shorty. Do you need a hand?” I asked, as she pushed a few errant crates back into the lock.

“If you can just help me get
this mess through the lock, I can get them stowed on the--” she stopped abruptly, looking down off the catwalk onto the cargo bay deck, where Janis' assembler was still welding.

We both stood there for a few long moments, lit by the flash of the burning arcs below.

“What... is... that?” she said in a quiet voice, sliding her hand into a lumbar pocket.

“
Breathe deep and stand easy, Shorty. That's called an assembler. Janis has built at least two of them that I am aware of.  One is busy helping Gene finish the gravimetric sensor package in engineering and the other appears to be… well, building that dropship we were talking about…” I trailed off, realizing how crazy I sounded, “…a few hours ago.” I took an extra moment to smile at her wide eyes and look of utter amazement. Between Gene’s nap and Shorty being caught off guard, this was shaping up to be a first-rate day. The only thing left to see before I die was Pauli subduing Yak in a wrestling match. Luckily for me, that wasn’t ever going to happen. I was going to live a little longer.

“
An assembler?” she said, incredulously.

“Yep,
you need to ask Janis to fill you in, she’s moving fast – speaking of which, I need to be as well”, I said with a smile, and left her there staring down at the assembler hard at work, with her jaw hanging on the deck.

As I kicked through, I noticed the
gun deck was again immaculate, and looked as perfect as ever, definitely a marked improvement over the past few days. Shorty had clearly been working pretty hard down here.

With all the mess and work on board, I had been a little concerned. T
hough I trusted Gene and Shorty, there really wasn't a good time to tear apart the machinery on this bird. We don’t really ever stand down.

“Captain
to the bridge”, Yak called again across the 1MC.

“
20 seconds more”, I grumbled on comms as I kicked forward through the gun deck toward the forward ladder. It was just a short hop up and I was moving down the bridge companionway. As I hit the top of the ladder I realized that despite all efforts to the contrary, I had neglected to pick up some more coffee. My poor cup was thoroughly empty. I had been air-sipping for thirty minutes, and things were starting to seem slightly insubstantial.

“Ya
k, I relieve you, sir.” I said, hauling my semi-comatose self across the bridge to the helm station.

“Captain
, you have the conn”, he said, slipping out of the helm station and latching on to a grabber.

“What's the situation, Yak?” I asked, while I called up ghosts of all system s
creens while reaching for the refill.

He took a breath, and motioned towards the targeting ghost. “Sir, Janis has a number of targets on track, Sierra designations 12 through 18 at the moment, though we are concerned about Sierra 14 and Sierra 16.” He pointed at two bogeys on
track; both were assigned orange classification, with divergent vectors; however Sierra 16 was a distinct reddish-orange, something new I haven't seen.

“What is our concern with Sierra 14 and Sierra 16?”

“Sir, Sierra 14 appears to be following us out-system, and Sierra 16 appears to be on a collision vector. Janis has it flagged as future-hostile.”

“Future-hostile?” I asked, with an eyebrow
slowly climbing up to see what all the fuss was about.

He smiled weakly. “Yes sir. Janis is confident of future hostile
action, but is not marking it as hostile at this time.”

I shrugged; she probably had a good reason.
“Very well, Yak. Please take your station, and prepare for maneuvering.”

“Aye sir.” he said, launching for his station.

This was a new one to me, but I am not going to get in the habit of second-guessing her – but that doesn't mean I won't try to avoid a fight if it’s at all possible. Not that I am a coward, or necessarily concerned about a fair fight. If I need to, I will do whatever it takes to win. I just like to make sure I look before I leap.

Pauli wasn't on the bridge, and he wasn't supposed to be on shift for a few more hours yet. This time of our cycle, h
e was probably asleep. Poor kid… hopefully he was belted down, but deep down a sadistic part of me gleefully hoped he wasn’t. I chastised that part of me sternly and set it off to painting some decks somewhere, and got back to work.

“Let's see if we can defuse this Yak, stand by.” I said calmly, and
clicked on the 1MC. “All hands, secure for maneuvering in thirty seconds.” Just to make sure everyone heard me over running machinery, I added a brief honk on the collision alarm.

I considered my options. Our rate of closure was formidable, but at our current r
ange, I had some time to think. “Yak, please hail, and let them know we are shaping a new course to port, and will signal with two flashes of our forward arcs.”