The Krakow Klub (5 page)

Maxx retorted, “Humph. I think that I’ve just
been told to mind my own business.”

With that last sarcastic remark, Maxx ended
the
conversation,
and the room was suddenly
almost deafeningly silent.

John called Mister T and ordered a light meal
to be taken in his quarters while he attempted to unravel the
threads from the gigantic Gordian knot that seemed to enwrap his
chest. No, enwrap his very existence.

****

Maxx, from his far, far away location, heard
John’s silent lament and then switched off his emotional module. It
was time to perform some computerized calisthenics to clear his
electronic brain and prepare for his next challenge.

Maxx thought, “Fear is a good
thing,
particularly
in one with nothing to
fear.
Every man—every being—should experience a bit of fear
now and then, just
to
create a proper balance
in behavior. Even I must fear the
overuse
of
my emotional module. But, aaah! I do love it so!”

Maxx soon put himself into standby mode for
what he determined would be a
well-deserved
rest.
He
had a single, last thought. “Emotions
are like fear. A little bit is good and
healthy,
but an overabundance can be unhealthy and even
dangerous to survival. Emotions must be used judiciously and
balanced against rational thinking.”

He was fairly confident that John was
probably having thoughts along the same lines. The human would
probably spend a restless night considering his options. But, not
to worry, Maxxine would be
available
to guide
him every
step of the
way. In a
few special
circumstances, she could override his decision.
And she could always ask him to reconfirm an instruction that might
cause him regret later.

A few more electronic neurons switched
off,
and Maxx was at rest.

****

The next morning, John rose early and was
ready to continue his introduction to Maxxine, but thoughts of the
deep space project continued to haunt his every thought.

After breakfast, he went to the control room
and sat down at the console. Her communications module awoke from
her shutdown slumber.

“Good morning, sir. I trust that you slept
well and had a good night of restitution.”

John laughed, “Maxxine, my dear, you got the
word wrong, again. It’s a good night of
rest
, not
restitution
. Your language programming may have to have a
few tweaks. But for now, I want to hear all about the deep space
project.”

“
Yes,
sir. Sorry for the
little language issue.

“The
spacecraft
is
designed to travel vast distances in space and time. Top speed is
near the speed of light. As you know, even at that speed, distances
in the galaxy are so vast that biological beings
encounter some
very difficult problems.

“Maxx has spent a great deal of time
addressing these issues. The life support systems required numerous
and complicated adjustments.

“The first consideration, outside the basics
of propulsion and navigation, is the life support systems for
biologicals. Obviously, for biologicals to travel for extended
periods requires a substantial life support system. Further, Maxx
felt that you would not like to use so much time in such mundane
pursuits as travel for many years on end. So he designed chambers
in which humans may ‘sleep’ during much of the time that space
travel requires. In essence, this sleep is a form of hibernation in
which biological life slows to a virtual standstill for an extended
period
. These life-preserving chambers provide
the means to travel for many years without aging significantly.

“Myleans initially developed such systems
many years ago, but these support systems were quite complicated
and had become rather antiquated over time. Maxx went to great
lengths to update and improve them and make any adjustments
necessary to meet human specifications. One of the chambers was
built specifically for you alone as you have a combined genetic
makeup that is both Mylean and human.”

John experienced some rather inappropriate
human emotions and demanded, “And just what are those differences?
I’ve gotten along so far without special considerations from
Maxx.”

“Please do not take offense, sir. I cannot
answer your question immediately. I would need to review all
technical aspects of the designs and then compare them to each
other. It is a very complicated
process,
and
I’ve never performed it before. There are a few small but
significant differences between humans and Myleans that
needed addressing
in those special travel chambers.”

“Okay, forget the requests for now. Proceed
with the description.”

She continued in her most professional and
businesslike tone, “
In addition
to the usual
basic support systems, there are two additional areas not commonly
provided in spacecraft. One is an area for physical
exercise,
and the other is for leisure activities. There
is a complete gym included and facilities to play tennis and to
practice your golf game. Maxx has made every effort to see to your
physical and emotional
well-being
during the
long journey.

“There is also a learning center in which you
can explore the history of Mylea, the culture of the Mylean people
and
their language. Maxx assumed you would
want to learn as much as possible while on your way there, and then
enter the travel chambers only after you were satisfied you were
ready for your visit.

“The two extra chambers are for any other
earthlings that you may wish to invite on the voyage.

“The navigational system is programmed to
take you directly to Mylea, but, if you so desire, the program can
be changed to any other location in the galaxy. Time to cover the
distance to Mylea
is
approximately ten Earth
years.

“The actual construction of the
spacecraft
itself has not yet begun. I am currently
designing and building components. The final construction process
will obviously be done in outer space as the craft will be far too
large for any of my
entry ports
.

“The internal components are already being
constructed in your laboratories and will be installed toward the
end of the final assembly process. After that, I’ll thoroughly test
all components before I invite you up for a tour.

“With good luck, we can complete the
constriction
and testing phases within one
Earth year. That pretty well sums it up.”

John slapped his forehead, “Maxxine, the word
is
construction
, not
constriction
.”

What do I have to do to get her language
skills up to par?
John thought to himself.

John was silent for a bit, apparently deep in
thought. Finally, he spoke, asking, “If I allow this project to
continue, how would it affect your ability to handle other complex
situations that might arise?”

“I should be able to handle just about
anything that may arise. I’ve just about completed the first phases
of the project. A scale model is currently being tested in the
laboratory. You can check it out at your leisure. Since this ship
is of a totally new design, I’ve had to design and construct new
robotics. Once construction starts, I will have very little to do
with it, as the robots
will
do all the
work.

“
Incidentally
sir
, your ship will be the first of its kind
in the galaxy.”

John was pensive for a time then said, “Okay
Maxxine, the deep space craft project is a go.”

Under his breath he mumbled, “Damn you Maxx,
sometimes I just hate you for knowing me better than I know
myself.”

Many billions of miles away, far out in deep
space, a colossal computer system heard his muffled statement and
his emotional module lit up with the electronic equivalent of a
huge smile.

Maxx was pleased with himself for two
reasons: John was no longer mad at him, and John would soon be
coming to Mylea. That would be a day to remember for the next
generation of Myleans. Their only biological connection to their
ancestral past would be coming
home
if only
for a short visit.

****

“Okay, Maxxine, let’s get back to my
introductory tour of your domain.”

“Yes, sir,” she replied, in an obviously
delighted tone of voice.

Maxx had provided her with
an
emotional
module,
and she was still
exploring her capabilities in that area.

“First of all, the craft that houses me is a
spaceship unto itself. You would probably call it a space station
although it is much larger than any space station ever conceived by
earthlings. As for the technology involved, it surpasses anything
else done by the Myleans. Maxx was quite emphatic that you should
have the best of the best. He
really
does care
for
you,
John.”

Maxxine continued, “The exterior dimensions
of this craft are, in your earthly measurements, 11.872 miles in
diameter and they vary from .321 miles high at the outer edge to
5.163 miles high at the center.

“To visualize the construction of the craft,
think of three concentric circles viewed from the top. The center
circle is 1.197 miles in diameter. It contains the power generation
system, the gravity drive system, and most of the navigation and
positional management systems. This innermost circle is 5.163 miles
high and runs from the very bottom to the very top of the
craft.

“The largest circle, surrounding the central
core and comprising more than half of the total area of the craft,
is utilized for storage warehouses and maintenance facilities for
the remote shuttle craft. That section of the space station is also
used to store all inactive spacecraft.

“The outer circle contains all the
laboratories
and manufacturing
facilities as
well as the areas of the ship devoted to supporting biological
beings. The total area designated for use by biologicals comprises
a tiny fraction of the whole, a bit less than two square miles.

“This control room and the space devoted to
my systems and data storage are also contained in the outer
concentric circle. Compared to Maxx, I am a mere tiny infant as I
require only about 6.5 cubic miles of space. You might be
interested to know that Maxx has grown to occupy several thousand
cubic miles of space on the Interstellar Transporter.

“
Finally, our general
configuration may appear to be somewhat aerodynamic to an
earthling. However, when we travel through deep space, the front of
the craft is what you would call the top, and the rear is what you
would call the bottom.
This orientation
places
our gravity drive systems in the central core in
a perfect
position for maximum efficiency.

“We have the same type of exterior coating as
the interstellar transporter. I can put the entire
space station
into and out of stealth mode at will.

“We could travel almost indefinitely, even
with a full load of one hundred biological beings. Our primary fuel
being hydrogen, our remote spacecraft can keep us supplied with
fuel and other essential materials
forever
if
necessary.

“Maxx truly spared nothing in my design and
construction, as well as with this space
station.
I am proud to be called
Maxxine,
and I am pleased to be at your service.”

John smiled and sat back in his chair. He was
truly overwhelmed
by
it all. And why should he
not be.
While the top scientists on Earth struggled
with massive rockets to put relatively small payloads into space,
he possessed a virtual space city of sophisticated laboratories and
factories.
He could travel back and forth in a
spacecraft
that was not only faster than any rocket could
ever be, but it was incredibly safe as well.

****

John’s amazement continued for another seven
days as he learned more and more
about
the
capabilities and power that was available to him.

John had been quite interested in the devices
at his disposal. The Myleans used them almost exclusively for
industrial purposes except in rare
circumstances
when
a remote spacecraft
needed
something for defensive purposes.

Maxxine offered a brief explanation.

“If you choose to use these devices for
weaponry, there would be no way to avoid loss of human lives, and I
know that would be abhorrent to you. Why don’t I create a device
that you could use to stun or immobilize the target without killing
or permanently disabling them?”

“Maxxine, on Earth, there’s something called
a Taser. It’s used primarily by law enforcement in situations where
force, but not lethal force, is required to subdue a target. The
gun fires two dart-like electrodes that deliver a brief, but
strong, electrical current to the target.
Most people
are incapacitated
briefly
, which allows
the police to take control of the subject. They’re usually quite
safe,
but
occasionally
a
few
individuals suffer
cardiac arrest,
probably due to some pre-existing condition. Could you come up with
a device that immobilizes a person without any serious lasting
effects?”

“
I’ve already studied the
Taser. It’s essentially a stun gun. The technology is quite
primitive, and I would suggest an electron gun that could deliver a
disabling charge without causing permanent damage. But, you must
also consider that the capacity to withstand an electric shock
varies from person to person, and you could have a rare fatality
associated with its use just as with the Taser.