Warp Drive, Patent Pending, page 11
George was at his desk smiling, proud of himself.
“I can see him doing that.” She said. “How was it?”
“Incredible,” Drath said. “We went from one side of the country to the other. It was incredible.”
“Oh,” Helen sounded a little left out, but added, “I would have been sicker than a dog!”
“We were lost for a while too. It was kind of scary getting back.”
Before too many details of the adventure could be leaked, George changed the conversation.”Here it is now.”
All three of them huddled behind George’s desk. Every few seconds a new line of data would load into the spreadsheet. Overnight the data had been converted and categorized to match the column headings of the report.
“Look, we are on the third test, and the polarity and voltage were the same on all of them,” Helen commented. “I told you it wouldn't be the polarity,” she said poking Drath in the shoulder.
“Amperage is the same too,” Drath agreed. “Power supply is out of consideration.”
“It never really was an option,” George said knowingly. “Just not enough variables when you consider that list of locations,” he added.
“If those are indeed locations or destinations,” Drath said.
“Well, that is the assumption we are going on,” Helen reminded them.
They all nodded and continued watching the lines on the spreadsheet load.
“There are no repeating frequencies or amplitudes,” George stated. “Look, all ten are different, unique to the selected line. Those are the elements of the signal that control the destination.”
“We finally have a lead on this. Glass will be happy to hear that!” Drath said.
“We think we do anyway, still don't know where they go, though.” Helen reminded him.
“Sure, but we are on our way. We have solid evidence that supports our inference that it is a list of destinations.”
George paused and added. “The first line tested was the last setting that Mother traveled. It is the setting that brought her to Earth. We know that destination.”
“Maybe,” Helen and Drath agreed.
“I'll get this printed out for the morning meeting,” George said,” and meet you there. I think this will make the day for Glass.”
ANSWERS
Glass and his security man were there with another team when Helen and Drath arrived. The other team present was one Drath didn't recognize, and the paperwork was collected quickly as they entered. It reminded him that secrets existed that even he was left out of. He thought that he had top level clearance, but apparently, there were levels and secrets that he was not allowed to know.
As the team ahead of them left the room, Glass turned to the partial Warp Team. “Good morning, is George going to make it?”
“He'll be...” Helen was cut off by George's entry.
“I’m right here!” He was carrying a short stack of loose paperwork.
George took a seat next to Drath and started passing out a few sheets to each of the others. “I've got good news,” he said in an excited voice.
Drath examined the paperwork. Besides the readout from yesterday's test, there was an extra sheet of paper.
We received a signal from one of the test probes!” he announced.
Helen and Drath looked at each other surprised but pleased.
George continued, “The report came in this morning,” he informed them.
Drath examined the paper. It was probe number three. It was passed through the tunnel over four weeks ago. They would have the records of the exact date and time in the test logs of the experiment.
George explained, “Using the record of exactly when the probe was launched, along with the embedded broadcast time in the signature of the signal, we can calculate how far away the probe is.”
Helen finished the explanation to Glass for him. “And using the positioning data from the telescope, we can pinpoint where it is at now.
There was a celebratory hooray and pat on the back, as each of them acknowledged the first real success of the team. Drath found himself with one arm around Helen giving her a half hug and released it casually. She grabbed his hand at gave it a squeeze. Both were impulsive joyous reactions to the news, but Drath noticed the significance of the contact. The fact that George had patted and grabbed his shoulder didn't even register with him. His attention was given to the warm touch of Helen.
Helen released his hand, and he forced his attention back to the matters of the meeting.
“That's a step in the right direction!” Glass said happily. “Can we repeat the process? Will the results hold true for a second pass?” he asked.
“That's our next step. But, we won’t know right away. It could be several weeks before we know.” George said.
“Glass nodded,” understanding the time factor.
“And we have more news,” George continued.
“Drath,” Helen said, giving him credit for the tests on Mother, “came up with an experiment testing the software applications within Mother’s systems and we think we've found the keys to adjusting the warp field generators that control tunnel destination.”
Glass's eyes lit up, “You've been busy this week.” He was smiling and looking over the papers he'd been given.
George continued, “The signals that Mother sends to the ship's plates were analyzed, and we've found the factors that apparently control destination.”
Drath was reviewing the paperwork before him, “You can see each line or destination, has a series of settings that are unique. He was about to continue the explanation, but his attention was focused on the numbers in front of him. His pause was momentary but noticeable.
Helen continued the explanation, “Because of that, we theorize that each line is a destination. The mystery text before the number setting may actually be the alien name of the destination.”
“I think we can conclude that it's more than a theory,” Drath announced.
The others in the room looked to him wondering what basis he had for that conclusion.
He continued, “The settings that probe three was sent through the tunnel on, are the same as the first line in Mother’s list.”
Helen and George reviewed the paperwork and agreed. “The first line on Mother’s list was the settings that she was set on when she was found. It was the last trip that Mother took in reaching Earth,” George added.
“And it would most likely be the closest probe that we sent out, and we heard it before the others. It adds up,” Helen said.
“Still it’s over four weeks away, as the signal travels. That's not close,” Drath added.
“Well, I think it's reason for celebration!” Glass nearly shouted and banged the table causing the mild-mannered security man to jump in his seat. Everyone laughed happily as he blushed. “Tonight at seven let’s all meet at the community room in your building. I’ll send over some drinks and food. It's a big day for you, and I appreciate your work! I’ll get a couple other related teams there for you to share your news. You can bring the Crypto Team up to speed. Maybe they can do something with those location names.”
Even the party would be work related, Drath thought to himself. But, he knew business was a business.
That evening there were about thirty people at the event. George pointed out the Crypto Team. He spent some time explaining the location text elements to them. Bob was there too, with the whole Battery Team. Drath was introduced to the Metallurgy Team and the Fiber Optics Team. They seem fun spirited people who started a rowdy card game at one the tables. It looked they were playing Euchre. Drath wondered if he could talk them into Gin later. There were several other teams there that covered different elements of the ship. Eventually, there were too many names to remember, so Drath stopped trying. He just shook hands smiled and made casual talk about the projects they were involved. No one went into detail or divulged secrets beyond what they felt others could know. They all knew keeping the Glass discoveries secret was a top priority. In addition to the teams, Drath noticed there were several security members mingling in the crowd.
Glass followed through on his promise and supplied a buffet of food and an open bar for drinks. It was more than an opportunity to share each other’s successes, it was a chance to let down your hair and blow off steam. Drath was told Glass threw socials a couple times a year. This was the first one Drath had seen and as the evening progressed thought the attendees were indeed loosening up. A couple people sang and played guitar in one corner. They were good, and Helen spent some time singing with them. Drath noted she had a fine voice to go along with her other attributes. Several groups played board games or told jokes as they drained the bottles from the bar. It was a Friday night, a party night, and everyone was having a good time.
George was fairly tipsy as he made his way back to Drath. He had been circling the room sharing news and celebrating with his friends and co-workers. He came up to Drath and put his arm around his shoulder. “We're going to fly that thing some day,” he said.
Drath smiled at the thought. He wondered that himself once in a while. “Maybe,” he agreed.
“No maybe about it. Glass said Burger and I would be part of the test piloting team. You replaced Burger. So, it's you and me, buster!”
Drath could hear in George’s drunken voice that it was a dream of his.
“We're not quite ready for that yet,” Drath cautioned. “We needed a few more tests I think.”
“Sure, sure, sure,” he slurred. “But we'll get in those seats some day and fire away to the stars.”
Helen walked up and helped George to a sofa where he landed with a plop in the overstuffed pillow cushions. His arm arced across the room. “To the moon, Helen, to the moon!” he laughed.
The party lasted late into the night. The crowd only started to thin when the bar closed at midnight. Most of the liquor was gone by then anyway. A cooler of beer still sat on the table for the die-hard drinkers. Drath was amazed to see how much many of his coworkers could drink, and still walk. George was beyond that, asleep on the sofa where they left him. But many people were still functioning after drinking all night. Drath was not a heavy drinker, and the three or four drinks he did have was giving him a solid buzz. He was feeling good about everything, and things got even better when Helen walked up. She had a drink in her hand too.
“Walk a girl to her room?” she asked.
“I'd be happy to,” Drath answered and took her arm. They set their glasses down and walked out the door to the hall leading to the elevator foyer. Their hips bumped into each other as they shuffled along. Helen giggled at her clumsiness and Drath enjoyed helping her, holding her close. The elevator door was open and waiting for them, and they stumbled into it.
“Seven please,” Helen said. Drath turned and pressed the button. The doors slid together. Before they were completely closed, they were kissing.
The next day it was hard for Drath to keep his mind on his work. His thoughts kept drifting back to his night with Helen. He had spent the whole night with her. It was the first evening with a woman for quite a while and even longer for being with someone his own age. He didn't miss the youth that he experienced with Sue. Helen had been just as good a lover. In fact, there was something in the maturity of Helen's lovemaking and the understanding of a man that made it even more enjoyable. They made love long into the morning and held each other as they slept. When he woke, they were still holding each other.
Drath was doing the calculations on the signal that was received from the probe. They had identified what probe it was and knew when it was sent into the warp tunnel. The signal itself had a time stamp embedded in it that indicated the broadcast time. With the solution algorithm he created Drath could calculate the distance to the probe. He input the figures and tapped start just as Helen entered the office. Her perfume broke his concentration, but the intrusion was welcome. The computer was already processing.
“Good morning,” she said with a smile.
Drath looked up. He had been smiling all morning. “It is a great morning isn’t it,” he said.
George entered the room with a completely different look on his face. Drath imagined he was hung over in a big way. He slowly sat down at his desk. Neither Helen nor he said anything. They just watched him painfully get to his seat. He looked up and noticed them watching him.
“Are you feeling okay?” Drath asked already knowing the answer.
“I've felt better.”
“I'll get you a coffee,” Helen said.
George nodded, “Thanks, that'd be great.” His bloodshot eyes almost made Drath feel the headache. “Aspirin?” George asked.
Helen was returning with the coffee. “I got some in my desk,” she said setting the cup down and went to retrieve them.
“Anything on the distance?” he asked.
“Still processing,” Drath answered. “It should be any time now. I got the telescope data and entered that too. We should be able to get a 3D star map in a few minutes.”
George took a sip of the coffee and a couple aspirin that Helen handed him. “That was quite a Friday night. I haven’t drunk that much in a long time. I'm getting old I guess. It never used to knock me down like this when I was younger.”
“We are all getting old,” Drath added.
George nodded and took another sip. He was already looking better. “I think we’re close to solving this thing,” he said. “All we need to do is figure out why a certain frequency delivers the craft to that particular place.”
Drath was about to add his thoughts when his computer beeped. “It looks like it’s ready. I’ll put it on the big monitor.” A large monitor on a rolling stand came to life. It was an image of the solar system. The planets circled the sun in high definition.
“Nice realistic image,” George commented. His voice seemed back to normal.
“I use imagery from some stock NASA footage I found online,” Drath said.
A line of data scrolled across the bottom of the screen. The endless line of numbers were the actual signals received from the probe. The image tipped up a bit making a point of view from below the planetary plane. A red line started to extend away from the third planet. It kept extending at an angle below the orbital plane and away from the Earth. Shortly after passing Pluto, at its most distant orbital point, an icon of the probe appeared.
“There we are,” Drath announced. “That is the location of the probe.”
Helen read the final numbers. “Point zero, zero, zero eight light years from the Earth,”
“And minus fourteen degrees off the orbital plane,” George added. “In galactic terms, it’s very close.”
“But it is completely out of our solar systems widest orbit,” Helen commented.
Drath grabbed his calculator and pressed a few buttons. “That’s about seven light hours away.”
They all nodded in agreement. “Mother must have used the gravity drive to get to Earth from there,” Drath said.
“It doesn’t add up,” George commented. “Why did it take four weeks to find a beacon seven light hours away?” Helen and Drath looked to him for more clarity on the question. “A radio wave from there would only take about nine hours to reach earth,” he explained.
“The telescopes had the whole sky to search,” Helen answered, “they just missed it.” All three of them considered the answer and thought it plausible.
“I know we don't know exactly how it works, but we got hundreds of locations on that list in Mother’s computer. Do ya think there’s an Earth-like planet for each one of ‘em?” George asked.
“Not necessarily, those locations could be anything from research points to settlements or even their home world,” Helen suggested. “We have no way of knowing.”
“Getting that alien text figured out would help,” Drath said. They all nodded in agreement.
“Sure,” George agreed aloud. “But without that, we only have one choice. I think we should propose an expedition. We know how to get back to earth now.”
“Hold on George, I don't think we're ready for that,” Drath cautioned. “I still have too many questions.
“We need to explore those other destinations,” George explained. “Who knows what we could find out there. Glass wants new technology.”
“Sure he does, but I think that's still a ways off,” Drath argued.
“We need to repeat the experiment,” Helen added. “If a second probe travels to the same location and we confirm our theory by locating it within nine hours, we may want to move in that direction.”
George was nodding, “Yes, yes, of course, confirm the findings.”
“But I doubt Glass will give up Mother happily. That ship has been his goldmine for thirty years,” she continued.
“He's gotten everything out of the Mother that he can,” George countered. “Figuring out warp was the last thing he wanted.”
“The power source battery too,” Helen reminded him.
“We haven’t quite figured warp out yet,” Drath corrected. “We can build the components, but have no idea how they work, or how they bend space.”
George couldn't argue that point. The technology was still mostly a mystery to all of them. From the engineering to the physics, the interaction between the pulsers and the space around them was unknown. They can still only guess what happens when the power is turned on.
“I still want to talk to Glass about it,” George shot back.
Drath knew George wanted to fly Mother. He wanted them to go exploring the universe together jumping from one location to another, logging and mapping what was in the computers on board Mother. George didn't have faith that the Crypto Team could decipher the language on board the ship. The only way to learn where the list would take them was to go and see. An expedition seemed the natural answer to him. George continued arguing that point until his phone rang.
“George Hanlon,” he answered. “Yes. Umm, yeah. Okay, what happened?” he asked. There was a sense of urgency building in his voice. “I see, what hospital is she in?”
