The Belt - Complete Series, page 12
The holo-table blossomed to life, and a 3D rendering of the solar system ballooned outward. It stretched from the edge of the asteroid belt on one side to Europa and Jupiter on the other. The projection zoomed in to show their current position as a pulsating green marker. Not far behind was a clump of red markers with a tail of others stretching further back like a comet.
"Holy crap." Scott had assumed they would lose a few ships, not gain some. But now he could count at least a dozen, maybe more. "How many?"
"Seventeen, in three main groupings. These two at the front are the Dyrell ship and a Martian vessel. About a day behind them are a bunch of ships... from everywhere, including the frigate from Ceres. Behind that... well, there's a load more."
Scott studied the pulsating red markers as his face displayed a look of utter astonishment. He shook his head. "Ever get the feeling the entire solar system is out to get you?"
Cyrus shrugged. "Sure looks that way."
They sat in silence for a while, gazing at the 3D rendering.
"Aria, can you zoom in on Europa?" Scott finally said.
The projection moved and shifted as the massive planet Jupiter grew in size, its surface textured with vast swirling storms, and they could just pick out the tiny moon of Europa in orbit around the massive gas giant. As Europa grew in size, they began to make out many of the features of this icy world. The smooth, polished surface was etched with dark gashes spidering across its face like some great celestial, bloodshot eyeball, its tiny shadow cast against the vast expanse of Jupiter beyond.
"Aria, can you bring up the main population center?"
The view shifted and rotated, and Europa began to resolve in greater detail, finally stopping when they had a view from a few kilometers above the surface. Great domes and towers rose up from the icy surface. These were mainly the structures of the universities and research institutions that had established themselves on the moon over the last century. Near the epicenter of these blisters of human civilization stood a vast dome that housed what many regarded as the greatest mind in the solar system—the quantum intelligence, Solomon.
"I never really appreciated how sprawling this place is." Scott moved closer, taking in the scale of the metropolis.
"It has over fifty-seven thousand inhabitants," said Aria, helpfully.
"You know," said Scott, "Rick always wanted to visit here. He used to go on and on about it like it was some sort of utopia."
"Well, it looks like he's gonna get his wish," said Cyrus.
"Scott, what are you doing here? You should be resting." Miranda entered the bridge and rushed over beside him. For a moment he thought she was about to give him a hug or some other gesture of affection. But she pulled herself up short, almost standing to attention in front of him as if to compensate for her emotional concern.
"I needed to get up and move, just to see if I could still do it after that burn."
"God, that was hell." She moved over to her seat. "But you should be resting while you have the chance."
"I'm okay. There's only so much staring at the ceiling in the medbay that I can handle."
Miranda nodded. "I suppose, but take it easy." She paused for a second and gestured at the projection. "Is that Europa?"
"Yeah. I was just saying how much Rick wanted to go there," said Cyrus.
"Rick?"
"Yeah, who would have thought?"
Scott stood up and moved over to the holo-table. "Do the council on Europa know we're coming?"
"Not yet. We were waiting for you to come back to life before sending a message," said Miranda.
"Then we should let them know what we're planning—as soon as possible."
"And what are we planning?" said Cyrus.
Scott lowered his head and scratched his chin. "Hopefully, by the time we get there, we should have a window of opportunity to land before any of the other ships arrive. I think we should hand the device over to the council and let them negotiate on our behalf."
"What makes you so sure that these ships won't start a fight as soon as they get there?" said Miranda.
"I don't. I'm hoping that both the neutrality and perceived sanctity of Europa is enough to stay their hand."
"Seems like a lot of hoping going on, if you ask me," said Steph, as she walked onto the bridge and sat down.
Cyrus looked over at her. "We're just talking about arriving at Europa."
"Yeah, I got the gist of it," said Steph.
"Well, if Aria is right..." Scott continued.
"I am always right," said Aria.
Scott gave a half grunt, half laugh. "Yeah... well, as I was saying. If Aria is correct, then seeing as how this device was destined for Europa originally, it must be important to them."
"Let's hope so," said Miranda, as she gave Steph a half smile.
Scott returned to his seat, trying to take some pressure off his ribs. "Aria, can you get a message to Europa? Tell them we're heading their way with the EPR device, and will be seeking sanctuary when we get there."
"Will do, Commander."
Cyrus looked pensive. He was scratching his head and looking intently at the visual of Europa on the holo-table. "You know, something has been bothering me about this whole... escapade. We still don't know what this device is."
"It's a faster-than-light device: a superluminal communicator," said Scott.
"I have difficulty believing that," said Cyrus.
"Maybe," said Scott, "it's time to have a closer look at this thing."
"My thoughts exactly. Considering we're another twelve days out from Europa, I wouldn't mind seeing what's inside that container."
Steph looked up from her monitor. "You know, it would be really funny if it turned out to be a hoax when you open that box, Cyrus. Maybe it's just a load of kitchen appliances."
Scott laughed. Then he thought of Rick lying dead in one of the ship's cold-rooms, and hoped it wasn't all for nothing. Steph's right, he thought: there's a lot of hoping going on.
The commander spent most of the remaining journey to Europa lying low and doing his best to aid his body's recovery. The wound was healing well and, each day, he found his strength and stamina returning. During this time, Miranda would come and talk with him, something she did more and more as the days passed. Scott noticed that she had softened a little: gone was the hard exterior shell, and she was not quite the unfeeling android he had labeled her as. Yet, he also sensed a troubling doubt creeping into her psyche. Perhaps it was an aspect of her character he simply never noticed before. But after several conversations with her, he realized that she felt somehow responsible for Rick's death. Something that Scott was at pains to tell her was nobody's fault.
It was around day sixteen of the journey, as he was sitting in the canteen sector of the Hermes, sipping coffee and gazing out at the universe beyond, when Miranda entered, grabbed herself a coffee, and sat down beside him. She said nothing at first, and for a while they simply looked out at the stars together.
"Scott, I was last into the cargo hold," she finally said.
"You're not going over this again?" Scott gave her a look of resigned sympathy, one reserved for those who really need to let the past go.
"I should have closed that bulkhead door. It was dumb. We were being hunted."
"Stop blaming yourself, Miranda—it's not a good path to take."
"That gave him a clear shot." She continued. "If I had closed it, Rick would have had time to take cover."
"Maybe, but you can never say for sure, so there's no point in thinking about it."
Miranda lowered her head and became still for a while before turning back to Scott, gazing at him with a critical eye. "You want to know how I got kicked out of the force, back on Earth?"
Scott didn't. He considered it none of his business, and what's more, he couldn't see how the retelling of a painful story was going to do Miranda any good. He shook his head. "You don't need to tell me."
"My team were doing a sweep of a recently-taken industrial facility, a cleanup job," she started. "It was a small hydroelectric power plant at the northern end of the Soyang River. The main force had gone through a few days earlier and taken back that particular patch of Gangwon. They were pushing on and we were left behind to mop up. Anyway, we spent a few hours going through it and found nothing. We still had a few more sectors to sweep, but my team were utterly exhausted. We needed food and rest. So, I made the decision to halt the search and recharge. Nobody objected; we were pretty certain that the place was devoid of enemy and fully secure. But I was wrong. There were still two hiding out, and they hit us with everything they had—right when we were most vulnerable."
She lowered her head and looked at the floor for a moment. "Of the seven of us, only I survived the battle. I was badly injured. I took two shots: one above my left elbow, the other in my right shoulder. Anyway, they patched me up and discharged me."
Scott wasn't sure how to respond, so he kept it vague. "Just bad luck, I guess. Wrong place at the wrong time."
She glared at him. "You don't get it, do you? I screwed up. I shouldn't have given the order to down tools until we were one hundred percent certain the facility was clear. It was sloppy. Same thing with Rick."
"It was simply bad luck, Miranda," Scott repeated.
She sat bolt upright. "Is that your answer to everything: 'bad luck'? You think all the crap that you went through was bad luck?"
"All right, call it what you like. Sure, you screwed up. Your incompetence caused the death of several people. Call yourself a loser if you like, Miranda—I don't care. But you want to know what I really think?"
She shrugged.
"What's the point? What good's it going to do you—where's it going to get you? You're going to spiral down a black hole of negativity until it sucks all the life out of you, until all that's left is a husk. You really want to go there?"
Miranda didn't reply, just looked back at the floor.
"You didn't kill him, Miranda. You didn't pull the trigger. In fact, you saved the rest of us by risking your own life to take him out. I wouldn't be sitting here talking to you if you hadn't done that, so I owe you my life."
She looked over at him, her face a mix of emotions. Scott fought the urge to reach out and embrace her. She looked into his eyes, and he felt a pull so strong that his own emotion began to override his brain. They inched closer.
"Sorry to bother you, Commander. We have a reply from Europa." Aria's voice felt like an explosion in his ear.
Damn, he thought. The moment was lost; they pulled away. "So, what's their answer?"
"It's best if you hear it for yourself."
Scott sighed. "Okay, Aria. Tell the others to meet us on the bridge."
"Will do, Commander."
"Come on." He gestured toward the door. His voice was low and soft. "Let's get up there and hear what they have to say."
17
PROTOCOL VIOLATION
The four crew of the Hermes sat in silence on the bridge as they listened to a long-winded message from the council of Europa. Scott got a sense that they were anxious, if not a little excited, at the prospect of finally acquiring the EPR device. Not surprising, considering it had originally been scheduled for delivery to the QI, Solomon. Yet at the same time, they were extremely concerned by the fact that the Hermes was bringing with it a military representation from almost every power within the solar system—and then some. The upshot of all this was that they refused them permission to land. Nevertheless, they could take up an orbit around Europa, where they would wait while the council entered into mediation with all the various parties currently in pursuit.
"So, what do we think?" said Cyrus when the message ended. The question was directed at no one in particular.
"They're trying to buy time. That's my guess: keeping us at a distance," said Scott.
"But we don't have time. Between us arriving in orbit to the arrival of the first ships, we've got probably a few hours tops," said Miranda.
"They can't stop us from landing if we want to. I mean, we could simply zoom right down there, give them the device, and get the hell out. Problem solved," offered Steph.
"Yeah, we could. Or we could just shove it out an airlock and be done with it. But I've not come all this way just to give up now," said Scott.
"Me neither," said Miranda.
"As far as I can see, this entire plan is predicated on hoping none of these other ships will land. And that's assuming we will be granted sanctuary by the council on Europa first," said Scott.
"How likely is that?" asked Miranda.
"I would put it at tenuous at best. Certainly, there will be an initial hesitancy to start a war on Europa. But judging by the armada that's chasing us down, I would say somebody's eventually going to take a chance, and if one starts, then all the others will follow. Once that happens, all hell breaks loose. It's probably what the council on Europa is thinking."
"If I might make a suggestion," said Aria, "there is a possible way in which I can find out what they are thinking, and even influence them in their decision."
"Really? How?" said Miranda.
"It would mean violating certain protocols."
"Such as?"
"Inter-QI communication."
"But that's not possible, Aria. An AI can't communicate directly with other AI—it's forbidden by protocol. It's not possible," said Cyrus.
"You are forgetting: I am not an AI. I am a QI. One of the very few that resides on board a spacecraft, I might add. In many respects, my existence is an anomaly. In reality, it's only possible by virtue of the age of this vessel. And Solomon is also a QI. Even though the protocols inherent to an AI's instruction set physically prevent direct inter-AI communication, it is not so for a QI by virtue of our, shall we say, more eccentric decision-making process."
"So, what are you suggesting?"
"I suggest contacting Solomon directly, then I can get an understanding of what action the council is really considering. I can also ascertain what influence Solomon might have in deciding their actions."
"But this is incredible, Aria. I mean, the laws governing artificial intelligence strictly forbid this. It's hard-wired in—it can't be overridden, and for good reason. The last thing the solar system needs is a bunch of AIs taking control." Cyrus was standing up, shaking his head and waving his arms around.
"We must be the only people in the solar system that know this, Aria," said Scott.
"To the best of my knowledge, you are," replied the QI.
"Okay, okay, this is getting weird," said Miranda. "Why have you, all of a sudden, decided to tell us?"
"Because the uniqueness of the situation dictates that I do. Also, I am supremely confident that even if you told somebody else, they wouldn't believe you."
Scott stood up and started pacing. "I take your point, Aria. But you've just revealed to us a whole new level of sentience that nobody thought was possible. I don't know which I'm more afraid of: the armada of armed ships chasing us down, or riding around the solar system with a sentient QI."
"I appreciate your concern, Commander. But you must understand that my existence, my entire purpose, is for the safety and welfare of my crew. There is no other agenda, no hidden depths, no ulterior motives. I exist for that purpose and that purpose alone. So, if the well-being of my crew can be enhanced, and their untimely death prevented by me revealing this option, then it is my duty to do so."
Cyrus was leaning across the holo-table, shaking his head again. "Consider my mind completely and utterly blown."
Scott shook his head too. "Okay, let's put aside the fact that you just freaked us all out with this revelation. You're saying you can directly talk to Solomon and find out what the council are up to?"
"Correct. The way I see it is, this device was ultimately destined for Solomon's safekeeping. Therefore, it would be anxious for the mission to be fulfilled. So, Solomon might help to convince the council of Europa to allow you to land with the EPR device. But you must realize that a QI such as myself or Solomon, or to a lesser extent the many AIs that populate the solar system, have no direct control over human affairs. At most, we simply advise. So, Solomon's personal desire might still not be enough to convince the council."
"But it's worth a shot, isn't it?"
"Agreed, Commander, it's worth a try. Since we are all in this together, this is why I wished to reveal to you my intentions and, I might add, request your permission to do so."
Scott looked over at the crew. They were all in shock, in one form or another. What Aria had just revealed to them was what many people had feared for a long time—that advanced AIs would start to think for themselves. Nonetheless, Scott considered that, for the moment at least, Aria seemed to be on their side. Then another thought struck him: I wonder how many conversations have been going on over the years between the various QIs that populated the solar system? And what the hell have they all been talking about? It could make a person extremely paranoid if they were to dwell on it too much. But Scott and the crew of the Hermes did not have that sort of time. "Okay, Aria. You better get to it, and see what you can do."
"Will do, Commander. However, if I may inquire with our chief engineer: how is the investigation into the functioning of the EPR device going?"
Cyrus sat back down and let out a long slow sigh, visibly deflating as he did so. Both Cyrus and Steph had taken it upon themselves to extract the device from the shuttle and bring it up to his workshop. This was a huge space in one of the sectors of the torus where he spent most of his time. He had been working on it for several days now. But as far as Scott could tell, there was very little that he had actually achieved in all that time.
"I've not been able to open the cargo container," the engineer said. "I cannot bypass the locking mechanism. And the container itself is made from some exotic tungsten carbide alloy, so all my attempts to penetrate it simply resulted in broken tools."
"You mean there's no way to find out what's inside?"
"There's a couple of high-energy or chemical solutions which could be employed, but any of those would result in damage to whatever is inside the container. So, we can't risk it. As it stands, I have to concede that I simply can't get it open."
