Communion of Dreams, page 5
“While she was there, she found a chess set I have set up. She recognized the game, seems she picked it up somewhere in her travels.
“Anyway, as we ate, we played a game. She beat me, soundly. The second game I loaded a strategy program. She won again, just as easily as the first game. I escalated the ability of the program. She kept with it to the Grand Master level. And she doesn’t have any cyberware.”
“Great. She’s a chess prodigy. So, find her a family, give her a stable life, and get her into a school.”
“No, she’s more than just a prodigy. Over the next couple of days, she would come to visit me. I tried her out on a variety of games, some she had never seen before. She intuitively understood the underlying strategy of every single one, and was able to beat me and any AI system I could come up with, to the highest level.”
“I still don’t understand why you think she should be on the mission.”
“Well, I also started testing her other abilities. Her understanding of strategy is actually just one component of her understanding of game theory.”
“Game theory?”
“Yes. Oh, she can’t tell you anything about any of the scholarship on it, and her vocabulary is very limited, even in her native language. But she understands it. Didn’t you say in the meeting last night that you needed an expert on game theory?”
Jon looked at the funny little man for a long time, then to the ragged girl. “Gish, this is insane.”
Gish looked into the eyes of the girl. But he spoke to Jon. “Why did you come out here with me?”
“What? Well, because . . . ”
“Because you know when to listen, when to trust the instincts of others as well as your own. That’s what I meant when I said I was glad to see I was right about you.” Gish turned to face Jon. “Listen to me. My instincts tell me that this child will be important to us. I can’t explain it. But I know I’m right. I’ve only felt this way twice before. The first time was when I understood how to use the BEC as the heart of long-range sensing. I was proven right on that in a matter of months. The second time was in knowing that there is other intelligent life in our galaxy. That’s taken decades to be proven correct. But I was right, even if most of the world doesn’t know it yet.”
“And on the basis of this instinct you want me to bring a child along to Titan.”
“Yes.”
Jon shook his head. “No. I’m sorry, none of us will be able to play nanny to a child, in the crazy hope that she might be a prodigy with a particular gift suitable for our research.”
Gish looked at Jon almost defiantly. “I’ll take care of her myself.”
“You? You barely take care of yourself!”
Gish looked down at his feet, was quiet for a very long time. Just as Jon was about to get up and leave, he spoke. “I know. I know.”
He looked up, right at Jon. “I was a graduate student at Los Alamos when the flu hit. I came home from my lab late one night feeling a little feverish, and my wife got me into bed. I don’t remember anything after that, until I came out of a delirium five days later, dehydrated and almost dead. Weakly I got out of bed, crawled into the living room of our apartment, where I found my wife and our twin toddlers dead from the flu.
“After that, I was never able to face starting a family again. Yet I cannot ignore this little girl, or what my instincts tell me about her.”
Jon looked from Gish to the little girl. “Have you talked with Bradsen? You’re scheduled to be in his team. Why come to me about this?”
“Like I said, because I knew you would understand.”
Jon sighed. “OK. Let’s get her to come inside and I’ll have Seth run through some tests with her, confirm what you’ve found. If everything checks out, I’ll help you persuade Bradsen to allow bringing her along.”
Gish smiled. Said something to the girl, who nodded. Then he turned back to Jon. “She agrees. But I want to be with your team for the trip out.”
“Why?”
“I know the personnel he has assembled. Good, competent researchers. But most of them don’t like me. I’ll pretty much be doing my own work, once we arrive on site. I think Bradsen will be happy to let me transfer ships.”
“All right. Let’s get her inside and get Seth working with her. By the way, what’s her name?”
“Chu Ling.”
Jon nodded his head, touched the wafer under his ear. “Seth, download the record of the last few minutes from my pc. Then make the necessary arrangements for us to get inside with the girl. I’ll meet you in the conference room; since she isn’t wired, you’ll have to conduct the tests from the holo projector there. And tell Magurshak I’m on my way to lunch.”
“Understood.”
“Let’s go.” Jon looked to Gish and the young girl.
“Oh, and Seth . . . ”
“Yes?”
“Prepare a Mandarin language program for me, OK?”
“It’s waiting for you.”
* * *
The cafeteria was situated on an upper balcony, affording a view of the city. Magurshak faced Jon. Each of them could see both of the experts standing to the side of the table.
“What I’m saying is that you don’t need to bring in anyone.”
“Then who is going to handle your job while you’re gone?”
“Seth will.” Jon said this as he glanced to the image of the expert standing there.
“Usually, I’d agree that he could handle things while you were out of the office, even for a prolonged vacation. But Seth will be with you. He won’t even be functional for the trip out.”
At this point Seth spoke. “I can duplicate enough of myself onto a thin-film machine to handle the routine office demands for a brief period. Once I am functional again on Titan Prime, I can run the majority of the office’s needs from there.”
Jon nodded. “And I can manage policy decisions, no matter where I am. The communication lag shouldn’t present any real difficulty, just a minor annoyance.”
Magurshak looked unconvinced. “And if something happens to either or both of you?”
“Sappho has the necessary codes to decrypt all archive and working file backups. Sappho, working with the Seth dup, can keep the office running.” Jon smiled. “Look, nothing is going to happen. And if it does, well, that’s why I’m going instead of you. Because I can be replaced.”
“I’ll remind you that you said that next time your contract’s up.” Magurshak returned Jon’s smile. “OK, you win.”
He looked to the apparent image of Sappho, an olive-skinned, dark-haired woman about Seth’s height and age. “Make the arrangements.”
The expert nodded, then looked to Seth. “Done,” they said simultaneously.
Magurshak looked across the table at Jon. “Now, I see from your postings that your team seems to be coming together pretty well. But what was this meeting which kept you late for lunch?”
Jon thought about it. “I’ll have the full report in a while. But Gish came to me with an addition he wanted me to make to my team. A young refugee from somewhere in China, who is evidently a prodigy in game theory. I have Seth working with her now to confirm.”
“Who is this girl? How old is she?”
“Her name is Chu Ling. Seth wasn’t able to find any records of her anywhere, but that isn’t too surprising, considering conditions throughout China. She’s about seven or eight years old.”
Magurshak frowned. “Do you think it wise to take such a young child along?”
“No, it’s crazy.”
“Good. You were starting to worry me.”
“But I don’t want to dismiss Gish’s recommendation too lightly. There’s clearly more to it than the story he has concocted, but he seems to think it’s important.”
Magurshak’s frown didn’t lessen. “Do you think she’d be of any use?”
“No idea. I’m meeting with Johan Klee later this afternoon. He’s a top notch linguist and communications theorist, and perhaps she would be a complement to his abilities.” Jon shook his head. “Gish is adamant about bringing her along, and I’m willing to do so just to keep him happy, whether or not the girl would be of any use. I really hate to go against him — he’s a bit of a nut, but he is undoubtably an asset to the team.”
“Well, do what you think is best. I’ll look for your post later.” Magurshak glanced briefly at Sappho, then back at Jon. “I’ll meet you at the airport tomorrow, unless something else comes up.”
* * *
Klee took the news of the discovery of the artifact in stride. A quiet man, early fifties, with somewhat wild white hair, he listened as Jon outlined the mission, and his role in it. “I will do what I can, though if there is no activity from the artifact, if it isn’t trying to communicate with us, I’m not sure what good it will do to have me there.”
“It may be that it is attempting to communicate, but we haven’t detected it yet.” Jon paused. “There’s something else. I’d like your opinion on a possible colleague for the trip. Please take a look at the file my expert is uploading to you now.”
Klee scanned the material, then said “I’d like to meet the girl, if I may.”
Jon nodded, and said, “Come with me.”
They went down to the conference room, where they found Gish and the girl. Jon introduced Gish and Klee to one another. Initiating the language program, Jon said “Chu Ling, this is Johan Klee. He would like to talk with you.”
The girl looked at Klee, said nothing. Klee smiled, asked Jon, “May I spend a little time with her? I have some ideas I’d like to explore.”
“Sure. Just ask Seth to provide holo images of any games or anything you want to try. I’ll be in my office.”
“Thank you. This shouldn’t take long.” Klee took a chair and moved it over to the edge of the holo field, then got another chair and placed it beside the first. As he was sitting down, Jon left.
Jon had been in his office for about 15 minutes when Seth told him that Klee was on his way back. Moments later, the linguist knocked on his door and then entered.
“Well?” asked Jon.
Klee sat opposite Jon’s desk. “Oh, she’s a prodigy in game theory. And probably will master the principles of communication theory just as soon as she can be introduced to it. If we do manage to make contact with the artifact, she may well have insights that no one else would have.”
“Why do you say that?”
“She doesn’t have some of the biases that we adults have.”
Jon nodded. “The Emperor’s new clothes.”
Klee laughed. “Something like that. In any event, I think I can offer her the specialized training in game and communication theory that no one else can.”
“Fine.” Jon nodded again. “Seth, please ask Dr. Gish to join us.”
In just a few moments, Gish came into the office, the girl in tow.
Jon looked at the two of them. “You’ve got your wish. She can go, and you two will be part of my team.”
Jon continued. “There isn’t time to get her implanted with cyberware before we leave, and it might be too much, too soon for her anyway. But we should get a phone into her, just for safety if nothing else.”
Gish held tightly onto the girl’s hand. “I would agree.”
“Seth will make the arrangements.”
Klee asked, “Since she won’t be wired, can you find some sort of portable display we can use for her lessons?”
Jon thought for a moment. “Seth, see what is available that will travel well. I know they have some holo projectors on the ship, but I’d like something with more flexibility.”
Seth appeared. “We have a few small projectors which don’t require cyberware to work. Herr Klee, if you and Doctor Gish would just suggest software for instructional purposes, I’ll be glad to get those prepared.”
Klee looked to Gish. “We can discuss it while she gets her phone implant.”
Jon looked to the two men and the girl. “Until tomorrow, then.”
Chapter 3
‘What was it?’ he wondered as the car wound through the streets, stopping before the USSA building. He got out, standing there in the plaza, looking up at the golden plasteel supports and the draping glass fabric.
‘What was it?’ The question nagged. There was something half-remembered that had been haunting him all morning. Something he felt. Something he could almost taste. As he turned back to the building, there was a blurring at the edge of his vision, and he almost knew.
Almost. Golden light, somewhere above him. A metallic tang in his mouth. Movement at the edges of consciousness. Then it slipped away, thin veins of frost vanishing in the morning sun.
Jon went inside the building, his pc connecting to the stream, refreshing. Glancing through the postings of the other team members as he walked to his office, there was still that tugging sensation, that itch. Something that Judith said in her sleep . . .
“Morning, Jon.”
He snapped back into the present. “Morning, Seth. Look, I’m feeling a little distracted this morning. Just give me a summary, eh?”
“Of course. Titan Prime reports no changes detected in the artifact. The da Vinci is ready for departure. Commander Navarr has all of his people and materiel stowed. Bradsen’s team is gathering the last of their equipment.
“Jackie Gates returned from Seattle early this morning. Bailey and Ng are still at their accommodations. Chu Ling and Gish have joined Klee for breakfast, and are in the cafeteria. I have the medical reports on Ling.”
“All right. Go on.”
“There are some matters which require your attention concerning the Europa colony. Sappho and I have prepared a thin-film machine for my temporary duplication. Shortly I will transfer all routine functions to my dup, and prepare for transportation.”
“Anything else?”
“No, that covers it.”
Jon made his way to the cafeteria. He thought a chance to see how Ling, Gish and Klee were getting along would be a good idea. As he entered the large, open space, he saw the three of them sitting at a table near the entrance.
The girl looked at him intently, but just barely nodded. Klee smiled “Good morning, Jonathan. Join us?”
Gish grabbed a parcel off the remaining chair, making room for Jon. “Yes, please, sit.”
Jon did. “I understand that our little prodigy is doing well?”
Ling watched him, like a little bird ready to fly. Klee nodded, “Yes, yes, she had her physical, and now has a phone.”
Gish pulled something out of the parcel he had moved. It was a portable holo projector. “And Seth was able to find this for us.”
He set it down on the table, and as he did so, Ling brightened, almost standing to get a better look at the device. The size of a large book, it was made of an opaque, glass-like material. Dual control, it could be operated either by a palmkey or manually. The girl would have no difficulty with it. Gish touched a stud on the side of the object, and an image projected above the surface of the glass.
It was Seth, but dressed in the formal robes of a classical-era Chinese instructor. The small figure bowed to Ling, said, “Greetings, young pupil.”
The girl returned the bow with a nod of her head. Gish pushed the projector across the table to her. She reached out and tried to touch the figure, giggled when her hand passed through the holo. Putting her face down near the figure, she said quietly, “Show me the game.”
The image of Seth disappeared, to be replaced by what seemed to be a miniature landscape of hills, a road, a small river, and a bridge. On one of the hills appeared a small person, looking around as though trying to find something. Ling commenced to play with the controls on the side of the projector. Jon didn’t recognize the game.
Klee was watching him. “No, it’s probably not a game you’ve ever played. It’s a little something Seth and I came up with to help her learn the fundamentals of game theory. There is an obvious meeting place dictated by the terrain features: where the road crosses the river, there is a bridge. That is a unique point in the landscape, and hence a good starting point to establish a reference. The game goes on to introduce other concepts, using a variety of terrain features, multiple players, tacit and explicit communication, cooperation, and competition. She’s quite good at it already.”
Seth materialized at the end of the table. “Herr Klee thought that since the girl had already been introduced to me as a non-corporeal figure yesterday, she would accept a smaller version of my image in the machine.”
“Seth, just how much of you is in that projector?” asked Jon.
“The projector doesn’t have capacity for AI. The persona is just a prop in this case. Though I can link to the machine and use it to manifest myself, if there is ever a need for that.”
“Looks good. Well, I just wanted to stop by and see how she is doing. Let me know if there is anything else you need. Otherwise, I’ll see you at the airport this afternoon.”
As he turned to leave, Klee touched his arm. “Have you had a chance to look over the medical report on Ling yet?”
“No, though Seth would have told me if there was anything serious in it. Why?”
Klee glanced at the girl and Gish, who was now participating in the game as an additional player. “There are some . . . anomalies there. It seems that she is older than we thought.”
Jon pulled up the file, glanced through it. “Hmm. Yeah, says here that physiologically, she’s about six or seven. But according to her cumulative DNA degradation, she should be about fourteen.”
“The medics didn’t have an explanation for it.” Klee looked to Gish. “He thinks that it might be due to environmental factors.”
Without looking up from the game, Gish said “Central China is not exactly the healthiest place to live. Toxicity problems, radiation exposure.”
Jon checked the report conclusions again. “Well, they should have the rest of the work-up done in a few days. There’s nothing here that indicates she’s in any kind of danger. She’s fit for space travel.”
