Chapter:21: The Calm
Captain Brezinski entered the garden for a quick check on the baby. Before the birth of Indie her concern with the garden had been primarily to balance the biologic request of Doc Jules with the engineering constraints of Mike. Now that the garden was the home of their baby it had become both the center around which their lives revolved and the barrier which separated them. The elaborate isolation protocols meant that they could observe through the glass barriers or enter in the isolation suits. She could not really appreciate the softness of the baby because their skin was never allowed to truly touch. The joy of holding the infant and watching it develope was tempered by the science that had made the birth possible. She watched Doc Jules carefully measure and weigh the infant. Indie began to struggle and cry from the injection that Doc Jules gave him. The separation that prevented her from picking up the infant and comforting him became even more of a barrier that she subconsciously resented. She knew that her parenting instincts had been stimulated by the birth and the knowledge that part of her was represented in this young child.
Doc Jules came out of the isolation airlock. He was not surprised to see the Captain at the observation window. Everyone found excuses to stop by and check on the baby. He greeted her and reported that the baby was meeting the projected growth parameters. Captain Brezinski smiled and asked, "Does that mean Indie is growing?"
Doc Jules said, "He is at the 70th percentile for a four-month old and more importantly the head circumference and shape reveals significant growth of the brain. Proper anatomical development does not guarantee success to Brother Simon's work, but it is a strong indicator."
Captain Brezinski said, "Indie did not care for your injection."
Doc Jules replied, "Causing babies to cry has never been a favorite part of my job, but at times it is necessary. I am vaccinating Indie against possible human infections and against the indigenous organisms on his home world. We will have to begin making him ill soon in order to stimulate his immunologic development. As a physician it is apparent that the childhood illnesses need to be experienced for normal development. As a father, the concept of intentionally making my child ill seems ridiculous."
Captain Brezinski asked him how this feeling compared to his previous experience with his children on earth. Doc Jules looked off into the distance and replied, "That part of my life seems so far away and yet your question brings back the feelings of being a new father. When my son was circumcised I decided that I would watch and when he started to cry I had to go sit down. From that point forward I concentrated on being the father and left the doctoring to others. Here I do not have that luxury."
Doc Jules then changed the subject to a discussion of Martha and her insistence on maintaining her hypoxic state. He thought that it was illogical for her to continue the hypobaric protocol and that it may even be detrimental. Captain Brezinski wanted to know why Martha insisted and Doc Jules said, "She thinks that the baby may need her and she wants to be ready."
Captain Brezinski had a small intuitive shudder as she recalled Mike's comment about calm sailing. She asked Doc Jules if continuing the protocol for a while longer would be dangerous for Martha. Doc Jules shrugged his shoulders and replied, "I do not see any significant short-term harm. As long as she continues the exercise program and her nutritional supplements she can continue without a major loss of calcium. It does create extra work for her and requires that she maintain a certain level of isolation from the rest of the crew. I see no logical reason for her to continue, but no absolute reason why she needs to stop."
Captain Brezinski said, "I think it might be a good idea to allow her to continue as she is; if her woman's intuition tells her that it is important, then it is. Forcing her to stop would seem less logical than letting her continue."
Ann came in through the outer door and saw Doc Jules. Her face lit up and she said, "Hi honey." She then noticed Captain Brezinski and her face flushed with embarrassment. She began apologizing for interrupting them saying, "I was just coming to relieve Martha on the baby watch."
Captain Brezinski said that she had to get going and wished both of them a good day. As she was walking back to her office she felt a mixture of jealousy that Ann and Doc Jules were developing a relationship and happiness for them. The past four months had indeed been less rushed. The crew had more time and energy to work on their own interactions. Her mind wandered back to her self imposed condition of celibacy. She reminded herself that if Brother Simon could do it, she could do it. She then started day dreaming of spending more time with Brother Simon. Her reverie was broken by a call on her communicator asking her to report to her office.
When she arrived at her office, Tom and Eric-Peter were bent over the computer module staring at the screen and talking so excitedly that they did not even hear her arrive. They both jumped when she asked what was going on. Tom explained, "I was doing the routine monitor checks for my watch when I noticed a change on the normally blank long-range radar. At first I figured it was an electrical aberration, but it persisted. I called Eric-Peter and had him check my calculations. He agrees with me that something is headed our way."
Eric-Peter corrected Tom slightly by saying, "The initial calculations indicate an object on a tangential course with a probable intercept. Readings over the next few hours will confirm this initial observation."
Captain Brezinski wanted to know the time of intercept. Eric-Peter explained that his rough calculations indicated an 80 percent chance of intercept in 10 to 16 hours. Captain Brezinski studied the small blimp on the screen and could detect no motion. She asked the computer if any rendezvous were scheduled and the computer answered her in the negative. She told the computer to patch her through to Mike's work area, but the Chief answered and told her that Mike was on his rest period. Captain Brezinski told him, "Contact Mike and tell him that his rest period is canceled and that he should report to my office ASAP."
The Cheif accepted her order without question. Mike however answered the order with a complaint, "First she forces me to take these ridiculous rest periods which are very tiring, and then she cancels it without explaining why."
The journey up the access tunnel gave Mike some time to cool down. When he arrived at Captain Brezinski's office his curiosity had been aroused and he entered the office with a genuine, "What's up, Captain?"
Captain Brezinski explained the finding on the long-range radar and that over the past hour Eric-Peter had been able to refine his calculations which indicated a 90 percent chance of an intercept in the next 12-13 hours. Mike asked if there had been any indication that the intruder was attempting contact. Captain Brezinski allowed Eric-Peter to explain that they had been sending identification messages without a response. He also explained that his calculations revealed a possibility of a random encounter with an interstellar asteroid of being less than 1 in a billion chances. Mike summarized their status by saying, "We are expecting a rendezvous with a silent stranger in less than13 hours."
Captain Brezinski explained that they expected final calculations to be available in about 1 hour. She was planning on a general meeting at that time to explain the situation. She asked Mike to launch a drone to intercept and photograph the intruder. Mike and Eric-Peter began working on proposed trajectories, acceleration and fuel burn issues. After several minutes of Mike scribbling on paper and Eric-Peter working on his computer they agreed on a proposal. Mike explained that they could have a rendezvous in 8 hours, but the drone would not be recoverable because of fuel exhaustion. The alternative was to delay the rendezvous an additional 4 hours and then recovery of the drone would be possible. Captain Brezinski said that she would accept the loss of the drone and preferred to have a better idea of who or what their intruder was. She then released Mike to begin working with the Chief on the drone.
Tom continued his watch duties and sent out the notification of the general meeting. Eric-Peter continued to refine
his mathematical calculations. Captain Brezinski rocked back in her desk chair and thought. She did not feel that the intruder represented danger, but she could not help worrying. She began working through possible safety issues. There was not enough time to cancel their rotational velocity which meant that return to the arachnoid structure was not feasible. They would have to meet this challenge in the village. The hour of preparation time passed all too quickly. Eric-Peter had completed his calculations based on the improved radar information and had projected a 95 percent chance of an intercept in slightly less than 12 hours.
The crew was assembled in the Long Branch and rose for the Captain as she entered. She asked them to sit and quickly explained the situation to everyone. She took multiple questions, but had few answers. She issued her orders. The Chief and Tom were to return to the arachnoid structure with a redundant communication system. Martha was to report, with Indie in the isolation crib, to Doc Jules clinic. All hatches were to be buttoned down and the protocol for breaching of the outer airlock was to be instituted. Everyone was to assume their mission station in11 hours. All emergency supplies and systems were to be checked. The pond cover was to be closed and all materials in the food garden area were to be stowed or secured.
Captain Brezinski asked if there were any further questions. Brother Simon asked, "What should we do with the animals in the ‘Garden'?" Captain Brezinski turned to Mike for his opinion. Mike responded, "I guess they will have to fend for themselves and if the airlock fails we will have to start over."
With no more questions forthcoming Captain Brezinski closed the meeting by saying, "I do not feel that this intruder represents a danger to us, but prudence dictates that we be prepared. We have a lot of work to finish in the next eleven hours. This meeting is adjourned."
As the drone neared its target, the long-range video camera became active and began relaying pictures back to their ship. The initial pictures were of poor quality because of the great distances involved which limited the camera resolution. Only in infrared was an image detectable. The faint image implied only minimal energy loss in the structure. Captain Brezinski was frustrated by the lack of information. Her years in the Russian Navy had taught her patience but knowing that something was going to happen in a matter of hours, challenged her ability to remain calm. When the drone approached to within search light distance the image quality improved significantly. The drone's camera now revealed a gray circular structure which appeared to be tumbling. The rapid approach speed exceeded the cameras ability to track and the images became jerky and more blurred. The images improved in quality as the drone passed and began to recede. The improved quality was temporary and the increasing distance soon negated the value of the images.
Eric-Peter worked on computer enhancement of the images. He soon had individual pictures of the approaching intruder which were of good quality. Captain Brezinski and Mike studied the images in silence. Captain Brezinski asked Mike for his assessment. Mike replied, "It appears to be a spacecraft without power and tumbling out of control."
Captain Brezinski agreed with Mike and had Eric-Peter release the image for the entire crew to visualize. She then asked Eric-Peter if he could estimate the size and mass of the approaching spacecraft. He used the known speed of approach and the relative increase in size of the image to estimate an approximate size about 2/3 that of the space shuttle. Captain Brezinski asked him to determine the impact forces of a collision between the ships.
While Eric-Peter and the computer were working on the mathematical solution, Captain Brezinski and Mike continued to examine the photographs. Mike pointed out an apparent area of damage which was visible only on one image. Captain Brezinski said, "Well, Mike, it looks like the spaceship that Brother Simon promised you has arrived. All we have to do now is figure out how to catch it."
Mike responded, "If we want to catch it we will have to slow it down and still maintain our intercept course. We need to attach significant mass to it with negative momentum. The problem is we have no way of approaching the craft directly." Captain Brezinski watched Mike begin to doodle on his ever present notepad. Soon simple line drawings began to appear and she recognized a stream extending from their ship to the approaching craft. Mike asked the computer what mass of water was ejected from one of the Kotzebue drives and the speed of the ejection. He began adding numbers to his sketch. He tore off the top page and began a more refined drawing which depicted the accelerated water vapor from their drive creating a water vapor tornado. This spiral of water vapor traps the intruder slowing the ship and gradually encasing it in a shell of ice. He looked up from his drawing and said, "If Eric-Peter and the computer can maintain control and trajectory of our ship while we direct one of our drives at the intruder we can slow it down enough. The water vapor will condense against the ship and add significant mass which will further decrease forward momentum and reduce the tumbling. It will still crash into us but with the crush protection of the ice layer and the much slower speed it should survive."
Captain Brezinski asked, "What will keep it from just bouncing off like a pool ball?"
Mike explained, "The ice that forms from the vapor will produce a snow like substance. This will in effect turn the intruder into a giant snowball which should crash fairly gently. Hopefully, it will be like throwing a snowball against the snowman and having the snowball simply stick to the snowman."
Captain Brezinski asked Eric-Peter if he thought they could control the ship while Mike used one of the drives to create his snow tornado. Eric-Peter said, "If we use a large volume of water with limited acceleration, compensation utilizing the remaining drives should allow adequate control. The computer and I will have to set up a simulation to prove that I am correct. I should be able to have a definitive answer within the hour. We will need to proceed gradually and adapt to the changes induced."
Captain Brezinski told Mike to commence with his plan.
Mike had Eric-Peter change the axis of the ships rotation slightly so that the spinning motion of the ship induced the spiral that he needed to create the artificial tornado. As the ship gradually assumed its new position Mike began expelling steam directed at the intruder. The spiraling action induced by the spin of the ship quickly created a funnel like stream. This funnel rushed outward to meet the onrushing intruder. As the molecules of steam found their target they immediately froze onto the extremely cold surface of the ship. The relative emptiness of the center of a funnel created a self correcting guidance system which trapped the intruder. The tumbling action of the ship produced a fairly uniform deposition of ice on the surface. As the ship closed the gap the quantity of water vapor that it encountered grew exponentially. The increase mass and the negative forward momentum became increasingly evident on their radar.
The crew was busy finalizing their emergency preparations, but everyone kept one eye on their monitors watching the simulation of the approaching ship as it was turned into a giant snowball. As the intruder slowed the vastly greater mass of their ship needed to be accelerated to maintain a reasonable intercept course. Eric-Peter and the computer were continuously updating the acceleration data and struggling to maintain navigational control. As they entered the last 30 minutes of count down prior to impact the stream of water vapor was turned off in order to allow positioning of their ship. The collision point chosen was just aft of their equator. This allowed a somewhat tangential strike into the thickest layer of ice. The external cameras were now able to visualize the approaching giant snowball. The crew watched as the snowball became gradually larger. The impact itself was anticlimactic. They felt a small but definite "thud" with a small earthquake like tremor. The monitors revealed a large spray of ice and snow particles emanating from the impact point. Mike and Eric-Peter turned towards one another and gave each other an excited "high five."
Captain Brezinski asked for a status report. The reports were uniformly satisfactory and they had sus
tained no significant damage. She turned towards Mike and said "I congratulate you on your catch. Your ingenuity continues to impress me and I am again thankful that you chose to join our mission."
Mike received the compliment with a smile and immediately began discussing how they should recover the ship. Their excitement reminded Captain Brezinski of young boys with their first bicycles. She left this planning to them and turned her attention back to their present situation. She released the crew from general quarters. A general inspection of the ship for possible damage was again required and the crew began their task without complaint. As the Chief and Tom began their long walk down from the arachnoid structure, Tom began to relive his fateful decision to take a shortcut. As they plodded slowly down the long stairway their retelling and embellishing of the story to ever greater heights produced a sense of light hearted gaiety. When they reported to Captain Brezinski their merriment was still evident. She tried to listen to their explanation but finally decided; you had to be there and told them to, "Just go back to work". The smile on her face was most evident.
Mike began the tedious process of extracting the intruder from the mound of ice and snow which now encased it. The drones peeled away successive layers using the lasers which were tuned to be absorbed by the water molecules. When the ice layer had been thinned to a meter, the Chief and several other crew members assumed control of the lasers and gently exposed the ship. The radar images had revealed a flying saucer shape, but until the ship was freed from its icy tomb this was only academic knowledge. When the ship was finally pulled out of the ice its resemblance to the "UFO's" of the 1950's was striking. Eric-Peter summed up the feelings of the crew when he said, "It would appear that the myth of flying saucers was based on reality after all."
Mike was eager to explore the ship's interior, but Doc Jules again tempered their enthusiasm with his concern about possible contamination. Captain Brezinski listened to their relative arguments and decided that some caution was indicated. She allowed Mike to use remote cameras to continue his exploration of the ship. No physical contact with the ships interior would be allowed until Doc Jules was satisfied. Work was also to begin on a method of adapting their docking mechanism to fit.
The ships interior was gently heated to evaporate the remaining ice and snow. A camera was lowered into the ships interior through the damaged central hull. A small command bridge was evident with four workstations. Three of the seats were absent suggesting ejection had occurred. The fourth seat contained a collapsed uniform and helmet. Several instrument lights were blinking suggesting that the ship still had some power. The camera zoomed in on all visible symbols and graphics for Kate to use in trying to decipher their meaning.
Kate began her study by comparing these symbols to those found on "The Egg". There was some similarity in form but no direct correlation was present. She asked Mike if he could recognize any probable function for the units that were connected to the symbols. Mike protested that he had no way of knowing what the symbols meant. Kate explained, "I was hoping that you could recognize some common engineering functions and that I could begin my translation process working from this commonality. If we could identify something that was standard like a rest room sign it would help. It would be our Rosetta Stone."
Mike began to jot down several features that he thought would be universal in design. He then studied the photographs of the interior. He said, "I would expect one of those flashing indicators would relate to the loss of cabin pressure. Another one should relate to an emergency backup power status. The sign over the rear airlock should read ‘exit'. I will think about the controls and if I come up with anything I will let you know."
Kate thanked him and began accessing the data bank looking for possible links between the suggestions that Mike gave and known languages. The search was fruitless until Eric-Peter decided to access the computer aboard "The Egg". This computer recognized both of the warning lights. It could not directly interpret other symbols but it became the key for Kate to use. By using the computational power of their ship's computer with the limited vocabulary from "The Egg" the nature of the intruder was becoming evident. They identified an apparent radio with a repeating series of three symbols which Eric-Peter suggested may represent their communication frequency. Kate thought that it would be unlikely that a large number would coincidentally be limited to the same three digits. Eric-Peter explained that instead of using 10 digits as we do our computers use only two digits represented by an on or off condition. If the computer aboard this new ship used an alternative of positive, neutral or negative then all numbers would be representative by three symbols.
Eric-Peter quickly began converting the base 3 formula to our traditional base ten and arrived at three possible solutions. One of the solutions correlated with a frequency at the upper end of their present communication equipment's range. He had the computer broadcast a message consisting of prime numbers in base 3 to the intruder. Immediately lights began to activate aboard the intruder.
The crew performing the final cleanup of ice became alarmed and an emergent return to the ship was ordered. Captain Brezinski who had just started her assigned baby watch was called back to her office ASAP. When she arrived Mike was already demanding to know what Eric-Peter had done to activate the intruder. Eric-Peter began to explain his attempt at communication using the frequency he had arrived at by converting from base 3. Captain Brezinski listened to the explanation and reviewed the video images revealing the obvious change in activity of the control panel lights. Eric-Peter was excited to try a direct communication link using the same process that they had used with "The Egg". Captain Brezinski asked Mike his opinion and Mike replied, "It would appear that they have already established contact and that we might as well proceed."
Captain Brezinski concurred with Mike's assessment and told Kate and Eric-Peter to proceed. They watched as streams of mathematical data began to flow between the ships' computers. As with "The Egg", the mathematical language became the basis for active development of an interpretive program. Over a couple of hours Kate worked with the images to develop common translations for recognizable objects. Captain Brezinski allowed the entire crew to view the images which the computers were sharing. Kate's remarkable linguistic ability soon gave them a rudimentary idea of the intruder's language. Images of the space battle revealed scenes that could have been from a science-fiction movie. A more startling discovery was Eric-Peter's deciphering of the date. The battle that they were witnessing was fought more than one billion years prior. Mike objected saying, "There is no way that a ship's power supply could last one billion years nor could the components be expected to last even a fraction of that amount of time."
Captain Brezinski asked Kate, "Can you translate Mike's question?"
Kate did her best but was somewhat puzzled by the computers response. She translated, "The modules repair self were capable of maintaining metallic and silicone structures utilizing interstellar deuterium for an energy source. Inadequate resources limited repair of damaged structure. Maintenance of carbon based molecules was not possible."
Mike appeared very thoughtful and asked Eric-Peter to display the close-up pictures of a small structural crack he had taken on their first inspection. He then compared the original to a picture that he had taken earlier in the day. He said, "I thought that crack looked smaller than I remembered. This damn ship is repairing itself." He continued, "I wonder what maintenance of the carbon based molecules refers to?"
Eric-Peter answered, "I would assume it is referring to the dead crew member remaining in the ship."
Captain Brezinski said, "I have had enough excitement for today. We have a monthly conference in the morning and I would like a summary report at that time. I bid you goodnight." Captain Brezinski retreated to her quarters with images from the battle scenes firmly fixed in her mind. The destructive power of the armaments was awesome making all of Russia's weapon ar
senal seem primitive. She was having difficulty comprehending such advanced technology being used one billion years prior. The realization that modern man had progressed from stone age implements to nuclear warheads in 4,000 years made her wonder how much more other civilizations had advanced in the past billion years. She fell asleep with both a sense of awe and the lingering sense of dread that Mike had accidentally created with his comment about "calm sailing".
Captain Brezinski opened the monthly conference and quickly dispensed with the routine business. She asked Mike for his report. He summarized the capture and initial evaluation of the intruder. It appeared that the electronics and control thrusters remained operational but that the life support system and the main drive were inoperable. Engineering drawings indicated that the main drive somehow utilized a rapidly spinning energy stream in the outer disk which was divided into two counter rotating portions. The structural damage impinged upon these movable portions and had produced a hole into the cockpit. When he finished Tom asked, "Do you have any idea how this flying saucer works?"
Mike shrugged his shoulders and said, "No, but I have the next 25 years to figure it out."
When Mike was done answering questions Kate was asked for her report. Her reply was given in a very academic fashion which as always was in sharp contrast to her personal image. She reported, "The language of the intruder is related to the language of ‘The Egg' which appears to have decsended from it. The limited amount of correlation with The Visitor's language suggests that it, too is related. The database appears to be restricted to military information. Specific information on the builders is absent. The ships identification translates to ‘The Guardian'."
Brother Simon asked, "How can you tell that the language of The Guardian is older?"
Kate explained, "There are mathematical formulas that are used to measure change in word usage and development. I have not completed the studies but I am very confident in my theory."
Brother Simon looked very puzzled and Captain Brezinski asked what was troubling him. Brother Simon explained, "I would have expected that the ship that The Visitor provided would be of a similar era. If the makers of The Guardian are significantly older than The Visitor how did this ship find us?"
Captain Brezinski addressed the computer, "Did The Visitor provide The Guardian for our use?"
The computer responded, "The age of The Guardian predates the development of The Visitor's civilization. Specific information on The Visitor is not available."
Captain Brezinski pushed the issue by asking, "Who sent us The Guardian?"
The computer had an unexplained pause before it responded, "The appearance of The Guardian is consistent with the concept of ‘paradoxical coincidences' whereby the Ancient Ones provide needed help."
Captain Brezinski wanted to know who the Ancient Ones were, but the computer had no further information for them. The discussion revolved around the term "paradoxical coincidences" but no definitive meaning was arrived at. For once Mike did not make fun of Brother Simon's theories.
Captain Brezinski closed the conference by setting priorities. A formal docking of The Guardian at the end of the access tunnel next to "The Egg"was to take priority over any further investigations of the ship itself. Kate and Eric-Peter were authorized to continue their studies. Doc Jules and Brother Simon were authorized to proceed with an examination of any remnants of the dead crew member only after safety protocols were established. She hoped that their excitement was over and that they could return to the routine of the past several months. She knew the ship itself was a great stimulant with everyone wanting to know who the people were who built it and how it could be made to serve their mission. She had to smile at Tom's excitement at riding in a flying saucer. This thought reminded her of her own ship and the similarities between her submarine and the ship from the distant past.
Things went well for several weeks. The autopsy had revealed only minuscule amounts of intact DNA in the severely decayed corpse. Even at the frigid temperatures of space a billion years allows for natural molecular breakdown. The space suit revealed more than the autopsy. It was designed to fit someone very similar in build to themselves. The interior of the helmet was lined with a crystalline substance which conformed to mild pressure. The visual shield and ear cups indicated that the facial anatomy was also very similar.
Brother Simon used his portable microscope to examine the structural crack that Mike had identified. The solid appearing metallic material was in reality a microscopic honey comb. A type of nano-machine was seen moving through the tiny tunnels adding material to the structural walls gradually closing the gap. The activity reminded him of ants or termites building bridges and tunnels. Kate and Eric-Peter had been unable to find any information about the ship's origin or its people. Their curiosity remained unsatisfied. Captain Brezinski's sense of dread had all but resolved and her sleep was again restful.
Captain Brezinski's restful sleep was shattered when her quarters were suddenly flooded with a bright light. She awoke and with a military wariness was instantly alert. She glanced at the clock and noted the time, 0350. A shimmering white figure similar to the one she had visualized in the submarine appeared. The figure spoke, "You and your mission are in imminent danger. You must repair the life support aboard The Guardian. The neuro-navigational interface must be completed."
Captain Brezinski felt the same calm that she had felt many years prior when she made the decision not to scuttle her boat. She asked about weapons and propulsion. The figure responded, "These will be provided. Only faith will bring success."
With that the figure vanished and the light was gone. Captain Brezinski again checked the time, 0357. Captain Brezinski did not waste time thinking about what had transpired. She had the computer summon; Mike, Doc Jules, Brother Simon, the Cheif, and Eric-Peter ASAP for an emergency command conference. When they arrived at her office they found her dressed in her robe arguing with the computer. She demanded, "What type of weapons will we be provided with?"
The computer responded, "Captain, you have knowledge that does not exist in my data banks and I cannot provide the information you requested."
Captain Brezinski was swearing in Russian when she realized that her crew had arrived. They did not need to ask what was going on. She immediately informed them of the visitation she had and the messages that were given. Their state of sleepiness resolved immediately and their questions began. Mike was having significant difficulty accepting this "apparition" and wanted to know she was certain it was not a dream. Eric-Peter added to the doubt by saying there was no information on a neuro-navigational unit in the computer database. Captain Brezinski responded, "Eric-Peter if you would please check the database again I am sure you will find a large section of information on the unit."
While Eric-Peter was accessing his computer Brother Simon asked the ship's computer, "Does The Visitor communicate with the use of apparitions?" The computer again had a momentary pause before it replied, "Only the Ancient Ones use what you call an apparition to communicate."
Eric-Peter was intently studying the material on his computer terminal. Captain Brezinski asked him what he had found. Eric-Peter responded, "I am not sure how I missed this before, but there is a whole section of information on the neuro-navigational unit. It appears that this unit acts as a direct link between the ship's controls and the pilot's mind. The helmet acts as the interface with significant training and adaptation being required."
Captain Brezinski said, "When you arrived I was arguing with the computer about concealing data from us. The computer denies existence of this information prior to this time. It did admit that programming prevents full release of information to us. The Kotzebue affair still bothers me and I cannot help wonder what other information is being kept from us."