********
During the return from Earth Alex 2 was able to bring the other two up to date with the think-tank theories. Carvalho looked confused. “I’m not sure what reaction you expect from me, but I can’t see precisely where this takes us. I mean from a practical point of view.”
Alex 2 looked at Fav. There was no spark there either. “I believe the outcome of these ideas will depend upon exposing them to your best physicists. They are unfortunately on Earth. Nielsen has made some excellent proposals but they have to be complemented with expertise or demonstrable creativity in quantum mechanics. A leap of faith is not enough. The problem of exposing this to Earth politics right now would, in my view, be inadvisable to court. I return to young Mr. de la Cruz. I am convinced he is not inhibited or deterred by the opinions of so-called respected authorities. He also does not represent a risk if we can get him to contribute to our team without a chaperone. Speculation is still a troublesome activity for me, but in this case I am betting on him. If I am correct we would avail of the Axis precision of implementation without alerting any political interests. Let us hope he is selected to come here.”
Carvalho was deep in thought. He asked Fav if he could independently mastermind getting the remaining Scarlet O’Hara into orbit. He gave him the location coordinates for the stash. He turned to Alex 2. “I don’t want any hint of Evander de la Cruz coming here being seen as our intent; there would be the obvious mud-slinging and we may put him and his family in danger. Surely we can continue to throw ideas around until the Continuance can ‘assist our promise’?”
“Yes, we could do that and I can refer our team to some of the concepts Evander has postulated. It may help.”
********
Fav’s instruction to Jet meant the discussion team was missing Axis input. He had to make haste in fabricating a carrier craft for the crystal before retrieving it. The cargo discharged into orbit from this vessel needed to double up with the geothermal probe discussed on Terra.
He decided that it would be best to employ two. One would be the genuine article, the other a shell of identical appearance but containing only crystal. The delivery craft would therefore need a more complex design than Fav had envisaged.
Mr. Singh was doing well and was able to tell his family that he had less discomfort than he had known for many months. He was once more talked through the next steps and he indicated he was ready. His wife and daughters could not hide their anxiety but he re-assured them by stating the obvious – there simply was no choice. His enthusiastic demeanour prevailed as they left the theatre. His disfigured brain was disconnected; it was the point of no return.
********
Sadat’s digging had more or less confirmed Carvalho’s preliminary judgement that a Chinese/USA initiative was powering the interest in crystal. He did not attach much significance to the individual Council members’ voting reasons. The trade between the big five had thrown up a trend of increasing dominance of oil supply in the mix. Resource and population numbers clearly illustrated that Russia, India and USAr had leverage - too much, especially for China’s liking. The new Axis type Nuclear Power units provided some mitigation of oil dependency, but across the five it compounded the trend. There was also the social acceptability of nuclear processing; it was contested more vigorously in China and USA. The projected needs for oil gave no comfort to the two in highest trade deficit. It was presented as a confidence builder – if the Symbiants declared these power stations clean and safe, they could illustrate this by building and running them. The underlying reason however, according to Sadat’s ferrets, was the increasing mistrust of Martian philosophy. If Earth had as many or more Symbiants, it would be a deterrent and reminder of the purpose of the Mars charter. That purpose, as perceived by Terran powerbrokers, to further the space programme as set out in 2033, was in assisting the correction of planet Earth’s ailments. It was a subordinate role and the charter was to improve local Martian decision making – not for the tail to wag the dog.
Sadat passed this general picture through Ayrton de Santos as agreed. The message ended curiously with well-wishes for Varanda Singh. Carvalho was not quite sure what to read into this.
********
The musings of Evander de la Cruz did inject new strands to the think-tank. He had expressed the view that mini-distortions of space could be achieved if the medium itself was considered as discrete packets rather than continuous. The trigger would have to reflect such a pulsed requirement, matched to its target volume of influence. Not more, not less, but exactly equal. He further believed that moving from one packet to the next would demand velocity to be slow enough to enable differentiation of the phases - volume 1 and volume 2..... to volume ‘n’. The synchronisation of all parameters (packet volume, trigger pulse, velocity, and finally field switching) would probably be beyond current human capability. This, he suggested should be seen as a challenge, not a disqualification of the theory.
This ignited a barrage of questions. Nielsen deflected them. “He goes on to conceive an object producing a controlled distortion, and the extrapolation of the vector directly ahead as a ‘series of rooms’. The first room collapses toward the object which then confronts the second room. The velocity of the object is critical but requires low thrust if the target volume is modest. The distortion collapses behind the object to complete the individual packet cycle. The time taken for this atomic space plough to reach a destination will depend upon the size of the packet and the acceleration curve produced by the stretching of subsequent packets to maintain the cycle. We are dealing in cycles of milliseconds, so it is quick. He claims the energy required to open and close these packets will not be at a level which would cause significant local disturbance. It does not demand brute propulsion capability as it is the space which contorts to the atomic music. Although it is a sub-light speed process it will closely approach this barrier in potential. He laments that human synchronisation deficiencies are not the ultimate disqualifiers. The lack of stable Gravity A wave generating elements or compounds, he says, does not seem to be within our grasp at present.”
The questions had been supplanted by silence. Red was first to fill the vacuum. “This is quite a crude theoretical claim, but there is the kernel of direction to be admired. The only aspect which I would say he is categorically wrong about is the non-availability of Gravity A waves.”
Yamamoto asked why Earth cosmologists had not taken the idea forward. Red said that they were currently engaged in trying to extract proof or otherwise from his calculations. “We have only seen his words so far, not his numbers. They would be helpful.” They had something they could get their teeth into again.
Stella Aragones welcomed Mr. Singh back into consciousness. The family was ecstatic and although he was groggy he smiled and waved to the camera which he ‘remembered’ without thinking about it. The next big test was the extent to which he had successful transfer of longer term memory. Apart from slower speech he appeared normal. He was asked if he wanted to briefly see the family and he failed to hold back the tears. Their fears were replaced by joy when they heard him say their names and birthdays. The savaging by the ethics society would have to wait until he was recovered sufficiently to appear on Mars TV.
Chapter 8
Carvalho, Alex 2 and Fav had returned to a buoyant think-tank. The Commander pleaded for them to keep the bottle corked another couple of days so he could carry out the official opening of Echus Chasma General and its new neurosciences wing. He had never met Stella Aragones; Pascal 2 had done the interviews and Carvalho had been engaged in other projects as well as being the best customer for the Earth-Mars shuttle.
The hospital was the latest one to become operational and was heavily influenced in design by the Axis medical staff, because of its proximity to the most densely populated area by their species. The humans liked it, ironically because it did not look like a hospital. The neurosciences wing was positioned almost as an adjunct to the Echus sphere a
ssembly complex. Carvalho was introduced to the staff by Pascal 2. During the tour most of his questions were answered by Dr. Aragones, and he was impressed by the lack of statistics and blah-blah. He got a real feeling of dedication without the box-ticking flavour.
“Excuse me for asking if the question is premature, but can you say anything yet about Varanda Singh?”
She replied, “You can ask him yourself, we will pass by his ward soon.” She offered no detail. When they did arrive the family motioned to leave. “No, no please sit, this is a flying visit.” The patient looked at Carvalho and greeted him with a reassuring account of the last meeting they had attended in Beijing. “My family and I will be forever grateful for the care and courtesy we have been shown Commander. I know how much media focus there will be on this milestone of human transplant surgery, but your people here made us feel as though I was here to have my tonsils out. I don’t want to embarrass Dr. Aragones but you have to be so proud of her, and when I am up to facing the media hounds I will be telling them so.”
Carvalho promised to keep the media at bay to give him and the family a proper recuperation period as prescribed by Dr. Aragones. The tour concluded and a short speech from the Commander was the prelude to cutting the official ribbon and subsequent declaration of purpose. He asked Stella Aragones to keep him personally up to date with any difficulty she may have with media persistence, and when she felt it would be appropriate for him to meet with Singh again. He congratulated the entire staff – Human, Axis and Symbiant for their efforts in making this a flagship facility.
As he was returning to Marineris Central with Pascal 2 he found his attention to the Symbiant’s dialogue wandered. The more worrying symptom involved waves of ‘butterflies’ – churning through his stomach. Stella Aragones had impressed in more ways than professional acumen.
Carvalho’s concentration returned when Alex 2, Dan and Red informed him that the think-tank was skirting around a significant breakthrough in theoretical terms. Alex 2’s pronouncement that there was some risk of this leaking out did stick in the Commander’s mind. “I’ll have to ask them to pledge confidentiality if you think we are that close. I don’t like doing this as it makes us look as bad as the ones we criticise, but I fear they have raised the stakes to the point where we have no choice.”
Alex 2 nodded. “And although we are close, it is not close enough without Evander. It is one thing to see the concept; it is entirely different to be able to take it forward in both theoretical and practical terms. That time interval concerns me – if the think-tank fails to make another leap it may cause frustration and discussion outside the group.”
Red intervened. “I believe we have a little more time than we think. If we concentrate on a practical aspect which has not yet come up, but has to be solved, it should delay unease with the overall puzzle. I am referring to the discovery of Seaborgium Oxy-chloride. It is of course radioactive. We have to design a module which provides access yet containment in a way which functions safely. Also, nobody has raised the probability of hard objects in the trajectory between origin and destination. The entire concept would be judged obsolete if the projectile we create hits orbiting bodies or debris with no means of avoiding them. This is not a ship steering past a problem; it is space and all its content rushing toward it. It is a fundamental problem which must be examined at this juncture before getting too excited.”
There was no disagreement. Carvalho asked Red to set it up accordingly. He was adamant that he would not enquire into the scheme which may or may not involve Evander at this time.
********
China and the USA had increased the pressure to test out the antimony detector in view of the Martian declaration that only tiny samples remained of the mother lode. They did suggest taking up the barbed invitation to conduct an audit, espousing the need for the public to be sure that the current phase of replication was at an end – it was a convenient duty.
The Council provided the log of Xiang’s employment of the group of Symbiant’s cleaning up all known Earth deposits two decades ago. The American government spokesman seized upon this. “What happened to those extracted deposits?” After much paper-shuffling and pointing of fingers Logan announced that the only person Xiang would have confided in was Ayrton de Santos. A break was called until he was wheeled in. “They have been in the underground vaults since Mike brought them here.”
The Chinese and USA delegates conferred. Arnold Rodham proposed a motion to release some of this to implement the programme which had been approved to replace old redundant power plants with the new, clean Axis variety. Before the rest could respond De Santos held up his hand. “You can’t just requisition this material; you may not recall that Mr. Xiang had suggested and presided over a law being brought in to prevent the use and/or distribution of the crystal, until such time it was seen fit to repeal this legal protection. This is still in force and must be the subject of a legal review if your request remains active.”
Logan looked embarrassed but reluctantly waved the paper De Santos had furnished and promised each participant a copy. “I’m afraid Ayrton is correct, we have to receive a written request for the Council to examine the new criteria, and if it is convinced of the validity of further examination, the legal phase can be initiated.”
Rodham was exasperated. “Do you mean we are hamstrung by our own bureaucracy?” Logan wasn’t having a good day. “Mr. Rodham, you must remember we have these checks and balances for good reason. It may be frustrating but it is also responsible.”
Rodham would not quite let go. “So how does this affect any crystal we discover on Earth?”
“Exactly the same,” said Logan.
“Then I propose we start looking in locations as yet unchecked and deposit any finds with the rest until we have cleared any legal hurdle.” This carried the vote but it had not deflected De Santos’ concern; these finds could be any quantity and different to what was subsequently deposited. There was scope for deception. He would need to alert Carvalho.
********
The Axis project for placing geothermal imaging gear in orbit was proceeding well. The plan had been slightly revised. The craft would now be unmanned and remain in orbit after releasing the cargo. This change was drafted in after Carvalho had the De Santos alert regarding the more aggressive approach from the Chinese/American ‘alliance’ and the confirmation of an audit. A second craft would be held in reserve in the event of the auditors requesting first hand observation of the data collection originally offered by Fav. The first craft would shepherd the crystal and the second used for close inspection of the genuine monitoring equipment. The change would continue to restrict Jet’s involvement in the think-tank.
The call was not expected so soon. “Commander, it’s Stella Aragones. I sensed that your implied desire to speak to Mr. Singh again was on a professional basis as well as his medical progress.” There was a silence. “If that is the case I would advise about ten days more recuperation. Of course if it’s purely concern about his handling of the media I won’t allow that for at least a month.”
“I see. Well, can I just visit him and check with you, to assess whether you will be advocating more such procedures, or even some with more radical techniques? I know that this milestone is not new for the Axis, but it’s a very significant potential advance in social acceptance of ‘tinkering’ with human longevity. Unfortunately I have to deal with this aspect and I’ve always found that being prepared is critical. I want to support your work in the best way I can.”
She was caught a little off-guard. “Ah, in that case you can visit – let me see, yes, I can make some space the day after tomorrow.”
“Excellent, just tell me the most convenient time and I’ll be there.”
********
The first cut at giving the media a date for the initial group of youngsters setting off for Mars was ambitious and directly proportional to the clamour to get it off the ground. It was to be only five weeks away. The assessment
criteria had been designed to cover as many branches of education as possible. Arts, social studies, engineering, science, sport, philosophy, medicine and ecology were prominent. The candidates were, as expected, being whittled down by a committee with a spread in geographical origin, culture and field of expertise. It was a weekly event – finding out who had been excluded, it was good TV. Evander had made the first two cuts and the commentators rated him a certainty.
The decision to challenge the statute which Xiang had worked so tirelessly for was now public knowledge. Just as a shark can smell blood from miles away, the crystal saga had already flared the nostrils of some very effective predators.
********
Fav and Jet were inspecting the new craft when they were approached by ‘Doc’. He was one of the totally artificial individuals created to increase the Axis contribution as the Mars population had expanded. He had been given the remit of studying and recommending ways to reverse engineer the now sterile reproductive system. This had been suggested because of the new relationship with the Symbiants, and Pascal 2 had endorsed this enthusiastically. Doc ventured a suggestion. “I have studied the historical data very thoroughly and I would like to make a proposal.” Fav gave Doc encouragement to continue.
“In the old text there are many references to something which I believe is important. The modifications we have made to our voice apparatus to enable human sounds is admirable but has had an effect which has not been noticed. Our colour display of feelings prior to spoken language is under threat. Because we have the engagement of the processing unit instantaneously the colour display becomes redundant when we converse with humans and Symbiants. My research has indicated that one of the primary reasons for the evolution of the colour communication was for attracting potential reciprocation partners. It had a sexual driver. I realise this appears to be an insignificant issue, but if we are able to reconstruct the genetic code from whatever source, the reproductive elements will have this built into it. We give ourselves an additional problem if it disappears.”