Benes shrugs, a sort of half-smile on his lips. “Dana, of course, you know I can’t comment on any details of actual UNISPACE operations. In fact, we’re just astronomers here at Farside. We observe and report on what we see. However, I can confirm one thing.”
“What is that, Dr. Benes?”
“Farside is providing support for a re-directed mission for the Helios satellite. This satellite has been in orbit around the Sun for many years, as you may know, providing us with on-scene observations of solar phenomena, coronal ejections, surface transients, magnetic phenomena and other matters. UNISPACE has ordered that the current Helios mission be discontinued and the satellite be re-located to a new orbit which will intersect that of the Sunshadow anomaly and the leading edge of the Cloud. This is happening as we speak. Helios will also examine certain, shall we say, unusual signatures that seem to be emanating from the Caloris Basin region of Mercury.”
“Thank you, Dr. Benes, for taking the time to be with us today.”
“My pleasure, Dana.”
Solnet Special Report Ends
Dana Polansky said goodbye to Dr. Benes and made sure the cambot had the video footage she needed.
I’ll get with Edit later for special effects and anything else we need. She was due to post the report on the Net by 1800 hours local time, assuming the Net was working. That wasn’t a sure thing nowadays, what with all the glitches from malware, virus and bot infestations.
She decided a drink could be accommodated, so she left Newton Wing and went down a short ramp to the connecting tunnel that led to Kepler Wing, where Farside’s hab spaces and galley were located. Next to the galley was the canteen, all done up to resemble a South Seas beachside bar, complete with miniature palm trees, thatched roofs and a sign reading Fiji Island Lagoon.
It was just noon by Farside time but she had heard the robotenders made a mean Samoan daiquiri and she figured it would make decent background for the report she still had to file.
But just at the foot of the ramp, she encountered none other than CINCSPACE himself, General Mahmood Salaam.
Dana was startled. So was CINCSPACE.
“General, I didn’t know you were at Farside.”
Salaam was a wiry, dark-skinned Syrian native, with dataspecs that were forever flashing with vids and text blocks, so that he never seemed to be paying you any attention.
“Miss Polansky, likewise. Sorry, but I’m in a bit of a hurry. It’s a bit of a classified briefing trip. If you’ll excuse me—“ he started up the ramp to SpaceGuard Center, but Dana had always been a resourceful correspondent—she hadn’t won an Emmy and a Selkie for sitting home popping chocolates—and she stepped directly into Salaam’s path.
They collided and Dana took a spill off the side of the ramp, landing heavily on her side.
CINCSPACE reacted automatically , stopping to give her a hand up.
“I’m so sorry, Ms. Polansky…I thought you were---here, let me help you—“
Dana let him take her left hand. As she came upright, she let herself teeter into his chest, almost knocking them both off the ramp.
“General, it must be the gravity…still getting my spacelegs, you know…I’m just so clumsy—“
And while Salaam steadied her, she managed to plan a spybot right on the underside of his left uniform sleeve, just by grabbing his arm, which he had offered for support.
After a few more pleasantries, they parted company. CINCSPACE went up the ramp to Newton Wing, to SpaceGuard, she presumed. Dana resumed her trek to the canteen.
Of course, she knew perfectly well that what she had done was strictly illegal and could easily land in her prison or worse, if the bot were discovered. And there was certainly a risk in landing the pea-sized bot on a target like Salaam, who undoubtedly wore some kind of protective botshield when out in public. High officials in UNIFORCE always did; it went with the job.
She ordered her drink and sipped thoughtfully at the rum, deciding to wait a few minutes before trying to link up with the bot she had planted. She held her breath, hoping CINCSPACE’s own defensive shield, if he had one, didn’t go off but nothing happened, no guards came storming into the bar, and she gradually began to relax.
Girl, one of these days—she told herself, but secretly she was pleased with her own audacity and curious as to what the spybot might pick up. I’ve probably broken about a hundred laws and regulations by slapping the gadget on the highest ranking officer in UNISPACE, but what the hell…it was a competitive business and you had to do what you had to do for ratings.
Cautiously, she tapped a few buttons on her wristpad.
When it settled down, she realized that the bot was relaying vid and audio from some kind of briefing. Probably classified to the heavens, she thought. She could just barely make out other faces and voices—the link wasn’t all that great. She fiddled with the gain and managed to get a clearer audio, at least. Sounds like Dr. Benes, is there. And maybe the SpaceGuard director—what was his name? Portland something or other. It seemed to be a heated discussion…CINCSPACE was almost shouting at someone. What the hell were they yapping about?
Dana selected the record option and decided to sever the link for the moment. I need to finish this drink. She wound up ordering another.
She went to her tiny apartment on the other side of Kepler Wing and squeezed in to what could only be described as a closet. She locked the door, did some edit and graphics work on her report, and after an hour, decided she couldn’t wait any longer. She re-established the link---interested to see that Salaam was still inside SpaceGuard center, although no longer in conference. It looked like the Watch Center itself, from what she could see: consoles and flashing screens and people scurrying about.
She selected re-play, then listened and watched what the spybot had recorded over the previous two hours. What she heard made her blood run cold.
It was all highly classified, UNICORN or higher, she figured and she knew perfectly well that was she was doing could get her into a hell of a lot of trouble. But the more she listened, the more evident it became that Dr. Benes had not been entirely forthcoming with her…not particularly surprising, given the way UNIFORCE usually worked.
It was apparent from what the spybot had recorded that this new mission to the Bug Cloud was much further along that she had been led to believe. In fact, a manned ship was even now at Gateway Station being outfitted for the trip. She was the corvette Tycho and the captain would be one Pavel Beregevoi.
Interesting indeed. Tycho had to be fresh from Operation Mercury Hammer. What on earth…or outer space, was she up to?
Dana made sure this also got into her Special Report filing. She ran through the clip a few more times, checking continuity, adding some more effects, editing for time, then squirted her finished masterpiece off the satellite to New York and sat back with a satisfied glow.
God, I could use another Somoan from the Fiji Island Lagoon.
But instead, she figured it would be even smarter to get the hell out of Farside before they threw her in jail. She spent most of the rest of the evening trying to wrangle a ride back to Earth, via Gateway Station.
If she was lucky, she’d be able to get some footage of the Tycho before she shoved off on her mysterious mission to the Sun.
UNIFORCE Special Report to the Secretary-General
Principal Astronomical Effects from Passage of Anomaly UNSP-1A (a.k.a. The Big Bug Cloud) Through the Solar System
25 March 2155 through 28 February 2056
At maximum extent, Anomaly UNSP-1A covered a breadth of nearly a tenth of a light year in extent. Estimates vary and range from a low end of 0.878 trillion to 0.959 trillion kilometers. Density estimates are provided in Attachment A, Physical Characteristics Based on Visual, Infrared and Hyperspectral Signature Analysis of Anomaly UNSP 1A, appended to this report.
From first detection to passage of the swarm centroid as measured crossing the mean hel
iocentric orbital distance of Mercury, Anomaly UNSP-1A occupied solar system space for a period of 11 months, 3 days and twenty-two hours.
Significant reduction in solar output in all bands, a noticeable ‘dimming’ of the Sun’s visible light and associated wavelengths, occurred during a two-week period as the densest part of the Anomaly passed by the Sun, measured as the mass centroid of the phenomena. Twenty days after passage of the mass centroid of the Anomaly through the mean heliocentric coronal perimeter boundary layer of the Sun, solar output began a slow, logarithmic return to normal levels, which have been sustained.
Widespread press and media reports from around the world and at other settlements and facilities across the solar system are consistent with historical accounts of astronomical phenomena observed and witnessed over the last five thousand years of recorded history. Numerous riots, other forms of civil disobedience, public gatherings, and religious ceremonies from a variety of denominations and traditions were recorded and reported on. Multiple spikes in Assimilationist awakenings and instances of volunteer ‘de-materializing’ have also been logged. Statistics on these incidents are provided in Attachment B, Gaylord, Dr. Seth, Epi-social Spiritual Phenomena among Technologically Advanced Stage 4 Populations.
The Farside Observatory continues to monitor visual and infrared signatures from the Europa-Eye detector satellites currently in orbit around the Jovian moon Europa. Data gathered since this report was compiled indicate that no anomalous indications of surface or subsurface disturbances have been detected. The phenomena popularly characterized as the ‘Keeper’, thought to the source of past detected disturbances, has been dormant during this latter period of the Anomaly’s passage. One theory, as yet unsubstantiated, is that the Anomaly, being nanobotic in composition, may have absorbed the Keeper phenomenon during its passage through the Jupiter system.
UNIFORCE law and mandate enforcement arms, including Quantum Corps, Sanctuary Patrol and Boundary Patrol, have likewise reported that no evidence of the Configuration Zero and Symborg swarm elements can currently be detected in any signature band normally monitored. United Nations Security Affairs Commissioner (UNSAC) Angelika Komar has been quoted as saying, “It seems like the Bug Cloud has just swept all of them away…or maybe scattered or absorbed them…and thank God for that.”
Farside continues to track Anomaly UNSP-1A as it recedes from the inner solar system. Astronomers estimate that, at the current rate of departure, adjusting for the gravitational influence of the Sun and major planetary bodies such as Jupiter, the Anomaly’s notional outer edge will pass into the inner Kuiper Belt region of our system and continue to recede.
Measurements of velocity shifts and perturbations indicate that the Anomaly, as measured by the instantaneous position of its mass centroid is on a general heading which will enter the system of 61 Ursa Majoris in approximately six thousand four hundred years.
Note that previous exoplanet surveys provide substantial evidence of multiple planetary bodies in this system and there is continuing speculation on the habitability of several bodies in the system, notably 61D Ursa Majoris. There are faint but unmistakable biosignatures recently detected in the atmosphere of 61D Ursa Majoris, including measurable trace amounts of gases such as methane and other biologically significant constituents.
A recent slight heading shift of Anomaly UNSP-1A’s mass centroid onto a more direct vector toward the 61 Ursa Majoris system has initiated discussions in the United Nations Security Council on the advisability of transmitting a warning signal to any potential living inhabitants of 61D Ursa Majoris to identify the nature of the approaching anomaly.
These discussions continue.
Long term meteorological and climatic effects from the passage and proximity of Anomaly UNSP 1A are detailed in Attachment C: Forecast Climatic Effects from Proximity of Anomaly UNSP-1A (including Measurable Subswarms and Lesser Elements). Note that long-term climatic effects incorporate estimates of seawater and seabed excavation and dynamic lifting of excavated materials into the atmosphere, along with continental tectonic plate stresses and all Stage 1fires and episodes of extreme volcanism, integrated into current forecast models over the next two years.
For latest results of forecast model iterations, see World Meteorological Organization “Proceedings of Conference on Climatic Effects from Recent Astronomical and Solar Phenomena”, 3-5 February 2156, Madrid, Spain, appended to this report as Attachment D.
UNIFORCE casualty and environmental remediation efforts continue and are expected to be required at current levels of effort for at least the next ten years.
Residual effects can only be estimated at this time. Many Kuiper Belt objects have been disassembled or absorbed into Anomaly UNSP 1A. The Pluto-Charon system has been destroyed and absorbed. The Neptune-Triton system has also been destroyed and absorbed. Even the Jupiter system is showing new and currently unpredictable gravitational instabilities.
However, the Earth, the Moon, most of the inner solar system and the Sun are intact. The net assessment of this report is that there should be no further major instabilities or incidences due to the presence, proximity or passage of Anomaly UNSP 1A.
UNIFORCE Special Report Ends
Chapter 20
Custer Inn
Haleyville, Idaho
April 11, (Easter Sunday) 2156
2200 hours (Earth U.T.)
It took Johnny Winger many months to maneuver and drift his way back home, returning to Earth on picowatt propulsors, chastened and sobered by what he had gone through. Reaching the upper layers of the atmosphere, he descended to Earth like meteoric dust, still a swarm entity, but now with a new mission, a renewed sense of purpose.
Caught in the trade winds for a time, he used the delay to hunt for another entity whose absence he had long keenly felt…Dana Tallant.
He had always heard that angels and swarm beings didn’t have feelings, only algorithms. You did what you were programmed to do. Do this, then do this, then do this. Return and start the cycle over.
But Johnny Winger, as an angel, always felt he had some sort of feelings. Perhaps that was the latent personality and memory Doc III had stored away in the Config Status Buffer File. The last wisps of what had once been Johnny Winger, with little wisps of feelings. Broken shards of memories. A smidge of emotion.
He hadn’t seen or talked or related to Dana Tallant in years. Once they had been competing atomgrabbers. Then they were married. Then they had kids, Rene and Liam. Years before, one after another, all had gone the way of the angels. Deconstructed into atoms. Re-assembled into nanobotic structures, that could as easily resemble a sofa as a human being.
Now, he wanted to find Dana again. Where was she? They had both been inside the Mother Swarm in some fashion but there might still be traces of her on Earth. It was worth a look. Now that the Mother Swarm was moving off, leaving Earth and her sister worlds behind, what was an angel to do? He was still a loose swarm himself. But now there would be no final integration into the Mother Swarm. There would be no taking up millions of dematerialized souls into some vast cosmic cloud. He felt like a bee without a hive.
So he went looking for Dana Tallant.
After some time—he didn’t bother keeping track of how many processing cycles that was—he detected a familiar pattern in the ether. Something—he couldn’t quite put his ‘finger’ on it, had attracted his attention. Maybe it was a simple ID file, a header packet, a familiar data stream…who could say? It seemed to be Dana Tallant. It responded to his queries in a positive way and the two angels gathered themselves together from places separated by unfathomable distances and agreed to meet.
They would rendezvous at a small bar and dive in the town of Haleyville, Idaho. It was near Table Top Mountain, one time home to Quantum Corps. It was a place that both angels realized offered familiar and comfortable patterns.
The night was cool and slightly misty, as low hanging clouds scudded
over the Buffalo Range to the north.
Custer Inn was a faintly shabby, log and shingle mountain lodge of a hotel, nestled in the piney brow of a small turnout valley off the main road, a kilometer or so before Highway 7 broadened into Main Street, which was lined with gift shops, bait and tackle joints and hiking suppliers. The pale blue glow of a parasailing shop, closed for the evening, threw enough light across the road, so he found the location readily enough. He tried not to let the hologram windsailers circling over the intersection distract him.
He drifted like mist down the decline toward the parking lot, and materialized himself into Normal configuration in the shadows, somehow feeling comfort in a cloak of anonymity. Through the windows, the bar and restaurant shone with boozy conviviality, laughter and saloon music spilling out through the front doors.
Johnny Winger went inside.
By mutual query and assent, the two swarms had agreed to assume Normal form. He found her in a back booth, in the corner.
Because Dana Tallant was an angel, same as he, she could form herself into anything she had a template for. This time, she was as he remembered: short brown hair, with locks over her right eye, thin lips, always in a slight smirk—I know things you’ll never know, Wings—nose like a suggestion on a sculpted porcelain face with deep brown eyes that shone like smoldering black buttons.
She had a way of smiling that was more than a little suggestive. Dana Tallant lifted an amber ale as he approached and said, “You look just like I remembered you, Wings. A little boy getting off his bike…surprised the thing lasted as long as it has.”
They kissed lightly, lips to forehead, as Normals do and Winger scooted into the hard bench seat. Then they held hands for a long time, ignoring the waitress filtering by, hoping for some kind of order, then circling back again and again, quizzical lift to her eyebrows.
“It’s good to see you, Dana. Hell, it’s good to feel you too. Or feel anything. This angel thing makes you hungry for tactile sensations.”