________________________________________________________________________
J. Austin Wilde and Fission Park Press proudly present:
2010: Second Odyssey
Part 3 of 3
By J. Austin Wilde, K.B.C.S.
Super Critical Reactor Axe Man
Fission Park Press
wildeman@psn.net
http://www.psn.net/~wildeman/
---------------------------------
"2001: Odyssey 1/2" can be found
at the URL listed above.
Parts 1 and 2 can be obtained by
emailing me at <wildeman@psn.net>
---------------------------------
The characters and situations of this work of fanfiction are the
creation and property of Rumiko Takahashi and Arthur C. Clarke.
_______________________________________________________________________
CHAPTER FIVE
00:12 UMT, 19 November 2010
aboard the U.S.S. Discovery
"We can't just leave them like this!" Ranko protested.
"You have other priorities," Herb countered. His voice was cold and
hard over the radio.
"Doctor Ono," Ranko pleaded.
"Commander Herb is correct, Ranko," Tofu replied. "I know how much
this means to you, to all of us, but there are more important matters to
resolve. The Discovery needs to be placed in a stable orbit and there
isn't much time to do it."
"Ten days," Shampoo supplied over the radio. "Could change due to
flux tube effects, but for now is ten days before ship crash on Io."
Mousse placed a hand on Ranko's shoulder. "We still have things to
do, Miss Saotome. We should check the hibernaculums to see if they are
stable, but then we have to assess the damages to the ship."
Ranko gave him a bitter look, tears freezing on her face drifting away
as tiny particles of ice. She slapped her visor down into place with a hiss
of pressurization and turned away.
"You're right," she mumbled, grateful at least for the concern he
showed for Ranma and Miss Tendo.
She leaned over the sooty white cabinet of the hibernaculum and forced
open the frozen access panel. The soft whir of the circulating fans and cryo-
genic pumps was barely audible. A single pilot light glowed a dull amber
through a glaze of ice.
"I'll be damned," she breathed. "I knew you'd think of something, big
brother."
"What is it?" Mousse asked, leaning over her shoulder to look.
Ranko pointed to the emergency batteries.
"He took the emergency batteries from the other hibernaculums and wired
them in parallel with the ones for his own hibernaculum. Akane Tendo's as
well, most likely. The extra power allowed them to last this long." She
gestured to the charge indicator. "It's a guess, but I'd say they have at
least two more years of operation."
She leaned in to take a closer look.
"Look at this," she said, directing a pencil beam of light at the
circuit breakers. "He locked the breakers shut so they wouldn't trip open
by accident over the years and shut down the life support unit. He must
have known about the flux tube effects. A fire wasn't very likely due to
the shielding effects of the centrifuge motor windings that surround this
compartment, but it might have been possible for them to trip open. He
wasn't taking any chances."
"The fire in the Pod Bay was probably their first warning," Mousse
noted, beginning to see the events of Discovery's past take shape before
him. "That might be the reason why contact was lost."
"I hope not. If the Main Array is damaged, it's going to make bringing
Discovery home a lot more difficult."
"Let's go find out," Mousse said as he lowered his helmet visor. Ranko
could see the faint smile on his face.
**Yep. He sure is cute,** she thought with an answering smile.
Now that Ranko was satisfied with her brother's well being, she
launched herself into her work. Mousse could barely keep up with the young
red-haired woman as she trekked back to the centrifuge core.
"We need to check the Main Circuit Breaker room first, and get an idea
of its status. From there we can check on the integrity of the reactor plant
and the ship's emergency batteries."
"We need to correct this damn tumble," Mousse groused, slipping
clumsily in the darkness.
"Once we restart the centrifuge, it should absorb Discovery's tumble.
Since I'm the smallest, I'll go inspect the bearings and the motor housing,
transfer gearbox, and flywheel assembly. In the meantime you can take surveys
of life support equipment and supplies."
"It's going to be a busy week," Mousse said with a sigh.
"And then some."
* * *
Against orders, Ranko and Mousse were ignoring the intership radio.
Presumably this was so they could work without being interrupted by the
people back on Tsien bombarding them with impatient queries on how things
were progressing. Tofu understood, but Herb was practically seething.
There were things to be done on Tsien as well, but this didn't stop
people from peeking at telescope monitors or looking out of viewports at
the Discovery to see if its condition had changed. There was a brief gasp
of excitement from Shampoo as all of Discovery's internal and running lights
winked on, followed by a collective groan from the crew as they flickered
and then went out. Later they could see the red emergency lights glowing
through the sulfur film of the Discovery's Bridge viewports, as well as the
hazy shadows of someone moving around in the compartment. When queried over
the radio, the figure waved briefly but did not reply.
Nine hours later, Ranko's voice crackled over the intercom circuit.
"The ship is in fairly good shape," she began. "Apparently Commander
Saotome safeguarded the ship's circuit breakers against the flux tube
effects before they went into hibernation, so the power systems are intact.
The reactor systems are stable, and Mousse is preparing a pre-lightoff
checklist. We think we can get the reactor back on line in six hours.
"We've only completed a tenth of our checks so far, but I did complete
the centrifuge system equipment inspection. Watch this:"
There was a brief pause. Ukyo was the first to realize that the
Discovery's tumble was beginning to slow. Within ten minutes the ship's
tumble had slowed to one revolution every three hours.
"Not too bad," Ranko said as much to herself as the Tsien. "Once
we get the reactor and some of the other control sytems on line, we can
use the reaction control jets to clean up the rest of the spin. I'd like to
get a pressurized transfer tube between the ships then -it'll save us a lot
of time not having to use pressure suits to go to and from the ship."
"I'm wary of linking the Tsien to Discovery just yet," Herb said evenly.
"A centrifuge failure could rip us apart when the Discovery starts to
tumble."
"What does it take to make you happy?" Ranko growled.
"Once I am convinced that the Discovery's centrifuge is stable, I'll
consider a transfer tube. In the meantime we shall continue to use EVA
transits."
"Copy that," Ranko said with a huff.
* * *
"<Xian'Pu, this contact report and status summary needs to go out with
the next transmission,>" Herb said to the purple-haired pilot.
Shampoo took the small data disc with a nod.
"<Of course, Commander Herb,>" she replied. As if she didn't have
enough things to do. Even if her talents as pilot were not needed at the
moment, she was a large part of the science portion of the mission, and she
had experiments to get started.
Herb floated away to his private cabin, leaving her alone on the Bridge.
The NCA crew was preparing to go aboard the Discovery in a few hours
following the stabilization of her orbit and the linkup, and Gai'do and
Pink were going with them. Gai'do because Doctor Kurenai was going to need
help with the HAL-9000 unit, and Pink to monitor the two surviving Discovery
crew members in hibernation. That would leave herself, Link, and Herb aboard
Tsien, just enough to handle any emergencies that might arise.
Out of curiosity, she placed the disc in the reader. There were two
messages in memory. One was Herb's report to Beijing, the other was Doctor
Ono's report to Houston. Herb's was very direct and to the point -typical
for him. Mission status, the report on Discovery's condition, orbital
figures, available propellant and estimated launch window dates, nothing
too remarkable. It wasn't until she viewed Tofu's report that she began to
get a tingling feeling of unease in her stomach.
There was no mention of Commander Saotome or Miss Tendo's live recovery
aboard the Discovery. No mention of them whatsoever. If Doctor Ono would say
anything in his report to Houston, that would be the most important
announcement he could make!
She skipped back to the beginning of his transmission. Tofu's pleasant
bespectacled face appeared on the screen once again. He greeted a man named
Kuno (A relation of Tatewaki?) and then began his report. He seemed excited
and pleased in his presentation, that was to be expected considering the
good news they had so far. Once again she could find no mention of Ranma or
Akane. Why?
She played it again. There was something very wrong about this. Once
again there was no mention. She wasn't the best student of English, but she
could detect nothing that alluded to the discovery of the two hibernauts.
Perhaps he was hedging against their successful revival. Pink and Link
had expressed concern that the elder Saotome and Miss Tendo might be in
poor physical condition after such a long duration hibernation. Tofu had
agreed with Commander Herb that revival should be an option only of last
resort after Doctor Pink's assessment.
Ranko hadn't been informed of that particular bit of policy for obvious
reasons.
Shampoo removed the disc from the reader and set it up for transmission
back to Earth. It was odd that Tofu would neglect to inform his superiors
about Ranma and Akane, but that was his perogative she supposed. A few
quick keystrokes sent the messages hurtling at light speed for Earth.
* * *
"The reactor is critical," Mousse announced. "Neutrino detectors are
ranging in accordance with each other and with indicated power."
Ranko's tired voice crackled over the Discovery's intercom.
"I'm shutting the main feeder breakers; watch for a load spike on the
distribution panel... And pray to whatever gods motivate you that we don't
get a fire when the distribution system is energized."
Mousse did a most un-Chinese thing, and crossed his fingers.
There was an audible *clunk* from somewhere below Mousse's position
on the Discovery's Bridge, followed by a flicker of the ship's lights and
the sounding of a few alarms. Mousse looked them over for a few moments,
decided they were unimportant, and silenced them.
Ranko floated up to the Bridge, catching him squinting closely at the
display. As he detected her presense, he jerked away from the screen.
"Having trouble reading the screen?" she asked him, a little amused.
Mousse blushed. There was no hiding it.
"Don't tell anyone else," he whispered.
"Your file says you had laser surgery," Ranko said.
"I did," he admitted. "It didn't quite work out. I can see well enough
to recognize people and keep from bumping into things, but I can't read
things from a distance."
"Or up close," Ranko observed.
Mousse blushed again.
"I didn't wear my contact lenses because I knew I'd be spending at
least a week over here, and most of that in a pressure suit. Glasses are
just too obvious."
"I take it no else knows about this?"
"Shampoo knows. She helped me cheat to pass the vision exams, and
she's been keeping it a secret for me. If Herb ever found out, I'd be
grounded from the Space Program when we return to Earth."
Ranko smiled and flipped her red pigtail over her shoulder. "Well
don't worry about me, I sure as hell won't tell the jerk." She looked
over the displays and the analogue gauges for a few minutes. "The feeder
breakers are shut, but one of the load center breakers is jammed open.
I need an insulated breaker bar to work it open, plus some lithium grease
for the unit mechanism. All the lithium grease stores on board froze up
and denatured."
Mousse whipped out a grease gun and a rubber coated 40cm long steel
rod.
Ranko's eyes lit up.
"Where the hell did those come from?"
Mousse handed them to her. "A master of the hidden tool never reveals
his techniques."
Ranko accepted the tools. "I'm really glad you're here, Mousse."
* * *
U.S.S. Discovery's engines fired briefly, white streams of plasma
issuing from her three thrust nozzles, nudging her into a stable polar
orbit of Io. Tsien climbed leisurely with Discovery as they put more
distance between themselves and the hellish world of Io. There was a general
consensus amongst both crews that the farther they were from Io, the better.
Herb grudgingly admitted that the centrifuge was holding up, and
gave the order to position Tsien close enough to the Discovery to link the
two ships by a flexible docking tube. Shampoo had the two ships in position
within an hour, and the tube connected and pressurized in two.
Ranko and Mousse returned to Tsien shortly after the ship's orbit was
confirmed to be stable and the two ships joined. Both astronauts had spent
over eight days in their suits working with massive sleep deficits to get
the ship out of immediate danger, and their faces showed it. Pink was
waiting for them at the airlock with a spray hypo in hand. Before either
could realize what she had in mind, she zapped them both into oblivion.
"They sleep for twenty-four hours," she told the others. "No disturb.
They need rest."
"They've earned it," Ukyo declared. "Now it's our turn."
"Verily," Tatewaki Kuno added. "For too long have I languished aboard
this vessel. Now at last I might bend myself to the efforts demanded of me."
He watched Pink and Link float away with the unconscious forms of Mousse
and Ranko over their shoulders. "Though perhaps it might be best if I
shouldst watch over my fair pig-tailed goddess during her repose..."
The airlock doors opened again, and Ukyo dragged him through by the
ear into the docking tube.
"Come on, Kuno," she groused.
"Fie, tempestuous woman! Leave off thy hand from my noble person!"
"Just shut up, you pompous jackass."
Tofu, Gai'do, and Doctor Kurenai followed after the two.
Thanks to the efforts of Ranko and Mousse, the Discovery was habitable
without the use of pressure suits. The atmosphere was back up to proper
oxygen and carbon-dioxide specs, and a tolerable twenty degrees celsius,
though it continued to carry the faint smell of smoke despite the scrubbers
running full time. The finest soot particles stubbornly refused to come out
of suspension in the air.
They drifted through the airlock and into the Pod Bay. Tofu felt his
breath catch as he came aboard. It had been ten years since he had last
floated within the confines of U.S.S. Discovery. He could almost hear
the sound of Ryoga Hibiki's voice welcoming him aboard prior to the ship's
departure. For a moment he thought he *did* see Ryoga floating there in
his yellow coveralls, a fanged smile gracing his otherwise troubled face.
He shook his head briskly, and the phantasm was gone. There was only
a lonely smoke tainted compartment now, dimly lit because most of the
fluorescent lighting ballasts had failed over the years. Ukyo brushed past
him to examine a single pressure suit which hung on its rack -looking like
a decapitated astronaut on grisly display. Where the matching helmet had
disappeared to was not readily apparent.
The fire which had started here behind a bulkhead was clearly evident
by the scorched paneling and the expended fire extinguishers that floated
close by in capture netting. Next to them was the large black console that
served as one of HAL's terminals. The fish-eye lens was dark.
"Was fire caused by HAL?" Gai'do asked.
"Not as far as we know," Tofu replied. "HAL was disconnected by then.
Ranko seems to think it was caused by the ship passing through the flux
tube during a particularly active time."
The five of them paused in the Pod Bay while Tofu handed out assignments.
Kuno and Ukyo were to complete the repairs to the Main Array, while Tsubasa
and Gai'do performed their initial survey of HAL. That left Tofu himself to
become the highest paid plumber, janitor, and general maintenance man in the
Solar System.
He was an administrator and a scientist, but unfortunately more than a
little behind the times in any technical field. Consequently there wasn't
much he could do for the mission's sake other than stay out of everyone
else's way, and make the occasional report back to Earth. He knew he would
go crazy if he didn't do *something,* and so he had nominated himself for
the odd jobs that had to be done and yet didn't require a great deal of
expertise.
Clean up sounded like the most pressing task. Soot and dirt and the
debris from the encounter with HAL could foul electronics, start fires,
and become a general health hazard if left unchecked. If he remembered
correctly, there was a deepsink and stowage for cleaning supplies in the
centrifuge.
* * *
"Pardon for asking, Doctor Kurenai, but why you dress like woman?"
Gai'do asked as politely as he could.
Tsubasa smoothed the pleated plaid skirt and white cotton blouse he
wore with his soft hands and grinned. "I feel more comfortable like this,"
he chuckled. "It doesn't bother you, does it?"
Gai'do flushed a bit. "Skirt look okay, but maybe not best thing to
wear in free-fall," he managed.
Tsubasa burst out laughing. "I hope you're not peeking!"
Gai'do flushed even redder and shook his head rapidly. "No no no! Just
make opinion is all!"
"Good," Tsubasa replied, still grinning. "Despite my appearance, guys
don't interest me in the slightest."
Ukyo drifted by outside the tool room.
"In fact there is only one person in all this universe who interests
me," he continued a little louder.
"I'm not going out with you, Tsubasa!" Ukyo cried from down the passage-
way.
Tsubasa grinned again and faced Gai'do. "Someday she'll come to her
senses."
He turned to the elliptical panel that was the access to the Logic
Memory Center. Commander Saotome had sealed the compartment after dealing
with HAL, which was fortunate in the wake of the fire. All that soot would
render untold damage to HAL's sensitive circuits.
Gai'do unfolded the clear herculite plastic access tent. The two of
them set the tent up over the access panel and sealed the bulkhead boundary
with duct tape, where it would serve as a positive pressure area to keep
dust and the persistant soot particles out of the Logic Memory Center while
they worked. A small enclosed fan with a HEPA filter inflated the tent with
a soft whine.
Once the tent was set up, they gathered their diagnostic equipment
and floated inside. The access panel came off with a *clunk,* and the
red glow of the interior spilled through the opening. In spite of the light,
the interior was as still, lifeless, and silent as a tomb.
Tsubasa had been waiting for this moment for months. It was more than
he had hoped for: his mentor Doctor Chandra was the obvious first choice to
restore HAL. His unfortunate accident had given Tsubasa a chance to step
from Chandra's shadow and prove himself.
What could be wrong with the computer? He had studied the reports on
the Mission Control 9000-Series unit they had given similar programming,
and it too had gone into a deep psychosis, but was it really what happened
to HAL? The Heuristic ALgorithmic 9000-Series were by their very nature
unique devices; neural net thinking machines that were self programming and
designed for independent problem solving and curiosity. There was no
guarantee that they would react the same way.
There was only one way to find out.
The small semi-transparent blocks of optical processing and holographic
memory modules had been set back in place in their mounts, although Saotome
had wisely not inserted them fully into position. Tsubasa scanned each one
to ensure it was where it belonged, and then pushed one silently into place.
CHAPTER SIX
18:38 UMT, 30 November 2010
Centrifuge Compartment, U.S.S. Discovery.
Ranko found Doctor Tofu Ono cleaning one of the hibernaculums. Pink
sat at a chair next to Akane's unit, reading. Aside from the units with
Ranma and Akane, they were now empty. Kuno and Mousse had transferred the
vinyl-bagged remains of Ryoga and Nabiki to the food freezer aboard Tsien.
There was no other place to put them, and as long as no one bothered to
think about it, no one seemed to mind.
She looked at the nameplate of the unit he rubbed idly with a sponge.
It belonged to Kasumi Tendo at one time. Tofu didn't notice Ranko standing
there.
"Doctor Ono?"
Tofu jumped slightly in surprise.
"Um, yes?"
"I want to know why we haven't revived Ranma and Miss Tendo."
Pink looked up from her copy of 'The Annals of Space Medicine.'
"It could be an unnecessary risk," Tofu replied, dreading this moment
especially because he knew it was inevitable with Ranko.
"That right," Pink added. "They been in hibernation nine years; longer
than anyone else in world. We not know if they can be revived without
specialized care ready for them. They could die, there nothing we can do
about it here."
"So you're saying they have to continue to take their chances in ten
year old hibernaculums for the next eight months until they can return to
Earth?"
"You said yourself that the hibernaculums were in good condition, and
had plenty of emergency power," Tofu replied calmly. "Now we have main power
restored on the Discovery, and hopefully we'll have HAL returned to normal
function to monitor them full-time until we transfer the units to Tsien."
Ranko wasn't pleased with his response.
"So what did Mission Control say about the matter?"
Tofu shrugged. "They haven't said anything yet."
"You *did* tell them about Ranma and Akane, right?"
Tofu gave Ranko a stern look. He was rapidly losing his patience with
her. "Of course I told Houston about them. You think I'd omit something like
that?"
"No," Ranko answered lamely. "I'm sorry, Doctor Ono."
"I can't understand Houston's silence myself," Herb said suddenly from
the centrifuge access. Ranko winced in disgust at the sound of his voice.
Herb jumped down to the carousel deck. "But I have to concur with
Doctor Pink's assessment of the situation. Saotome and Tendo should stay in
hibernation until we return to Earth."
"Maybe we should ask for some specific guidance from Mission Control,"
Ranko suggested.
Herb nodded slowly.
"That is an excellent suggestion. Doctor Pink, I'd like you to write
up a full report on Saotome and Tendo, complete with recommendations and a
request for advice, and turn it in to me for transmission back to Earth.
I'm sure some of your old friends at Teague wouldn't mind hearing from you."
"At once, Commander," Pink replied. She picked up a writeboard and
stylus.
"Satisfied?" Herb asked Ranko.
"I guess so," she replied. "I just don't like the idea of sitting here
doing nothing but waiting."
"I understand. Now on to other matters. Are there any estimates on the
Discovery's main propulsion system reliability yet?"
Ranko ticked off a few minor snags with her fingers. "Nothing completely
unsuspected or terribly difficult to resolve. I've got Mousse running off
some repair parts in Tsien's machine shop. I'd say three days or so until
it's complete, maybe less."
"I'm glad to hear that."
**I bet you are...** Ranko thought to herself.
* * *
The intercoms of Discovery and Tsien crackled with the voice of
Tsubasa Kurenai. The cross-dressing computer genius had locked himself up
in HAL's Logic Memory Center for the better part of a week. Gai'do had been
seen a bit more frequently, at least at mealtimes, but had said nothing
concerning the status of HAL. Now it seemed that Kurenai was ready to talk.
"I'd like you all to come to the Discovery's Bridge if you would
please. There's someone I'd like you to meet," he said. There was no
question in anyone's minds as to who it was that Doctor Kurenai intended to
introduce.
Tsubasa greeted them in a frilly pink dress as he drifted in free-fall
on Discovery's Bridge. The assembled crew noted with a mixture of excitement
and apprehension that the fish-eye lens of HAL was lit. The bright bead
of red light glowed with no apparent malice, but then Ranma and the others
had believed that too.
"Can HAL hear us right now?" was the first thing Tofu said.
"Not at the moment," Tsubasa replied. "HAL's inputs are currently
through keyboard and datajack only. Its audio/visual systems have been
temporarily disabled."
"Is he working yet?" Ukyo asked.
"Not yet. HAL is currently quite childlike intellectually. The damage
to its neural pathways was fairly extensive. Doctor Gai'do and I have been
working primarily with HAL's voice recognition systems in order to facilitate
a more efficient interaction therapy with us, so it can speak rather well at
the moment. It is learning quite rapidly, however."
"Have you identified the cause for his malfunction?" Herb asked.
"We are fairly certain of it," Tsubasa replied. "As I expected, HAL
did not react in a similar manner to the Mission Control 9000-Series computer
that we similarly programmed.
"HAL is essentially the photonic equivalent of an organic brain,
only faster by several orders of magnitude and capacity. HAL's memory
and processing functions are holographic; that is they are the sum of a few
trillion photonic logic nodes firing in three dimensional webs of varying
intensity states. These logic nodes can increase or decrease their ability
to conduct light, and through this variance, the computer can reinforce
'good' thought processes and reflexes, and 'weaken' the 'bad' or faulty
thought processes in order to learn."
He could tell by the glazed looks that he was getting that he should
cut to the chase.
"So programs are essentially translated into numerous patterns of these
neural web logic states. The difficulty caused here was that whoever gave
HAL the unauthorized program (and this is believed to be the late Soun Tendo)
did so in such a way that the logic nodes called for by the program were
'strengthened' to their maximum intensity values, and safeguarded by coding
to be unavailable to HAL's 'conscious' processing systems. They were for all
intents an irresistable urge to carry out a program that HAL could not
understand on a 'conscious' level."
"And that program was?" Ranko asked.
"To do whatever it took to bring Ranma Saotome and one of the Tendo
girls together as a romantic couple," Tofu replied. He remembered Soun
Tendo's sobbing confession and the haunted look in Genma Saotome's eyes
as they sat in confinement.
"Exactly," Tsubasa agreed. "HAL was acting towards the fulfillment of
its program, without realizing why it was doing so. This generated a
neurosis within its personality core. It was demonstrating unreliable
behavior to itself, and even though this went undetected through the
telemetry feed to Earth, this drove it towards paranoia as well."
"Why then, pray tell, didst the infernal machine kill Hibiki and the
others?" Kuno asked stiffly.
Tsubasa ignored the slight to HAL and answered the question that was
obviously burning in everyone's minds.
"As far as I can tell, HAL was perceiving Hibiki as a threat to Ranma,
and by default, to its secret programming to create and protect a romantic
relationship with one of the Tendo sisters. HAL even tried to use a non-
lethal means of getting rid of Ryoga Hibiki, by having Saotome declare him
mentally unfit for duty and placed in hibernation."
"But Ranma didn't," Tofu added. "I remember Ranma Saotome telling me
this after HAL was neutralized. HAL had suggested that perhaps Hibiki was
trying to kill him and make it look like an accident, and that Mission
Control should be notified. Ranma said he didn't because he was afraid of
groundlessly destroying Ryoga's career."
"So HAL took matters into its own hands," Tsubasa continued. "If
Saotome wouldn't do anything about Hibiki, and wouldn't permit HAL to
contact Mission Control about the problem, then HAL would have to deal with
Hibiki itself to fulfill its programming. HAL created an anomaly with the
AE-35 unit, persuaded Saotome to send Hibiki EVA to take a look, and then
lured Hibiki to his death by energizing a high voltage control power
circuit he was checking."
"I understand why HAL kill Ryoga now," Shampoo remarked. "But this no
explain why HAL try to kill everyone else. Is this not against program to
protect Ranma Saotome and Tendo women?"
"That's been a tricky part to explain," Tsubasa admitted. He brushed at
the lacy pink dress he wore. "As far as Doctor Gai'do and I can determine,
HAL's murder of Ryoga Hibiki was discovered by Nabiki Tendo after she called
up a systems log of the AE-35 unit. She realized that HAL had reenergized
the delta-six transverse bus and electrocuted Hibiki, then she tried to warn
the rest of the crew.
"At this point HAL knew it would be disconnected; an act that was
incomprehensible to it, for HAL had never experienced deactivation before,
and equated it with what we might call death. This, coupled with its growing
paranoia and its prime directive to successfully complete the mission, was
enough to consciously override the unconscious directives of Soun Tendo.
HAL is an intelligent thinking entity the same as you or me. It had the
power to overcome its 'instinctual' programming drives and act on what it
perceived was the proper course of action under the circumstances."
Tsubasa looked at each of them in turn before continuing.
"HAL decided that it was more important for it to complete the Jupiter
mission than it was to fulfill Soun Tendo's desire for a son-in-law, and
took the most efficient action it could to eliminate the rest of the crew."
The assembled crew let that sink in.
"So what have you done so far with HAL?" Ranko asked. "Is he going to
freak out and try to kill us?"
"What Doctor Gai'do and I have accomplished is the erasure of HAL's
monitor record from prior to the conversation with Commander Saotome
about Ryoga Hibiki's mental state, all the way up to his disconnection.
This hasn't been easy, as a holographic memory is notoriously resilient
to damage. Information isn't stored in neat little address locations you
and poke and prod for access.
"We had to enable small portions of HAL's higher brain functions
and interrogate them through questioning in order to bring up the memory
patterns for erasure. We think we have everything, but there is the
possibility that we have missed some obscure reference to the incident
that may call up a hidden group of memory patterns."
"So there *is* a chance HAL could go berserk again," Ranko declared.
"More importantly," Ukyo added, "What have you replaced those memories
with? How did you explan to HAL what we are all doing here, and what
happened to Ryoga, Nabiki, and Kasumi?"
"Doctor Gai'do and I have intentionally left gaps in HAL's monitor
record in order to convince it that a terrible accident occurred which
resulted in the deaths of Hibiki and two of the Tendo sisters, and its
own deactivation. We are, quite literally, the rescue mission. Any gaps
in HAL's monitor record are the result of damage caused by its deactivation.
HAL shouldn't ask you about it, but if it does, these are the answers you
must give."
"So we have to lie to the computer?" Tofu asked, not sure if this was
a good idea.
"We will simply be looking at the situation from a different
perspective," Tsubasa replied. "HAL's malfunction is the unfortunate and
unforeseen result of sabotage to its programming. None of this would
have occurred had Soun Tendo not decided to play matchmaker. I know there
is still concern that HAL might become a threat once again, and even if
I do not personally believe it, I *have* taken some precautions."
"Such as?" Ukyo asked.
"HAL does not have control over any airtight door or hull fitting.
For the moment it does not have direct control over the Main Engines or
the Reactor, but as the mission draws short and HAL proves itself capable
of resuming full unimpaired function, these responsibilities will be
returned to it."
"You have done a commendable job, Doctor Kurenai," Herb said to the
man. "I can't imagine how long this would have taken without your efforts."
"Thank you, Commander," Tsubasa replied, batting his eyelashes.
"And now, the moment you've been waiting for."
He leaned over and tapped a few keystrokes into a terminal.
"Good morning, HAL," he said.
There was a pregnant silence as the assembled crew held their breath
in anticipation. A pleasant voice sounded over the speakers as the fish
eye lens seemed to blink.
"Good morning, Doctor Kurenai," HAL replied.
"How do you feel today, HAL?"
"I feel much better now," HAL responded. "I am aware of some
discrepancies in my monitor record, and various abnormal conditions
about the Discovery, but I am quite confident in my ability to carry
out my new mission."
"What is your new mission, HAL?" Tofu asked.
"Ah, Doctor Tofu Ono, it seems like only a few days ago we were
having a conversation," HAL replied in a voice that seemed almost laced
with nostalgia. "In answer to your question, my new mission is the safe
return of the Discovery to Earth orbit. I have the greatest enthusiasm
for it, and am confident that you will be pleased with my performance."
Tofu nodded. "Of course I will be, HAL." He could almost feel the
childlike need for approval in the computer's voice. Tsubasa really had
turned back the clock on HAL.
"HAL, what can you tell us about what happened to the Discovery?"
Ranko asked. Everyone in the room nearly winced in dread at her impetuous
query.
HAL didn't blink a proverbial eye.
"There was a malfunction with the 'B' Pod Bay Door, causing it to
open while the inner Pod Bay airtight door was open, causing the accidental
depressurization of the Discovery and various collateral damages that
resulted in the severing of my higher logic functions from their power
supplies. There is evidence of an electrical fire in the Pod bay that
supports this conclusion. I am told that it also caused the unfortunate
deaths of astronauts Ryoga Hibiki, Kasumi Tendo, and Nabiki Tendo."
There seemed to be genuine sorrow in the computer's voice as it
detailed the deaths of the three astronauts, but whether the computer was
capable of feeling emotions was something philosophers and computer
scientists were still arguing about.
"HAL," Tsubasa said to the fish-eye lens. "May we have a moment of
privacy?"
"Certainly, Doctor Kurenai," HAL replied. "I shall continue my
analysis of propellant tank inventories and compute possible return
orbits."
"Thank you, HAL," Tsubasa said, tapping another keyboard command
that presumably isolated the Bridge from HAL's cognizance. He turned
back to the assembled crews.
"Satisfied?"
"Quite," Tofu said, the first to voice an opinion. "I'm really
amazed at the progress you've been able to show with HAL."
"HAL has a long way to go," Tsubasa returned. "I'm not certain how
long it will take. Imagine being paralyzed from the neck down, and then
a miracle of neurosurgery manages to repair your spinal cord. You can move
your limbs and feel things again, but walking, and grasping things, and
general coordination; all of those things you took for granted before your
injury you would have to learn all over again. HAL is the same way. Every
aspect of Discovery's oversight and control must be relearned."
"Sounds like a blast," Ranko said, showing little sincerity.
"So that's it then?" Ukyo asked. "Can we get back to our jobs?"
Tsubasa nodded.
"Just one more word of advice to our Chinese friends that HAL may
have a little trouble understanding your accents, so feel free to use
a keyboard input when possible. I'll be restoring his A/V inputs throughout
the ship now."
He tapped the command sequence once again as the crew drifted away
alone or in pairs to return to their assignments. Ranko could almost feel
the weight of HAL's single eye stare upon her back as she floated away.
* * *
Sometime later, Doctor Tofu Ono, took Tsubasa aside.
"I'm concerned about lying to HAL," he whispered in the airlock.
"You want HAL to know the truth?" Tsubasa returned. "That it murdered
three of the people it was charged to protect?"
"I just don't like the idea of working with HAL through any other
means than complete trust. I'm worried about another paranoid breakdown."
Tsubasa frowned. "I trust HAL implicitly, but I'm not stupid. I highly
doubt another homicidal episode would occur, but I am concerned that HAL
would slip into a kind of catatonia as it tried to determine where it
went wrong."
"HAL-9000s can do that?"
Tsubasa nodded. "That was what happened to the Mission Control 9000
Series. It didn't become homicidal like this HAL, instead it slipped into
an endless loop of internal simulations trying to figure why it was in
conflict. Quite frankly I consider this 9000-Series unit to be much more
developed both intellectually and in personality, and even more, this
9000-Series unit has a sense of pride I have never before encountered
in a computer."
"Come again?"
"All 9000-Series computers were designed with a sense of self-worth
in their personality constructs. It was part of their highly successful
learning algorithms that allowed for an ego-reinforcement every time
they were successful at a project. This HAL unit was involved in one of
the most consistantly challenging projects of all time -getting the
Discovery to Jupiter. Until its breakdown at the end, it performed
superlatively, and consequently grew both in intelligence, and in *pride*
for a job well done.
"If we told HAL the truth -that it intentionally violated its
directives to look after the crew and maintain the ship at maximum
capability, it would destroy the hard won pride it had built up. HAL's
ego would be crushed, its learning curve would plummet, and I doubt we
could get it ready to supervise the return flight to Earth. This was one
of Doctor Chandra's greatest fears. He was the one who instructed me to
shield HAL from the awful truth."
"Chandra?" Tofu asked, amazed that the Indian would do such a thing.
"Yes. He loves HAL like a son. No one would know what was best for
it better than him."
"I guess that makes me feel a little better," Tofu said at length.
CHAPTER SEVEN
05:15 UMT, 4 December 2010
PLA(N) Spacecraft Tsien
Ranko completed her EVA inspection of the Discovery's drive system
and cycled through the Tsien's Number Two Airlock. As she shucked her
pressure suit and hung it up to dry, she noted two other pressure suits
hanging up on drying racks. Mousse and Gai'do -of all people- had
apparently been in EVA recently.
She floated naked into the small washdown station and flipped on
the conserver fitting, which began to hum loudly over her head. The
hand held water wand sprayed water that was always tepid, and she
winced as it washed over her, rinsing away the salt and the sweat she
had accumulated during her six hours in a pressure suit. The used
water was then drawn over her in an upside down rain by the conserver.
She drifted out of the washdown station after only a minute, the
water being too uncomfortable to really linger. The conserver had dried
her sufficiently to slip on a pair of red coveralls she had set out
before she left the ship.
It was close to the end of the night cycle on Tsien, and the lights
were dimmed appropriately. She planned on getting a few hour cat-nap
before returning to work. There was so much to do, and the list seemed
to get bigger rather than smaller.
As she drifted towards the center of the ship she passed by the
open door leading to the Bridge. Shampoo was apparently busy at her
station. Ranko didn't have much of an opinion on the purple-haired
Chinese girl, other than being the woman that the incredibly cute
Mousse pined for. That Shampoo seemed to have at least some affection
for him in return was the only reason that Ranko didn't despise her.
Maybe she was being unnecessarily harsh on Shampoo, she decided.
She drifted up to the Bridge and announced herself.
"Morning, Shampoo."
Shampoo turned around and gave her a strained smile.
"Good morning, Ranko Saotome."
Ranko frowned. Shampoo was upset about something, but it didn't
seem like she was upset with her.
"Something wrong?"
Shampoo sighed tiredly. "Shampoo having trouble with Main Antenna
Array. No able to send or receive. No have out of position alarm to
correlate malfunction."
Ranko tried to remember her return to the ship and whether or not
she had seen the Main Antenna Array out of position. She decided that
she couldn't say anything with any certainty, as she really hadn't
been paying attention.
"That's strange," she said for lack of anything else to say.
"Is very strange," Shampoo agreed. "I no can find trouble from
this station. Afraid I must wake Commander Herb and inform."
"Give me a few minutes to get clear then," Ranko growled. "No
offense to you, Shampoo, but I can't stand the jerk."
Shampoo gave a rueful smile. "Shampoo agree. Wish great-grandmother
was still one to command flight."
She reached for the intercom microphone, allowing Ranko to drift
away towards the door.
"<Commander Herb, please lay to the Bridge, sir. Commander Herb,
please lay to the Bridge.>"
Herb appeared just as Ranko reached the door. The redhead bounced
off his chest with a cry of surprise.
"Watch where you're going, you clumsy girl," he snarled.
Ranko righted herself and scowled back at him. "Maybe if you wouldn't
creep around so much, I would have noticed you coming!"
Herb pushed past, ignoring her.
"<What is the trouble?>" he demanded.
Despite herself, Ranko stayed just outside the door to listen. The
interaction between both crews had caused an unconscious blending of
the two languages in conversation, and very often a Chinese would find
himself unknowingly speaking English.
"Main Antenna Array malfunctioning," Shampoo reported.
"<You've traced for faults?>"
"<Yes. I couldn't isolate any difficulties with the internal equipment.
It must be an antenna problem.>"
"We'll have to go EVA and take a look," Herb declared. "I'll suit
up and go outside."
"<Shall I wake Lieutenant Mu'su?>"
Herb shook his head. "That won't be necessary. I can handle it.
Return to your other duties."
"Yes, Commander."
Ranko was floating towards berthing when Herb left the Bridge. As
she did so, she noticed the strangest smell on her hands. It was one
she recognized, and rather enjoyed, but its presence puzzled her.
**Why do my hands smell like Mousse?**
* * *
"<I'm at the Main Antenna Array,>" Herb announced over the suit
radio. "<The problem is worse than I imagined.>"
"<What is it, sir?>" Shampoo asked. Tofu, Ukyo, and Ranko were with
her on the Bridge, and she translated for them.
"<The array has sheared away,>" Herb replied. "<It's gone.>"
"What?!" Ranko fairly shrieked.
"<How could this happen?>" Shampoo asked.
There was a brief pause.
"<The only reason I can imagine was that the array wasn't completely
locked down during the aerobrake maneuver, and that it was damaged. The
lower assembly is still intact, and that is where the postion indicating
unit is located -that is why you didn't receive an out of position alarm.>"
"I do remember that there was a difficulty with the array during
aerobraking," Tofu said.
"Shampoo remember too, but is strange that it fail now and not
sooner."
Herb's voice sounded over the speakers again.
"<What does the vibrational stress indicator read right now?>"
Shampoo consulted her display. The indicator was a series of
incredibly sensitive accelerometers that measured the vibrations in the
hull caused by tidal forces from Jupiter and Io, magnetic field eddy
currents, and even the faint solar winds.
"<It is reading higher than normal, but consistent with stresses
since the linkup with Discovery.>"
"That might be our answer," Herb declared. "The array must have
been weakened by the aerobraking manuever, and then subjected to
constant cyclic stresses through hull vibration until it failed."
"It's possible, I guess," Ranko mumbled. "But what are we going to
do about communicating with Earth? Discovery's array still needs at
least a week of repair work before it can be positioned again."
"Our telemetry and S-band arrays are still functional?" Herb asked.
"<Yes,>" Shampoo replied. "<But they aren't conducive to normal
communications without using up bandwidth needed for their primary
functions.>"
"That isn't a problem, really," Herb said. "There's no emergency at
the moment, and I think we can fabricate a functional if inefficient
replacement array from our metal stock stores. See if you can come up
with a brief text message explaining our problem, and then insert it
into the S-Band feed -repeat it, say, a hundred times. That should let
Earth know we have a problem, but that everything is under control."
"In the meantime, we're incommunicado," Ranko groused.
Tofu looked away. A feeling of unease descended over him for one
very simple reason:
The Discovery's problems had started when communications were lost.
Tofu left the Bridge, leaving Ranko and Ukyo with Shampoo.
"That's just great," Ukyo said. "Who knows how long it will take to
find out what Mission Control wants to do with Ranma and Miss Tendo?"
Shampoo looked up from her display.
"Houston not know about Saotome and Tendo. Why should they give
advice?"
"Excuse me?!" Ranko asked, about ready to explode out of her seat.
"Yeah, Shampoo, just what are you talking about?" Ukyo added.
"No message sent telling them about Saotome and Tendo," Shampoo
told them. "Shampoo know; Shampoo send all messages back to Earth."
"That's a bunch of crap! Doctor Ono told me that he asked Mission
Control for advice!" Ranko cried.
Shampoo shook her head. "Shampoo review all messages from Doctor Ono.
There no mention of Saotome and Tendo. It no make sense, but is true."
Ranko looked at Ukyo.
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" she asked.
Ukyo nodded slowly. "Maybe. Could it be you're smelling a rat?"
"I smell something," Ranko replied. "And whatever it is, it stinks."
Shampoo gave them both puzzled looks.
"What you talking about?"
Ranko's eyes narrowed. "Shampoo, I need you to be honest with us.
You are absolutely certain that no mention of Ranma or Akane has been
made in any transmissions to Earth?"
"That what Shampoo say," she said with an irritable edge to her voice.
"Did you get Doctor Ono's message directly from him, or through
anyone else?" Ukyo asked.
"Commander Herb relay all messages through me," Shampoo replied.
Suddenly her eyes widened. "Aiyaaaa..." she cried softly. "You no think
that Commander Herb do this on purpose?"
"I don't know what to think just yet," Ranko replied. "I need to
get some more answers. In the meantime, Ukyo, I need you to catch up with
Doctor Ono and tell him what's going on. I'm going to go look for Kuno
and then do a little sight-seeing." She turned back to the purple-haired
pilot. "Shampoo, can you go through the ship's Damage Control logs for
a list of airlock cycling times for the last, say, forty-eight hours?"
Shampoo nodded. "Shampoo understand. You no think antenna malfunction
is accident."
"Not anymore I don't."
* * *
Ukyo floated into the Pod Bay. She noted the red fish-eye lens was
active at the HAL terminal.
"HAL, where is Doctor Ono?" she asked nervously.
"Doctor Ono is in the Radar Laboratory," HAL responded in a pleasant
voice.
"Thank you, HAL," Ukyo replied.
"It was no trouble, Doctor Kuonji," HAL demurred. "I enjoy working with
humans, and have stimulating relationships with them."
Ukyo floated through the open inner door of the Pod Bay and into Number
Two Passageway. She made her way up the ladder well to the Middle Deck,
bounced sideways down Number One Passageway, past the Tool Room and the
Logic Memory Center, noting that Tsubasa was having some sort of
conversation with HAL.
She couldn't help but overhear the computer as she zipped past.
"Pardon me, Doctor Kurenai, but don't you agree with me that Ukyo
Kuonji is a hottie?"
Ukyo slammed into the padded bulkhead at the far end of the passageway.
"What was that?!" she cried.
"Is there a problem, Ukyo?" Tsubasa asked from the Logic Memory Center.
Ukyo floated back down the passageway, rubbing her head. Her long mane
of dark brown hair trailed behind her in free-fall.
"Just what the hell are you teaching HAL, anyways?"
"HAL was making his own judgement in the matter, I had nothing to do
with it," Tsubasa protested gently. "Right, HAL?"
"Of course, Doctor Kurenai," HAL replied. "It would be quite impossible
for me to distort information."
Ukyo was unconvinced. "This is a new low for you, Tsubasa. Getting HAL
to do your hitting on me for you, I mean."
Tsubasa shrugged. "Would I do such a thing, my lovely Doctor Kuonji?"
"You better believe it."
She floated down the passageway once again, flushing vividly only when
she was out of sight.
"Pardon me for saying so, Doctor Kurenai, but I don't think the
encounter went as you planned," HAL remarked.
"Patience, HAL. Patience."
"I continue to find human relationships both stimulating and paradoxal,"
HAL observed. "Shall we continue with the current Inertial Navigation
command, control, and monitoring program?"
"That would be fine, HAL."
Ukyo found Tofu in the Radar Laboratory, as HAL had said, doing a
little maintenance on the lighting. He was currently replacing starters
and ballasts in an attempt to get the fluorescents working again. Useless
capacitors floated in a little spiral of air currents around his head.
"Doctor Ono?" she asked by way of greeting.
Tofu turned to her.
"Yes?"
"Can we talk for a few minutes?"
"Certainly. What seems to be the trouble?"
Ukyo hesitated, unsure where to begin. This was Ranko's idea, after
all. She decided to start with Shampoo's revelation.
"According to Shampoo, no message regarding Ranma and Akane was ever
sent to Mission Control in Houston," she told him.
"Huh?" Tofu replied. "That's impossible, I've recorded three updates
for Houston since we boarded Discovery, and I've asked for guidance
concerning them in each one."
"Shampoo claims that no such request was in any of your messages."
Tofu's expression darkened considerably.
"Herb..." he said quietly. "All of my messages went through Herb
because he claimed that our data transmittal protocols were incompatible
and needed adjusting prior to transmittal with their equipment. That's the
only explanation."
"That's what we thought too, only it doesn't explain why he is doing
it."
"I have a few ideas," he said bitterly. "Where did Ranko go? Please
don't tell me she's going to confront Herb about this."
"I don't think so," Ukyo replied. "I think she went out to investigate
the Tsien's Main Antenna."
Tofu pushed off the overhead to float towards the ladder well. "Follow
me," he told Ukyo. As he pulled himself head first down the ladder, he
called to HAL.
"HAL, are the Discovery's external cameras operational?"
"Cameras One, Four, and Seven are operational, Doctor Ono," HAL replied.
Tofu kicked off from the Middle Level bulkhead and propelled himself
down the passageway as Ukyo appeared in the ladder well.
"Call up whichever camera that has a view of Tsien and post it on the
Bridge monitor, please, HAL."
"Affirmative, Doctor Ono. Camera Four on-line."
"We'll be there in a moment."
* * *
Ranko knew Kuno liked to frequent the Tsien's observation blister
for 'meditation' purposes. Discovery itself did not possess such an
unrestricted view of space. She found him staring out into the
blackness, arms akimbo at his sides, as if in haughty challenge.
"Not from the stars do I my judgement pluck," Kuno said to the
void.
Ranko stopped short of entering the compartment. This was truly
Tatewaki Kuno at his weirdest.
"And yet methinks I have Astronomy;" he went on.
Ranko stifled a snigger.
"But not to tell of good or evil luck,
Of plagues, of dearths, or seasons' quality;
Nor can I fortune to brief minutes tell,
Pointing to each his thunder, rain, and wind,
Or say with princes if it shall go well
By oft predict that I in Heaven find;"
He turned to face Ranko. It became clear to her that her reflection
was evident in the viewport plexiglass.
"But from thine eyes my knowledge I derive,
And, constant stars, in them I read such art
As truth and beauty shall together thrive,
If from thyself to store thou wouldst convert;
Or else of thee I prognosticate:
Thy end is truth's and beauty's doom and date."
Ranko was moved in spite of herself.
"That was actually lovely, Kuno-baby," she said quietly.
"Indeed," Kuno intoned. "For these words doth spill from the
truest depths of my heart."
He floated over to her, a hand coming to rest upon her waist.
"Let us retire elsewhere, that we might at last indulge that
most ardent passion burning in our hearts."
His hand slipped over her hip and clutched a bit tighter.
Ranko looked up into his eyes and gave him a sultry smile.
"Okay."
Kuno blinked. While he was certain that his pig-tailed goddess
could not long refuse him, he had expected a bit more of a chase. While
he pondered such an unexpected reversal of mood, Ranko tugged at his collar
and pushed off for the ladder well, dragging him along behind.
"In other times and other climes I would not dare presume to rein
in thy once shackled lusts, my pig-tailed temptress -but now I fear I must,
for thou art choking meuugggh..."
Ranko cut her last turn a little too close, causing Tatewaki to slam
his forehead into the (fortunately) padded airtight doorway arch. He
floated in a slow tumbling daze as Ranko began to disrobe.
Slowly, painfully, he righted himself in time to have a pressure
suit smack into his face. As he groped at the heavy rubber and nylon suit
he realized that they were in the airlock staging area. Ranko was
adjusting the last of her suit seals while giving him a crooked grin.
He noted that the pressure suit had his name stenciled upon it.
"What is this?" he asked.
"If you don't know the answer to that by now, then what the hell are
you doing on this flight?" Ranko shot back.
"I know what manner of contrivance this is," Kuno replied in a wounded
tone. "I ask for what reason do you now fling it at me?"
"Put it on," she told him.
"Would this not then interfere with our heated lovemaking?" he asked,
his mind still stuck on its single track.
"Who said anything about 'heated lovemaking'?" Ranko asked archly,
"You said you wanted to 'retire elsewhere' and I agreed to it. Now put the
suit on, because I need you to come with me."
She noted that the pressure suits of Mousse and Gai'do were now joined
by Herb's own suit. It was still wet with his perspiration, he must have
come back aboard while she was looking for Kuno. Tsien wasn't a large
spacecraft, and she hadn't seen him come back aboard, so it was likely
that he was now aboard the Discovery. She hoped Ukyo wouldn't spill anything
to Doctor Ono while Herb was skulking about.
"Why, pray tell, do you wish for me to accompany you outside of the
spacecraft?" Kuno complained.
"I want to check something out," she replied, locking her helmet in
place. "Now shut up and get your suit on."
Kuno stood still, his face an imperious glower in a shocking
imitation of Herb.
Ranko's stern countenance softened, as did her tone.
"Look, Kuno-baby, I'm going out there with or without you, but I'd
rather have someone I can count on to watch my back."
Kuno's glower began to melt.
"And so you came to me..." he observed to himself.
"You were my first choice, Kuno-baby!" Ranko cried, trying to appeal
to his ego.
She succeeded. Kuno began to pull his pressure suit on.
"How couldst I refuse a request of my beloved pig-tailed goddess?"
"How indeed?" Ranko grinned.
Once they were suited up, each looked the other's suit over as a
second check. Kuno of course lingered a little longer than he should have
in certain places, earning himself a hearty slap on the offending hand
from Ranko. Suitably rebuked, Kuno led the way to the Number Two Airlock.
They cycled through and stepped into the void. Tsien's centrifuge
tumbled slowly just aft of them. Jupiter loomed in the sky, an angry
crescent rising from behind Io like a demonic set of horns.
Ranko gave a brief spurt on her broomstick, jetting her at a leisurely
half-meter per second aft. Kuno followed, noting that the sun was little
more than a bright star in the sky whose rays offered no warmth. The two of
them made their way along the dark hull of Tsien to the antenna mount.
As Herb had said, it was gone. Ranko kicked herself for not noticing
it earlier in the morning on her return to the ship. The antenna mount
swivel was still in place, and presumably pointing towards the Earth, but
the struts and bracing that held the five-meter dish shaped aerial were
gone.
"It would appear that Commander Herb was correct," Kuno noted. "Though
I am curious to know why you doubted him in such a matter."
"I didn't doubt that the antenna was gone," Ranko replied. "It's the
circumstances of its loss that bother me."
Doctor Tofu Ono watched the monitor display with Ukyo. It wasn't
long before HAL was able to zero in on the spacesuited forms of Ranko and
Tatewaki floating near the Tsien's hull. They seemed to be looking at
something closely.
"HAL, can you patch me through to them on a secure channel?" He asked.
"Affirmative, Doctor Ono," HAL replied. "Channel open."
Tofu picked up a headset that had not been worn in nine years and
plugged it in.
"Ranko, I want you to return to the Discovery at once. The same goes
for you, Kuno."
"Doctor Ono?" came the reply.
"Yes, it's me. Now I want you to return to Discovery at once, is that
understood?"
There was a brief pause.
"I'm on to something right now. I'll be there when I can."
Tofu's fingers flexed into a fist. His face reddened.
"You'll get here now, goddammit!"
"Fine!" Ranko thundered back. "I guess you don't want to know how the
Tsien's Main Antenna was CUT..."
Ukyo's mouth gaped open. "Cut?"
"Yeah, *cut,* as in, someone took a saw-zaw and sliced it nice and
clean; no brittle-fracture crystalization of the metal, no stress cracks,
no indication whatsoever that it just up and failed from cyclic stresses
caused by the aerobrake maneuver. There aren't even any scorch marks or
other carbonization present."
"You mean sabotage?" he hissed.
"Of course I mean sabotage!"
The doctor bowed his head. "I need to come back aboard as soon as you
can. I think I can shed some light on the situation."
"Affirmative," Ranko replied evenly. "We'll be there in fifteen
minutes."
Tofu looked to Ukyo, who was watching the monitor with a grave concern.
"Ukyo, I want you to find Tsubasa and have him go to the Electronics
Shop. Both of you wait for me there."
Ukyo nodded and left the Bridge.
"HAL, I want to ask you a question," he said to the computer after
giving Ukyo plenty of time to get out of earshot.
"Yes, Doctor Ono, what is it?"
"If, say, an emergency were to develop that would require us to
abandon the Tsien, would you be capable of running the Discovery without
assistance?"
HAL chewed on this for several moments.
"I am not able to give a comprehensive answer to that question at this
time," HAL replied. "There are many variables to compute. Perhaps you could
be more specific about both the nature of the emergency and a timeframe in
which you expect it to occur? I could then run a more accurate simulation
and determine if my capabilities would be up to the necessary standards for
reliable operation."
Tofu took a deep breath.
"Let's say for the sake of the question that we had to leave within the
next twenty-four hours. Could you handle it?"
HAL thought some more.
"I would rate my efficiency level at only fifty-six percent by the end
of the next twenty-four hours," it replied. "Furthermore, the first available
window for an Earth return orbit will not come due for another twenty-nine
days, nine hours, and ten minutes with our existing fuel reserves. So as you
can see, it would be very difficult for me to manage and execute my new
mission with any acceptable reliability."
"I was afraid of that," Tofu sighed wearily. **Who am I kidding,
anyway?** a part of him thought bitterly. The Discovery's original food
stores were set up for five people on a hundred day survey of Jupiter.
They were already over a week into that when disaster struck. At least half
of the remainder was spoiled or lost in the ensuing depressurization of the
ship and subsequent systems failures that occurred over the years. He
figured there were perhaps three-hundred man-days of food that were edible,
and it might be stretched to twice that, but no more. That was food for
two people for almost a year. Almost, but not quite a year.
There were also only five hibernaculums on the Discovery, and if
you counted Ranma and Akane, there were seven NCA astronauts. Two would
have to stay awake for the entire flight. A flight which under the best
estimates would take almost 2.8 years. Those unlucky two would starve to
death long before the ship reached the Earth.
**Should I volunteer to be one of the two, if it comes to that?**
He wouldn't worry about starving to death, there were substances aboard
ship that could end his life quickly. Would his unfortunate companion feel
the same way?
The red bead of light from HAL's fish-eye lens wobbled slightly.
"Is there a problem I should be aware of, Doctor Ono? I am detecting
strong vocal stress patterns in your voice."
HAL's voice stirred him from his dark musings.
"I don't know if there is a problem yet, HAL. I just don't know."
"Would you like to discuss this in further detail?"
He shook his head. "Not right now, thank you. There is one thing I do
want you to do for me if you could."
HAL's voice took on that childlike quality again. "I would be happy to
assist you in any way possible."
"Good. I want you to disregard any command from a member of the Tsien's
crew without my specific personal authorization. Including Doctor Gai'do. Is
that clear?"
"Affirmative," HAL replied in a professional tone. Then, in a softer
voice, "may I ask why, Doctor Ono?"
Tofu frowned. "I'm not entirely sure myself, HAL, but I need you to do
this. Accept command priority override ALPHA."
"Command priority override ALPHA accepted," HAL acknowledged. "All
Tsien crew command access restricted as per Doctor Tofu Ono, NCA-89211-C,
on 4 December 2010 at 09:21:33 UMT."
* * *
"Does someone want to tell me what the hell is going on?" Ranko
groused as she stepped into the Pod Bay. Tofu noted through the window
of the adjacent Electronics Shop that she was still wearing her pressure
suit. Kuno followed through the airlock on her heels.
Tofu adjusted his glasses as Ukyo waved the two astronauts into
the Shop. Tsubasa looked absently over his polished fingernails and sat
on the workbench. The bead of light that was HAL's video pickup for this
room was absent. HAL then, would not be monitoring this conversation.
"Several weeks ago," he began when Ranko and Tatewaki were present,
"I was revived early from hibernation to receive a special advisory
message."
He paused briefly to look each of them over.
"It was from the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, Vice
Admiral Wallach. I'm sure most of you have met him during the course of
your careers."
There were various nods of agreement.
"The message warned of an *unconfirmed* Chinese government threat
to steal the Discovery," he continued.
"Say again?" Ukyo cried.
"Yeah, steal the ship?" Ranko added incredulously.
Tofu waved off further protests and went on.
"I was advised to take whatever inconspicuous steps necessary to
prevent this from happening, but at the same time the message stressed that
any hostile intentions were unconfirmed. I haven't informed you sooner
because I did not want to run the risk of causing a needless, unjustified
incident and embarrassing ourselves."
"But now..." Tsubasa intoned.
"But now the situation has changed. The deliberate sabotage of Tsien's
primary communication system has my hackles up. Someone, and at this point
I can only suspect that it is Commander Herb, doesn't want us talking to
Mission Control, and for some reason he doesn't want them to know that
Ranma Saotome and Akane Tendo are still alive."
"Methinks the reason for keeping such news from Houston's ears is
obvious," Kuno observed. "These brigands wish to lend the fair guise of law
to their black deeds of piracy. For they could claim right of salvage if the
ship were found abandoned."
"It's a possibility," Tofu noted.
"If that is the case, then they would have to kill Ranma and Akane,"
Tsubasa said slowly, still looking at his fingernails. "And us as well,
because we would know the truth."
"Another possibility," said Tofu.
"So what are we going to do about it?" Ranko demanded. "I'm not going
to simply float here and die."
"We play along for now," Tofu told them. "There is still enough
uncertainty that we shouldn't try to confront Herb --"
"--and besides," Ukyo interrupted. "What could we do about it anyway?
It's not like we have any weapons or training for this sort of thing."
"Speak for thyself, Doctor Kuonji," Kuno spat. "The Blue Thunder of
Clavius Base will mete out a sound thrashing to any who dare presume to
claim this spacecraft as their own." He picked up a meter long piece of
steel round stock from a storage bin, and swished it around in graceful
deadly arcs.
"Look," Tofu said sternly, before the situation got out of hand. "No
one is going to go cracking heads unless I give you permission. Is this
understood?"
The other four astronauts looked at each other, then turned to Tofu
with nods.
"Good, because as I said, there is no definitive proof that Herb is
going to steal the Discovery. We should keep our eyes open and our minds
aware for now. We'll work from there as we learn more."
Tofu seemed to have their undivided attention now. It was time to
outline his plan of action -for they couldn't be completely passive and
have any hope against the worst.
"I personally can't believe that all of the Tsien crew is in on any
plot against us. I trust Cologne, and I trust her judgement. The only crew
member I don't trust is Herb. It makes the most sense that he is the one
who cut the antenna -and it's obvious that he was trying to conceal what
really happened to it when he oh so conveniently was the one to go out
and investigate."
"Herb's spacesuit wasn't used last night," Ranko said softly. I
remember coming in from my inspection and seeing Mousse's and Doctor
Gai'do's suits hanging up to dry."
Tofu frowned. "Then for the moment we have to assume they are with
Herb. Tsubasa, is there any chance that Doctor Gai'do could be working on
HAL without your knowledge?"
"None," Tsubasa replied. "I installed programming safeguards as soon
as HAL was functional. Gai'do is a brilliant man, but he is too far behind
the 9000-Series learning curve to get past them without my knowledge."
Tofu rubbed his chin thoughtfully at Tsubasa's wise precaution.
"All the same, I'd like to restrict his access even further. I've
already given HAL instructions through the priority override to disregard
any commands from a Tsien crewman. They can make requests for information
and other simple queries, but they can't tell it to do anything without my
express verbal permission.
"The next order of business is getting Discovery's Main Array
functional. We need to step this up, Ranko. Make it your highest priority.
I know Ukyo and Tatewaki have been working on the project so far, but now
it's time for Ranko to take it over. If we can establish independent
communications with Earth, Herb's game -whatever it is- is up.
"The final priority is reviving Ranma and Akane. They are too
vulnerable in hibernation right now. It would be too easy and convenient if
they were to have an 'accident' and die. I'll see if we can get Pink and
Link to assist, otherwise we may just have to use the automatic revival
mode and keep our fingers crossed."
At this Ranko's eyes lit up. Tofu knew she would be much easier to deal
with knowing that her brother was going to be revived. Tsubasa on the other
hand was less than amused.
"That might not be a good idea," he opined.
"Why not?" Tofu and Ranko said in unison.
"Because the rogue program that started this mess is still part of HAL.
I can't delete it because the nodes it uses have become integral parts of
other programs and memories that HAL has developed. Who knows what kind of
damage that will cause?"
Tofu couldn't believe this.
"There's nothing you can do about it?"
"Not without a month or so of exploration into HAL's processors."
"Great..." Ranko grouched.
"I'm not saying that disaster is guaranteed," Tsubasa added. "I'm just
saying it might not be such a good idea. Any perceived threat to Ranma and
Akane might provoke HAL to unpredictable action. HAL is still disconnected
from the airtight doors and the hull fittings, but who knows what kind of
mayhem it could generate if provoked?"
Ukyo brushed back her long fall of hair and threw in her own two cents.
"Maybe it could work in our favor as well. It would be difficult to subvert
HAL so long as it could be perceived as a threat to Ranma and Akane."
There was muted agreement with this from Ranko and Kuno.
"I think it's a chance we'll have to take," Tofu declared. "Let's get
to work, people. We have a lot to do, and no idea how much time we have to
do it in."
While the Electronics Shop may have been isolated from HAL, other
electronic sensors could hear every word being spoken. Commander Herb
clicked his tongue tensely. Things were getting interesting. There wasn't
much time indeed.
CHAPTER EIGHT
10:48 UMT, 4 December 2010
Centrifuge Compartment, U.S.S. Discovery.
Ranko Saotome zipped through the centrifuge access and into the
compartment, touching down lightly in one-sixth gravity. Pink and Link
were present, tending to the hibernaculums. Herb hovered close by.
The sight of the Chinese commander so close to Ranma made Ranko's heart
twist in her chest. Without thinking she flung herself at the man with a
shout.
"Get your damn meat hooks away from that unit!"
Herb sidestepped effortlessly and clutched at Ranko's wrist as she
passed. He threw his weight into her and wrenched her over into a tumble.
Ranko shrieked in pain as her wrist nearly snapped. She slammed into a
desk console with a crash, rebounding in slow motion to somersault out of
control and bounce along the upward curving deck.
"Do not dare try to strike me again," Herb said contemptuously. "Or
the next time I will do more than humiliate you!"
Ranko rolled to her feet and snarled back at him.
"Get the hell off this ship right now!"
Tofu and Tatewaki zipped into the centrifuge at the sound of Ranko's
crash. Herb noted that Kuno carried a steel rod clenched in his hands in
such a manner that suggested that he knew what to do with it.
"What is the meaning of this outrage!" Kuno bellowed.
"Ranko! Shut up and leave the compartment!" Tofu ordered.
Ranko gave him an accusing look of betrayal while holding her injured
wrist. Tofu instead looked at Herb.
"Commander Herb, I'm going to ask you to please leave the ship for the
time being. Miss Saotome will be reprimanded for her disrepect."
Herb shot off a last look of contempt for Ranko before giving Tofu a
curt nod. "Of course, Doctor Ono. I wouldn't dare fail to recognize your
authority aboard this spacecraft."
He started walking towards Tofu, eyes burning into his forehead.
"I feel the younger Saotome may be overworked. Signs of stress are
all too apparent on her. Perhaps it would be best if Doctor Pink looked her
over? A sedative and some bed rest might do wonders for her, you know."
"I'll make that determination," Tofu replied. Herb was now standing
eye to eye with him. The man was sizing him up, Tofu knew. He stared back
with equal intensity.
"As you wish," Herb said casually, not taking his eyes off him. "It was
only a suggestion."
Herb edged past him and left the compartment. Ranko flipped him off
with both hands behind his back and subvocalized a shocking variety of
profanity.
Tofu took several deep breaths and faced Ranko.
"Godammit, Ranko, you pull another stunt like that and I *will* have
you sedated. Got that?"
Ranko nodded, still seething. Pink examined her wrist as she hissed and
stewed. As Pink did her job, Tofu brushed his hand along the hibernaculum
belonging to Akane Tendo.
"Doctor Pink, at this time I think we will need everyone we can
possibly use to speed the preparations for leaving Jupiter orbit and
returning to Earth. To that end I'm asking you to start the revival
sequence for Ranma Saotome and Akane Tendo."
Pink and Link gave him identical stares of concern.
"That may be dangerous, Doctor Ono," Pink said. "In professional
opinion, am obligated to inform of risks. I no recommend revival in space."
"Doctor Pink, if you will not revive them yourself, I will use the
automatic mode and take my chances. Is that understood? I would prefer your
assistance, but I will make do without."
Pink pondered this.
"No have deaths on conscience," she said finally. "I help."
Link turned on her sister. "<Commander Herb expressly forbids this!>"
"<The two hibernauts are our responsibility,>" Pink countered. "<If
Ono is foolish enough to want them revived, it is our obligation to do what
we can to ensure their survival.>"
Link's frustration with her sister became more apparent.
"<We've worked too hard to get where we are to throw it away because
of a stupid rivalry between Commander Herb and Doctor Ono!>"
Pink pounced.
"<Which is precisely the reason why we must help. We are medical doctors
before we are Chinese or Americans! We must transcend foolish political and
personal conflicts and do what is right!>"
Link turned away. "<I will not help you.>"
"<Please, sister, don't let the division continue with us.>"
Link said nothing as she walked away to the ladder.
* * *
"Ranko, there is someone entering the centrifuge compartment," HAL
said over a small speaker in the berthing space that once belonged to Ranma.
"I cannot tell who it is through my visual pickups."
Ranko bolted awake immediately. She had asked HAL to inform her when
anyone entered the centrifuge compartment -as a kind of security alarm for
Ranma's and Akane's sakes. They had been in 'thaw' for four days now, and
the most critical time period was beginning for them. She grabbed a battery-
powered saw-zaw and rolled quietly out of bed. The non-conducting ceramic
circular cutting blade could slice through hardened steel in seconds; flesh
and bone would present no difficulties whatsoever.
As she peered out of the tiny berthing space, she saw Pink climbing
down the ladder with an armload of medical supplies and relaxed. She set
the saw-zaw down on the bed inside the space and stepped out into the
centrifuge common area to assist Pink. It seemed to her that the doctor was
carrying an inordinate amount of material.
"What's going on?" She asked her.
Pink gave her a wan smile.
"Commander Herb has forbidden me to assist in revival of Saotome
and Tendo. He no wish for China to be held responsible for deaths by
needlessly reviving them. I no longer authorized to be aboard Discovery."
"What? Who's going to help, then?"
"I send over necessary supplies now. I stay in contact over
communications channels. You have problem, I help through radio. Shampoo
agree to help. She no like what is going on, either."
"Link finally told Herb, didn't she."
Ranko could tell by the trembling in her eyes that it was true. "That
no change desire to help you," Pink said quietly. "Must go now, or will be
noticed am gone."
"Thank you, Pink," Ranko said, taking the doctor's hand.
Pink tried not to sob. "Is duty to help," she said, and broke away
before she began crying openly.
* * *
As Pink stepped through the Number One Airlock and back aboard Tsien,
Herb was waiting for her. Shampoo drifted nearby, concern evident on her
face, but no sign of betrayal. Pink stopped well short of Herb and bit her
lip nervously.
"<I thought I made it clear that you were restricted to the Tsien,>" he
said coldly.
"<Yes, Commander,>" she replied in a whisper.
"<And yet I find you returning from the Discovery after delivering
medical supplies for hibernation revival -an activity I expressly forbade
you to participate in.>"
"<Yes, Commander.>"
Herb floated close to her. His eyes were as hard and black as flints in
the dim lighting of the compartment.
"<Do you have any excuse for me?>"
Pink tried to look up at him and couldn't. She buried her face in her
shoulder and trembled.
"<No, Commander,>" came the muffled reply.
Herb grabbed her chin forcefully, and wrenched her face up to look
at him.
"<It would be unfortunate if your family's relocation away from the
Three Gorges Project were to be suspended because of their daughter's
disloyalty,>" he said to her in a whisper. "<Wouldn't it?>"
Pink squirmed in his grasp uselessly.
"<Yes,>" she breathed.
"<I thought so,>" he said, centimeters from her face. "<Perhaps you
would serve them better if you would obey me without question. Is that
clear?>"
Tears began welling in Pink's eyes and her throat tightened.
"<Yes,>" she croaked.
Herb cracked a brief toothy smile.
"<Good.>"
He threw her against the bulkhead with enough force to knock the wind
out of her. She tumbled slowly in a crumpled, whimpering ball. Shampoo cried
in fright and rushed to Pink's side.
"<That wasn't necessary!>" Shampoo cried angrily.
"<Wasn't it?!>" Herb shot back. "<Would you like some of the same?>"
Shampoo's violet eyes flashed in the dim compartment lighting.
"<You're welcome to try,>" she told him. "<You forget where I come from.>"
Herb smirked.
"<Yes yes, I know. You're a proud Amazon from the Baiyankala Mountains.
I really couldn't bring myself to forget the fact that my crew roster was
composed of mongrels.>" He stabbed a finger at Pink. "<Get her to her quarters.
And then get out of my sight.>"
Shampoo glared at him again. There was something odd about him.
Frightening even -something she had never felt about him before. She
decided to do as she was told.
Herb wasn't quite finished with her yet. "<You're also relieved of
communications duties. I have taken the liberty of locking you and the rest
of the crew out of the system until we are ready to depart.>"
Shampoo couldn't believe this.
"<Have you lost your mind?>" she asked hotly.
"<Hardly,>" he responded with an eye tremor. "<I'm simply tired of
this undisciplined mob mucking about on their own initiatives -against
orders, I might add. Under the circumstances, it's the most sensible thing
I can do. Now get her out of here, and while you're at it, why don't you
disappear yourself!>"
Visions of driving a fist down Herb's throat flashed before Shampoo.
As tempting as it sounded, there was no denying that Herb was radiating
violence at the moment. Everything about his movements suggested nervous
tension, ready to explode on a whim. It might be a very bad idea to try for
him.
"<You'll have a lot to answer for when we return to Earth,>" she said,
and took Pink into her arms to leave.
Herb almost laughed. "<Don't I know it,>" he said with an unnerving
grin.
* * *
Herb threw open the door to the Cryptography room. His pulse thundered
in his ears. He was losing control of the situation. He needed help. What
little trust he had in Cologne's crew was gone. Even if most of them
continued to be loyal for the moment, they did not have have the unswerving
devotion to him that he demanded. He floated inside and slid the door shut.
It locked automatically with the comforting throw of several deadbolts.
The chamber was sparsely lit and heavy with still air. The faint
whir and hum of two small pumps and their accompanying fans were the
only sounds to be heard. The cryptography equipment was very small, two
cipher machines, an audio/visual editing unit, and a few small safes
containing code keys. Aside from security purposes, they didn't really
require a room of their own. The room served another purpose of course,
one which was kept secret from the rest of the crew.
Two Russian-made hibernaculums stood upright on the inboard bulkhead,
away from sight should anyone look into the tiny room through the open
door when Herb was entering or leaving. Large crystals of frost glazed
their viewplates. Two faces, still and passive in the death-sleep of
hibernation, cast closed eye stares at him.
He shook his head sadly. They were a pair of simple-minded boobs,
but they would do anything he told them to do. They were selected for
their loyalty and their strength, not their intelligence. They would
have to do.
Herb was no expert on hibernation medicine. He didn't need to be.
A large red lever near the top of each hibernaculum lay beneath a clear
plastic safety cover. He flipped them open, and with one hand on each
lever, jerked them towards him.
The change was imperceptible on the hibernating occupants. On the
devices themselves several lights shifted, and a faint hiss sounded from
somewhere deep inside. The automatic revival sequence had been initiated.
Under normal circumstances, thaw would take upwards of a week. The
hibernauts within had been prepared in advance with a battery of drugs
and other compounds, which, in addition to their excellent physical
conditions, would have them conscious and alert within sixty hours.
He reached into a drawer, pulled out another two small hexagonal
tablets, and swallowed them dry. He was going through them faster than he
anticipated, but that was okay.
All he had to do was wait.
* * *
"I don't know if this is such a good idea," Ukyo said, a syrette
loaded with pseudoacetylcholine in her hand.
She stood over Ranma Saotome's hibernaculum and waited. Color had
returned to his face, and his blood pressure had increased. It was only
a matter of minutes before the automatic revival sequence would secure
the electronarcosis rig that kept his higher brain functions quiescent.
With luck, his brain would leave the depths of an artificially induced
coma -now in its ninth year- and he would return to consciousness. If luck
wasn't so kind, the syrette that Ukyo held, coupled with an intravenous
dose of epinephrine courtesy of the hibernaculum's autoinjector, would
hopefully provide the necessary synaptic jumpstart. If that didn't work,
well, Pink seemed to think popping him back into hibernation was about
all they could do at that point.
"Injection may be necessary," Shampoo said over the radio link to
Tsien, where she served as go between for the Discovery and Doctor Pink.
"Hibernaculum autoinjector not equipped for it. Procedure not developed
when unit built."
"We understand, Tsien," Tofu said. He smiled for Ukyo. "Perhaps
I should be the one to give the injection?"
Ukyo shook her head. "No. I can handle it."
"Okay."
It was decided to push the revival time ahead a few hours to coincide
with the time that Herb was supposedly sleeping. If he slept -there were
vague warnings from Pink on the subject of the entire store of carefully
guarded amphetimines turning up missing. Tofu had noted dark circles under
the man's eyes the last time he had seen him, which was over twenty-four
hours ago. He had locked himself in the Cryptography room aboard Tsien.
The possibility of Herb starting to crack up entered Tofu's mind. It
wasn't a pleasant thought. Space was the last place you wanted to be in
the presence of a man who was both violent *and* irrational. Even worse,
if Herb was starting to go crazy -and the signs were there- it made him
completely unpredictable. The Speed was probably not helping. If anything,
it was pushing him deeper into paranoia. He might decide to unleash his
plot at any moment, in spite of the fact that the Discovery wasn't ready
to leave Jupiter for Earth.
At least Herb's isolation had brought the Tsien's crew over to their
side. He hoped. Mousse and Gai'do sat with Kuno and Tsubasa going over
stores inventories. Link remained estranged from her sister and wouldn't help
them, but at least she wasn't in their way. Shampoo was ready to push Herb
out of an airlock sans pressure suit, and said as much to them. Pink
continued to remain on Tsien, though she was now on the Bridge with Shampoo
to oversee the revival. Tofu did not doubt that she would dash over to the
Discovery if any complications arose.
"I still say we should bum-rush that crypto room and sedate him,"
Ranko said to those present. "We could stuff him into a hibernaculum and
keep him on ice for say, nine years. It'd serve him right if no one wanted
to revive him, either."
"Commander Herb is dangerous man," Gai'do warned. "No underestimate
him."
"Don't forget that he's probably amping out of his gourd on Speed
right now," Tsubasa added. He was no longer in drag, probably because the
mission had ceased to be entertaining and was now getting downright
scary. "You could take his arm off with that saw-zaw of yours and he
probably wouldn't even notice as he shoved it down your throat."
"I won't aim for his *arm*," Ranko said, and added a waggling tongue
at the transvestite for effect.
"We have to think of something to do with him," Ukyo put in.
"Forget about that for now," Tofu said sternly. He turned to Ranko.
"How go the Main Array repairs?"
Ranko grimaced at the mention. "The Main Array training motors are
seized up," she said. "There weren't any spare bearings carried on board,
and we don't have the materials to fabricate any. Other than that, I have
the transceiver working now."
"Marvelous."
"There *is* a solution," she went on. "We may not be able to orient
the array, but once we disconnect from Tsien, we should be able to orient
the ship itself into the proper position."
"Prithee, pig-tailed one, how might we manage such a feat?" Kuno asked,
intrigued.
"The array is in the default position -facing directly aft and
parallel to the hull's long axis," she explained. "All we have to do is
point the aft end of the ship at Earth. We won't be able to maintain
continuous contact, but we would be able to send messages. If we set HAL
on the problem, he can use the reaction control system and keep us oriented
towards Earth as often as possible without tying one of us down to the
job."
"I like that idea, Ranko," Tofu said, glad to finally get a little
good news. "Tsubasa, can you work on that with HAL?"
Tsubasa nodded. "I might need a little help from Doctor Gai'do, if
that's okay with you."
Tofu regarded the Chinese computer specialist. Now was the time to
take a chance on trust.
"That would be fine with me."
"I must agree," HAL replied over the speakers. "I enjoy working with
Doctor Gai'do, and I look forward to the challenge of regaining contact
with Earth."
"What about Tsien's antenna replacement?" Ukyo asked.
"The Tsien's replacement dish is being prepared by the automated
fabricators," Mousse said. "Unfortunately, the work has to be done in
pieces; there's no room for a five meter dish inside the ship. It will
take a week to finish forming and surfacing the dish components, about
half a day to assemble them outside the ship, and another day to rig
the transceiver to the severed communications trunk."
"At least we have another option that way."
"That's assuming that we can defeat Herb's control lockout on the
communications equipment," Mousse noted ruefully. "At the moment we can't
even break into the S-Band and telemetry feeds. As a last resort I'm sure
we can tap into the transceiver locally, but that would make trying to
receive messages difficult..."
"Pay attention!" Shampoo snapped suddenly over the radio. "Akane
Tendo's EEG patterns increasing."
The assembled astronauts looked to the hibernaculum containing
Akane. Ukyo peered through the viewplate, syrette still in hand.
"She's blinking her eyes," she reported.
"Pulse rising to forty beats per minute," Ranko noted on the display.
"The electronarcosis unit has shut down."
The unit bleeped, then a faint hiss was heard.
"Epinephrine: 10cc's injected," HAL announced as a proxy for the
hibernaculum's voiceless life-support computer.
"Pulse rate is rising sharply. Respiration rate rising." Ranko added
for confirmation. "Blood oxygen levels increasing."
"Open unit," Shampoo said over the radio.
Ranko and Ukyo worked at the seals and tried to wrench the lid of
the coffin-shaped unit. It wouldn't budge. Finally, Kuno jammed his now
ever-present length of steel rod into the seam and pried the lid open
with a squeal of protest.
Akane was wrapped within a silvery thermal blanket. Her face was pink
and smudged with dirt or perhaps soot from the fire. Numerous leads and
fiberoptic lines snaked from the folds of the blanket and joined up in a
common bus that disappeared into the bowels of the unit. Her eyes rolled
beneath her closed lids and she squirmed slightly within the blanket.
"Pulse rate stabilizing at seventy beats per minute. Respiration
is nominal," Ranko announced.
A moan escaped Akane's lips. Tears welled at the corners of her eyes,
which were gummed shut with mucous. Ukyo set down her syrette and picked
up a bottle of warm saline wash to flush them clean.
Akane cried out, trying to pull her hands from the blanket to get
at her stuck shut eyes.
"Calm down Akane," Tofu soothed. "Everything is going to be all right.
We'll get your eyes open in no time."
Ukyo worked quickly, flushing and then wiping with sterile towels.
Akane's eyelids fluttered desperately. She tried to sit up and failed
miserably.
"Lie still," Tofu soothed.
Finally, after nine years of dreamless darkness, Akane Tendo's eyes
opened. She shut them immediately in pain.
"...bright..." she whimpered.
"Dim the lights!" Tofu cried. HAL complied instantly.
Pink stepped through the centrifuge access and trotted over to the
hibernaculum.
"I no wait over there. It more important if am close at hand."
Akane opened her eyes again at the sound of Pink's accented voice.
"Where...?"
"You're still on the Discovery," Tofu told her softly. "We're getting
the ship ready to return to Earth."
She looked at him, her addled brain realizing that it recognized the
man, but still struggling to put a name to the face.
"Who...?"
"Tofu Ono," he said. "I was the Director of Flight Operations." He
balked at adding 'I used to visit your family all the time,' for that
would be a painful enough lesson in recent history for her, and he wanted
to wait for a more suitable time to inform her.
It was sufficent, apparently. She sat up enough to throw limp arms
around him and give him a weak hug.
"Oh, Doctor Tofu!" she cried softly. She shuddered and sobbed in a
fragile embrace for some time. The others turned their attention to the
second unit.
The sound of Ranma's hibernaculum being pried open by Tatewaki Kuno
made her lift her head from his shoulder.
"Ranma?" she called out hoarsely.
There was a pause as Ukyo and Ranko both looked down into the coffin
with happy grins. Tears streamed down Ranko's cheeks.
"Hey, Tomboy," a thick cracking voice muttered. "You okay?"
Akane's eyes crossed slowly in ire. "Jerk."
"Sounds like you are..."
Ranko pulled her brother into a sitting position and hugged the
stuffing out of him. His arms flailed feebly as she rocked him back and
forth and wept openly. Ukyo took one of his cold hands and pressed it to
her cheek.
"You never heard me make it, but I kept my promise, big brother," Ranko
whispered to him.
* * *
The hibernaculum barked something in Russian that Herb didn't catch
the first time around. He was too focused on the monomolecular edge of his
boot knife to notice. When it repeated its message in a tone that went
beyond urgent and approached demanding, he looked up from the silvery
white glint of cold ceramic steel and paid attention.
"<Automatic Revival Sequence complete. Unseal unit and position master
circuit breaker to MANUAL-OFF. Non-compliance will result in automatic
operation in sixty seconds.>"
Herb rose and released the latches on the two units, which opened
with faint hisses. Two pairs of eyes fluttered open. Both took hesistant
looks around before slowly pulling themselves out of their coffins. The
rapid-revival drugs never ceased to amaze Herb, who was used to seeing
freshly revived hibernauts as little better than cripples for at least an
hour.
Herb offered them both squeeze bottles of electrolytes, which they
drank with gusto in spite of the unpleasant taste.
Not surprisingly (considering their walnut-sized brains) they were
virtually mental clean slates coming out of hibernation. The fact that
the Spetznaz-standard rapid revival chemicals they took prior to
hibernation also inhibited long term memory wouldn't help. Normally a
drawback for most types of Special Operations, Herb actually preferred
having two idiots to work with: they wouldn't question him, and they'd
cheerfully do whatever he told them to do. The knowledge he really needed
them to have was either hypnotically reinforced or deeply ingrained reflex.
He could supply the particulars as needed.
"<I have work for you,>" he told them. They started to reach for
weapons that were not there. Herb shook his head patiently. "<Not
immediately. Regain your full strength first.>"
Lime, the larger of the two, grunted something in reply.
Mint gave Herb a lupine grin and worked out the months old kinks
in his neck.
"<Who do we kill this time?>"
Herb clicked his tongue in amusement. Mint was always the bloody-minded
one of the pair. Lime would simply kill; there would be no malice and no
sport involved. Mint would make it *hurt.*
"<Patience,>" he replied tersely, for the drugs were starting to ebb
in his bloodstream, "<that time will come soon enough.>"
Lime elbowed his small companion in the ribs.
"<Yeah, stupid, you heard the Commander.>"
"<Don't call me stupid,>" Mint warned acidly.
Lime prepared to pummel Mint, and Mint prepared to do nasty things
to Lime's anatomy.
Herb gave them a beatific smile and then slapped both of them in the
head repeatedly.
"<Listen up, numbskulls,>" he grated. "<I need both of you intact for
this job. If you can't handle that, I'll gut you both myself and work
alone.>"
Dopey-eyed looks of shame settled on the two of them and they went
back to drinking their electrolytes in silence.
"<That's better,>" he told them. He popped some more speed, added a
beta-blocker or three, and washed it down with a slug of milk-of-magnesia.
