Day 00010 Mission Nilex

Gareth listened to his own breath as he worked. Canaisis could do this herself, but he always insisted on performing such tasks. This job wasn't something that needed to be done often, so he wanted to keep his skills sharp. Plus, he really wanted a better look at those ships.

He stepped back and looked over the long cylinder. It was as tall as he was, but when he stood this close, its other end stretched out of sight. He turned to walk around to the other side. It would have been easier out here in the zero-G to go over the top of the cylinder—it had handholds all over it for access—but he needed the exercise. Walking in mag-boots was a thorough workout, but out here under the stars, he didn't mind.

His breath whispered in his helmet, a natural accompaniment to the silent serenity out here. Lately, he'd had too much excitement to suit him, much too much. It had been nice to socialize with his guests until things had gone crazy. Now he wanted his solitude.

Ayla's rejecting his presence had hurt him more than he cared to admit, but it was a hurt he refused to acknowledge. Then there was Lina—what had she meant when she spoke to him? She'd been cryptic as far as he was concerned. This ability of Nilex was almost too much to believe. However, he couldn't ignore Canaisis' evaluation. The emergency had been real. If she said it was so, then it most certainly was. He'd lost track of how long ago she'd been wrong.

The Nilex group had so far conducted themselves with exemplary behavior. He'd watched a replay of Ahmid chastising the one who'd insulted Canaisis. It had been civil but firm, and the employee had obediently gone into cold sleep after apologizing to Canaisis. Gareth had Canaisis run a scan of her memory of Nilex since the arrival of its first members, and no one had displayed any hostile behavior, which he found odd. Usually somebody lost their temper, especially during a loading operation. Was it because they'd been engineered that way? Or was it because they could really feel another's emotions?

Lina had convinced him the Nilex were empathic when, in the medical level, she'd pointed out she could tell when he talked to Canaisis. And if they could feel the emotions of another, how difficult would it be to deceive that person?

Ayla seemed to be straightforward with him that first time in the Garden, but had it been sincere? Canaisis would alert him if someone's voice modulation showed the stress of lying. However, would that be true in this case? There was no way of knowing. Nilex seemed Human enough, so perhaps it was a moot point. Once he delivered them, none of this ship drama would matter. He would check up on them after a few centuries and evaluate their development. If they had aggressive tendencies, it would express itself as they climbed the technological ladder to a space-faring people.

Surviving on a new planet required all the advantages of cooperation that Humans could muster. Conflict was a luxury that couldn't be afforded. He, personally, had seen how fragile Human existence was in the grand scheme of things. Why couldn't Mankind understand that?

Maybe it was because he was no longer immersed in the humanity of Mankind. He was an outsider looking in. The Long Years had changed him. Sometimes he wished he could show someone what he meant, for it could not be described. It had to be felt. The loneliness of it could crush someone if they didn't have something—or someone—to hang on to. It called to him, in a way never to be forgotten.

Humans... Mere microbes trying to cross continents...

He'd made his way around to the other side of the 'telescope' and opened an access panel. 'Telescope' was what it was deemed to be, but it captured much more than the visible spectrum. Once it was aligned, Canaisis would make the course corrections needed to get the picture he wanted.

«Ayla is about to leave the airlock, Captain.»

«You still haven't given me a good reason why you requested this, Canaisis.»

«Yes, I did. She was showing elevated stress levels the longer she was near her fellow family members. I think she needed distance from them to give her senses a rest. She's been through quite a trauma.»

«She could have done that inside the ship. I would have never allowed a guest outside if you hadn't requested it.»

«And I thank you for that, Captain. Consider it a medical request.»

«Why do I get the feeling there's more to it than that?»

«Because you're old, cranky, suspicious, and set in your ways.»

«I resent that, and it doesn't mean I'm not right.»

Canaisis' voice chuckled in his mind. «Maybe, but you'll never know.»

Gareth grunted. «Do I have a mutiny on my hands?»

«No, Captain. But you can't deny my observations are correct.»

«Yes, I most definitely can. Now, how do things look? Did I forget something on this thing?»

A glowing globe came closer to scan over his shoulder.

«You've gotten the alignment almost perfectly with the first one you set up. Only two more to go.»

«What do you mean "almost"? I spent four hours getting it set up. It's dead on, and you know it!»

«Don't worry, Captain, I can make the final adjustments. You're only a hundred thousand microns off.»

«Microns! Yeah, like I said, dead on.»

«It wouldn't make a difference if we were a few light-years away. But this close, it matters if I'm going to get an accurate 3D image.»

«Yeah, you're right.» He held back the sigh he wanted to express, or his visor would fog. «Then I should be good to load this thing?»

«Yes, Captain. I've had magnetic shielding in place since you left the ship.»

«You didn't have to do that. The—»

«It protects you as well, if you recall.»

«I didn't think I needed it.»

«Ordinarily, no. But you've recently been exposed to high doses of both normal radiation and exotic energy. Your Nanos had to do significant interventions.»

«I feel fine.»

«That's beside the point, Captain.»

«If you say so. Speaking of which, how is Ayla feeling?»

«Medically, she is fine. Mentally, that's hard to say. I only know a little of what she saw. There are occasional synaptic patterns similar to her brain activity during what they termed a "crisis". I'm very worried about those. Right now, I think she needs time to process.»

«Why didn't you alert me to those moments, Canaisis?»

«Because they're very brief, lasting less than a second, Captain. She seems to be overcoming them, regaining synaptic equilibrium. It's the areas of her brain that activate during those moments that interest me. The neural map of connections is unique, and the process of memory retrieval and storage is complex by our standards. Otherwise, her brain behaves normally the rest of the time.»

«What do you mean?»

«Information, meaning new experiences, is retained by being tied to pre-existing memory or activity patterns in the brain. Memory is acquired when these patterns connect to each other across regions of the brain through micro bursts of activity. Neuronal ensembles that participate in memory acquisition are configured in the amygdala and prefrontal cortex prior to memory acquisition, but they develop through experiences in the hippocampus. This means an ensemble's meaning is determined later when it's connected to other ensembles through experience. The brain differentiates past memory from present memory by processing short-term to long-term storage. Long-term memory is stored by gene expression and protein folding at the cellular level. The folding patterns of these proteins determine the temporal age of each memory. Ayla is in this process.»

«Canaisis... I don't understand a word you just said.»

«She needs time to process.»

«Okay, I get that. But what's causing this activity you're describing?»

«She's gained memories she never actually experienced. There are no pre-existing neuronal ensembles for her mind to connect these new memories to. Her mind is trying to distinguish them as past or present.»

«I'm finding it hard to believe she can just acquire someone else's memories out of thin air.»

Laughter sounded in his mind, loud and clear. «Humans create data out of "thin air" all the time—it's well documented. The Nilex, or rather Ayla in particular, seems to have the ability to access data from the two-dimensional Universe of this Universe's foundation. It's a combination of DNA acting as a very sensitive antenna to the Universe's underlying energy potential and the synaptic processing patterns of her brain. This is not an impossibility, given the Human brain's plasticity and processing abilities—it's just not an area of research that was explored by us. I'm actually impressed with the Nilex designers' ingenuity, but I suspect they weren't the creators.»

«How so?»

Gareth was ready to install the photo cartridge that would complete his task. He reached into his belt pouch and carefully removed it. He didn't want it getting away from him and floating into space. That would be annoying, especially with Canaisis laughing as she brought it back to him.

«There are records of Humans performing deeds not normally recognized as possible. Clairvoyance, for example, applies to this discussion.»

«Well, yeah, I remember hearing about such stuff back then, but nothing solid ever came of it.»

«It's well documented in my files, Captain, but the how was not understood. It did, however, follow genetic lineage, so that implies a certain genetic trait in that particular subgroup of Humans. The Masursky Institute of our time was doing extensive studies on this subject.»

Gareth paused for a moment. He'd heard that name before, somewhere in his distant past. He couldn't recall any specific details, so he dismissed it and inserted the cartridge. 

«This is interesting, Canaisis,» he said as he closed the access panel, «but it doesn't help with our current situation. Or with Ayla—can we help her? And do I need to worry about this genetic line of Humans being a threat to the base stock of Humanity?»

«The Nilex has lived with Humanity for several generations without being a threat, Captain. Surely that counts for something?»

«You have a point. What's Ayla doing now?»

«Sitting and observing you. She's calm—I see no distress.»

Gareth was finished with the telescope, so he started walking back the way he'd come, panning his gaze along Canaisis' hull. In the distance, he could barely make out a glowing dot that shouldn't be there. Magnifying his visor, he saw a glow globe but no Ayla. Then her gold visor reflected back at him. She was sitting over the curve of the hull, with only her head visible. Not wanting to alert her to his awareness of her, he continued alongside the telescope to the tool satchel he'd left magnetized to the hull. Canaisis could have brought it for him, but he needed the excuse to walk so he could observe Ayla.

«Alright, Canaisis. Let's go to the next one.»

He secured the satchel to his belt and raised his hands. Two globe drones smacked into his hands, and he deactivated his boots. Canaisis pulled him along the hull, following the curve the way he enjoyed, and at the next location, he set his feet down.

On his word, a long section of hull started to bulge upwards, taking the form of a cylinder. When the cylinder reached above the hull line, Canaisis' metal skin flowed down, revealing the telescope itself. Gareth walked up to it, then along its side to locate the access panel. He keyed it to open, magnetized his satchel, and stuck it beside the opening. Maybe he'd get lucky and not need the tools.

Before him, the open panel revealed a control panel and screen. He reached in and powered up the telescope, then began diagnostics. He had a few minutes to wait.

«Have you spoken much with Ayla?»

«She was inquiring as to what you're doing, Captain.»

«And your answer?»

«To ask you directly, of course. She tried to gain information from me by asking indirect questions but soon realized the futility of it.»

«And then?»

«We're having a conversation, Captain. You'll have to ask her yourself.»

«I'm asking you, Canaisis.»

«I'm aware of this, Captain. The general topics so far: ship suit technology, my original size and mass, differences in technology from her and our times, and currently, the fact that the Human brain has five times more neural connections than there are stars in the Winter's Way galaxy. Do you wish to be informed of the next topic?»

Gareth couldn't help but turn to look at the speckled black sky, locating the long, dense cloud of stars that was the main part of the Winter's Way.

«Don't be snarky, Canaisis. I don't like being stonewalled.»

«Shall I quote the privacy laws to you, Captain?»

This time Gareth did let out a sigh, and his visor fogged up. «Do those laws even apply now?»

«They do to me and you.»

Dammit. Canaisis was right, and he sometimes hated that she was. «Fair enough.»

«I see a reference to a poem referring to a "snark". Is this the origin of the word "snarky" and the manner you used it?»

The question reminded him of the patience he needed to give Canaisis. For all her abilities, she was still learning. Humans couldn't exactly be easy to understand, either.

Casting his gaze up at the stars, he found his calm. «I'm not really sure—could very well be. I don't think we'll be able to find the answer, though. Sometimes things spring up spontaneously in Human vocabulary. Everyone at the time would have a common understanding of why the word came to be used, so making a record of how it came to be seems redundant. After a while, the origin of the word gets forgotten, and later generations just use it anyway. Unless someone specifically wrote a record of how that word came to be used, we may never know. I'd have to read this poem myself to see if it adds up to the way I used the word.»

The monitor before him signaled the diagnostics were complete.

«Okay, let's set up the laser grid for calibration.»

Two glow drones came to float over each end of the telescope. Canaisis would position other glow drones in-between for direct line-of-sight over the curved hull.

«A half-degree off inclination on the stern, Captain.»

Glad he had the necessary tools with him, he grabbed the satchel, demagnetized it, and headed down the telescope. Further down the ship, a flash of light caught his attention. It was heading portward over the incline of the hull. He magnified his visor and zoomed in to see Ayla coasting with arms stretched out, two glow globes lighting up her hands.

"What the hell?" he blurted aloud.

«She saw you and wanted to try it herself, Captain,» said Canaisis.

He watched Ayla disappear over the curve of the hull.

"That's it. One more damn thing, and I'm declaring a mutiny."

Canaisis' laughter rang in his mind. «You're not jealous, are you?»

Gareth started walking again, not answering. He wanted to get the telescopes set up as soon as possible.

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