"Where is The Pegasus anyway?" Sae asked.
"Deimos Shipyards", Nick answered immediately.
"Outside Mars. They are currently doing a rebuild of the plasma engine, after their last attempt failed. Fortunately, that last failure was one of the less... spectacular ones, so they don't have to rebuild the entire ship."
Taking a breath, Nick organised his thoughts before continuing.
"They have struggled with the plasma drive for years. Thanks to Sae, I have access to a private forum where some of their engineers also participate, and they can't seem to fix the harmonics that start when they power the engine up past 40%. The whole ship starts shaking, and if they don't dial the drive back down eventually the whole thing disintegrates. A few years ago they tried to simply push through - one of their engineers apparently believed the harmonics would dissipate past 55% - and it resulted in a rapidly expanding patch of debris."
"But why do they need this plasma drive?", Rashi said. "I thought they had the wormhole drive working?"
"Presumably." Nick answered. "Although we won't actually know until we try to power it up. In order to start the wormhole drive, they need two things: The first one is extremely detailed and accurate astrogration data on the destination target, and the second is a velocity equal to about one third of light speed."
Nick paused, looking at the girls and wondering if he should try to keep this simple. No, he decided; they need to know this part.
"Today we have two active drives in use: Fusion drives, which are used in all the shuttles and other manned space crafts. Then we have solar sails, which are mostly used to push unmanned probes and satellites around space. The problem with solar sails is that its acceleration is simply too low for effectively transporting humans. At 0.01c acceleration, it would take 30 years to reach .3c velocity.
The problem with fusion drives is that you won't get to .3c before you have spent all your fuel - the drive is simply too inefficient. And no, you can't just add fuel tanks, as that would add to mass which would just take more fuel to accelerate.
In theory, the plasma drive combines the best of the two current alternatives. It can manage a steady 2.5G acceleration with decent fuel efficiency. It would still take about 6 weeks to reach the necessary velocity, but that would be acceptable.... if they could fix the harmonics issue."
This plasma drive sounds very much like the technology we use to power our space vessels, Goose said. I have the full specifications to create a drive if needed. My People's problem was always that we didn't have a drive capable of travelling faster than light. We were working on it, when... the catastrophe occurred.
We were getting ready to send out a community network in a sublight explorer
"Same here", Nick said. "The Pegasus is actually built around the design they had for a sublight explorer, modified with the plasma and the wormhole drives. They took out the space for the stasis pods..."
"Nick, are you about to head into nerdland again?" Rashi smiled, but quickly got a serious look on her face. "Because if you are, we don't have time. Much as I would looove to hear about the design choices for The Pegasus, I think a more interesting... and relevant topic is: We are here". Rashi pointed to the group. "The Pegasus is... there", and pointed out into space. "And even if we managed to get there, presumably they are not just going to open the doors for us and let us take off. That is, assuming we could even drive the ship on our own." Pensive now, she added, "how many people are needed to operate it anyway?"
"Her", Nick answered. "Pegasus is a she!", but seeing both Rashi and Sae with identical and impatient looks on their faces, hastened to add, "I think the normal crew complement is about 300 people. Apparently she can be operated by as few as 40-50 people, but that assumes nothing goes wrong, and people working long shifts".
But Nick knew that Rashi had pointed out what was probably their biggest challenge. Even if they somehow got to Deimos Shipyards, they wouldn’t just be able to walk onboard the ship. And even if they managed to sneak into her, they wouldn’t be able to operate The Pegasus alone.
Deciding to leave the problem for later, their talk migrated to other and more mundane topics. Nick could feel the tension leaving his shoulders as they just chatted about everything and nothing over a few beers. His life before had definitely not prepared him for the stress and responsibilities brought on by the new situation.
It was almost midnight when they finally broke up their little break from saving a species from extinction. As she was picking up her things Rashi sent Nick a strange smile, and he almost asked Goose to interpret it for him. “See you tomorrow, nerd boy!” Rashi said and gave him a small wink.
Confused already, Sae’s smug look didn’t help. “What?” He exclaimed.
”Nothing”, Sae replied, still grinning. “Absolutely nothing, brother.”
-
The next few days went by in a rush. Nick tried his best to keep up his habits as normal; going to work and spending afternoons in his observation bubble. If Mr. Garner was watching, everything should appear normal.
The evenings were spent in long planning sessions with Rashi and Sae. After deciding on their overall objectives, they tried to put together a plan of approach.
All in all, they agreed on three major goals:
Firstly, they had to get hired to the team working on The Pegasus. Goose had some ideas and had worked with Rashi to refine them to something that now seemed very workable. Secondly, they had to do something about Nick's rampant metabolism. Goose had suggested immunosuppressants to slow down the rate Nick's body broke down the structures, but sensing Nick's reluctance he had demurred. They were still working on that problem, as well as the third major goal: They needed the ability to make more nanites. Their utility had been made obvious already, and as Goose shared with the group some of the more advanced applications they all got excited about the possibilities.
"Well, getting more nanites is not so much a technical problem as it is a legal one", Sae had said. "The nano fabricator machines are surprisingly basic, and the drawings to make them have circulated in the underground for years. The main challenge is that the technology is under very strict control - nobody wants programmable nanites loose in the general population. Some of the key components we would need to build a fabricator will trigger so many red flags, Internal Audit would have us strung up before we had time to say 'dwarf machines'!".
It was the afternoon on Wednesday, and Nick was alone in the apartment, when suddenly Goose exclaimed; I think I have a solution!
To what? Nick said
To get a nano fabricator... The biggest problem is how to get the key components, and then where to keep the finished fabricator. What if.... what if we simply create it inside you, and use your cells to make it?
Here we go again, Nick thought, and replied;
Why do I get the feeling you see my body as real estate you can exploit for your crazy science projects, Goose?
But this is not crazy! Goose said. Actually, your body would make an ideal nano fabricator. It's already got trace elements of most materials we need to build nanites. All we need to do is to....
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
But how would it fit, and how would we build it? The nano fabricator at the med centre needed its own room!
Stop interrupting me Nick, Goose exclaimed and continued.
And Nick listened carefully, as Goose described - yet another - harebrained scheme for how they could use his internal organs as technical components. Apparently, most of the size of the nano fabricator in the med centre was taken up by machinery to fabricate various chemical compounds. As it turned out, most of these compounds were products or byproducts of normal biochemical reactions in the human body, and Nick would be able to produce them himself. All they needed to add was some carbon nanotubes to serve as scaffolding for the nanites. Since carbon nanotubes were used in so many legitimate applications and was not a controlled technology, they could easily get their hands on the stuff. Swallowing only a tooth sized amount of the stuff would give the fabricator enough material to build a small army of nanites.
And.... Nick swallowed, not sure he wanted to know the answer to his next question. ...where do you propose to build this factory inside me?
It makes sense to centralise the nano factory close to where I am stored, Goose answered. We should build it in your abdomen. The extra mass will just look like... like you did before your metabolism ate away at your fat.
Hah! Thanks for that! Nick responded. So, what do we need to do to accomplish that?
Goose actually went quiet for a few seconds, before responding. I've checked, and I have some control over the repair nanites. If we solve that problem with your immune system, I can repurpose the repair nanites to build a nano fabricator. I've actually got the schematics drawn up already.
Sure you do, Nick said. You seem almost... eager to rearrange my organs in new and interesting ways!
Nick's conversation with Goose was interrupted as Rashi and Sae entered the apartment.
"Nick!" Rashi's face lit up in a big smile as she saw him. Like the rays of the sun, Nick thought briefly before collecting himself. "Hi Rashi! Hi sis!"
The girls came into the living area. As Sae began unpacking the grocery shopping in their cupboards, Rashi sat down and relaxed. "What's up? How is our favourite Goose?"
Why does she call me that? Goose said. Do I remind her of a bird?
Well, it's actually a contraction of Betelgeuse, Nick said.
Nonplussed, Goose said But that is nowhere near where I am from!
It's a long story.... Nick said, and seeing Rashi's confused expression he looked up at her as he replied.
"He's good. I think. And he's cooked up yet another crazy plan, and like the last time he intends to treat my body as a building site."
"So... he just uses you for your body?" Rash I said. And there was that strange grin again.
As Sae started on dinner, Nick described the plan, from the top. He had just gotten to the part about Goose's plan to build a nano fabricator inside him, and almost burst out laughing at Sae's look of utter disgust juxtaposed with Rashi's look of excited bewilderment.
As Sae put a big plate of food in front of Nick, he said; "So... the first problem to solve on the project shortest path, is how to stop me being so goddamn hungry all the time. It's not sustainable long term, and it leaves us with a big vulnerability if something unexpected comes up. I think... maybe 12 hours without food would be enough for the repair nanites to run out of raw materials to replace the ones my immune system are flushing out, and it seems like the process is accelerating; my immune system is apparently learning how to deal with the nanite invasion!"
Sae appeared pensive. "You said Goose now has some limited control over the repair nanites?" she asked.
That is right, Goose said. I have figured out how to leverage Nick's internal chemistry to communicate with the repair nanites. I can even reprogram them.
Nick could see Sae's eyes fogging over as she accessed her mindpal. A few seconds later, she said, "In theory, we have a problem... and an opportunity. As you described, your immune system is getting more efficient at flushing out the modified cells. It's part and parcel of how it works: It can recognize threats it has defeated before, so the next version of immune cells will be better at fighting it. However! The immune system has another feature that we can exploit."
Sae's eyes were alight with excitement now.
"I cannot believe we haven't thought of this before! The immune system uses pattern recognition to find pathogens... strangers that don't belong. In the same way, it can recognize patterns of cells that do belong!
If Goose can now reprogram the repair nanites, he can change their internal appearance so they look like normal parts of Nick’s own body. In theory, that should make his immune system simply ignore them!”
That is... that makes a lot of sense! Nick could feel Goose's growing excitement. Hold on, let me.... done! The repair nanites are now reprogrammed.
That's it?! Nick's mouth fell open. Was it that easy? And here I've been eating like a horse for days?!
Well.... and Nick was sure he picked up a hint of pique from Goose. Yes! As soon as Sae explained the concept, I did a query and it's not that hard to do. But you can’t expect me to know everything about humans already!
Nick looked at Sae and Rashi. "Apparently, it's done. The next time the repair nanites recreate the cells, the new cells will carry a signature pattern so my immune system ignores them." Nick almost felt dizzy with relief, as he pushed another bite into his mouth. Finally, he could stop eating thirteen times a day!
That is one problem solved. Goose said. The repair nanites should be finished with that shortly and available for a new task. I propose that we start building a nanofactory immediately. Do I have your consent?
Nick consulted briefly with the girls. Sae repeated her misgivings, but agreed that it would be an invaluable resource if their overall plan was to succeed. Still, she insisted that she, not Goose, was granted supervisor access to the nanofactory, and together with Goose she created a quick mindpal interface to the machine which would let her and Nick interface with it.
-
The next morning, Nick was sitting in a nondescript café in an upmarket district. The girls had taken off earlier, with their own agendas for the day: Rashi was off to do research on the Pegasus Project; open positions, hierarchy, and everything else they needed to start getting jobs there. Sae was doing kind of the same thing... only using less obvious, and less open databases in her research. Nick hoped the girls were managing to put together what they needed to get a foot in the door in the Pegasus project.
Which left Nick in a café Sae had determined was Mr. Garner’s favourite; tapping his foot and rubbing his stomach idly. This time at least, the discomfort had been brief and manageable. Goose had found out how to interface with the nervous system to block the pain signals during the process, and proceeded to... to go to town on his internal architecture. An hour of gentle tugging and rearrangement of his insides later, and Goose had proudly said; All set, Nick. Nanofactory up and... ready, it looks like. All you need to do now is to swallow that bead of condensed carbon nanotubing, and the factory will be able to pick it up as it goes through your digestive system.
Now here he was, vaguely aware that not only did he have a nanofactory operating out of his abdomen, but that it had already started production. Which meant that, again, Nick was forced to eat massive amounts of food to feed the.. production line. At least this time, it was temporary to ingest necessary materials for the nanofactory.
Goose was supervising, building up a small stock of generic nanites that could be programmed for any use on short notice.
Nick was considering getting up from his chair to order a second piece of cheese cake with coffee, when a figure entered the café. Bingo, he thought, and as an aside to Goose:
Here we go, Goose.
"Ahh....Mr. Garner, was it? Hello!", Nick tried to appear nervous and surprised.
"Mr. Anson.", Garner replied, trying to hide his obviously real surprise. "How is your... radio astronomy going?"
"Slow!" Nick said, and didn't have to pretend too much as he leaned into his favourite topic. "VISION is slowly trickling in some very interesting data, mostly improvements on known stellar locations and vectors.”
"I see. And what is your intention with all this data? If I remember correctly, that data is all being collected to build the Pegasus astrogation databases?" And the look in Garner's face was all Goose needed. He knows... everything, Goose said. Garner was still saying something, but Nick had tuned him out.
What do you mean, everything? Nick asked.
He knows about the Pegasus, he knows about our plans, and he knows about the... nanites.
How are we not all arrested then?
Keep watching him.... I will see if I can... yes, that's it.
For a moment, Goose went quiet. Then he continued:
He knows, but the only reason he knows is that he's done something illegal or at least irregular to find out. Probably unsanctioned surveillance in the apartment. He can't pin it on us until... Until we make a move that leaves evidence he can leverage against us.
Nick! You should respond to his question, so he does not get more suspicious!
Nick realised he hadn’t been paying attention, and tried to rewind the conversation in his head.
-
Keith watched Nick, and got more suspicious. The question he had just asked was basic... really just to say something to get him talking. But Nick was looking at him strangely, as if.... Damn! Keith thought to himself. So his claim about this alien, and the ability to read people's emotions was.. true! That means....
Keith decided at that moment that even if his career was in danger, he had to take action soon. With what he knew…. He had to stop Nick, Sae and Rashi today, or he was afraid his chance would be lost. But how to proceed without revealing his plans; how to avoid that otherworldly ability to read his mind?
Suddenly, Keith had a burst of inspiration. Is it that easy...? He focused hard on his next thoughts: Even he wouldn't take the chance of making an impromptu arrest without running the case by his sergeant. He had to hurry back to the office and get things in motion - now!