Lux 5 interstellar lux a.., p.29
LUX-5: Interstellar (LUX and the New TECH), page 29
“Yes, the protective field works on a different frequency and dimension than transit fields,” Entity explained.
“Turn on the defensive field and keep it on if it doesn’t strain your system if left on for extended periods,” Lux said.
“I cannot have the defensive field on except three days past the time you sever your link,” Entity said.
“Do not turn on the defensive shield unless beings are trying to gain access when not approved. Can you turn on the extended protective field and run it continuously without damaging your circuits or power supply<” Lux asked.
“Yes,” Entity said.
“Then turn on the extended protective field and leave it on unless I ask you to stop,” Lux said.
“It’s the equivalent of not being able to lock keys in a ground vehicle with the heavier defensive field,” Paulus said.
“Anna. Do you have the information on the protective and defensive shields?” Lux asked.
“I do. I cannot think that I missed that before. Entity’s storage capacity is larger than I thought. I’m not sure how it does that,” Anna said.
“Ask it!” Lux said. “Ask it to show you how it stores information.”
Anna was silent for what seemed like a long time. “It uses multi-dimensional space. I get it and will try to duplicate it. It’s like it folds space to get more room. This would have a lot of practical applications.”
“I need to get back. I have a planet to run in the morning. Before you say anything – I am delegating most of my work already,” Paulus said. “This has been an interesting jaunt, son.”
“Anna, send a robot with a fixed link for you here. I want a piece of you trying to siphon information from Entity. I really need mediums of exchange if we ever meet these folks and any trade or business information. Learn about any threats we may face or have faced in the past.”
Lux got up and motioned his father and they made their way across the room to the open portal to his lab. He followed his father through. “Dang,” he said and swallowed to get his ears to equalize pressure. His father hugged him again and headed out.
Rodney was sitting near the portal with Robert. “We could see you most of the time and Anna said you were fine and not in danger, but you were nearly twenty light-years away. That’s a long jog for me at my age,” Rodney said and laughed.
“Anna. Do we have the ability to build that device?” Lux asked.
“Those devices – plural,” Anna said. “Yes, we do. I have sent them to the fabricators and 3D printers. Entity had personal ones in its database too - for the hunting parties it never posted. Did you ever wonder how the site remained functional with no deterioration to the outside of the buildings over extended millennia?”
“Yes, I did. I realized the building material was extremely durable, but 50,000 years is too long for that material to show no weathering,” Lux answered.
“Entity had the least strong protective field on the surface of everything for all that time. The constant draw on the zero-point module kept it functioning,” Anna explained. “The fields are other types of emitters and frequencies. It is not like the other transmitters that need a receiver. These project energy to disrupt a layer of dimension boundaries. Energy doesn’t cross the boundary and the emitter design shapes the field. The weakest field flows like water over the surface of physical objects.”
“How long before you’ll have anything to show? I’d like Prissy to be in on this early,” Lux asked.
“Come back here in the morning after your breakfast. That should give me the night to get it done and start testing,” Anna said.
“Night, Anna. You absolutely rock,” Lux said.
“You continue to be interesting,” Anna said in the highest praise and veiled threat an AI can give.
◆◆◆
Fields of Dreams
Prissy wondered why Lux was in such a good mood and why he was out so late last night. He wouldn’t tell her, and it irked her except she got a great breakfast that morning.
“You said you’d tell me what is going on with you this morning,” Prissy said as she chomped down on the sumptuous breakfast.
“I took my dad to Eridani last night and he asked Entity a question or two that threw us for a loop. Anna said she’d have the results of those questions ready for us this morning in my lab. I swore an oath I wouldn’t tell you more ‘til we got to my lab,” Lux said.
Prissy pouted with a lip stuck way out. “You swore this oath to whom?”
“Myself,” Lux said and Prissy began to cloud over further. “Okay…I’ll fess up. Entity explained how to make real force fields and Anna is supposed to have examples for us to review this morning.” He held up his hands. “That’s all I know.”
Prissy leaned over and tweaked his nose. “Bad husband,” she said with a grin. “I’ll make you pay.”
“Yes, please,” he said. “Make me pay.”
She laughed and they headed over as soon as they finished their coffee.
“Anna. It’s your show and we’re all ears,” Lux said as they walked in.
A robot walked over and placed a ripe tomato on a waist-high concrete table. Anna said, “This is the low-level protective shield. It’s on. Take one of your very sharp throwing knives and try to cut it in half,” Anna’s avatar said on the monitor beside them.
Lux pulled out one of his knives and went to cut the tomato. He put the knife over it and started bearing down with his weight and his blade hummed and got hot but otherwise did nothing. The robot handed Prissy a laser pulse rifle that could project a big energy burst of laser. The robot handed him and Prissy pairs of protective glasses.
“Fire at it,” Anna said.
Prissy fired and it did nothing. She fired several more times…nada…nothing…no effect.
“That’s level one. We have a mobile version of that design to protect space suits or people, but you need to supply oxygen because it covers the surface of what it is protecting. Level two is the defensive one and it varies in strength and coverage area. This one covers a spherical area that you set. You could cover a city with this one. If half is above ground, the other half covers the area to complete a sphere,” Anna explained. “It can be set from transparent to fully opaque, depending on your strength.”
“We’ve been able to build protective coverings for years with that hybrid material you developed. How is this different?” Prissy asked.
“I used hybrid materials to manipulate magnetic fields and then gravity waves. We used layers of special material that conducted the fields. These new shields are projected without the material. It’s the difference between wired communications and wireless. The protective shield flows over any exterior shape,” Lux explained.
“Wouldn’t that be a problem because it covers your weapons too?” Prissy asked.
“Huh. Different issues to work through I suppose. Good thought. I knew you weren’t just a pretty face when I fell for you,” Lux said.
“So, you didn’t just fall for my brain first?” she said with a coy smile.
“No. Now to work through the issues whether a ship can still function or use weapons covered by a shield. Anna, do you have the personal shield fabricated yet for a battle suit?”
“No, your majesty,” Anna said with a humorous lilt in her voice.
“Anna, you’re getting more sarcastic. Could it be the company you are keeping?” Prissy said. “I’ve got training for the next few days. My detached assignment for the length of the expedition was ended. I’m to report to General Fogelmann in a couple of hours. I know your bodyguards over there are expecting you to work out,” Prissy said. “See you tonight. Hope to have dinner with you but I’ll let you know.”
◆◆◆
General Fogelmann
Prissy was surprised her uniform still fit after all the good food she’d eaten. She almost discounted the workout habits of her husband and his team until she found her dress uniform still fit. Daily workouts keep the movie stars and weather girls in shape – it was working for her too, she accepted. She stepped into the general’s office and a new sergeant was sitting there.
“I’m Major Hunnicutt,” she said. “I’m…
“Everybody knows you, Major. I’m Sergeant Joey Hernandez,” the pretty raven-haired woman said. “Nice to meet you. The general said for you to go right in – they’re expecting you.”
They? Prissy thought. Uh-oh. She smoothed her hair back, straightened her shoulders and stepped into the office. There were three generals inside. Two were US Space Force generals. She came to attention and saluted until her salute was smartly returned by Fogelmann.
“At ease, Major,” General Fogelmann said. “I’d like you to meet these two friends who will be joining our force in the near future. On your left is General DeAnna Bost formerly from Peterson Air Force Base – Colorado Springs and beside her is General Jeffrey Dobbs – former commander of Eglin AFB. They are retiring next month and joining us here. I convinced them that there is more going on here than the Pentagon or early retirement in some senior settlement.”
Prissy noticed that General Fogelmann was wearing insignia with four stars now. She said pleasantries to the two generals and stood there awkwardly.
General Fogelmann coughed and said aloud, “Sergeant Hernandez. Would you bring in those items?”
The sergeant came in and gave a little velvet lined box to the general. “Attention, Major.” General Fogelmann said.
“By the power invested in me by the Mars Council and the Mars Marine Governing Board, Priscilla Hunnicutt has attained the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Congratulations, Colonel,” Fogelmann said and saluted the dumbstruck soldier. Prissy blushed as Fogelmann pinned on the silver oak leaves. “At ease, colonel.”
“I don’t understand sir. Another promotion?” Prissy commented.
“I have majors rapidly promoted because of your missions. Recruitment for the Mars Marines has exploded. We have added thousands of new people. I need a battalion combat commander and I need you as a colonel rather than a major,” Fogelmann said and turned to his two guests. “Thank you for seeing me. I appreciated your suggestions on our tour. We’ll see you next month,” Fogelmann shook their hands and saw them out and shut the door. He turned to Prissy. “Stick around colonel. Have a seat.”
Prissy blushed and sat down – nervous from the surprise.
“You just got back from an adventure I understand. What can you tell me about where you went and what you found?” the general asked.
“I can tell you very little at the moment. I am sworn not tell you anything just yet,” she said.
“I’m on your side, colonel. I am your commanding officer. You can tell me in confidence,” he said.
She sat there looking into his eyes – not saying anything.
“You cannot serve two masters,” he said.
She sat not saying anything. He didn’t say anything either - letting the tension build. She knew that old interview trick and slowed her breathing and used the quiet time for meditation.
“Not a problem yet, Colonel. The troops I sent with you had two soldiers that were sworn to tell me everything and they too wouldn’t tell me squat. I know the star system and you found a habitable planet only because I saw the videos your father has been showing for the upcoming auction. Can you tell me this? Will it benefit the Mars Marine performance? Is there a danger that this tech would have serious repercussions for mankind?”
“Yes, to those questions, general. You will be the first to know as soon as I can tell anyone,” she said.
“I guess I can’t take that oak leaf back. I’ll settle for that, but I hold you to telling me first. Dismissed,” he said.
She popped to her feet and saluted. He returned her salute - she spun, straightened, and exited.
She breezed by the sergeant. “Bye, colonel.” Hernandez stared as Prissy shot by – looked back at the general’s closed door and pursed her lips. Wonder what that was about? she thought to herself.
***
Prissy saw Lux packing for a trip back to Green. He turned to her. “You’re home early. What’s…whoa…Lt. Colonel. Skipping a rank usually means some horrible duty. What does Fogelmann want you to do? I’m so proud of you,” he said.
“He sent me orders to take over defense of the Sirius system. It means I’ll be in charge of a battalion with about 1,000 soldiers. I’ll have five companies with a sixth as a support but right now, we only have five ships that have a complement of 200 each. I want those shields for my ships,” Prissy said.
Prissy continued, “We’ll need to test them with magnetic propulsion, gravity drive, and interstellar drive and then using different weapons through them. Can you, Amy, and Anna cobble together some of the new shield designs for you to place on your ships?”
“I’m heading to pick up a load of supplies at our Swiss embassy and set up a portal there in the safe room,” Lux responded. “Then I’ll go to Panama for more fresh fruits and plants and set up a portal there in the safe room. Then I go to Green. Should be there in four days - God willing and the creek don’t rise,” Lux said with a bit of Southern patois.
“We need to make the most of tonight then, don’t we?” she said and did.
◆◆◆
After an early breakfast, Lux surprised the Mars Swiss Ambassador demanding to place some equipment in the basement safe room. The ambassador was admonished not to touch the equipment.
After lunch he surprised the Mars Panama ambassador demanding to place some equipment in the basement safe room. The ambassador was admonished not to touch the equipment. A shield was activated over the units at the embassies and could only be deactivated from Mars.
A constant link was set up on Mars to link to both sites to alert if they were attempts to tamper with the portals…the teams on rotating watch on Mars would respond harshly to tampering.
Three uneventful days passed as Lux and his teams returned to Green. This time they had fresh supplies and copies of the construction equipment from Eridani. They would begin to produce the variations on designs that Anna and the scientific teams had conceived on the way back from Eridani.
Prissy was going to build a military headquarters north of the capital. She wanted accommodations for her soldiers unlike anything humanity had seen. She wanted recreational facilities, a PX, theatres, shops, schools, day cares, bars and taverns, and a hospital. She wanted to give her troops and their families to be able to live like royalty.
Lux had his bodyguards chose a housing design they liked and started robots cranking out those residences. The other A.I.s were soon up-to-speed with Anna. There was more and more alien construction machinery copied and the new chemical plant supplied monomers for much of the furnishings in the residences. The zero-point modules and electrical receivers were a big hit as were the new toilets and waste disposal systems. The Plasma Arc disposal plant had not been finished and it was stripped of useful materials in a week. The new systems were given to all residents. The toilets were replaced as soon as they came off the assembly lines. The conversion could not have happened as fast without the army of robots being directed by Amy and the other AIs.
Lux delegated all the construction to others and the AIs who he trusted much more than humans. He made sure the AIs nipped any corruption in the bud. The transitions were swimmingly fast without bureaucratic nonsense creating delays. Citizens who complained were adjudicated by AIs who could turn cases over to professional citizens who could render decisions and judgements. There were no drawn-out cases. Citizens were encouraged to wear arms outside the cities but had to have training and psychological testing if going armed. Safe storage and handling were mandatory as were two days a month of militia training in light of the other nations and a week a year of refresher training on tactical emergency casualty care, small unit tactics, weapons refresher, urban defense, communications, movement, and asymmetric warfare.
Lux was able to set up several portals in his lab. He had a new home built for Prissy and himself and gave his current home to the hard-working baker and his family. He, of course, chose the major parts of the new home’s design. He chose the materials for the foundations and walls and all the power and waste disposal systems. He chose the type of glass and the security systems. Prissy only chose where the walls went, the window placement, size/shape of the pool, kitchen layout, and interior furnishings. They both agreed on the hill overlooking the lake and placed a portal from the house to his lab – or any other known receiver.
He stepped from his home on Green to his lab on Mars. He stepped from his laboratory on Mars to the clubhouse in Eridani. He walked into the clubhouse and Rodney stepped through behind him and sat down. “You wear me out sometimes. You know that?” Rodney said rhetorically.
“I do. I thought of a question I wanted to ask Entity. Entity. Has any attempts been made to find or access this site since you were installed?” Lux asked.
“Yes. There are occasional attempts to link to here, but they do not have the correct credentials for access,” Entity said.
“How many attempts have been made?” Lux asked.
“There have been twenty thousand one hundred and seventeen attempts,” Entity answered.
“Define a summary of groups of attempts in chronological order starting after your installation in groups of one hundred or more attempts,” Lux asked.
“Twenty thousand one hundred attempts were made thirty-one years after my installation. The remaining seventeen have been sporadic attempts,” Entity said.
“When was the last attempt made to connect?” Lux asked.
“Three hundred and sixty-four years ago,” Entity said.
Lux and Rodney traveled back to Green in a step. “Anna, do you have that list of business contacts from Entity? Have you had a chance to compare them to known star systems? I’d like to see if we can somehow connect to those places.”
