Supernal

Chapter 13

6:30 pm Saturday, 23rd June 2029

Crew Room on the OCF

"What do you think about that?" Rob whispered to Toby while they were disposing of their coffee cups. "Manitans don't go to Manitan paradise when they die. They wind up driving a cab!"

"It might sound freakish to you," Toby said, "but, as a biologist, I think it's a brilliant idea, and it's not so different to organ donation on Earth."

"We use donated organs to save lives, not as glorified computer chips. I think it stinks." 

 "It's their choice and their ethos," Toby shrugged. "Who are we to question their moral values? Come on ... Velan's ready to start again."

They returned to their seats and Velan waited for Rob to activate the video recorder before he began speaking.

"Most of the transport systems on Vitu utilize electromagnetic induction. We use magnetic attraction and repulsion to move vehicles. That also includes our spacecraft. The outer shells of our space vehicles are electro-magnetized. The onboard intelligence unit calculates and varies the polarity over the entire surface to use the attraction or repulsion of planets, moons, and even large asteroids to best effect.

As the craft passes an object with gravity, the polarity of the rear part of the shell is changed to give repulsion. As we approach another object, the forward part generates attraction. In that way, we get pushed and pulled at the same time and the greater the gravitational pull of the objects, the higher the velocity attained.

The journey from Vitu to Earth takes approximately twenty days in a large craft, but we have small courier capsules that can reach tremendous speeds. Over very long distances they can reach almost light speed and can cover the distance from Earth to Vitu in just three days. They're only used for messages and small packages or samples. In fact, we'll be sending one tomorrow with a progress report. You might like to watch it go. It's quite spectacular."

"Don't you use radio communication?" Summers asked. "Surely that would be much more efficient for a progress report?"

"We could, but we don't want to cause alarm on Earth by emitting any detectable signals. Our instructions are to remain inconspicuous until your authorities decide to reveal our existence to your people."

Velan went on to describe in glowing terms Vitu's extremely efficient centralized electricity and water supply networks that ensured all citizens lived in comfort. Medical and educational facilities were available to all, he emphasized, and food production was integrated planetwide to ensure there was never any over or under-production.

Toby looked at Rob who was rolling his eyes comically. Toby had to agree. Velan sounded like a real estate salesman trying to unload retirement condos.

#

The visitors stayed for dinner. They seemed to take great delight in trying the different pre-prepared meals on the OCF. The conversation over dinner was innocuous. Summers had stressed that he didn't want anything important discussed off the record if they could avoid it. Toby was hoping to speak privately to Jayal but Velan stayed close to her and he never got the chance.

But, he noticed that it was always his meal she wanted to taste and their eyes kept meeting over the table. She looked away quickly each time, but he got the impression she was studying him closely.

Rob had to check in with NASA to give them an update on the fictitious repairs to the oxygen system, so when Velan said it was time to go Summers asked Charlie to escort them to the airlock. As soon as she and Rob returned Summers indicated they should all go to the SBR.

#

"We seem to have established a routine," Summers said, "so we might as well continue it. We'll get together here, after dinner every night. I want to know anything useful that is not on the recording so I can tell the president personally."

"That's going to make for romantic pillow talk," Rob joked.

"I hope not," Summers responded. "The secretary of state will need to hear it too, and I don't want Phil Taylor in my bed. How was the call to NASA?"

"The mission controller wanted to know if he could send the test team back up on Tuesday's shuttle. I told him we'd only just installed the new backup unit and hadn't checked the oxygen levels yet. You have to call him tomorrow night and let him know the state of play."

"Hm, we'll have to come up with another problem to delay things. We'll swap the control units and I'll take the old one down with me on Tuesday. Can you do that first thing tomorrow morning?"

"Darn it, there goes my Sunday morning lie-in."

"Maybe you could lend a hand, Toby. You'll have to float the new one from the unloading area in the cargo bay and take the old one back. It's awkward for one person."

"No problem," Toby agreed. "Sounds like fun."

Summers asked if anyone had anything else of interest to report.

"I was talking to Mutu over dinner," Toby said. "I asked him if the Manitan got to see TV programs from Earth and he said they did. So I mentioned a whole lot of popular TV shows and he'd never heard of any of them.

He said all their English TV programs were documentaries and natural history, all educational stuff, no entertainment. So I reckon the Atikas filter out all the programs they think are unsuitable and only re-broadcast what they want the Manitan to see."

"Interesting," Summers mused. "If the Atikas are censoring TV broadcasts maybe it's not such a free society as Velan makes out."

"Or maybe they just wouldn't understand our TV shows," Charlie argued. "I can't imagine aliens making sense of our comedy shows. They just wouldn't get the jokes."

"That's true," Toby agreed. "I know you lot don't understand British humor and I don't understand half the American shows I watch."

"Well, whatever the reason, it indicates that the Manitan don't have freedom of choice. It could be important, well done Toby."

"I found out that they don't have alcoholic drinks on Vitu," Rob offered. "So I won't be spending any of my holidays there."

"They're certainly into healthy living," Toby remarked. "I'd like to know their average life span."

"Make a mental note to ask that," Summers said. "Now, if anyone wants to watch the launch of their courier tomorrow, it's going at exactly 12 noon OCF time. We'll be able to see it from the main assembly bay. Velan told me that because we're so close to Earth it will get a hell of a gravitational push."

Everyone wanted to attend but Rob was worried it might be visible from Earth.

"Velan says not. It's too small to be detected by radar, it's only about three feet in diameter and it has no engine so won't leave a vapor trail."

No one had anything to add so Summers suggested they all get a good night's sleep and meet again at 07:30 for breakfast.