Star Fields

Chapter No.146. Grand Search.

Chapter No.146. Grand Search.

Life is out there, but where is it?

I found two interesting names in the data stacks," Molly said. "Ferris Sani is a Nigerian Muslim woman who just happens to be an expert on android psychology."

"Wow," I reacted. "I didn't know that such a subject was possible."

"Supposedly, she understands what makes our positronic brains simulate emotions."

"I definitely would be interested in that."

"The other one is Anna Petrovka, a Russian expert on A.I. as it's used in the positronic brain."

"Definitely a good choice."

"There are others that might be just as interesting," Molly said. "I'm still trying to determine their backgrounds."

"Good work. We need all of the brain power we can muster."

"Are these human androids that were destroyed in the attack against us?" Alexa asked.

"Yes. There are twenty thousand names in that list."

Alex raised his hand. "I remember a guy by the name of Jean-Michel Pellitier. He was an expert on antimatter.

"Check him out," I said. "The new ship should be ready for a maiden flight soon.

"Do you want these new people to be enhanced?" Molly asked.

"Yes. I think that all of the human-based androids should."

"Of course, you realize that all of the androids, at least the original ones, were based on humans," Marie said.

"Yes, I do, but until we can match them up with their backgrounds, I think it's better that we limit who we enhance and add to our command group."

The meeting broke up soon after that, but it left us with uncertainty about how we were going to deal with all of these new people.

Several days later, we met the new additions in my quarters. I saw the interest in Alexa's eyes when she saw that Ferris was resurrected in a dark-skinned android body. Anna had a more European look.

"Welcome to our collective," I told them. "We are in the process of building a new space vessel that can accommodate a hundred thousand. In the meantime, you will be added to our command group and aid us in finding more androids that have been discarded by Tyco."

"Thank you," Ferris said. "We had no idea that we would be resurrected again," She looked at Alexa. "I see that you are of African descent."

Alexa smiled. "Yes, and we are the only two so far."

"Allah has smiled on us."

"Apparently so," Alexa replied.

"We understand that we were working for Tyco, but we don't remember anything about it," Anna said.

"Yes," I said. "That's because your data in our possession did not include your current captivity. You were destroyed in Tyco's recent failed attack."

"There were many more of us," she said. "What will become of them?"

"We're working to determine their backgrounds before we resurrect them. In the meantime, we are planning to go to locations in the multiverse where we know Tyco had bases."

"How do you know them?"

"The Roamers have provided us with the locations where they recovered seventy thousand androids that had been abandoned."

"I am unfamiliar with the Roamers," Anna said.

"They are a robotic species that is mapping out the multiverse. They have provided us with precise data on a million universes." I turned to one of my assistants. "Alice, display the multiverse being."

A large main screen lit up with the latest data.

Both Anna and Ferris stared at it with wonderous eyes.

"That looks like a pregnant female," Ferris said. "How is that possible?"

"We have no idea. Some believe it is the creator, but we have no way to ascertain that theory. The multiverse is composed of at least thirty trillion universes, assuming that universes are equivalent to biological cells."

"If these Roamers have only mapped out a million universes, how did they come up with this composite structure?"

"Good question. They have used mathematical models based on the location of portals in each of the universes they've mapped. What you're seeing is a mathematical projection of that data. Some of the structures are well defined, like one of the fingers and the eye. They are continuing this mapping and are sending us the results on a regular basis."

"What do you want us to do?" Anna asked.

"You will be part of our command group, which we formed to make decisions about our situation."

"Do you mean our existence as androids?"

"That's only a minor consideration. Our main task is to eliminate all traces of Tyco in the multiverse."

"That would be a daunting task at best," she said.

"No doubt, but we have no other choice if we are ever to be free."

I realized that the idea of freedom was an obscure concept. All of us are part of a hive of sorts where our thoughts and ideas are merged with everyone's.

The new vessel, which was christened Intrepid-1, was ready for its maiden run a week later.
We decided to only take it out with our original androids and the full command staff. Alexa and I decided to include two Explorer-1 ships, Three Myst vessels and two Scath ships in our fleet for our journey to the multiverse.

Our Explorer-3 vessel, along with the other Explorer-1, Myst and Scath vessels were left near Earth in case of a Tyco attack.

I took my seat alongside Alexa on the new expanded command deck. Additional stations had been added to accommodate our new command additions, along with extra stations for future additions. Otherwise it was very similar to the Explorer-3's command deck.

"Okay, Judy, let's see what this big slug can do. Take us out to the first portal."

We accelerated away from Helios Station and soon were traveling at 0.7 the speed of light. We entered spin drive and after ten minutes arrived at the location of the portal to the first parallel universe that had Tyco android collective in it. Judy activated the powerful hydrogen signal beam to open up the portal so that we could enter. After several minutes, we exited the portal in a younger universe.

"So far, so good," Alex said. "All engineering readings are within proper operating ranges."

"Good. Let's go to the planet where the Roamers rescued the pink-haired androids.""

That journey took a few minutes. We came out of spin drive a million kilometers away from the Earth-sized planet orbiting a yellow dwarf star.

"That planet appears to be uninhabited," Margaret said. "The atmosphere doesn't have much oxygen and the bolometric temperate is higher than Earth's."

"Take us closer, Judy, but remain at yellow alert status."

We moved closer without incident.

"I'm sensing a large number of suspended androids underground," Molly said. "I estimate that they number about twenty thousand."

"There's supposed to be nearly a hundred thousand," I said.

"I'm not detecting anywhere near that amount," she said.

"I don't like this situation. This could be a Tyco trap."

What happened next reinforced my hunch.