The Mini-Jo

original cover art by Allen Anderson

Below on this page is part 10 of "The Alastor Network", a science fiction story that explores competition between several groups in Alastor Cluster who seek to understand the genetic foundations of human telepathy.

Within Alastor Cluster, some planets like Yrinna have never recognized the authority of the Connatic. For about 50 years, the Gensifer Clan on Yrinna has had a telepathy breeding project. Other pirate clans are also studying telepathy, but most of these reside on worlds outside the Cluster where many starmenters have taken refuge far away from the fleets of the Whelm.

The Connatic has his own telepathy research project, but it is heavily dependent on technology obtained from Triskelion. That project is code named 'Josef' and is centered on the Whelm cruiser Netal, giving the Josef artificial intelligence mobility and the ability to travel through the Cluster. 

You got your Embroid in my Quantum Computer...

Original cover art shown here and thanks to
Henry1850 for Energy Device (CC BY-NC 3.0)

As described in part 9 of "The Alastor Network", the Pegasus Spaceship Company on Brevik has its own sophisticated telepathy research project which makes use of brain embroids. An artificial intelligence with telepathic powers, the embroid-powered QB5, is being taken to Yrinna as part of the Whelm mission designed to rescue Twycky Jeghtop from the starmenters.

A group of positronic robots (commanded by R. Nyrtia) and their nemesis, Grean the Kac'hin, are mired in a seemingly endless Time Travel War. As part of the Trysta Truce, both sides are participating in the complex telepathy genetics project centered on the Alastor star cluster that involves the alien Phari. Now, two artificially constructed telepathic system, QB5 and Josef are about to meet...

 ⎯ The Alastor Network ؄

 

Part 10. QB5 Meets Josef. (read part 1) (part 2) (part 3) (part 4) (part 5) (part 6) (part 7) (part 8) (part 9)

Yrinna

The Appenine was less than a light-year from Yrinna, at the staging area where the 1st, 3rd and 8th Fleets of the Whelm were secretly assembling. Acyreff and her team were busy transferring some Shadow Drones from the Appenine to the Nykark, a captured pirate ship that would be able to penetrate Yrinna's defenses. Acyreff was waiting impatiently for the arrival two more space craft, Isirjin Ziaspraide and the Netal. 

Acyreff reflected on the fact that Yrinna was one of the few planets in Alastor Cluster that did not recognize the authority of the Connatic. The planned rescue mission to liberate Twycky would be the first time in more than four hundred years that the Whelm tried to carry out a police action on Yrinna. Yrinna was only one of many such independent pirate worlds, but most of them were located beyond the borders of the Cluster and outside of the control of any stellar empire. Acyreff knew that those distant pirate worlds were where most victims of pirate raids were taken, not Yrinna. However, apparently Twycky's telepathic mind had been so highly prized by the Gensifer Clan that she had been taken to Gensifer City on Yrinna.

Suddenly, the Isirjin Ziaspraide and the Netal appeared on the Appenine's radar screen, having just dropped out of intersplit at the fleet assembly point. The voice of Oman Ursht, the Connatic (and Acyreff's husband) came through the fleet communications system from the Isirjin Ziaspraide to the control room of Appenine, "Hope I'm not too late for the party."

Acyreff was eager to speak to her husband, but she remained silent and let the commanding officer of Appenine respond. Captain Titarsion said, "Not at all, Inspector. Commander Shermatz will follow the last Shadow Drone over to Nykark in about half an hour. When Netal is ready, the Commander wants you to try linking the mini-Jo to Josef."

Oman Ursht was using his second identity as Inspector Ryl Shermatz of the Whelm. His son, Heshlo, was stationed on board the Netal. In his role as a summer intern, Heshlo could coordinate the linkage between the Josef artificial intelligence system and the mini-Jo device, limiting the number of personnel who needed to be told about the experimental mini-Jo. Josef and the Netal were too valuable to risk on the planned rescue mission, but the mini-Jo had already been positioned on board Nykark by Lieutenant Collynn. Ryl signaled to Heshlo and told Titarsion, "We are ready. Netal is starting the linkup process." Ryl ended his call to Appenine.

The uses of micro-hierion fields.

Acyreff's comring activated with a call from Collynn who reported, "The mini-Jo is going into sync with Josef. They are starting in with the planned diagnostic routines."

"Great." Acyreff checked the time. "I'll join you on board Nykark in about half an hour. At that time, I'll expect a report from you and we'll need to compare the capabilities of mini-Jo to those of the QB unit."

"Roger that." Collynn broke the communications link.

Acyreff told Captain Titarsion, "I'm going to the hangar. I expect to return to Numenes on board the Isirjin Ziaspraide, so I probably won't see you again until we are all back at Numenes."

"Understood." Captain Titarsion did not know how Commander Shermatz hoped to take the Nykark down to the surface of Yrinna, pick up Twycky and then escape from Yrinna undetected. There were secret plans going into effect, many of which Titarsion did not know about. Hoping that Ryl and Galzara knew what they were doing, she said, "Good luck on Yrinna."

Inside the hangar, Acyreff found that Kasya and QB5 were already waiting in the shuttle, ready to be transported over to Nykark. The last of the drones was moving into position to be sent out from Appenine and over to Nykark. Holes had been opened into the sides of Nykark in order to dock the drones and carry them within Nykark's intersplit field. As soon as the drone moved out of the hangar, Kasya asked, "Now can we go?"

Acyreff shook her head and settled into the pilot's seat of the shuttle. "It will take about 15 minutes to get that drone locked into place." That would be 15 minutes during which the entrance to Nykark's shuttle hangar would be busy with swarms of welding robots and other traffic. She looked at QB5 who for the moment had no nutrient supply and only a power cord and a thin waste tube attached that was dripping into a bottle. "Our little qubie seems unusually quiet."

Hearing Acyreff's snide comment, QB5 spoke up, "I'm helping link mini-Jo to Josef. This is rather like plugging a power cord into an incompatible outlet."

Kasya added, "This would be easier if mini-Jo and QB5 were in the same room."

"They soon will be." Acyreff asked, "But why does it matter? I guess I don't really understand how QB5 senses its environment. Is it all by telepathy?"

QB5 explained, "Look carefully and you can see that I have a tiny camera on each of my six sides and there is a microphone next to my speaker. I see what is in my immediate vicinity and hear sounds much like you do."

Acyreff asked, "Exactly how good a telepath are you?"

QB5 replied, "My technology-assisted telepathy is tuned to the particular data channels that are used by the Core on Brevik... all my high-rate data capabilities are limited to my links with the Core, and now that we are working across interstellar distances, my links to the Core are severely limited. However, I can telepathically sense nearby people, particular those who can efficiently transmit telepathic signals. Josef is a powerful telepathic transmitter and he about blew my receiver when Netal arrived here, dropping out of intersplit. I'm now figuratively working with my hands over my ears."

Kasya suggested, "We could have Captain Titarsion put some distance between the Appenine and the Netal."

image source

QB5 rejected that approach. "I've got to figure out how to deal with Josef myself. I never imagined such a powerful and finely tuned telepathy source. Based on results from the Pegasus telepathy research project, this kind of telepathy signal -Josef's emissions- is simply impossible. I wish I knew how this fine focus to a narrow telepathic band is achieved. According to my understanding of the hierion field equations, what I sense Josef is doing should not be happening."

Acyreff said, "QB5, you still have not been cleared by Whelm security. Some of Josef's secrets will remain secret until the Connatic has a chance to decide if you should be given full access to the Josef technology."

QB5 disliked bureaucratic stalling as much as Kasya did. "Well, tell Ryl to get his cute ass in gear. My telepathic abilities could be greatly amplified if I had access to the sort of narrow-band telepathy Josef is using."

Acyreff warned the machine, "QB5, I might be picturing Ryl's fine physical features in my mind, but you don't need to share that with the world, or even Kas. I haven't been with Ryl for over a week now, so I'm horny and eager to get my hands on him. If that is upsetting your circuits then stay out of my mind."

"It is not upsetting. It pleases me to see how devoted you are to him, although, as for your horniness, it seems like you have had plenty of sex during the past week." QB5 had been investigating Acyreff's background. "I must say, Acy, I'm starting to suspect that you have an unusually high interest in sex that does not conform to expectations for a Rhune."

original cover art by Ed Emshwiller

Kasya told QB5, "Don't get us into another discussion of the orgasm trance experiments."

QB5 was intrigued by the link between human sexual behavior and telepathy and would not be deflected. The artificial intelligence told Kasya, "When she met you, Acy seemed to know instinctively that you were experienced with oral sex."

Acyreff explained, "It isn't instinct. I get many useful hints from my ghark."

"Ah, the mysterious Grean." QB5 had already forgotten the efficiency with which Grean's memory editing nanites had taken hold and altered QB5's memories of Grean. "Tell me, Acy, do you believe this nonsense about Grean having access to time travel technology?"

Kasya told Acyreff, "While we were loading the Drones into Appenine, apparently, QB5 and Mando had a brief encounter with Grean, although they don't remember too much... both of them had been drinking at the time."

Acyreff thought about the sight of Grean in the hot tub, her array of breasts and nipples looking pink and exotic in the hot water. QB5 could telepathically follow Acyreff's sexual fantasy about Grean and asked, "Grean has six nipples?"

Asterothrope

Acyreff explained, "Grean is a Kac'hin, with plenty of Asterothrope gene combinations." Acyreff thought about the retired Connatica Eleyn, off on a journey to Earth in order to investigate the Asterothropes and their special telepathy gene patterns.

QB5 caught Acyreff's stray thought about space travel beyond the confines of Alastor Cluster and said, "I wonder if only Twycky is being held captive on Yrinna. I understand Kasya's desire that an extraordinary effort be made to rescue her sister from Yrinna, but with there being so many other victims of the starmenters, why not try to rescue other victims at the same time? Or are they being held captive on planets beyond Alastor Cluster?"

Acyreff was reluctant to share the Connatic's secrets with QB5. "The Connatic and the Whelm fleets have their hands full policing Alastor Cluster. In the case of Twycky, we are undertaking a police action to rescue an abducted woman and her unborn baby." Acyreff took hold of Kasya's hand. "When we reach Yrinna, the Whelm will warn the population of the planet that any interference with our rescue mission will be treated as a criminal offense. Mini-Jo will be scanning for telepathic signals emanating from Yrinna, but for now, the best information we have concerning Twycky's location arises from the unusually powerful telepathic link between Kas and Twycky. There could be thousands of other captives being held on Yrinna, but how would we know?"

Kasya said, "Almost certainly most captives taken by starmenters in raids of planets here in the Cluster get hauled away to distant planets, worlds not patrolled by the Whelm and other police forces of the galaxy. It is a great stroke of luck that Twycky is close at hand, on Yrinna. However, if during this mission we learn of other captives being held on Yrinna, I'm in favor of trying to rescue them, also."

Just then, Ryl Shermatz opened a communications link to the shuttle. He told Acyreff, "The telepathic link between Josef and mini-Jo is not going to be perfect, but it is better than nothing. Also, Josef reports that the Phari network seems to have noticed that Netal moved from Yerophet to this staging are near Yrinna."

 

Kasya felt a sinking sensation in her gut and asked, "We are not going to be able to surprise the starmenters?"

 

In the Ekcolir Reality.
Original cover art by Partridge
and Albert Drake

QB5 said, "Only the Phari have detected the gathering Whelm fleets. The Pheni of Yrinna have been told that we are on our way, but they are not really friends of the starmenters... they might even provide some help to Joseph and I. Bottom line: we still have a chance to surprise the pirates."

 

When dealing with criminals, the Connatic's standard practice was to mass overwhelming numbers of spaceships and make resistance to Whelm police actions appear to be futile. Working with vast numbers of troops and the movement of hundreds of spacecraft often made maintaining secrecy a challenge. Ryl could see both Acyreff and Kasya in the comlink, but he did not recognize QB5's voice. He asked, "Who was that speaking just now?"

 

Kasya replied, "Inspector Shermatz, this is QB5." She pointed the shuttle's cabin camera at the metal cube that held QB5. "Five, Ryl is a high ranking officer in the Whelm."

 

QB5 knew Ryl's true identity. "Hey, Ryl, how about speeding up my security clearance. I need access to the Josef technology."

 

Ryl chuckled and told the artificial intelligence system, "Whelm security is going to have to study you very carefully. I'm particularly concerned that you were designed to transmit everything you know to Brevik. The Connatic is going to have to explore exactly who within the Pegasus Spaceship Company has access to your reports, QB5. I suggest that we use this rescue mission as a trial balloon. If you prove useful in our effort to liberate Twycky then that will have a big influence on the Connatic."

 

QB5 groaned. "Just don't blame me for the consequences of my technical limitations, particularly when it is your inability to act quickly and with decisiveness that is depriving me of important technology."

Kasya told QB5, "Do your best, qubie, I'm sure that will impress the Connatic."

 

Acyreff complained to Kasya, "You have told me nothing about how Pegasus Corporation managed to construct these QB devices."

 

Kasya had investigated that matter during her last visit to Triskelion. "During the past few decades, the scientists of Triskelion have been gradually sharing their hierion physics discoveries with researchers on Numenes, Yrinna, Brevik... Apparently all these amazing technological advances, such as brain embroids, originate from Triskelion because their key scientists are free of zeptite endosymbionts. It will be interesting to see what we can accomplish once we finally share all of our various technologies rather than working in isolation."

Acyreff suggested to Kasya, "When we get back from Yrinna, please give us a seminar on these mysterious zeptite endosymbionts. I suspect you know more about them than you have so far admitted."

 

Kasya laughed. "You are correct!" She pulled her hand-held hierion field generator out of her pocket and waved it at Acyreff. "This device does not only disrupt robot minds. I use it to modulate the activity of my own zeptite endosymbiont."

 

"I see. And what benefit comes of that?"

 

"You'll see a demonstration when we get to Yrinna."

 

Ryl told Kasya, "I suppose we are working towards a technology swap. You'll get access to the Josef technology and in exchange you can explain to us how to control zeptite endosymbionts and how that relates to our common goal of better telepathic communication."

 

Acyreff said, "That kind of technology sharing would be a logical end point. I can tell you this, Kas... the history of the Josef project can be traced back to Earth and ancient studies of differences between human and machine logic." She was tempted to tell Kasya why Oman had long ago named his robotic double 'Hans', but for now she continued to pretend that she was Galzara and Ryl was Ryl. "I wonder if the perfectly logical minds of artificial intelligence systems like Josef cause limitations on telepathy that do not exist for embroids."

 

QB5 said, "I like to think that because of my embroid brain structure I have human-like intuition and judgement, but I also have fears and worries. My fears can disrupt telepathic communication as much as Josef's rigid logic does. If we start collaborating, we might find a way around both of these limitations."

 

In the Ekcolir Reality.
Original cover art by Malcolm Smith

Acyreff told Ryl, "When I visited the Pegasus Corporation drone manufacturing center on Brevik, I learned that that the new generation of Shadow Drones are already being equipped with simple artificial intelligence systems manufactured on Triskelion." She asked Kasya, "How do the drones avoid scrambling their own control systems when they activate their powerful hierion fields?"

Kasya explained, "It is almost the same solution that Lieutenant Collynn and Dr. Indeckuri recognized for how to protect ships of the Whelm from having their Jarnell engines inactivated. Just as you can "reverse the polarity" of a Jarnell, so can you use a hierion field generator that is tuned correctly so as to selectively disrupt various artificial minds and not others." 

Acyreff had been monitoring the work on Nykark. Now she said, "All the drones are now safely stowed on board Nykark." She activated the shuttle engines and they slid out of Appenine's hangar. She shuttle's autopilot locked onto the Nykark's hangar signal. She told Ryl, "Nykark will be able to set course for Yrinna in just a few minutes."

Ryl said, "Understood. Good luck!" The comlink was cut and the Connatic turned his attention to coordinating the large Whelm fleet that was ready to support Nykark's mission on Yrinna. He received confirmation that all of the Whelm battleships had been adjusted so as to make their Jarnell engines resistant to pirate hierion field generators.With luck, no Whelm spaceships would be lost on Yrinna during the coming battle.

The shuttle dropped Acyreff, Kasya and QB5 off inside the Nykark's hangar space. They were met there by Lieutenant Collynn and Captain Lanting who each took one of the suitcases containing QB5's support equipment. With Kasya carrying the QB unit, Captain Lanting led the way to the control room for Nykark's hierion field generating equipment which was also the room where the mini-Jo had been placed. While Kasya assembled and attached QB5's support equipment, Acyreff looked around for visible evidence of her ghark. She could smell the sour aroma of ghark and she felt Grean's telepathic presence. QB5 said, "There is something strange going on here."

 

In the Ekcolir Reality.
Original cover art by John Gaughan
and Ed Emshwiller

Lanting asked, "What's wrong?"

 

QB5 complained, "It is not easy for me to think when I'm this close to Jo. This is a bit like looking into a bright light and not being able to see other nearby objects. I sense another mind... ah, yes, it is Grean!"

 

Grean's voice came from no particular location, "Qubie, don't talk about me as if I were some kind of ghost... you'll upset the humans. There's enough tension in here already."

 

Lanting was pacing nervously around the room. Now she looked around at all corners of the room, trying to see Grean. "I just hope we don't all end up as Lord Gensifer's prisoners."

 

Grean suggested, "Please, let's have a moratorium on all negativity. I'd let you know if there were anything that could be done to make this rescue mission go smoother."

 

Lanting insisted, "Lord Gensifer tried twice to capture Kasya and here we are taking Kasya to Yrinna. It makes no sense!"

 

Acyreff giggled nervously. She was feeling a reassuring telepathic push from Grean and a burning desire to complete the rescue mission as soon as possible. "I believe it is safe to take Kasya to Gensifer City." Now, prodded by Grean's memory-altering nanites, she thought about the last time when she and Kasya had achieve simultaneous orgasms. During that intense telepathic orgasm trance, Acyreff had actually viewed Twycky and Kasya together in the future and had seen them playing with Twycky's newborn baby. Now she was being allowed to remember that vision. Feeling confident, Acyreff said, "We have assembled the tools and people that we need to pull this off."

 

Collynn had been working at the controls of the mini-Jo. Now she told Acyreff, "I don't understand these readings."

Acyreff looked at the system diagnostics. She asked Collynn, "Do you think there is some kind of feedback or interference from having QB5 and the mini-Jo both at work here?"

"I don't know what's happening." Collynn stared in amazement at the data screen. "There seems to be a huge drain on the mini-Jo data transmission link to Josef. I can't imagine why do much data is being transmitted from here to Netal." 

 

Acyreff looked back and forth between QB5 and the mini-Jo while wondered if QB5 had become overly enthusiastic about collaborating with Josef. Was QB5 using mini-Jo to transmit all the data from the Pegasus artificial intelligence Core into Josef's memory banks?

Next: part 11 of "The Alastor Network"

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