Cradle (51 page)

An explosion starts to rip through the room. An astonishing sequence of events takes
place almost instantaneously after the explosion, as the spaceship deploys its protective
resources to stop the spread of the fireball and mitigate the damage caused by the
small nuclear device that has vapourized its host satellite. The explosion is quickly
contained, but not until considerable destruction has been caused on board the interstellar
craft.

An elaborate self-test occupies the great spaceship after the explosion. Detailed
computer analysis of the damage indicates that the probability of successfully deploying
the cradles at the additional eight planets would be measurably increased if the mission
were temporarily interrupted to allow some repair processes to take place. A safe
haven to conduct the repair operations, in a known environment with very few variations,
is the concomitant requirement. The master computer decides, based on the system and
subsystem constraints that must be applied during the repairs, that the shallow ocean
floor on this target planet is a perfect place for such a hiatus in the mission plan.

The spaceship descends into the atmosphere, again reconfiguring itself to expose a
set of aerodynamic control surfaces. During its rapid descent, the flight path is
crossed by a bullet-shaped vehicle that has just been released from a high altitude
aircraft. The spaceship approaches and then flies alongside the missile. The missile
telemetry is intercepted by the spaceship and correlated with the types of downlink
data extracted from the satellite earlier. The spaceship computer uses its enormous
processing capability and cross-correlation algorithms to try to break the command
code of the tiny missile. Eventually it is successful and the visitor is able to interact
with the guided projectile.

The spaceship commands the missile to read out its guidance subroutines. Performing
quadrillions of computations per second, the intelligent computer at the heart of
the interstellar craft deduces the targeting strategy for the missile. A target image
that would result in the missile landing in the ocean, close to the chosen location
for the space vehicle, is commanded into the missile’s guidance algorithm. The spacecraft
and missile plunge in tandem into the Gulf of Mexico.

The two vehicles come to rest about two miles apart on the ocean floor. Within the
carefully coded fault protection software of the great spaceship, which took over
operation of the craft immediately after the explosion of the satellite, four separate
activities are being conducted in parallel. One of the processors is sorting through
the data archives associated with this particular planet to determine what possible
indigenous species could have gone through an evolutionary burst and become spacefaring
with such rapidity. Coupled with this first set of computations is an evaluation of
the impact of such a local advanced intelligence on the survivability of the repatriated
zygotes. Among the questions addressed by the evaluation is what active steps can
be taken by the spaceship now to increase the likelihood of successful embryo germination
and development.

A third processor in the central computer performs a thorough, detailed analysis of
the spacecraft state, including careful assessment of repair techniques and materials
needed to fix each and every damaged component. The fourth major parallel subroutine
directs the effort of the small flat robots that go out into the ocean, first to verify
that the nearby missile is harmless and can safely be brought back to the ship, and
second to catalogue all the flora and fauna in the neighbourhood in case any kind
of camouflage becomes necessary.

The carpets bring the missile to the spaceship for additional analysis. No major new
insights are gleaned from this study. The engineering similarities between the missile
and the earlier artificial satellite are simply catalogued in the data archives. The
concurrent spaceship damage assessment concludes that all the raw materials and tools
necessary for the repairs are available except for the proper quantities of lead and
gold, both of which are difficult and time-consuming to make in the transmuter. If
somehow enough additional lead and gold can be found, then the spaceship can be ready
to leave this planet in three local days; if the spaceship has to make the lead and
gold by itself, including leaching the elements in trace amounts from the ocean around
it, then the total repair effort might take as long as thirty days.

The other two processors reach some equally interesting probabilistic conclusions.
Mostly based upon the data taken during the endangered species roundup seven cycles
earlier, two separate types of animals, one land-based and one water-based, are identified
as the only possible candidates for the evolutionary burst that produced spacefarers
in such a short time. Actually, according to the computer, if the land-based human
beings survived their earlier nadir (around the time when some specimens were removed
by the zoo ships of the Colony) and did not become extinct, they had by far the better
chance of becoming the space voyager, especially in view of the results of the experiments
conducted on them at the Zoo Complex. But if, indeed, the descendants of those bipedal,
upright, aggressive creatures have become spacefarers, the processor warns, then the
chances for survival to maturity by the zygotes in the cradle are extremely low. Unless
somehow significant design changes in the cradle can be made on the spot or the development
of the repatriates can be kept a secret from the humans for as long as a millicycle.

More worrisome for the extraterrestrial spaceship from the point of view of the overall
mission is the tentative conclusion that it may well be discovered by the intelligent
and potentially hostile inhabitants of the target planet in a comparatively short
period of time. If discovered and seriously threatened, the spaceship could depart
from the planet quickly and search for another haven to make repairs; however, travelling
in the space environment in its current damaged state would be very risky. Another
option would be for the spacecraft to send its own robots to the mines on this planet
to extract the lead and gold that would virtually guarantee safe arrival at the next
target, where the heavy metals are plentiful.

In either case, premature discovery by uncooperative Earthlings would almost certainly
doom the zygote cradle that would be left on the Earth, if it is known that the cradle
system came from the alien spacecraft. Thus the first action that the spaceship takes
is to check out, deploy, and then hide the Earth cradle away from the vehicle. The
carpets locate a sequestered spot six or seven hundred yards away on the nearby ocean
floor and the platforms move the gold metallic cradle into that place under a rock
overhang.

To reduce the probability of being discovered, the spaceship changes its outer surface
to match the ocean floor around it. After a complex set of analyses of its entire
decision matrix, the central computer concludes that the maximum likelihood of success
path for the overall mission involves trying to enlist either the whales or the human
beings to supply the extra lead and gold, as well as the new information to be transmitted
to the cradle. So the spacecraft implements those repairs that are straightforward,
puts itself into a standby for launch mode, and begins the task of communicating with
the Earthlings.

The data taken by the Zoo explorers seven cycles ago (about a hundred thousand Earth
years) suggested that the whales and human beings, at that time, had approximately
the same potential for intelligence. The whale language was richer and more complicated
at the time of this earlier investigation. The Zoo explorers studied it briefly and
recorded in the archives its fundamental tenets. Based upon that old data, while at
the same time trying to develop a scenario for communicating with the humans, the
spaceship attempts to make contact with the whales. Because the whales have not substantially
changed in the intervening time, the attempts are partially successful; the whales
understand that they are being called, but they are mostly confused by the messages
and unable to work out how to respond.

Two small pods of whales do, however, decipher the message transmitted in the ocean
by the alien ship and swim toward its source. The robots in the extraterrestrial spacecraft
examine the whales carefully, even showing the captive missile to one of the pods
to elicit recognition, and conclude absolutely that the whales cannot be the spacefarers.
Therefore it is the human beings who have made the great evolutionary strides and
must be contacted and somehow induced to provide the lead and the gold and the requisite
information. Further attempts to communicate with the whales are abandoned.

Before the alien ship has determined the method it will use to contact humanity, chance
provides it with an excellent opportunity. During the final interactions with the
whales, three human beings are swimming in the neighbourhood. By incredible luck,
these three find the deployed cradle and take it to the land. As a cautionary move,
the spaceship computer commands temporary changes inside the cradle to ensure its
protection and to provide for more frequent status monitoring; however, there is no
major concern yet. The humans do not recognize the connection between the cradle and
the spacecraft. In addition, with the zygotes in their early stages of pullulation,
the cradle has an extremely robust design. Having the cradle in the possession of
humans at this time can also be viewed as an advantage for the superaliens; receivers
in the cradle can be commanded to listen to the conversations and then telemeter to
the mother spacecraft information that will permit learning the rudiments of the human
language.

The logical processes in the extraterrestrial computers are strained to the limit
to work out a way to contact human beings for help without creating undue risk for
both the Earth cradle and the rest of the mission. The computers are about to decide
on a rapid strike at mines for the lead and gold when they realize, based on their
partial understanding of the human language, that the three humans who found the cradle
may be coming back into the vicinity. All of the spaceship processors are strapped
together to design a scenario that will induce these humans to help them. The inside
of the spaceship is even reconfigured from scratch for the arrival of the humans.
For if the scenario is successful, there is a high probability that the spaceship
can continue on its mission, having successfully deposited the millions of repatriated
zygotes, but without having disrupted the main flow of life on Earth. This was the
original goal of the mission.

It was after two o’clock in the morning by the time the
Florida Queen
left the marina and headed out into the Gulf of Mexico. Carol and Troy stood together
against the railing while Nick steered the boat through the harbour. ‘Well, angel,’
Troy said, ‘it has already been an unbelievable experience, hasn’t it? And I must
admit that I myself am a little nervous about what we’re going to find out at the
dive site this time.’

‘I thought you knew what was going to happen, Troy,’ Carol replied, pointing at his
bracelet. ‘Don’t
they
tell you everything?’

‘
They
tell me a lot. And I’m getting better at understanding their messages. But how do
I know if they’re telling the truth?’

‘We have had the same problem with you at times,’ Nick interjected from under the
canopy. The boat was almost out in the open ocean. The lights from Key West were receding
behind them. ‘In the final analysis, particularly when nothing makes sense anyway,
it comes down to a question of trust. If I were to ask myself logically why I am going
out into the Gulf of Mexico in the middle of the night to take lead and gold and information
to some extraterrestrials who stopped here on the Earth to make repairs—’

Carol laughed and interrupted. ‘But there’s no logical way to discuss this entire
series of events. Troy already pointed that out. We’re not operating on logic. And
I don’t even think it’s a question of trust so much.’ She paused and looked up at
the stars. ‘It’s more like faith.’

Troy put his arm around Carol and smiled. ‘I agree with you, angel. After all, we
don’t know shit. Only
they
know.’

Carol yawned. There was silence on the boat. Everyone was very tired. After the security
men had surrounded Homer and Greta at the Miyako Gardens, the police had of course
been called. They had arrived within ten minutes but it had seemed as if their questions
were going to last forever. Carol, Nick, and Troy had each been required to file a
separate written statement. Homer and Greta admitted nothing, despite the fact that
the security men had taken two handguns from them and matching bullet fragments were
found inside Troy’s car. Homer had phoned his lawyer and was expecting to be out on
bail within four to six hours.

When the trio did finally reach the marina (they had to walk from the hotel because
the police impounded Troy’s car as evidence) carrying the backpacks, Troy remembered
that he had not yet connected the new navigation equipment. Maybe it was because Troy
was tired or perhaps having his two friends watch him part of the time over his shoulder
made him nervous; whatever the reason, Troy was very slow in installing and verifying
the new navigation processor.

Meanwhile, Carol and Nick had been checking to ensure that there were three complete
sets of diving apparatus on board the boat. The diving gear the men had used earlier
in the evening was still out at the base in the possession of the United States Navy.
Nick thought he recalled putting enough extra equipment on the boat to handle the
large party from Tampa that had originally chartered the
Florida Queen
for the weekend. He was correct, but one of the regulator systems did not function
properly during the checkout and had to be exchanged for a spare.