Story: The Lethe, pt. XIX

Leon and Zhang worked together on the nearby computer node that was hidden behind one of the walls in the basement. With a bit of tweaking and some creativity use of Commander Ella’s scanner, they were able to convince the Lethe’s sensors to set up in a false echo loop that showed no humans anywhere except where the androids expected them to be: inside the town on the main deck.
The team, led by Leon, cautiously left the building, which contained Leon’s watchmaking business on the first and second floors and his home on the third. The nearest stairway to the area “below decks” was on the edge of town, about 350 meters from Leon’s home. As the team moved quickly and quietly through the narrow streets to the outskirts of town, they continued to be impressed with how realistic everything seemed. They could hear birds singing in the distance, and bees buzzed by them on their way to and from their hives. If they had not known better, they would have been fully convinced that this town, this environment was all that there was.
As they neared the entrance to the lower decks, the team stopped and took cover behind some bushes. Two sentinels, dressed in security uniforms, stood on either side of the entrance to the stairs, which was disguised as a cave. Although the two sentinels stood at too great a distance for Dobbins to see their eyes, Ella’s scanner told him that the sentinels were androids.
“Mr. Zhang,” Dobbins whispered, “what is the effective range of the EMP this blaster emits?”
“I don’t know for sure, sir,” Zhang whispered back. “I would guess it to be 20, maybe 25 meters.”
“Well,” Dobbins whispered, “I guess we’re about to find out.” He pulled out his blaster and fired on the two guards. Other than a slight whine from the blaster, nothing else indicated that he had fired. The android guards still stood upright at their post.
“Make that 15 meters,” Zhang amended quietly.
“We can’t get any closer without being spotted. There’s simply no cover. We’re going to need to distract them somehow in order to get in range,” Dobbins said.
“I’ve got an idea,” Samuleson said. “Give me a minute, and I’ll draw them closer.”
He rose to his feet and walked straight through the bushes towards the androids. “Hey, you, there! Security guys!” he yelled. “Are you looking for Radioactives? Well, there’s one right here. Come get me! Come on, get me!”
Both guards drew their blasters and fired at Samuelson, who jumped out the way just in time. The location where he had been standing erupted into a small volcano of dirt. Once the dust settled, the androids left their posts and moved towards the spot where Samuelson had been standing.
Once they got within ten meters of Dobbins’s location, he fired. This time, both androids crumpled to the ground, knocked offline by the electromagnetic pulse. .
They all quickly moved up to the androids. Samuelson joined them from somewhere off to their left. He was covered in dust. “Okay,” he said sheepishly, “so maybe that didn’t quite go the way I had planned it. It still worked.
“Captain,” he added, “I don’t think that those blasters were set to stun.”
“I agree, Mr. Samuelson. That’s quite odd, since androids are supposed to be programmed not to injure humans. Something clearly has gone wrong.”
“Desmond’s work, no doubt,” observed Leon. “He needs some way to keep the population in line. Fear of death is a powerful weapon.” As he was speaking, he opened up the android’s chest cavities, and disconnected their main power packs. “Two less of the enemy to worry about,” he explained.
The team moved onward and into the cave. At the back of the cave stood a doorway that refused to open for them. Leon opened a panel to the left of the door, switched a couple of wires in a circuit panel, and the door slid open. The entire team walked through the door and down the steps to the levels below.
After taking the stairs down three levels, they exited the stairwell and found themselves in a hallway that looked identical to the one in which they had first stood after exiting the shuttle.
“Which way?” Dobbins asked Leon.
“The shuttle bay is to the right,” Leon responded. “The lower-decks entrance to the control center is to the left, and it’s quite a ways. We’d better get a move on before security realizes what’s happened to those two sentries.”
Ella and Skyler turned to the right and jogged off towards the shuttle, while the remainder of the team—Dobbins, Samuelson, Zhang, and Leon—headed left on the long walk towards the Control Center.
They moved quickly and quietly along the corridor, at least, as quickly as Leon could move. No sound could be heard ahead of them; if there were any androids below decks, they were far away. Within five minutes, they reached the doorway to the Control Center. The door refused to open for them initially, but Leon quickly removed a panel beside the door, switched a couple of wires, and the doors opened.
On the other side of the door were two human-looking figures which rose as the door opened. They drew their blasters, turning to face the door. As they turned to face the team, Dobbins could clearly see their purple eyes. Samuelson fired his blaster, and the androids crumpled to the ground.
Without delay, Zhang and Leon headed for the main computer terminal. Leon tried to log in to the system, which promptly refused his access.
“Desmond has disabled my access codes,” Leon said. “I can’t get in to the system.”
“Let me give it a try,” Zhang said. His hands flew over the controls with a fluency that came from much practice. Within two minutes, he had logged into the main computer system and was ready to search for the android shut down protocol.
“Do I want to know how you are so good at breaking into computer systems?” asked Dobbins.
“No, sir,” answered Zhang, “you don’t.”
He began his search for the necessary protocol, with Leon guiding him. Within seconds, the results screen appeared. It was blank.
“Captain!” Zhang exclaimed. “The android shutdown protocol is gone!”
“Gone?” asked Dobbins. “What do you mean gone?”
“It’s not there. Someone must have deleted it.”
“That’s not possible,” Leon said. “The only people who knew about the protocol were Captain Loman and me.”
“And Desmond,” an unfamiliar voice said from the main door.

Christmas Storm

The predicted Christmas storm turned out to be a record-setting event. Topeka set a record for snowfall on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. I had about 8" at my house in Topeka, with 12" drifts. Other places had it worse, with drifts as deep as 2 and 3 feet. Lawrence received about the same: 8" on average, with drifts of about 12". The strong winds, however, made the entire situation awful. Roads that were initially clear were blown closed, again. The main roads in the Lawrence and KC areas were barely passable on Christmas Day, and the side streets in Topeka were in horrible shape even on Saturday. This is one situation in which the forecast was correct. Now, we'll be spending the rest of this week trying to thaw out and dig out. It should be an interesting, cold week.

Christmas Storm (Updated 6:50 pm)

Over the past three or four days, I have been watching the weather forecast, reading the National Weather Service (NWS) forecast discussions, and looking at a bit of model data, trying to get a feel for the strong winter storm that is closing in on NE Kansas. To make things challenging, the forecast models are generally not the most reliable at predicting these types of storms. If the forecast model miscalculates the storm track by even 40 miles (which is only a few percent error), then a heavy snow event turns into a rain/freezing rain event. And it's that sort of challenge that confronts forecasters, both the official ones at the NWS and T.V. stations and amateurs like myself. Given that tomorrow is Christmas Eve, this storm threatens to put the kibosh on many Christmas Eve services. We'll have to wait until tomorrow to be certain of what the storm does.
I'll try to post updates over the next day or so with my own thoughts, as well as the NWS's. Right now, the big story from the NWS is the location of the heavy snow axis. According to the latest forecast discussion, the forecasted location of the heavy snow axis has moved farther to the east. This shift has occurred due to the forecast models shifting the low pressure center farther to the east, putting the Topeka and Lawrence areas under the gun for heavier snow. If this forecast verifies, NE Kansas will definitely see a white Christmas. Whether we can get anywhere on this white Christmas to celebrate it with our families is another story.
For my part, I glanced at one forecast model, and I do see some cause for concern. If the model forecast I examined verifies, Topeka is looking at 2 inches of snow by noon on Thursday, with an additional 4 inches possible through Christmas Day. That means a total of 6 inches of snow in and around the Capital City. Whether we indeed get this much snow remains to be seen. The last winter storm that plowed through here looked like it was going to dump on Topeka, only to shift farther west and leave us in rain for most of the day.
So, I'm going to take a "wait and see" attitude on this one, although I also am going to be ready to adjust my travel plans should this particular forecast verify.
Regardless of the weather, merry Christmas to you. May you enjoy a blessed time of celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!

UPDATE (6:50 pm) -- The latest model runs, along with the latest official NWS forecast, seem to indicate that there will be 5-6" of snow in and around Topeka by the end of the storm on Friday. It doesn't appear that the snow will start in NE Kansas until after noon. Freezing rain/sleet should hit for a while before that. Still, it looks like the storm will be a bit delayed compared to the last run. We'll see what happens when the 00Z models (models based on 00Z or 6:00 pm Central Time observations) come out in a couple of hours.

Story: The Lethe, pt. XVIII

Before Dobbins could say anything, the old man motioned for them to follow him. He led them through a door into a large room with a low-ceiling. The room seemed cold and damp, lit dimly by LEDs recessed in the ceiling. The room felt old, indeed ancient, as if it had been there forever. It almost seemed to Dobbins like the room smelled moldy, like the basement of an ancient house. Surely that was his imagination, though. The designers of the Lethe had not gone so far as to add actual mold to basements just to make them seem old, did they?
The old man, Leon the Watchmaker, nodded to himself and spoke. “It’s safe, now. We can talk here. It’s a good thing for you that I happened to see you turn down that alley from upstairs. It’s obvious to me that you are from an Earth ship. Perhaps my distress call has indeed been answered! Who are you? What ship are you from? How long have you been traveling to catch us?”
“I am Captain Christopher Dobbins of the Earth Ship Hyperion,” Dobbins replied. “We were sent here by Fleet Com to assist you all on your trip to Elysion. We caught up with your ship a day or so ago and have been trying to figure out what has happened since. We tried to talk to Captain Loman, but we couldn’t. And when we came on board, we were detained by security androids who called themselves Enforcers. Do you know where Captain Loman is? And who are you?”
“One question at a time, young man,” replied Leon. “I’ve been around quite a few years now, and my memory’s not what it used to be.
“To answer your second question, I’m Leon Sapens, and I’m the Chief Engineer of the Lethe, or at least I was until the mutiny ten years ago. I can see from the look on your face that I need to explain more. Let me see, where to start. Oh, yes. The first part of our journey was quite enjoyable. Everything was running fine and most days, we forgot that we were on board a starship. It felt like we were in a small town. We even decided to name it ‘Larson,’ just to give it a more homey feel, you know.
“But about ten years ago, this man named Desmond, the first officer, decided that he wanted to take over. He commandeered the Control Center, took control of all of the androids somehow, and then proceeded to take us all in for a ‘health check,’ which was really a way to brainwash all of us into believing that we were the only town that had survived a worldwide nuclear holocaust. Everywhere outside of this ship (or valley, as they called it) was said to be so radioactive as to make a person crazy within minutes. And anytime anyone started to cause trouble or agitate, they were said to be ‘Radioactive,’ and taken to the Security Center for ‘detoxification.’
“Well, as you can imagine, the end result is that this Desmond, who claims to be the son of Captain Loman, even though Loman had no son, is in charge, now. Everyone who resists his authority is quickly and swiftly dealt with.”
“How did you manage to escape ‘reprogramming?’ ” asked Commander Ella.
“Just by being clever, missy,” replied the old engineer. “When they started taking people in for this ‘health check,’ it didn’t take a rocket scientist to realize what was going on. Several people tried to resist, but they were all taken in, one-by-one. I was one of the last, whether it was because of my age or just random, I don’t know. All I know is that I got to hear enough of the official line from those who had been brainwashed to know what to say, and I did a little quick re-programming of their database to make sure that I was listed as already having been taken in.
“After a few weeks, once the takeover was complete, I tried to gain access to the hyperwave array. Unfortunately, one of the androids working in the Control Center must have detected my access attempts, because before I could do anything, the array was disabled, turned off from inside the Control Center. I did manage, though, to gain access to internal communications and use it to send a radio message back to Earth. I assume that you came in response to my radio message.”
“We never received any radio message,” replied Dobbins. “We must have jumped passed the radio wave’s location in space, because we never detected it.”
“So, jump drive has been adapted to serve on ships, huh?” said Leon. “It’s about time! It would’ve been nice to have had that form of propulsion 13 years ago.”
“It’s been a little more than 13,” Skylar broke in.
“Oh, right,” responded Leon. “I forgot about time dilation. Anyway, however long it’s been, the important thing is that you’re here. Now, maybe, we can get free of the control of Desmond and get everyone to Elysion.”
“How do you propose we do that?” asked Dobbins.
“Well, now, let me think,” answered the old man. “As long as those androids are out looking for you, we can’t do much because you’ll be arrested on sight. So, we’ve got to find a way to shut down all of the security androids. As far as I know, the only way to do that is from the Control Center. There’s an emergency shutoff sequence that we can initiate from there that will disable all of the androids. Of course, only Captain Loman could do that, and as far as I know, he’s either locked away or dead. The androids took him away, and he never returned. Desmond told everyone that he died as the result of an ambush by Radioactives.”
Dobbins thought for a second before asking, “Mr. Sapens, do you think that you could override the security codes and initiate that deactivation routine?”
“I don’t quite know, Captain, if I could anymore or not. I’m pretty good at cracking systems, but I haven’t done anything like that in several years.”
“I could, sir,” Zhang’s voice interrupted. “If this computer system is the same type as the one we trained on at the Academy, I should be able to trick it into thinking that one of us is Cleopatra, if necessary.”
Dobbins smiled. “I don’t think that will be necessary, Mr. Zhang. We’ll settle for getting the androids shut down.
He took a deep breath. “All right, then, here’s the plan: Mr. Skylar, Commander Ella—you two will try to sneak back to the shuttle and send a hyperwave message back to the Hyperion. Advise Commander Brackers of our situation. And have him prepare another away team of psychologists and engineers. We’re going to need some help if we’re going to convince these people that what they’ve been told for the past 13 years is a lie. Once you’re on board the shuttle, do not leave it for any reason until you hear from us.
“Mr. Zhang, Mr. Samuelson, and Mr. Sapens, you’re with me. We’re going to try to get into that Control Center and deactivate those androids. Once that’s done, we’re going to go have a talk with Desmond. Mr. Sapens, do you know of a way to sneak into the Control Center without being detected?”
“I think I could set the sensors throughout the ship to give false echoes for a couple of hours,” replied Leon. “That should give us time to get everything done that we need to get done. And there is an entrance from the lower decks. Our only challenge will be getting to the nearest stairway down. And I think that could be a bigger challenge than resetting the sensors. The androids guard the entrances to the lower decks vigilantly.”
“We can handle a couple of androids,” Dobbins said. “If you can keep them from tracking us, then we should be fine. Questions or comments?”
After a pause, Dobbins continued, “Excellent. As soon as Mr. Sapens has made the necessary preparations, we’re going to see if we can make some progress in getting the Lethe and its passengers to Elysion.”

American Society Is Falling Apart

I fear for American society. The moral core of our society, and its sense of decency, has withered after 50+ years of atheism/moral relativism in the schools, our movies, our television shows, and our music.
This article from the Associated Press demonstrates how much morality, common sense, and decency have disappeared from the American social mindset.
At a co-ed dorm at a college in Vermont, a female student is suing the school because there are problems being caused with co-ed bathrooms in the dorms. The sad part is more than that the suit is necessary. It is that the college didn't think that there would be any problem with complete strangers sharing a unisex bathroom. Talk about an awkward situation, not to mention a situation for all sorts of sexual impropriety.
We've spent so many years trying to provide "equal rights" for women that we forget that men are not women and that women are not men. We've taught our kids that men and women are the same except for social conditioning. As a result, the concepts of modesty (in language and in dress), propriety, and decency seem to have vanished from American society.
To save American society, the best solution is to turn around. We need to find a way to restore the moral base that undermined society in the past. Admittedly, many did not follow it perfectly, but that moral base was better than nothing. That will only happen if as a society, we turn back (perhaps turn to would be a better phrase) to Jesus Christ and trust Him. Nothing short of that will solve the problems that face our society.

Story: The Lethe, pt. XVII

“They went for it, sir,” Samuelson said once they had reached the edge of town with no sign of pursuit. “Your guess that the androids would all take the most direct line to the explosion was correct. Because they all moved straight for it, we found ourselves outside of their line. Now where?”
“We find the Control Center and try to meet with the Mayor,” replied Dobbins.
After a couple of minutes, they found themselves in a bustling main square of the town. On one side stood the main market where the town’s farmers brought their produce. On two others stood various businesses, and on the fourth stood the town hall, an impressive structure, five stories tall, that looked like it was well over three hundred years old.
“Wow,” exclaimed Skylar. “If I didn’t know better, I’d swear that I was back on Earth in some small town.”
Dobbins smiled. “The effort that the designers of this ship went to in order to create the illusion of being on Earth is amazing. Look at sky, for instance. There are clouds, the sun is in the right place, and even the shade of blue changes depending on the position of the sun. The holography to pull that illusion off is impressive. Let’s pay a call on the mayor, shall we?”
Before the team could move a step closer to the town hall, however, a voice proclaimed loudly over unseen, tinny loudspeakers, “Attention citizens of Larson, be on the lookout for five Radioactives who have blasted their way into town. They are dressed in strange uniforms and should be considered armed and dangerous! Anyone who spots them should report their location to a nearby Enforcer.”
Just as the announcement finished, someone shouted, “Look, over there! It’s them! Enforcers! Enforcers!”
“Run!” Dobbins ordered as the sidewalk beneath his feet exploded from a blaster shot. An Enforcer had been nearby to answer the call.
The team quickly turned down a street that led away from the square and began to take a series of turns to try to shake off their pursuers. With every turn, however, they could still hear the footsteps of several Enforcers behind them, plodding along. They chase seemed to go on forever. Finally, as they rounded a corner into a narrow alley, they came face-to-face with a wall. The footsteps of the Enforcers drew nearer. The team was trapped.
“Now what?” Skylar asked in a whisper as they all ducked down behind trash cans at the end of the alley and turned to face its entrance.
Dobbins drew his blaster. “We fight,” he answered.
Suddenly, a door in the building on his right opened. A man with gray, disheveled hair stuck his out through the opening. “Quickly! In here,” he said in a loud whisper. When the team hesitated briefly, the man added, “If you want to escape the Enforcers, you need to come with me, now. I know that you’re from an Earth ship.”
That unexpected statement caught their attention and earned their trust. Quickly, they slipped through the door and into a dark, narrow hallway that had two staircases, one leading up and the other down. The old man motioned for them to take the downward staircase. As they did so, they could hear footsteps approach the door that they just came in.
At the bottom of the stairs, they turned out of sight of the doorway and listened as a strong knock echoed on the metal door. After a brief pause, the sound of the creaking sound of the door on its hinges filled the stairwell.
“Yes, Enforcer,” came the old man’s voice, “what is it?”
“We are searching for Radioactives, citizen,” replied the Enforcer. “We have reason to believe that they turned down this alley. Have you seen them?”
“I haven’t seen any Radioactives here at all, Enforcer,” the old man said feebily, “but if I do see any, you’ll be the first to know.”
“Are you sure?” asked the Enforcer (or was it another? Their voices all sounded alike). “I am sure that I saw them turn down this alley.”
“Well, your eyes must have fooled you, Enforcer,” replied the old man. “I’m afraid that other than a few of my employees, there isn’t anyone else in this shop besides myself, Leon the Watchmaker.”
“Very well,” replied an Enforcer. “But if you see anything suspicious, be sure to report it to an Enforcer at once.”
“Oh, I will, Enforcer, I will. Anything that has anything to do with Radioactives, don’t you worry.”
The Enforcers’ footsteps started to move away, and the door slowly creaked closed. Then, the team could hear the old man as he slowly worked his way down the stairs. Eventually, he came into view, taking the last couple of steps with care.

Cold Weather's Coming

Brace yourself, NE Kansas! A cold front is forecast to push through late tonight or early tomorrow morning. Temperatures are supposed to fall all day, and it will be bitter on Monday and Tuesday. Winter weather is here, and it's not going anywhere.

Short Comment

The new way to spell "fail:" C-H-I-E-F-S

Story: The Lethe, pt. XVI

The team quietly and rapidly moved out into the hallway. Samuelson and Dobbins took the lead. Skylar took the rear, with Ella and Zhang in between. The met no resistance until they reached the main hallway. As they rounded the corner, they ran into two more purple-eyed guards.
Before they could pull their blasters, Samuelson fired, dropping both androids. They moved rapidly down the hall. Just as they neared the door, an alarm began to sound. Their escape had been discovered. They quickly fled out the door and into the wooded area.
They traveled for several minutes, putting as much distance as possible between themselves and the security station. Once they had covered sufficient distance, Dobbins ordered a halt and handed his blaster to Zhang. “Reprogram it, Lieutenant. Then do the same to Mr. Skylar’s. We’ll need all the firepower we can get. Once that’s done, we’re going to find the Control Center. We need to contact the Hyperion and have a ‘talk’ with the Mayor.”
Zhang took the blasters and Ella’s scanner, and quickly reprogrammed the other two blasters. Just as he had finished, the scanner began quietly but insistently beeping.
“That’s a proximity alarm,” Ella said. “There are androids drawing near.” She grabbed the scanner and swung in a semi-circle to help the scanner get better readings. “Captain, there are androids approaching us from every direction we could go, all within 200 meters! We’re trapped.”
“Trapped? How could they know where we are?” asked Skylar.
“They must have used the Lethe’s sensors to locate us,” Samuleson surmised.
“How many androids, Commander?” asked Dobbins.
“Ten, maybe fifteen,” replied the psychiatrist.
“We can take them, sir,” said Samuelson. “Let’s blast them.”
“At ease, Mr. Samuelson,” Dobbins ordered. “We’re not in a good position tactically, and there will be more coming. We need to get somewhere that will cause them to lose track of us for a while. That means getting around other humans for a while so that we’re not easy targets for the ship’s sensors.”
“They’ve got us pinned in, though,” observed Skylar. “How do we get through their line and into town?”
“We could overload one of our blasters and cause it to explode,” suggested Samuleson. “That would create a large hole in their line.”
“And draw every android to that spot,” countered Skylar.
“Yes,” said Dobbins thoughtfully, “which would be exactly what we want.”
“Captain?” Ella asked, confused.
“I think you have a plan, don’t you, sir?” added Samuelson.
“I do,” Dobbins replied, smiling.

Five minutes later, as the android line solely closed in on the team, an explosion tore through the forest near one side of the android lines. As the trees crashed to the ground and dirt sprayed upwards, the androids all left their slowly-closing circle to make for the location of the explosion. As they arrived at the location of the explosion, they found a two-meter-deep crater, the scattered pieces of some destroyed security androids, and no sign anywhere of the away team. If, however, the androids had looked behind them, they would have seen five shadowy figures quietly and swiftly making their way through the forest and into town.

Let It Snow?

With cold air having descended on NE Kansas in the past few days, many people's thoughts are turning to snow. And snow may be coming. There is a slight chance of snow falling in Topeka tonight into tomorrow. A better chance of snow appears to be coming Tuesday. The exact timing and location of the snow is still uncertain. Right now, the NWS thinks the better snowfall amounts will be north of Topeka, with only a couple of inches in Topeka. A slight shift in the storm track, however, could result in 5-6 inches in Topeka. Exactly how the system plays out will remain to be seen. A more accurate snowfall forecast won't be possible until about 24 hours beforehand, and even then, snowfall prediction is very tricky because so many factors can affect snow accumulation. Personally, I'm ready for a snow. Hopefully, we'll see some.

Story: The Lethe, pt. XV

“Now what?” demanded Skylar.
Dobbins shrugged. “We wait. And devise a strategy. I don’t know about you all, but I noticed something quite interesting about our two ‘Enforcers.’ ”
“As did I,” added Ella, smiling faintly.
“The eyes?” Dobbins questioned.
Ella nodded. “The eyes.”
“Okay, okay, I give,” Skylar said in frustration. “What about the eyes?”
“They were purple,” Ella said.
“So?”
“Weren’t you paying attention, Skylar?” Zhang said strongly. “Captain Dobbins mentioned that the androids that were supposed to help the Lethe crew run the ship had purple eyes.”
“So, what does that mean?” asked Skylar.
“It means,” Dobbins replied, “that something a bit strange is going on here, if the androids think that they are the police of a town instead of security on a spaceship. If only we had some equipment, we could get out of here and investigate.”
“Would this help?” asked Samuelson, pulling a blaster out of pocket hidden in the side of his uniform.
“Where did you get that from?” said a surprised Skylar.
“You don’t work in security as long as I have without learning a trick or two,” Samuleson replied enigmatically.
“Excellent,” Dobbins said. “Now, if only we had a portable scanner, we could find a way out of this cell.”
“I think I can help you there,” Commander Ella said, pulling a small, rectangular device out of one of her pockets. “You don’t work in psychiatry for as long as I have without learning a trick or two,” she added with a bit of a teasing smile towards Samuelson.
“Okay,” Dobbins said. “Here’s the plan…”
Suddenly, they heard the bolt on the door being thrown. Samuelson and Ella quickly hid their contraband equipment. Enforcer Madden and his counterpart stood in the doorway, both brandishing blasters.
“You will come with us, immediately,” Madden ordered.
The team reluctantly obeyed. Madden led them back to the hallway the first saw and into a room in that hallway.
“You will wait here,” Madden commanded as he closed and locked the door.
The room that they found themselves in looked like an interrogation room. The walls were a plain, sanitary white. A small, white table sat in the middle of the room, surrounded by eight, unpadded chairs.
The entire team sat in silence for a couple of minutes. Time crawled as they waited for something to happen, someone to come through the door. Samuelson slowly tapped his fingers on the table. Dobbins sat staring at the one-way mirror. Eventually, the door opened, and a man the same height as the two Enforcers. He had brown hair and disconcertingly purple eyes. Enforcer Madden followed him in.
After seating himself in a chair across from the table from the team, he pulled out a small, old handheld, and looked over it briefly before speaking. “You say you found them below ground, Enforcer?”
“Yes, Chief,” replied Madden. “They were well below ground, close to the Chasm.”
“So, who are you?” asked the Chief. “You must be citizens, yet we cannot find anyone who looks like you in the town files.”
“I am Captain Dobbins,” replied Dobbins, “we are from the Earth Ship Hyperion and here to help you get to Elysion. We are not citizens.”
“You have to be,” the Chief countered. “You are not Enforcers. You are not Maintenance Workers. You are not part of the Mayor’s Office, and you are not Radioactives. Therefore, you must be citizens.”
“Do citizens dress as we do?” Ella asked, joining in the argument.
“No, but doubtless you made these clothes yourselves in a crude attempt to imitate the Civil Service uniforms in order to successfully sneak past the guards at the passage underground.”
“Town?” asked Skylar. “You mean the ship?”
“No,” replied the Chief. “The town of Larson. The town that all citizens are from. The only town.”
“What do you mean ‘the only town?’ ” asked Dobbins.
“Do not play dumb with me, citizen,” replied the Chief. “I know that you know what has happened to this world in the past thirteen years.”
“Pretend that I don’t and tell me the story,” Dobbins said flatly.
The Chief stared at Dobbins for a minute before countering, “I do not have time to waste on foolishness such as this. You will tell us what we want to know, or we will extract it from you in one of several unpleasant ways. After that, you will be reconditioned and put back to work.”
“I already told you,” Dobbins said, sounding frustrated. “We’re from the Hyperion, and we’re here to help you get to Elysion. Let me talk with Captain Loman.”
“Captain Loman? Do you mean Mayor Loman?”
“Whatever you call him, yes, we need to speak to Mayor William Loman.”
The Chief spoke flatly, without blinking. “William Loman is dead. He was killed by Radioactives thirteen years ago. His son, Desmond, is the Mayor, now. He does not talk with rebellious citizens.”
“Dead?” Dobbins said. “And what are Radioactives?”
“Enough stalling,” the Chief’s voice was matter-of-fact, betraying no emotion. “You obviously will have to have the information extracted. Enforcer Madden, take these rebels back to their cell. Have Enforcer Zetwig prepare the extraction chamber. We will question the woman first.” He rose and left the room.
Madden drew his blaster. “You heard the Chief,” he said forcefully. “Move!” He kept his blaster trained on them as they walked out of the room.
The team slowly rose to their feet and walked towards the door. They filed out quietly and walked in silence back to the same cell as before. As they entered the small room, they noticed that the equipment that they had left outside of the door had disappeared. After they all were inside, the door slammed shut with a clang.
Skylar spoke first. “I hope you have a plan, Captain! Whatever ‘extraction’ is, it doesn’t sound pleasant, and I want no part of it.”
“At ease, Mr. Skylar,” Dobbins said forcefully. “Yes, I have a plan. Clearly, something is quite wrong on board this ship. It sounds like this Desmond has taken over the ship and reprogrammed the androids to perpetuate this myth of a town called Larson. We need to get out of here, contact the Hyperion, and see if we can ‘arrange’ a meeting with the Mayor.”
“And just how are we going to get out of here?” Skylar asked, still showing emotion.
“Mr. Samuelson,” Dobbins said, ignoring the question. “Do you still have your blaster?” Samuelson pulled it back out of the hidden compartment in his uniform. “Excellent. Mr. Zhang, could you re-work this so that it will disable androids?”
Zhang took the blaster from Samuelson. “It shouldn’t be hard, sir. Using Commander Ella’s scanner, I can set it up to emit a broad electromagnetic pulse. That should overload the android’s artificial neural network and force it to reboot.”
“Do it. Quickly,” ordered Dobbins.
Zhang took the blaster and the scanner and began to work quickly. In less than two minutes, he gave the devices back to Ella and Samuelson. “All done, sir. This should take care of any androids that get too close. It’s a broad-spread pulse. It will take out multiple androids with one shot.”
Ella had activated her scanner and exclaimed, “Commander, there are two androids approaching our location!” She quickly hid the small device in her pocket. Samuelson did likewise with his blaster.
The banging of the door bolt being thrown echoed in the room. Into the cell walked Madden and his unnamed associate. Both had their blasters drawn. Madden pointed his blaster at Ella. “You will come with us,” he ordered. “Now.”
Ella stood and walked towards the door. As she walked through the doorway, both androids turned their back on the cell. At that moment, Samuelson drew his blaster and fired in one, smooth motion. Both androids crumpled to the ground instantaneously.
“Good work, Samuelson!” exclaimed Dobbins, grabbing their blasters and giving them to Zhang. “Can you reprogram these?” he asked the engineer.
“It will take a few minutes, sir,” replied Zhang. “It would perhaps be better for us to get out of here first to somewhere safe.”
“You’re right,” Dobbins responded. He gave one of the blasters to Skylar and kept the other for himself. He set his for maximum. “Commander Ella, does your scanner have a map of the area?”
“Yes, sir,” she said as she examined the map she had already pulled up. “Our best bet is to go back to the main hallway, turn left, and walk about 20 m to the exit. There appears to be a wooded area immediately behind this building. It should provide us with some cover for when the pursuit begins.”
“Excellent. Let’s go.”

Moving Screens

A day late on this one...sorry.
I went to the KSU-IUPUI game on Saturday, and one thing I noticed, as I have in the last couple of years while watching college basketball, is the number of moving screens that are not called. And I'm not talking the borderline ones, either, where I guy is just barely stopped before a player runs into him. I'm talking about an offensive player "posting up" on a defender at the top of the key. In the KSU-IUPUI game, for example, I saw at least 3 blatant moving screens.
It's amazing that referees aren't cracking down on some of these blatant violations of the rules. Players are practically blocking like in football at times, and nothing is being called. I realize that every year the NCAA has points of emphasis that it wants referees to focus on, in order to improve the quality of the game. Given the prevalence of times it occurs in a game, I would think that the NCAA would ask its officials to keep an eye out for it. Hopefully, the NCAA will do just that, and if the NCAA doesn't, perhaps the referees will watch out for it of their own accord.

Story: The Lethe, pt. XIV

After about 5 minutes of travel time, the Lucy approached the Lethe’s shuttle doors, which were on the starboard side of the base section of the ship. As the Lucy neared the doors, Samuelson transmitted an override code to open the doors. Nothing happened. Samuelson tried again, with the same result. As the Lucy drew close to the doors, Skylar brought the shuttle to halt relative to the doors to prevent an unfortunate encounter with the Lethe.
“Suggestions?” Dobbins asked.
“Aside from the override code, about our only other option is to blast the doors open,” Samuelson said, “and this shuttle doesn’t have that kind of firepower.”
“Isn’t there some other way we could get the doors open?” Skylar asked.
Silence followed as everyone thought. Finally, Zhang spoke, “What about trying to trick the Lethe’s computer into opening the doors?”
“How do you propose we do that, Lieutenant?” Dobbins asked.
“If we can convince the computer that one of the shuttles inside the bay is about to explode, it would push the shuttle off and open the doors to minimize the damage.”
“Can you do it?” Dobbins demanded.
“I think so, sir. Give me a couple of minutes.” Zhang’s hands flew over the control panel as he worked to access the Lethe’s shuttle bay systems. After two minutes, he announced, “I think I’ve got it, sir. Here it goes.” He pushed a button on the console.
For a few seconds that seemed go on forever, nothing happened. Then, the Lethe’s shuttle bay door began to open.
“Good work, Mr.Zhang!” Dobbins exclaimed. “Can you make sure that the Lethe will let us dock?”
“Shouldn’t be hard, sir.” Zhang responded. “It’s pushed away a shuttle. We should be able to dock at that port by tricking the Lethe into thinking that we’re that shuttle.”
The Lucy flew to the docking port, and, thanks to a little bit more computer magic from Lieutenant Zhang, successfully docked with the Lethe. The team grabbed all of its gear and headed to the exit.
As they left the shuttle, Captain Dobbins activated a security code that prevented anyone, except for one of the Hyperion’s team, from boarding the shuttle or releasing it from its docking port, even in an emergency.
They emerged from the docking port into a hallway that looked very similar to the Hyperion’s, only smaller and less brightly lit. No sign of anyone could be seen.

Dobbins pulled out his small, portable hyperwave radio and called back to the ship. “Hyperion,” he said, “we’ve safely made it on board the Lethe. We’re going to try to find our way to the main level and see if we can work out a meeting with Captain Loman.”
“Very good, sir,” replied Commander Brackers. “Be careful. Hyperion out.”
The team began to work their way towards the stairway that led to the main level where the giant dome-covered passenger quarters lay. As they neared the main stairwell, they could hear footsteps coming at them from farther down the hallway, blocking their route to the stairs.
“Retreat? Or meet them?” asked Samuelson quietly, hand on his blaster.
“Let’s find out who else might be down here.” Dobbins replied. “If it’s some of the crew, then perhaps they can fill us in on what’s going on. We’ll wait here for them.”
The team stood in the hallway and waited as the footsteps drew nearer. Soon, from around a bend in the hallway, two men of identical height and build appeared, each wearing an old version of the security duty uniform. One had brown hair and the other blond; otherwise, they looked like identical twins. Upon seeing the Hyperion team, they stopped in their tracks and drew their blasters.
“Hold, citizens!” the brown-haired one said. “What are you doing below ground? You are supposed to stay on the surface! It is dangerous down here!”
“I am Captain Dobbins of the Earth Ship Hyperion. We are here to assist you on your journey to Elysion. We tried to contact Captain Loman, but we were unable to reach him. We’ve come to meet with him.”
“Cover them” said the guard to his blond compatriot. He walked over to an intercom panel. “Police Station; Enforcer Madden.”
“Police station,” came the reply. “What is it Enforcer? What is the status of the shuttle that the computer reported as exploding?”
“Sir, we have not yet reached the shuttle. We are 10 m from the main surface access point Delta, and we have encountered five citizens dressed in strange clothing and carrying strange equipment.”
“Bring them in, immediately, Enforcer,” ordered the voice. “Use Station Access Point Two.”
“Yes, sir.” Madden replied stiffly. Turning to the team, he ordered, “You heard the Chief. Move!” He pointed his blaster at the team to emphasize his point.
Dobbins nodded at the others to tell them that they should comply. As they began to walk, he glanced at each of the Enforcer’s faces and nearly did a double take.
“What are you looking at?” demanded the blond Enforcer.
“Nothing.” Dobbins said. “Where are you taking us?”
“As if you did not already know,” replied the Enforcer. “You are going to the Police Station, where we will find out why you ventured below ground and how it is you obtained this unusual equipment.”
“I’ve already told you,” Dobbins countered. “We’re from the Hyperion, and we’re here to help. You have nothing to fear from us. The weapons are unnecessary. Just take us to Captain Loman. He will know what’s going on and can tell you.”
“You know too much, Citizen Dobbins,” said Madden from the back of the group. “We will have to make sure that your knowledge does not endanger the town. Now, no more talking!”
They walked on in silence, Madden at the rear, the other Enforcer in the lead. Soon, they came to a small elevator. As they crowded in to the elevator, the Enforcers relived Samuleson and Dobbins of their weapons.
“There will be no tricks in the elevator,” Madden said.
They elevator slowly ascended. After about a minute, it stopped and the doors opened. Bright light that looked just like sunlight exploded into the elevator. The Enforcers escorted the team out into a broad hallway that was covered with doorways. Above the doorways stood numerous large windows that let in the bright light that bathed the hallway.
The Enforcers had the team turn left after exiting the elevator and into a different hallway. This one was lit by artificial lights that seemed pale in comparison to the bright light outside. They stopped in front of a large, heavy-looking door that the blond Enforcer opened.
“Leave your equipment here in the hall,” ordered Madden, “and then get into the cell. We will come for you when it is time for you to be questioned.”
Reluctantly, the team laid all of its equipment on the floor outside of the door and then entered the cell. Once they were all inside, the door closed behind them with a loud, ominous clang.

Health Care "Reform"

I'm disappointed in the health care "reform" proposal that the Democrats have (somewhat deviously) brought to debate on the Senate floor. Not only does the bill cost far too much money and increase the federal deficit, but the way in which the Democrats gained the 60th vote needed for cloture (putting money for one & only 1 Senator's state into the bill) strikes me as dirty pool. Not that I'm totally surprised by this. Both parties have shown the knack for playing political games when they should be working together to craft a solution to the problems facing our country. Instead of crafting a truly bipartisan bill that would address both the cost of health insurance and malpractice insurance, the Democrats have brought forth a Frankenstein's monster of a bill that will balloon the deficit and may not be effective in solving the problems facing health care in this country.
Granted, I am a layman, and I don't have all the answers. But I do know that the political game-playing is only going to accomplish the further deterioration of this country.

Story: The Lethe, pt. XIII

Commander Ella walked over to Dobbins. “Most interesting, Captain,” she said. “That woman sounded as if she did not realize that she was on board a ship.”
“Yes,” Dobbins concurred, “it was interesting–and frustrating. What was all of this about a mayor and Captain Loman being dead?”
“I don’t know. It seems a little odd for Captain Loman to be dead, given that he was only in his early 40s. Still, an accident could have happened. It’s the part about the son and the mayor that bother me. Loman had no children when the Lethe left, and there was no role of mayor in the ship’s society.”
“It’s been 30 years,” observed Skylar. “Isn’t that enough time for things to change on board and for Loman to have children?”
“You’re forgetting, Mr. Skylar,” Dobbins said, “that the Lethe has been traveling at close to the speed of light. Time has passed more slowly for the people on board than it has for us. I’m not sure exactly what the difference is, but it must be less.”
Lieutenant Sawyer briefly joined the discussion. “About 13 years have passed, sir.” She promptly returned to work.
“So,” Dobbins continued, “obviously not enough time. Something clearly is wrong, but what? And how do we figure out what is wrong?”
“Captain,” Brackers said, “let me take a team over to the Lethe. We can meet with this ‘Mayor’ and see what else might have happened.”
“Hang on, Commander,” Dobbins responded. “Let’s see if we can talk to the ‘Mayor’ first.
“Lieutenant Marquél, patch us back into the Lethe’s internal communications again.”
After Marquél worked to regain access to the Lethe, Ella offered a suggestion to Dobbins. “Captain, it might be better if I spoke this time, given that the woman on the Lethe already considers you a troublemaker.”
“Very well, Commander Ella, give it a try.”
After a brief click, the same female voice came from the speakers. “Mayor’s Office. This is Marlene. How may I help you?”
“May I speak with the Mayor, please?” Ella asked.
“I’m sorry,” Marlene answered, “but the Mayor is unavailable today. May I take a message for him?”
“No, Marlene, that’s fine.” Ella responded. “I’ll try again later. Thank you.”
Marlene closed the connection again.
“Well, Commander Brackers,” Dobbins said. “it looks like we are about out of options. I’m going to lead a team over there to see if we can meet with this mayor personally. If something’s wrong psychologically with the passengers of the Lethe, I don’t want this to look like an invasion, and I don’t expect there to be much danger. Mr. Skylar, you’re our pilot. Commander Ella, Mr. Chang, and Mr. Samuelson, grab your gear and meet me at Shuttle One’s docking port in 20 minutes.”
As he left the bridge, Dobbins wondered exactly what happened to the Lethe.

Twenty minutes later, the entire team had assembled in front of Shuttle One’s docking port. Docking ports were the ship designer’s answer to the pesky problem of losing atmosphere to space during shuttle exits and entries. Instead of having the ship land in a pressurized shuttle bay that had to be evacuated every time a shuttle exited or entered, the shuttles flew into a shuttle bay that was a vacuum. Each ship then connected to a docking port, a small tube wide enough for two people to walk comfortably through side-by-side. Each shuttle then could push off from the docking port, come about, and fly away from the ship into space without any loss of the ship’s atmospheric supplies.
Shuttle One, nicknamed “Lucy” by Skylar, had the best engines of any of the Hyperion’s three shuttles. Capable of traveling at 0.95c, Lucy was the only shuttle that had any hope of matching speed with the Lethe. Lucy had the capacity for up to 15 people. Indeed, it was almost a small starship in itself, not much smaller than the early interplanetary shuttles that Hegemony had used to colonize Mars. Now, such a ship served merely to transport people between ships.
The team entered through the docking port. Skylar immediately walked to the shuttle’s helm controls and activated the ship’s power. As the ship powered up, the remainder of the team found seats and sat down. Zhang sat at the shuttle’s engineering controls, while Samuelson settled at the communications/operations panel. Dobbins, dressed in tan away mission fatigues, took the central command chair, a station that duplicated the command station on the bridge in miniature. Commander Ella found herself a seat a little behind the main control area in the passenger section.
“Ready to push off, Mr. Skylar?” asked Dobbins.
“Ready, sir.”
“Push off,” Dobbins ordered.
The shuttle Lucy separated from its docking port slowly. As soon as it had cleared enough room to turn, it spun around to fly out of the shuttle docking area. Gradually, it moved passed the other three shuttles that were settled at their own docking ports, moving out towards the main shuttle bay doors. The doors opened as the Lucy drew near, allowing the ship to enter space. As the doors fully opened, Skylar activated the shuttle’s main thrusters, and the Lucy accelerated away from the main ship and on towards the Lethe.

Colder Weather Attacks!

After temperatures in the 60s and 70s for much of last week, cold and rainy weather has arrived in NE Kansas. Snow is possible in central Kansas, while the temperatures here are barely in the 40s, with a moderate wind and rain showers. While this weather is more seasonal than the spring-like pattern we saw last week, it is still a bit of a shock to need long sleeves and a heavy coat.
It will take me a couple of days to get used to the cooler weather. I know that I have not felt warm at all any time today. Right now, I've dressed warmly, have a computer and a cat on my lap, not to mention a blanket and a space heater, and I still feel cool. Now, in another couple of weeks, this won't be a problem; I'll have acclimated to the cold weather. For now, though, it is cold, rainy, and dreary here, more like central Iowa in November rather than Kansas in November.

EDIT (4:30 pm): The latest forecast now shifts the snowfall farther east than before. Less than half an inch is predicted for Topeka at this point, but any shift in the motion of the storm could turn that half inch into several inches. It is definitely going to be an interesting weather day tomorrow.

EDIT #2 (5:25 pm): I misread the official forecast. It appears that 1-2" of snow are now forecast for the Topeka area. I know, however, that last year, the NWS tended to over-predict snow accumulations. So, I'm not convinced that we'll see that much snow. At the same time, I understand the NWS wanting to err on the high side. So, I stand by my initial (unscientific) guess of a 0.5" of snow by Tuesday morning.

Story: The Lethe, pt. XII

“Put it on visual, Lieutenant,” Dobbins ordered.
The three-dimensional visual changed from a field of stars to that of a starship, one that Dobbins remembered seeing in the history books as a child: a large dome-like structure sitting atop seven or eight decks of a rectangular base. An intense blue glow steadily emerged from the ship’s main engines.
“Mr. Skylar, bring us to within shuttle range of the Lethe and match her speed and course. Lieutenant Sawyer, thoroughly scan that ship. I want to know exactly what the status is on every one of her systems. Lieutenant Marquél, open a channel to the Lethe.”
The crew sprang into action. Dobbins punched the intercom button on his command console. “Commander Ella to the bridge, please.”
“Channel to the Lethe open, Captain,” Marquél announced.
“EGS Lethe,” Dobbins said, trying to sound calm in spite of his excitement, “this is Captain Christopher Dobbins of the Earth ship Hyperion. We’ve come to offer you assistance on your journey to Elysion.”
He waited for what seemed to be an interminable time. Only silence answered him. “Lethe,” Dobbins began again, “this is the Hyperion, are you receiving us?”Again, silence alone answered him.
“Sawyer, what’s the status of the Lethe’s communication systems?”
“Almost have it, sir. Give me a second….” A few random beeps came from Sawyer’s console as she made took some final readings and analyzed the results. “I have it, sir. The hyperwave transmitter and receiver are both off-line.”
“Damaged?”
“No, sir. They appear to be physically intact, just off-line.”
“Why would someone disable the hyperwave?” asked Marquél.
“Because they don’t want to talk to anyone, obviously, sheesh,” Skylar said sarcastically.
“Not on the bridge, Mr. Skylar,” Dobbins snapped at Skylar, “not even in jest. There will be decorum on this bridge.”
“Aye, sir. Sorry, sir,” Skylar said, sounding as if he was only halfway repentant.
“The system may not have been intentionally disabled, Captain,” said Brackers, the first officer. “Perhaps there was an internal power grid malfunction, or a computer system glitch.”
“Good point, Mr. Brackers,” Dobbins responded. “Let’s not jump to conclusions until we’re sure that there’s a problem. I’d like to talk with the Lethe’s captain before I try to send a team over. Lieutenant Marquél, is there any way other than hyperwave that we could contact the Lethe?”
Marquél thought for a minute. “Once we get close enough, I could cut into the Lethe’s internal communication system and connect you to the ship’s control center that way.”
“Do it.” Dobbins ordered.
Marquél got to work. Within two minutes, the Hyperion was close enough, and Maruél was ready to patch into the Lethe’s internal communications system. Just as she completed the connection, Commander Ella arrived on the bridge.
After a brief pause, there came a click, followed by a female voice. “Mayor’s Office. This is Marlene, how can I help you?”
Dobbins glanced at Marquél with surprise before answering, “This is Captain Christopher Dobbins of the Earth Ship Hyperion. We’re here to offer you any assistance that you may require. Could I speak with Captain Loman?”
“Earth Ship Hyperion? Captain Loman?” asked Marlene. “Is this some sort of joke? Billy, is that you, again? How many times have I told you not to make prank calls on the comm system?”
“No, ma’am,” Dobbins replied, “this is Captain Dobbins. We’ve been sent from Fleet Com to help you reach your destination in any way possible. That’s really why I need to speak with Captain William Loman as soon as possible.”
“Billy, this isn’t funny,” Marlene persisted. “You know that Mayor Loman’s father has been gone for several years. Now, get off this line right away, young man. If you don’t, I’m going to disconnect you and report you to your parents.”
Dobbins made one last attempt. “Marlene, let me be clear. I need to speak to Captain Loman immediately. It’s an urgent matter.”
“All right, Billy, I’ve heard enough. I have work to do, and I can’t have your shenanigans keeping me from the Mayor’s business.”
“Wait, you’re not listening to me, Marlene,” Dobbins began, only to be interrupted by a click. Marlene had closed the channel.

Weather, yet again

The weather is the story around here, lately. It's been warmer than average. I've been able to have the windows open and sit outside on some of these days. Meanwhile, an unusual late-season hurricane is rolling into the Gulf of Mexico and headed for the U.S. Gulf Coast. How much power it has by the time it gets to the U.S. remains to be seen. The NHC expects the Hurricane (Ida) to be extratropical by the time it gets to the Gulf Coast, so the strength of the storm might be less than a typical hurricane. It makes for an interesting story, though, and one far less controversial than the events at Ft. Hood, TX.

Story: The Lethe, Pt. XI

“Anything, Marquél?” asked Dobbins.
“No, sir,” replied the young woman. “I’ve been trying to contact the Lethe on every frequency. If their communications systems are working, they should be receiving it instantly. Either they’re not receiving us, or they’re not responding.”
Before Dobbins could thank Marquél and walk away, the entire room seemed to spin in one giant circle. Dobbins grabbed the console to brace himself.
“Captain,” Marquél’s voice sounded distance, hollow, concerned, “are you okay?”
“What happened?” the dazed Dobbins asked. “For a second, it felt like the whole room was spinning.”
Marquél smiled slightly in relief. “That’s a normal side effect of jump drive travel, sir, for those who aren’t used to it. It took me a few jumps to adjust to it, but now, it doesn’t bother me at all.”
“Very well. Thank you, Lieutenant.” Dobbins carefully walked back to his command station and sat down, waiting for Sawyer to finish her scanning of space ahead of the Hyperion.
One hour passed, and Sawyer’s scans all showed no sign of the Lethe itself, only faint traces of the ship’s ion trail. Based on the dissipation rate, Sawyer estimated that the Lethe had passed through this area about 25 years ago.
Dobbins ordered another jump. Again, Dobbins found himself watching the control panel as the jump field built. Then, it felt as if he had blacked out for the briefest of instants, and when he had regained consciousness, the instruments indicated that the jump field again was dropping. Attempting to stand and then thinking better of it when the room once again started to play merry-go-round, Dobbins sat in his chair and watching the sensor reports as Sawyer began to scan anew for the Lethe. Once again, the sensors turned up nothing except the Lethe’s ion trail.
Another jump occurred, putting the Hyperion 15 light years from Earth. The tedious scan process began again. Once again, nothing except the Lethe’s trail. Another jump followed, then a fourth, and fifth. Each time the sensors came up empty. Just as Dobbins began to think that he would have to brace himself for a sixth jump, Sawyer exclaimed, “Captain, I’ve found something!”
Slowly, Dobbins stood up and walked over to her station. “What is it? The Lethe?”
Sawyer frowned. “I can’t tell, sir. It’s something, but it’s near the far edge of sensor range, about 4 light years away. It’s clearly metallic, but other than that, I can’t tell. It could be the Lethe. It could also be one of our early jump-drive probes. We sent a few out this direction. We’re too far away for a visual to be meaningful. If we could jump closer, I could tell you for sure.”
“Lieutenant Skylar,” Dobbins said, spinning around gradually to avoid a repeat of his earlier vertigo, “how close can you get us to that object using the jump drive?”
“As close as you want me to, sir,” came the reply from the confident young helmsman.
“Very well. Get us to within five hundred kilometers of that object. I want to be close enough to get a good visual on the object, but far enough away that we don’t run the risk of getting it caught in our jump field.”
“Aye, sir,” Skylar replied as he began the calculations for making the new jump. Within thirty seconds, he had completed his calculations and initiated the jump sequence.
As the sequence began, Dobbins suddenly wished that he had sat down. After the brief blackout that indicated the jump had taken place, the room seemed to spin for a second before returning to normal. Maybe I’ll get used to this one of these days, Dobbins thought.
“Captain!” Sawyer said, exuding excitement. “We’re close to have a visual, and there’s no question about it, sir. I can’t believe it. It’s the Lethe!”

VoIP

I had the chance to experience first-hand the VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) technology that underlies services such as Skype. It is truly amazing technology. I was talking with a friend of mine in Romania via the Internet, and the sound quality was the same as if we were talking on the phone. Indeed, I would say that the sound quality exceeded that of my cell phone. It is impressive what a group of dedicated computer scientists were able to figure out how to do. To be able to take my voice, convert it into packets, send the packets through the Internet and then get them arrive at the same time in the right order is truly amazing. I may have to do a little research into how it works, because I'm very curious about it, now.

Story: The Lethe, pt. X

The most tedious part of the mission had begun: getting far enough away from the large gravity well of Mars in order for the jump drive to be engaged. Two days of travel later, and the Hyperion successfully reached a point at which the gravity of Mars would not interfere with the jump drive’s bending of space. Preparations began for the Hyperion’s first jump as official starship.
Skylar, Sawyer, and Chang spent the hours preceding their arrival at the safe point in order to calculate the exact settings needed to make the jump 5 light years ahead. Normally, the calculations would only take a few minutes, but this jump required extra precision because Sawyer had to scan ahead to see if the Lethe happened to be in the ship’s path. If so, then the Hyperion would want to jump a shorter distance in order to arrive exactly next to the Lethe.
Finally, Skylar announced, “We’re ready to jump, Captain.”
Dobbins looked up from the status monitors that he had been studying casually. “Excellent. Lieutenant Sawyer, any sign of the Lethe in the region ahead of us?”
“No, sir,” Sawyer replied quietly. “Nothing out there at all of any size, sir.”
Dobbins nodded. “That’s to be expected. If the Lethe were this close, someone would have spotted her. Mr. Skylar, whenever you’re prepared, let’s make the first jump.”
Skylar smiled. “Aye, sir.” His hands once again danced over the control panel and the Hyperion initiated a jump.
An observer outside the ship would have seen a unique sight. First, the clear striping around the middle of the ship suddenly began to glow orange. That orange glow grew in intensity until several meters on each side of the ship reflected the aura. Then, suddenly, without any flash from the engines or change, the Hyperion vanished, reappearing just as suddenly in a new location without any signals to indicate its arrival.
On board the Hyperion, the change was as sudden. One minute, Dobbins sat looking at his control panel, watching the jump field grow up to full strength. For the briefest microsecond, he felt like he blacked out, and then he noticed that the jump field indicators on his panel were dropping. The distant star patterns on the holographic display had changed dramatically. The Hyperion had just jumped 5 light years from Earth and sat alone in vast darkness of interstellar space.
“Jump complete, Captain,” reported Skylar.
“No sign of the Lethe in the immediate vicinity,” Sawyer said. “I’m expanding scans outward to 5 light years ahead.”
Dobbins nodded, still a little shocked by the suddenness of the jump. He knew what had happened—even if he did not totally understand it—but even knowing what had happened did not settle the slight sense of disorientation he felt. To try to get his sense of equilibrium back, he walked over to the communications station, where Lieutenant Marquél sat, transmitting on all hyperwave frequencies in an attempt to contact the Lethe.

Blank

Writer's block and too many tasks to do result in nothing to say. I wish I had something inspirational or witty to write, but I have many things demanding my attention that I need to take care of. Don't get wrong. Life is good. God has blessed me with a good set of circumstances, and He is my comfort and my guide. But I just can't seem to put together anything interesting or coherent right now. End of post.

Story: The Lethe, pt. IX

Sorry, this was supposed to be on Wednesday. Had a crazy week. Here it is.

“Message from the dockmaster, Captain,” Lieutenant Marquél announced, “he wishes us good luck and Godspeed.”
“Signal our thanks, Lieutenant.”
“Aye, sir.”
The Hyperion continued maneuvering for a couple of minutes before settling into orbit around the planet Mars. At that point, the visitors rose from their chairs and began to make their way to the exit from the bridge. A few felt the need to stop and say something to Dobbins. Most simply spoke the usual words of congratulations and well-wishing. Yentzen gave Dobbins a caution, “I don’t know what happened to the Lethe, Captain, but knowing the Generational ship designs the way I do, be prepared for something unusual, something slightly bizarre. I hope I’m wrong, but I have a sense of foreboding that the lack of communication from the Lethe is far more serious than simply a malfunctioning hyperwave array.”
Dobbins shook his hand. “Thank you, Mr. Yentzen. I hope you’re wrong, too, but one way or the other, hopefully we’ll find out soon.”

Over an hour past before all of the visitors finally departed. By that point, Dobbins was about ready to throw the stragglers out of the airlock himself. He normally was not an impatient man, but the dour arrogance of the European Prime Minister taxed him greatly. She had almost left the bridge when she decided that she wanted a tour, even though she had already received one earlier in the day. This time, she expected another, conducted by the captain himself. Upon hearing of her request, Dobbins did his best to get out of the unpleasant task of showing her around.
Dobbins nearly lost his patience when the head of the Hegemony spoke up. “Madam Minister,” the Head said graciously and gently, “you’ll have to permit the captain to conduct the tour on a different day. He has a critical mission that he must embark on without delay. I’m sure that he will gladly show you all the corners of this ship upon their return from successfully completing the mission.”
The Prime Minister seemed satisfied with those assurances, although she still slowly made her way to the docking port where her shuttle waited.
When the final shuttle had cleared the Hyperion, Dobbins gave the order to break orbit. The Hyperion’s sublight Ion Drive engaged, emitting a bright blue glow from the rear of the ship. The Hyperion slowly slid away from Mars and began to follow the Lethe’s course.

Tired

I don't know what it was about this past week, but I still feel tired now, even after sleeping 8 hours each of the past two nights as well as an extra hour or so today. I wonder if some of it is just because I was on surrounded by people nearly 24/7 for the past 3 days. Although it is hard for some people to understand, being around people incessantly is draining for me. It's not that I don't like people, but that I am tired by relating. The teachers' conference I went to on Thursday and Friday this week drained me far enough down that I'm still not rested. In a few hours, it's going to be time to sleep, and I know that I won't have enough rest. I'll just have to trust in God's grace.

Story: The lethe, pt. VIII

By 1200 hours, the number of people on the bridge exceeded the capacity specified by the designers. In addition to the usual crew of the 2nd shift, there were a number of dignitaries from the “United Earth Hegemony” government. The governor of the Martian colonies sat next to the commander of the Lunar outposts, the two men quietly laughing at some private joke. Next to them, looking bored as always was the Prime Minister of the European Union. Dobbins could not remember ever seeing the woman smile. If she was enjoying being on the Hyperion, she showed no sign of it. The Emperor of South America and the President of the United States of North America stood next to their chairs, listening to the slow, sonorous voice of the head of the Hegemony. By no means did all of the inhabitants of Earth live under the rule of the Hegemony, but far fewer lived outside than inside. The other dignitaries included the Prime Minister of the East Asian Republic, the commander of the Martian shipyards, and the Hyperion’s primary designer, Albert Yuntzen.
The bridge itself held all of the extra personnel with difficulty. Aside from the touch-sensitive panels that ringed the outside of the room for various secondary systems, and most of the dignitaries found themselves stuffed in between these outer stations and the inner area of the bridge. The captain’s station, which included readouts for every major system and basic controls that he could use, if necessary, stood at the very center of the bridge, a large, almost complete circle of touch-sensitive panels. Behind the captain’s station were the communications and tactical stations, facing forward. To the captain’s left was the vast, intricate control panels for the chief science officer, and to the right was the executive officer’s station. It looked like a smaller version of the captain’s station, a semicircle of panels facing forward. In front of everyone sat the helm and navigation controls, a vast set of panels operated by the helmsman. The remaining dignitaries who could not fit around the edge of the bridge found themselves stuffed into whatever space could be found within the inner bridge.
“All systems report ready, sir,” Brackers reported.
“Excellent, Commander, thank you,” Dobbins responded. “Mr. Skylar, when you’re ready, clear moorings at take us out of dry dock, full thrusters.”
Skylar’s hands flew over the panel with the fluidity that came from years of familiarity. “Aye, sir. Moorings cleared. Aft thrusters to 100%.”
On the holovision at the front of the bridge, the three-dimensional view of the dry dock ahead of the ship began to slide backwards as the Hyperion accelerated out of dry dock and began initiating orbit around Mars.

It's Cold

It may be October, but it feels like November, or even December. An arctic air mass has plunged into NE Kansas, bringing unseasonably-cold temperatures. I endured this cold snap first-hand, refereeing three soccer games on Saturday out in the cold. I can't remember ever refereeing games that were that cold. It was not fun to referee the games, although it was interesting to see a kid commit a blatant hand ball. He reached out and spiked it to the ground, drawing a yellow card, a rarity in recreational soccer.
Today was equally cold. Thankfully, I was able to spend the day inside.
This coming week will be warmer, but still cooler than normal. This cool Fall is fitting with the trend of a cool summer. If the weather continues to be this cool, it could be a cold winter.

Story: The Lethe, pt. VII

“Our mission is to find out what became of the Lethe, taking advantage of this new jump drive technology to follow the Lethe’s course, assuming she’s still on it, overtake her, and find out what happened. If the Lethe still is function and if people are still on board, we are to take them—and the ship, if possible—to Elysion and help them establish the colony. Hopefully, they’ve just had a communications system malfunction but are otherwise fine. Any questions?”
Brackers spoke up, “Sir, exactly how are we supposed to track the Lethe? I know that we can use the jump drive to jump instantaneously to any point within 5 light-years of our present position, but that still leaves a lot of territory to cover. It’s 46 light-years to 47 Ursae Major. It could take a year or so to explore all of that distance, even if we jump frequently.”
“The Lethe used a very powerful Ion Drive,” Dobbins replied, “and would have left a trail that we should be able to pick up once we’re outside the Solar System. Lt. Commander Sawyer, I am correct in thinking that this ship has the sensors to scan 3-5 light years ahead of its current position, am I not.”
“Yes, sir,” replied Sawyer quietly.
“Then, this is the plan: we head out of the Solar System along the Lethe’s original path, pick up her trail, and then jump outward in 5 light-year increments, scanning ahead of us each time until we either find the Lethe or reach 47 Ursae Major. Comments?”
“What if we don’t find any sign of the Lethe and we reach Ursae?” asked Skylar.
“Let’s hope, Mr. Skylar,” Dobbins responded, “that it doesn’t come to that. This search is already going to be difficult enough if the Lethe is where she’s supposed to be. Other questions?
“Good. That’s it for now. We depart dry dock at 1300 hours sharp. Be to the bridge by 1200 hours for your shift. Dismissed.”
The senior staff rose almost as one to leave from the briefing room. They exited as they entered, talking in pairs or threes, only this time the conversation focused on the Lethe, even the conversation between Marquél and Skylar, who seemed to be arguing about the origin of the name Lethe. Dobbins just shook his head at those two as he turned off the briefing room lights and left for his quarters.

Rambling Ruminations about Endurance

Endurance can be a paradox. In order to develop more, you must exhaust what you have. That is certainly true in running. You don't gain better endurance by resting too much.
I wonder: is the same true with life in general? Is the only way that God can helps us learn to persevere by taking us to the end of ourselves? I realize that our endurance and perseverance are ultimately the result of His grace at work in us, but at the same time, unless we are at the end of ourselves, we humans have a notorious habit of trying to rely on our strength. Perhaps, then, this need to learn perseverance is part of why God allows difficulty and hardship in the life of believers.
"In this world, you will have trouble..." (John 16:33) says Jesus in the midst of His final discourse with the disciples before His crucifixion. This world is fallen, crises happen. Relationships fail, emotions cloud rational judgment, and decisions that should result in good unintentionally cause evil. We constantly find ourselves tested by the circumstances of life. We need endurance to push through the hardship and honor God in the process. We can only do that in one way: through Jesus. This fact is why Jesus precedes, "In this world you will have trouble," with "I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace." In other words, for Christians, the source of our peace in trial and our strength to keep going in hardship comes not out of ourselves but from He who dwells within us.
The challenge that we face, that I face, is to rely on the grace of the indwelling Spirit instead of on my own strength. It is in that grace that I hope to trust this week.

Story: The Lethe, pt. VI

“Ladies and Gentlemen, Fleet Com has given us a mission as unique as our ship’s abilities. We have been given the task of finding out what happened to the EGS Lethe.”
A holographic image appeared on the display of an extremely large, domed vessel, gray in color. It had a square base that was 4-5 kilometer on a side, and a dome that arched up to a maximum height of over 500 meters. It looked not dissimilar to the ancient snow globe baubles that Dobbins remembered his grandmother being so found of, only on a scale more massive than anyone had ever seen. A look of amazement erupted from the faces of the entire staff, except Skylar, who nodded in the way that people nod when they want to look like they understand, even though they don’t.
“For those of you who didn’t pay attention in History class at the academy, let me give you some details about the Lethe,” Dobbins continued. Marquél gave Skylar a sharp elbow to the ribs, prompting a quiet protestation from Skylar.
“Problem, Mr. Skylar?” Dobbins demanded, looking at the young man the way a teacher looks at miscreant student.
“No, sir.” Skylar said, attempting to talk smoothly out of the situation and failing, “I merely couldn’t believe what I was hearing. The Lethe? We lost contact with her about 15 years ago, and now we get the chance to find out what happened to her.”
“Actually, it’s been closer to 30, Mr. Skylar. The Lethe was one of the last generational colony ships to be sent out. Its destination, the third moon in orbit around the planet 47 Ursae Majoris b.” A schematic of the system of 47 Ursae Majoris appeared on the visual display and after a flyby, zoomed in on the planet and its moon. “As you know, this star system is 14.1 parsecs from our own system, so using Ion Drive, the trip would require about 70 years. To make such a long trip, the ship was designed to allow the second generation of those on board to become the first settlers on the new moon, which was to be re-designated Elysion upon establishment of the colony.
“The Lethe, then, like most generational ships carried about 500 people, even though it had room for nearly 2000. The remainder of the space was left for supplies and for room for the next generation to be able to live. Because of the vast distances that the Lethe would have to cover, the designers of the ship used the best holographic and construction technology available to create a ship that would seem to its inhabitants like it was Earth instead of a spaceship. The idea was that, if the passengers felt as much as possible like they still were on Earth instead of many light years from home, then they could avoid some of the deep-space psychoses that afflicted the other generational ships.”
Commander Ella spoke up, “The Lethe wasn’t the only ship to use such an approach, Captain. It had already been successfully used on a couple of other generational ships.”
“True, Commander,” Dobbins replied, “but the Lethe took the approach and refined it further. Not only was each individual’s quarters designed in such a way as to simulate an Earth-like home, the entire ship was built to be a giant Earth simulator. Only in the decks below the main level and in the Town Hall (the Control Center, really) could any hint be found that the ship was indeed a ship. The holographic technology, the climate control, and the unique design of the ship all contributed to making the illusion nearly perfect, at least from what I’ve been able to read of contemporary accounts. And since only the crew who ran the ship, all 20 of them, ever needed to access either of those areas, I have to imagine that illusion would function pretty well, as long as you wanted it to.”
“Twenty people couldn’t manage a starship of that size!” Zhang exclaimed in amazement.
“You’re correct, Mr. Zhang,” Dobbins said, “but if you remember your history, you’ll remember that the designers equipped the ship with a staff of nearly 200 androids to handle the majority of the tasks and serve the passengers needs. The androids were the ones who did the majority of the spaceship work. In this way, the passengers did not have to give up the illusion of idyllic, small town life on Earth. In fact, the ship’s designers even went so far in creating the illusion that they made the androids entirely human in appearance and mannerisms, with one exception: all the androids had unusually-colored purple eyes in order to help the humans recognize them as automatons.
“The ship set out 30 years ago from this very dry dock to a tremendous fanfare. Plans to build a second one just like her were already underway, with another, even more-distant star system to the target. The funds and personnel took a while to get approved, but construction on the second Lethe-class vessel had just barely gotten underway when hyperwave communication with the Lethe suddenly was lost. No indications of the exact cause of the loss of communication could ever be determined. Fleet Comm attempted several times over the course of the first year or two to re-establish contact and gain remote access to the ship, but no signal ever received a response. The Lethe simply had vanished into the depths of space, and to this day, no one knows what became of her or her passengers.”

From 85 to 66 in just a few hours

A cold front has definitely pushed through. It was hot (in the upper 80s) around 2:00. By the time I went out for a short run at 5:30, the temperature was at 81, and right now, it has plummeted to 66. That is the classic temperature profile of a cold front. The cold air mass has taken hold here in Topeka, returning us to seasonal temperatures. It looks like it will be a beautiful day tomorrow. I'm looking forward to the great weather!

Story: The Lethe, pt. V

Dobbins walked up to the podium at the front of the room, amazed at how real the synthetic mahogany exterior felt. The boys at fabrication had outdone themselves on this one. Like the conference table, it had touch-sensitive controls and the ability to automatically interface with handhelds. Dobbins had just enabled the main controls and initiated the interface between the main computer and his handheld when Commander Brackers and Lieutenant Samuleson walked into the room, discussing the latest developments in weaponry.
Their conversation continued as the remainder of the senior staff filtered in. Marquél, Ella, and Sawyer all came in together, discussing something about the finer points of living in space with family members. Zhang entered alone, head down, reading something off of his handheld. Finally, at 0959, everyone arrived at the conference room, with the exception of Skylar, the helmsman. Right as the chronometer on the wall read 1000, he sprinted in, a half-eaten doughnut in one hand, a cup of coffee in the other, and the top two buttons on his gray uniform still unbuttoned. He hurriedly shoved the rest of the pastry in his mouth while almost simultaneously gulping the drink. Hurriedly discarding the cup in a reprocessing bin, he dropped into the seat next to Marquél with enough force to cause it to rock backwards.
Marquél rolled her eyes at Skylar’s finish. She appeared to be about to make a comment when Dobbins beat her to it. “Nice of you to join us, Mr. Skylar. You made it in time, I see. Is it normal for you to make such a dramatic entrance?”
“Uh, no, sir,” Skylar replied in a voice that sounded far too contrite to be entirely sincere. “I was just up a little late after the party last night; I couldn’t sleep,sir. Too excited about our first mission, I guess.”
To Dobbins eye, Marquél appeared to suppress another wisecrack, instead settling for a slight sigh of irritation.
With his staff assembled and the almost-tardy Skylar sufficiently chastised, Dobbins began the briefing. He called up on the holographic display the image of an old starship.

Strange Coin Toss

Because I hurt my back last weekend at a tournament, I was working an under-9 (7 & 8 year old) girls' recreational soccer game. I was prepared for some things to be a bit weird compared to the under-12 & under-13 club games that I normally do. But I wasn't prepared for what happened at the pre-game coin toss.
Two girls from each team, pink and blue, arrive at the center circle for the coin toss. Here is a rough transcript of what happened next.

Me (to one of blue's captains): Call it in the air
Captain: Okay

[I toss the coin in the air. She waits for the coin to hit the ground and looks at coin, which shows tails.]

Captain: Tails
Me (smiling): Cheater. Let's do that, again. Call it in the air.

[I again toss the coin in the air. She again waits for the coin to hit the ground and looks at the coin, which shows heads.]

Captain: Heads

At this point, I stare at her, dumbfounded. I couldn't decide if she was being serious. Did she not understand English? Did I say something unclear? Was she suffering from a cognitive impairment? Thankfully, her co-captain bailed me out and said, "I'll call it." We proceeded with the coin toss correctly, but I have to file this under the "Now I've Seen Everything" category.

Story: The Lethe, pt. IV

Dobbins arrived first in the briefing room. Because the Hyperion was brand new, the briefing room felt more Spartan than Dobbins was used to. At one end of the room sat a holographic projection area. Looking like a cross between a small stage and an ancient projection television, this system allowed the crew to bring up three-dimensional representations of objects and manipulate them in real time. The system also tied into the communications system, allowing for three-dimensional communication to be conducted with ease. The bare, tan walls softly reflected the glow emitted by the LED lights that were subtly embedded throughout the ceiling. A person entering the room who was unused to this form of lighting would find it unusual at first that there was no single source of light. Rather, every direction seemed to be equally bright, and shadows were non-existent. This omni-directional lighting gave the entire conference room an otherworldly feel.
In the center of the room stood a massive conference table. A computer embedded in the table received and sent data to handhelds with high efficiency, and the table surface itself had touch-sensitive control areas on it. Dobbins still remembered the first time he saw an inexperienced officer forget about the control areas. The man had grown tired of sitting during a particular long, boring report, and decide to stand up and sit on the edge of the table. Unfortunately for him, he sat on the light control and plunged the room into a few seconds of total darkness while also bringing up a copy of the movie shown the night before at the ship’s weekly movie night. By the time he frantically succeeded in restoring the lights and shutting off the movie, his face had turned a deep shade of red. That officer never sat on a table again.

College Football: The Battle for Last?

K-State and Iowa State both played ugly games yesterday. Each team played well for 1 quarter, and then took the rest of the game off. Both lost, and I'm not sure which loss was worse. ISU lost to Iowa 35-3. ISU played well in the 1st quarter, and then folded after that. KSU, on the other hand, played atrociously through the first 3 quarters of their 17-15 loss to Lousiana-Lafayette. They missed 3 field goals. They went 0-12 on third down. They basically did nothing on offense. Their only points through 3 quarters was a safety on a botched snap. When they finally were able to score a touchdown, they missed an extra point. Then, once they had the lead, the defense finally wore down a little, allowing a late field goal.
Both teams were less than impressive in their first-week wins. ISU beat one of the worst team in Division I football (FCS team North Dakota State). KSU unimpressively beat Massachusetts, also an FCS team. Both teams had trouble with FBS teams this week.
So, with "Farmaggedon," the battle between KSU-ISU still several weeks away, the question remains: will it be a battle for last in the Big XII North? Based on what I've seen from these two teams so far, I'd be tempted to say yes, except that there's a team that looks even less skilled than either KSU or ISU: Colorado. Colorado has lost twice, including getting blown out on Friday night against Toledo. KSU and ISU may be saved from the cellar of the North not because of their own skill but by Colorado's ineptitude. Exactly how things play out, of course, remain to be seen. Few things are less predictable than college football. Perhaps that's why it can be so fun to watch.

Story: The Lethe, pt. III

At the change-of-command party afterwards, Dobbins finally got the chance to meet all of his senior staff. With the exception of Samuelson, the remainder of the senior officers had served on the Hyperion during her shake-down cruise. Fleet Command felt that the best crew for the ship was the one that already knew her, and Dobbins agreed wholeheartedly. He knew that a unique ship like the Hyperion required a crew with unique skills to function properly. Still, working with a new group of people always presented a challenge. He knew that it would take time before they would adjust to his style of command.
Samuelson and Dobbins walked in together, Samuelson explaining to Dobbins the details of the Hyperion’s weaponry. In the somewhat-crowded mess hall, at a table near the far end of the room, sat the remainder of the ship’s senior officers. Samuelson, who had been on board for several weeks, led Dobbins over to the table and began to introduce everyone.
First was a smiling younger man with short, curly, dark hair and dark skin. This was Lieutenant Myles Skylar, the helmsman. He rose and greeted the captain with a salute, speaking with a faint African accent. Next to him sat Lieutenant Commander Katie Sawyer, science officer. She demurely greeted the captain with a nod of her brown-haired head. Facts, not people, were her specialty.
Beside her was a calm, collected blonde woman with striking blue eyes that seemed almost like they could read your mind. “Captain,” Samuelson said, “This is Commander Ingrit Ella, our ship’s doctor and psychiatrist. She’s spent the past two years studying the effects of jump drive travel on humans. If anything strange is going to happen to anyone, she’ll be prepared for it.”
The Oriental man to Ella’s left chuckled briefly. “The only strange thing that will happen on this trip is going to be if someone decides to play a joke and reprograms the food replicators to make wax fruit. Jump drive travel hasn’t done me any harm in my nearly three years of experimenting with it. I’m Lieutenant Commander Chiang Zhang, chief engineer, sir. We’re ready to launch as soon as you’re ready.”
Dobbins laughed. “As you were, Commander. We’ll have plenty of time to put your engines and the jump drive to the test. For now, let’s enjoy ourselves.”
“Well said, Captain!” chimed in the deep female voice of Lieutenant Ana Marquél, communications officer. She introduced herself to Dobbins, standing to salute as Skylar had.
“And finally, sir,” Samuelson said once Marquél had returned to her seat,” this is your Executive Officer…”
“Commander Neal Brackers,” interrupted Brackers, rising to give Dobbins a sharp salute. “Let me say that is an honor to serve under you, sir. I’ve heard about your heroism during the Charon Crisis. Your quick decision-making saved hundreds, if not thousands, of lives on that starbase.”
“Thank you, Commander. Your record is equally as impressive. I look forward to having your help at keeping this ship running at peak efficiency.”
“Won’t you join us, sir?” asked Ella. “We were just discussing what our first mission might be.”
“Personally, I’d like to head out there a ways,” said Skylar. “All of those trial runs to Alpha Centauri got old after a while. I want to see what this ship can really do. Maybe get to the other side of the galaxy, or beyond.”
“The other side of the galaxy might take us a tad far out of communications range, Skylar, even with hyperwave,” chimed in Marquél. “I think something a little closer to home might be better.”
“Where’s the fun in that?” Skylar demanded. “Come on, Ana, where’s your sense of aventura?”
“We’ll talk about our mission tomorrow during the briefing,” Dobbins said quickly before Marquél could respond. “For now, relax, have fun. The real work begins tomorrow. If you’ll excuse me, I want to meet some of the rest of the crew. I’ll see you all tomorrow morning at 1000 hours sharp.”
As he and Samuelson walked away from the table, Dobbins asked, “Are those two always like that?”
“Who, Skylar and Marquél?” Samuelson answered. “Yes, sir, they are. They went through the academy together and served on their first deep-space posting together, so they know each other really well. And Skylar seems to like to stir the pot. He’ll give anyone a hard time if he thinks he can get away with it. It’s never affected his performance, but the crew tell me that it kept things interesting on some of the early test voyages.”
Dobbins smiled. “Well, if we’re gone for as many months as I expect us to be gone, Commander, we’re going to need a little entertainment now and then to keep us from getting too bored. Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like you to introduce me to some of the other members of the crew.”

Football, American Style

The last two days have seen me at high school and college football games, with others on television in the background wherever I go. Autumn must be here; it's time for football.
In some ways, I'm glad that it is this time of year. There's some exciting, even festive, about a game of American football. Each game is an event, and the fans in attendance get excited (sometimes too excited) about what happens on the field. The atmosphere at the K-State/UMass game yesterday, for instance, was so electric at the start that it reminded of the times I would attend the KSU/ISU game with my family. Ah, the happy, care-free days of college. At the same time, I do find it odd that people (myself included) sometimes get so worked up about a game. In reality, it doesn't matter even from year-to-year who won what game when. Certainly in 50 or 100 years, it's not going to matter at all. The challenge, of course, is keeping games in proper perspective. For me, knowing that there is an eternity with Christ ahead, I at least have some hope of keeping a football game (or a soccer game) in perspective. That's not to say that I don't forget myself or get caught up in the moment. Such reactions, however, are not the kind I desire. What I want is to be in the middle ground: not so indifferent to the game that I can't enjoy it, yet not so caught up in it that I behave in a way that dishonors the Lord. It's a long season, and I'll have plenty of chances to practice between high school soccer and football, KSU football, and Iowa State football. (The Chiefs don't count. We know that they're going to lose most of their games this year.) Hopefully, I can find the middle ground, and enjoy a few games in the process. May God grant me (and all of us) the mercy to do just that, keeping these temporary pastimes in perspective.

Story: The Lethe, pt. II

On the other side of the door stood a tall, gaunt man, nearly seven feet in height but seemingly underweight. His close-cropped brown hair and taciturn expression gave him the imposing look of a stern disciplinarian. Anyone, though, who had the fortitude to maintain eye contact with the man could see a playful flicker in his eyes, hidden underneath a well-practiced veneer of emotional discipline. This man, Lieutenant Robert Samuelson, had been chosen by Dobbins himself to be the ship’s chief of security and chief weapons officer. His reputation in all forms of combat only added to the mystique created by his formidable appearance.
“Captain on board!” he proclaimed in a strong, tenor voice. From somewhere out of Dobbins’s field of view, a boson blew a whistle, a tradition dating all the way back to sea-faring ships on ancient Earth.
As the last tones of the whistle faded, Dobbins stepped out of the shuttle and onto the ship—his ship. He looked around at the assembled crew. Two hundred officers, the best men and women in the fleet, and another three hundred enlisted personnel. All stood at attention, eyes staring straight ahead.
One figure, an elderly gentleman with innumerable medals attached to the front of his uniform, stepped forward. Reading from the handheld in front of him, he went through the history of the Hyperion’s development, describing the ship’s history and shakedown cruise in detail. Finally he said, “As of this date—July 11, 2137, I, Captain Luther Travest of the Ship Development Division, relinquish command of the EHS Hyperion, first in the class of hyperlight-capable ships built at the Lasalle Shipyards orbiting Mars.” He crisply raised his hand in a salute towards Dobbins.
Dobbins returned the salute. “I relieve you, sir.”
“I stand relieved,” Travest replied. He stepped forward to shake Dobbins’s hand while simultaneously giving him the handheld. “Captain, welcome on board. Your specific orders are contained here. Without a doubt, you have the finest ship and the finest crew in the Fleet. I leave her in your hands, take good care of her.”
Dobbins shook the older man’s hand and took the device containing his orders. As the other captain stepped back to his spot in formation, Dobbins surveyed the crew, took a deep breath, and began his welcome speech.

I Forgot (Again)

So, I forgot to post on Sunday. Sorry. I got distracted by other things. I will do my best to post tomorrow and try to get back on my regular Wednesday/Sunday schedule. For now, this in-between post will have to suffice, because I'm tired and just want to rest.

Story: The Lethe, pt. I

With the school year getting underway, my time to ponder and plan interesting things to post has dwindled substantially. So, each Wednesday, I'm probably going to post pieces of a story that wrote earlier this year. (I'll try to post random thoughts & comments on Sunday, still, for those of you who don't care about the story.) I will be the first to admit that I did not necessarily write this story for anyone else. My main motivation was that I have a master's thesis to write next year, and I wanted some practice in writing something that was longer than a 5-page graduate school essay. This story definitely is longer than 5 pages. So, if you're curious (or want to see what happens when a math teacher tries to engage in creative writing), read on. (As always, all content of this blog is copyrighted.)

The Lethe
Captain Christopher Dobbins of the Earth Space Fleet sat anxiously in his seat as his shuttle climbed away from the surface of Mars towards Dry Dock Four. His blue eyes darted quickly from the controls to the handheld computer containing his orders. He had read the orders many times in the thirty minutes since liftoff, and he fought the urge to read through them again. He tugged at the tight collar on his dress uniform. He hated dress uniforms. They never seemed to fit him right, despite the assurances from every technical expert that the scanners on clothing fabricators always got the fit exactly right. It seemed to him that the collars always came out just a bit on the small side, constricting his throat just enough to be annoying but not enough to cause any problems. After one more futile yank on his collar, he stared out the window of his shuttle as it neared the newest ship in the fleet, the ship that was about to become his: the Hyperion.
The Hyperion’s opalescent appearance stunned him. He had seen the schematics, of course, even pictures on the holovision. To see the ship in person, however, made it seem more real, somehow. Perhaps, the realization that he would soon be walking her decks and get to experience first-hand her unique abilities worked to create this heightened awareness of reality.
The Hyperion was no ordinary ship. Unlike its predecessors, which relied on an Ion Drive to propel themselves at speeds approaching the speed of light, the Hyperion had a new form of propulsion—jump drive—that allowed the ship to avoid the speed limitations imposed by special relativity. In a process that Dobbins really did not understand, the jump drive allowed the Hyperion to bend space in such a way that the ship could, in essence, move to a different location instantaneously.
Fleet Command had told Dobbins of the plans to build the Hyperion three years ago, naming him as commander-in-waiting. Those three years passed slowly, as Dobbins slowly bided his time on the Constellation, continuing an interesting (but dry) research mission in the solar system’s Kuiper Belt. Despite his love for exploring, he found the concept of getting to explore other star systems firsthand too fascinating to escape his thoughts. More than once, he had dreamed that he was onboard the Hyperion, giving the orders for the first jump out into the great unknown.
As the shuttle neared the Dry Dock, it began a series of complex maneuvers in order to align itself properly for docking with the Hyperion. Slowly, the shuttle neared the main shuttle docking bay on the starboard side of the ship. As the two vessels drew near, the automated controls of the shuttle took over, guiding the small transport flawlessly into the port. With a dull clang, the two ships joined together, and the doors at the right side of the shuttle slid open.