Kibi, Rini, and Sata decided to all take rucksacks. None of them, alone, could carry as much as Boro, but they still wanted to get a fair amount of food back to the ship. Ilika, Boro, and Mati waved as the three shoppers pulled up their hoods against a light rain.
“We’ll start with a little demo,” Ilika said as his hands moved on the engineer’s console. “I’ll narrate, because Manessa doesn’t speak your language.”
The wall behind the engineer’s console came to life with a complex diagram of pathways and devices through which mysterious substances appeared to flow.
“Here’s the start-up process for the atmospheric thrusters.” They could hear deep humming sounds, and several devices changed color on the display.
“Color gives you a quick check — blue-green means warming up or doing a self-test, and green is ready but not yet doing any work.”
Boro’s eyes darted around the display as colors changed and things happened more quickly than he could follow.
“Several different fuel conversions are being simulated.” Some of the flows on the panel changed direction. New devices lit up and others went dark.
Boro started pointing with both hands to keep track. “That stuff used to go over there, but now it’s going through that thing and winding up over here!”
Ilika smiled. “You’ll soon be very glad Manessa can use many different
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fuels. There are parts of Nebador where only one or two are available. Now the space engines are coming up, preparing for orbit and beyond.”
Boro looked at his console, full of complex graphs he didn’t understand and strange symbols he couldn’t read.
“Finally, the star drive is warming up,” Ilika continued. “No moving parts, just the ability to do what none of the other engines can — send Manessa leaping between the stars.”
A single device with no visible fuel source, high up on the display, first glowed blue-green, then a steady green.
“The star drive has engaged,” Ilika narrated as it changed to a golden yellow, “and now the demonstration is over, except to show us some of the supply lists the engineer uses.”
“Hurray!” Mati cheered from the pilot’s chair. “I just finished simulation two, and the next one has tunnels and bridges and things!”
Boro’s eyes grew wide as he stepped through the door beside the lift on the lower deck. He could see, for the first time, part of the engineering ring that surrounded their living quarters. The narrow walkway ahead threaded among many strange machines, large and small, of shiny metal or luminous crystal.
At Ilika’s invitation, they strolled around the entire ring, just to get a feel for the layout. Only one small engine glowed and displayed a yellow symbol.
“This is the matter-energy converter that powers Kibi’s life support systems when nothing else is running. Today I’ll teach you about two engines, the ones we’ll use in just a few days. This is the first.”
Boro gazed up at the complex device from which three clear tubes emerged and curved in both directions around the outside of the engineering ring.
“The anti-mass drive allows the ship, and everything in it, to ignore the effects of gravity and inertia. It lets Manessa float.”
“Didn’t we pass two others like it?”
“Yes, there are three, one for each of the induction tubes. Any one of them can do the job in a pinch, two of them with ease, and three gives us the finest possible control. Many things on this ship come in threes.”
“Can I . . . touch it?”
“Yes. Anything of danger is completely contained within the engines —
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fuel, radiation, moving parts, heat, or cold — even when they’re running. Just avoid touching the control symbols until you understand them.”
Boro spent time getting familiar with the mysterious anti-mass engine, touching its smooth metal surfaces and gently caressing what he could reach of the long, clear tubes.
Ilika touched a symbol on the machine’s small control panel, and Boro stepped back as a subtle hum began and one of the induction tubes glowed a deep purple.
“Warm-up and diagnostics,” Boro guessed after seeing a blue-green symbol.
Ilika nodded as his student went back to touching the metal and crystal surfaces.
“An important tool of any engineer is to know what his engines look and sound like when they’re happy and running well. That allows him to spot a problem quickly, even when diagnostics aren’t available.”
Boro grinned, and continued exploring the contours of the huge and powerful machine.
“Something feels really funny,” Rini mumbled with a frown as he gnawed the meat off a bone. “Something’s different.”
The corner table at Doko’s Inn, with no one else in the common room, allowed them to speak freely. Their bulging rucksacks leaned against the wall nearby.
“People seem all tense,” Kibi added, “as if they’re expecting something to happen, but I can’t figure out what. Lots of whispering going on.”
Sata’s mother approached. “I just got in some good mutton. Can you stay for dinner?”
Sata’s face twisted with mixed feelings, so Kibi spoke. “We’re expected back by dark, but thank you for the invitation.”
Sata found her voice. “Mom, do you know of any big events coming up?”
“No . . . the harvest festival is past . . . no, nothing else for a while.”
“Thanks. Is there anything for dessert?”
“There sure is! I’ve got some apple pie with cream!”
“We have time for that!”
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Kibi nodded and Rini grinned.
The matron of the inn smiled happily as she returned to her kitchen on light feet.
“I think we need to keep our eyes open wide on the trail back to the ship,”
Rini suggested in a quiet voice.
Kibi
nodded.
“Help!” Mati called in mock distress.
Ilika stepped over from Boro’s station where they had been studying the controls for the anti-mass drive. “What’s up, pilot?”
“I just started simulation four. It’s all funny wiggly lines.”
Ilika looked. “That’s a topographic map of land elevations. Each line is a constant elevation, as if you were walking around a hill or mountain without going up or down. You can add color-coding by elevation with your display mode selector.”
The selector had not made any difference before. She tried it now, and her map came to life with blues for water, shades of green for low elevations, orange and brown higher up, and finally white for the highest mountains.
“Okay, this makes more sense.”
“To be a good pilot, you should practice in both modes.”
Mati flashed Ilika a smile. “I will.”
Ilika returned to Boro’s side. “Are you ready to look at the atmospheric
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thrusters?”
“Yeah.” He pointed to an area of the wall in front of him. “That must be this group here.”
“Right. Six directions, and several fuel options, as you can see. We’ll use solid number two since we have plenty.”
“That’s the purple powdery stuff, right?”
“Yes. No conversion necessary, just select the first tank and activate the flow control. Good.”
“It’s got five power levels. How do I know which one to use?”
“Normally the pilot will tell you. Sometimes, for training purposes, the captain will set a different level. In any emergency, if the pilot doesn’t say, give her everything you’ve got.”
“You getting all this, Mati?” Boro called to his shipmate.
“Nope. I’m trying not to run into these stupid mountains,” she replied, concentrating on the display with her eyes and the flight control with her hand.
Boro and Ilika both chuckled.
Kibi had dinner all planned in her head by the time they arrived back at the ship.
“Want some help?” Boro asked.
“Sure. Grab knife, chop veggies.”
“Twice, on the way back, we were asked where we were going,” Rini reported. “And both times, it was a priest.”
“What did you say?” Ilika inquired.
Sata smiled with admiration. “Kibi was great. She told them our hamlet was too small to have a name, but they could come over for dinner if they wanted to see where it was. She never spoke a false word!”
“They were peering at us like they’d find forked tongues or furry tails if they looked close enough,” Kibi related from the galley.
Boro laughed so deeply he almost lost his balance and had to grab the end of the galley counter.
Rini went on to describe the atmosphere of tension and expectation all over the city.
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“Did you talk to the baker?” Mati asked, hobbling up from the bridge.
“Remember, he always knows what’s going on.”
“No,” Sata admitted. “We didn’t think of that. We’ll do it tomorrow. Oh, goodie! We get Boro again!”
Boro moaned, but they could see he wore a subtle smile of happiness as he chopped celery and carrots.
During dinner, Boro shared what he had learned that day, and the shoppers related more of their impressions from the city.
The video that evening first showed a reptilian engineer whose quick thinking had saved a large passenger ship in planetary orbit. An unexpected solar eruption had suddenly threatened both planet and ship. Ilika pointed out that many people, upon seeing such an awesome danger approach, would be frozen with fear and unable to do their jobs. This engineer moved her hands and brought every engine to readiness. By the time the pilot opened his mouth to call for space engines, they were ready, and not a second too soon.
The video continued with the story of a furry ursine engineer who had bravely done his job from the engineering ring, through voice contact with the captain, as he dashed about tending his over-stressed engines.
When the video ended, Boro closed his eyes for a moment to look inside himself and see if he had what it would take.
Everyone else waited in silence.
“It’s funny that an ex-slave would be asked to handle so much power,” he said as he slowly opened his eyes.
“No one,” Ilika responded, “is in a better position to handle power than someone who’s felt the effects of its abuse.”
Boro took a slow, deep breath. “In that case . . . I can do this job.”
Deep Learning Notes
Boro’s engines used the same color icons for device status as Kibi’s systems.
Are there advantages to the colors having the same meanings wherever they are used? In our competitive culture, we sometimes do this, but often we do
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not in order to protect trade secrets or confuse the competition. What price do we pay when we use inconsistent icons?
The ship’s “atmospheric thrusters” might be similar to our turbo-thrust jet engines, the type used on airplanes. (Helicopters use turbo-shaft jet engines, in which the thrust is not primarily used.) They would not be expanding-gas engines (“rocket” engines) because those work in space, and so are not just
“atmospheric” engines.
What machines do we use that could be described as “matter-energy converters”?
The ship’s anti-mass drive is based on the theory that moving electrical and magnetic fields at 90 degrees to each other create Lorentz forces that radiate a form of energy that counteracts gravity and inertia. The engine is called
“anti-mass” instead of “anti-gravity” because it works in deep space where there is no external gravity, but the other effects of mass (physical substance), such as inertia, still cause problems.
In a typical engine in our culture (for example, a car engine), is everything of danger contained completely within the engine, allowing us to touch it anywhere, even when operating? What parts of a car engine do not have this quality, and what dangers do they present?
Boro is a “tactile learner,” as he is most comfortable getting familiar with something he can touch and feel with his hands. What kinds of jobs are easiest for tactile learners? What jobs are easier for visual learners? Auditory learners?
Ilika described the engines as “happy” when they were running well. How is this different from our usual attitude toward machines?
Both Rini and Kibi are using their intuition to spot subtle clues around them in the city. What would happen to this little team if Rini and Kibi started
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competing instead of cooperating, or if Sata (less intuitive) didn’t listen to the others?
A topographic map is one way of showing three dimensional land forms on a flat paper or display screen, and is most often used when accurate information is necessary. Much can be learned by purchasing the topographic map that includes your home. The 7.5 and 15 minute (of latitude and longitude) maps are most useful.
The priests attempted a law-enforcement method called “profiling.” Persons charged with protecting a culture from “the bad guys” are always under pressure to catch them before they do bad things. This prompts them to try to guess what “the bad guys” look like. It is easy to look for forked tongues and furry tails, but much harder to identify true criminals. What qualities do law enforcement officers look for today to try to spot “the bad guys”? Your answers will probably be different depending on where you live and what year it is.
Why would Boro be happy about going into the city again and carrying the heaviest pack?
Having felt the effects of the abuse of power (when he was a slave), Boro could have two different reactions. One is to want to do better, and try hard to avoid abusing power himself. What would the other possible reaction be?
