Roidon had just returned from his run when he noticed the com-link flashing in its red urgency. Of course, they expected him to carry this wristband everywhere – it looked like an antique wristwatch with its OLED text and numeral display; but he calculated that their level of reliance on him afforded a certain freedom from their preferred constraints. He put it on his wrist, all the same. ‘We have some useful information for you, but first we require a complete update on your progress,’ the small image of the B’tari high commander said. ‘There have been developments.’ The image froze, seemingly stopped in mid-sentence.
‘Developments?’ Roidon asked, as though the B’tari had indeed finished.
‘We have recovered an exploratory ship we know to have been piloted by our chief astronomer, who not only was absent from it but has no memory of his journey.’
‘The lure was too great, I understand that.’ Roidon commanded the data-transfer. Within that minute he received everything the ship had analysed.
‘We can’t say for sure how long the ship was exposed, but the sensors only recorded five nanoseconds of data before the shield activated; it may not be substantial. However, I’ll contact you about this time tomorrow. Please do be prepared.’
‘I’ll try not to disappoint you, high commander,’ Roidon said in mock sincerity.
If Harvo were organic he would currently be salivating at this extraordinary new input. The AI indeed sounded excited at the prospect of analysing the data. In the garage, Harvo gave his initial findings. ‘The sensors recorded a graviton-modified tachyon field, at least that was the interpretation of their computer. The field intensified rapidly before shield activation.’
‘Can you explain how and why the ship’s occupant became affected before the craft?’
‘There is insufficient data at this stage. However, it seems organic matter is more susceptible to the TE field due to the presence of carbon and water.’
‘That’s an interesting deduction, Harvo. Can you elaborate?’
‘I can speculate. The heavier elements have stronger gravitational density; the higher the density of gravitons the longer it takes for the field to affect the object.’
‘It takes longer to penetrate.’
‘Indeed.’
The array was already set up, the temptation too great. ‘I want you to factor in the data for a sim.’
‘Roidon, I will not cooperate in this experiment. I don’t need to point out the dangers.’
‘It is not me who’ll be its subject.’
‘Then how can you observe its effects?’
‘It won’t be me observing, it will be you.’
‘But I am needed here.’
‘Well, a beta version of you will remain here.’
‘The calculations are less than ninety-eight per cent accurate. It is possible I will cease to exist.’
‘I would never have thought you could be irrational, Harvo. You’d have to go back over two centuries. What do you think are the chances of that? You’re frightened aren’t you?’
‘I'm not subject to emo---’
‘You recognise an unwanted jeopardy to your existence.’
‘Roidon, you gave me a sense of self-preservation.’
‘Not that that should override the logic of our objective.’
‘You created me two hundred and twenty-eight years ago; a nano second of exposure over the designated time could cause a millennium of temporal eradication.’
‘But it’s calibrated to be within fifty pico seconds accuracy.’
‘There is still the possibility of random quantum effects.’
‘Harvo, there’s always the possibility. It’s a necessary risk.’
‘I do understand the logic, Roidon.’
Harvo was uploaded into a processor unit before being placed within a dutainium box approximating the density of the astronomer’s ship.
The array initialised – the hum and distortion from the nodes – and activated the field for the equivalent duration. Afterwards Roidon opened the box, his hands shaking like some nervous kid who’d just done his first experiment. Harvo had indeed gone. If the calibration had been sufficiently accurate then the AI is returned to the same time as the astronomer. Or to state another way: events from any point thereafter would have been undone along with Harvo’s memory; a temporal resetting. Now he simply needed to locate Harvo in the present, provided the AI still existed.
***