Chapter 27

While Leann and Casidhe were talking to the Command Staffs, Keri, Earnán, and Marnia, the children of Sarah’s Clan were tracing wiring runs in the freighter FLDC-1 which was linked to Eagle and Phoenix.

“This is filthy,” said Keri as the three inched their way along through the wiring duct. “I’m sure glad we are wearing our environmental suits.”

“Yea. After this we may need new ones,” added Marnia. “It doesn’t look like anything has been in here since the ship was built.”

“Well that box up there isn’t on the schematics,” said Earnán. The three moved up closer to the box straddling the three conduits. Once there, they looked it over and examined the way that the conduits entered it. “This looks like it was added after the ship was built.”

“Why do you say that?” said Marnia.

“Because of the way it is built, and the way that the conduits connect to it. The raised strip around the middle of the box appears to be part of a mating channel between the two halves. The connectors holding the conduits to the box are different than the others we’ve seen.

Keri said, “Hey, look there is another one on the other side further down.”

“It’s not on the schematic either,” replied Marnia.

“Let’s open this one,” said Earnán.

“Okay,” replied Keri. “First we need to let the bridge know and verify our suit’s integrity.”

Marnia said, “A130 calling Destiny Group FLDC-1 Bridge. This is search group alpha one three zero.”

“Go ahead A130. This is Jan.”

“We are tracing the wire conduits in corridor 3900 and have found two junction boxes that are not on the schematics. We are next to one. Earnán believes both were added after the freighter was built due to their construction and the conduit connectors.”

“What is the condition of the conduits?”

“From what we can tell, they all look to be in good shape. However, this is the dirtiest place we’ve seen so far, so the dirt could be hiding problems.”

“Okay, we’ll send a robot inspection unit through the area to clean it up after you exit.”

“We think we ought to take the cover off the box. This is the first time we’ve seen a place where we can get a look at the wire.”

“Do you have the tools you need?”

“Yes. We’ve tested our suits.”

“Okay. Go for it. Let’s keep the connection open.”

Earnán and Keri began unlocking the junction box’s cover. Just as the last lock was released, a small puff of gas escaped around the seal creating a dust cloud as the cover swung to the side.

“Oh, my,” exclaimed the three of them as they saw the interior.

“What?” exclaimed Jan as she sought to telepathically connect with the three she was talking to.

“What took you so long?” Marnia asked Jan with a smile. “We should have connected this way to begin with so you could see what we were looking at.”“Yea. Look at that mess, it is amazing that the propulsion units respond to the bridge at all.”

“You mean this is the active run to a propulsion unit,” said Earnán.“Yep. Each set of conduits in that duct is for a separate propulsion system. Don’t touch anything else. In fact, don’t move anything unless absolutely necessary. Those connections appear to be very fragile.””Yes.”

Jan made a general broadcast to those on the freighter. “Attention all crew members. Propulsion engineers assume manual control immediately. If there isn’t a Propulsion engineer available, initiate emergency shutdown, now!”

“What the hell’s going on?” asked Casidhe breathlessly as she ran toward the hangar on Phoenix. Several other crew members were with her.

“This,” was the quick reply as Jan projected the image from Keri to Casidhe and those with her. Jan then gave Casidhe a quick replay of the events leading up to the discovery.

“Leann,” said Casidhe, “did you see what was found on FLDC-1?”“Yes. The other two freighters are being put into manual mode. More power engineers are being sent over to them so that the systems can be brought back on line and we can continue operations.”

“Casidhe. Leann,” said Jan, “We’ve cut power to the control circuits and verified that they are off. I am going to have them put the cover back on and button it up. Once the team is out of the crawl space, we can send a robot inspection unit through it. Although, dirty as it is, we may need to send several.”“Do it.”

Jan said, “Keri, Marnia and Earnán, put the cover back on the box. Once it is sealed, please exit the crawl space.”“Jan, we are over half way. We will continue on through.””Okay, but be careful.””We will.”

Some 24 hours later Leann walked into the conference room on FLDC-1 to join the crew members and engineering staff assembled there. “Madeline, it’s good to see you and your clan again.”

“It’s good to see you as well. How are the other freighters coming along?”

“Well since they were all made by the same organization, the rampant corrosion problems are all very similar. It is amazing that the ships still functioned.”

“All it would have taken is a hard enough jolt in just the right way to start the fireworks.”

“So how are we going to solve this?”

“Digital fiber. We have pulled the old wire on the run where the problem was first discovered. As soon as we finish cleaning the duct, we will pull fiber optic cable. While that is being done, one of the crew will begin reconfiguring the propulsion unit to handle fiber digital control. Another will be reconfiguring the bridge controls for it.”

“What about the other systems?”

“Once we have the first propulsion unit converted over to our digital control we will begin reworking three others. By the time we have those three switched over we should have all key parameters optimized from the first run. Then it is simply a matter of duplicating those so we can test the three newest runs. Once we know the three newest are functional, we will take the last two off line for the conversion.”

When Madeline paused, Jan said, “We are focusing on propulsion first. Once we have four units operating with the new controls, we will start on communication and then navigation. We are anticipating this taking close to 15 clock cycles.”

“Are you staying in contact with the other two ships?”

“Yes. We have each been working out our own solutions then as a group we critique each other. Except for ship design driven differences, all the changes will be almost identical. Best of all, there will be schematics in the archives.

“Also, before we check any other ducts we are going to clean them first.”

“So the youngsters got to you,” replied Leann.

“Yep. We either agreed or they were going to quit going through the tunnels. Some crew members were giving them a pretty hard time about being afraid of getting dirty when one of the dirt bins passed by.”

“They didn’t?”

“Sure did. The one with the biggest mouth suddenly lost his balance and fell backwards just as a bin passed behind him. An amazing bit of timing. He was out of it in a heartbeat, but with quite a bit stuck to him. The look on his face was priceless. When he started to try and brush it off, Keri suggested that he should wait and use the shower as the stuff was very tacky and would just smear. No one laughed at him. Marnia offered to help him get to the shower so he didn’t have to touch anything and spread it around.”

“It is surprising what poor grounding will cause,” said Tom of Madeline’s Clan.

“Poor grounding was only part of the cause,” replied Leann. “You probably couldn’t see it visually, but the wiring bus and the wire weren’t space compatible materials. On a planet they would likely have been just fine, but even then it would depend on the atmosphere.”

“Okay. That makes sense as I would have expected pieces with that much corrosion to just fall apart. Oops. Hardly any gravity, so they won’t necessarily fall apart.”

“Yes. The acceleration to make FTL may have done it, if it was just corrosion from bad ground. Preliminary analysis indicates these metals formed a fragile alloy, which is why we think the connections didn’t completely fail. The bad junctions significantly contributed to the control problem. Overall this is an interesting lesson.”

“So do you have enough help?” continued Leann.

“Yes, we think so. Why don’t we go completely through the project as it is laid out?”

“Works for me.”

As the group went through the plan for FLDC-1, others joined them when the discussion was about the parts of the work that they were doing. Several hours later Leann said, “It looks to us like you have it well in hand. Some of our staff will be over to assist when things are tight.”

Just then Jan held up her hand for a moment and began to smile. “The first wire ducts are ready.”

“Just make sure everyone gets enough rest,” said Leann as the group began to leave.

“Oh. We will,” replied Jan quickly. “While we travel to J2, we plan on taking a vacation and relaxing.”

“I think many of us will,” said Keri.

The Órarduine had been at J1 for 17 clock cycles when Aine and Creidne joined Sarah’s Clan on the bridge of Dóchas. As Sarah and Aoife were the nearest to them, they immediately turned and hugged them.

“We have missed you,” said Joyce as she came over to greet them.

“We have missed all of you as well,” replied Aine. “It looks like you have everything under control.”

“Well,” said Tara, “we are a little behind schedule. We think what we have accomplished during the pause has made the delay worthwhile.”

“So where have you been, if we may ask?” asked Alison as she greeted Aine and Creidne.

“We went to watch some developments on another planet. All we did was observe. Well, we think that is all we did.”

“Several of us have felt like we were being watched while we were here. Our scanners haven’t shown anything though.”

“Have you taken a dream walk?” asked Creidne.

“No. Actually, the sensation wasn’t strong enough to trigger that thought.”

“When you feel like you are being watched, especially if the feeling persists, a dream walk is an excellent option. A dream walk is easy to do and usually carries very little risk.”

Sarah, Aoife and Tara looked at Creidne for a few moments and then shifted their gaze toward each other. Shortly Tara said, “We shall utilize that ability more frequently.”

“Yes, you should,” came a voice out of the air startling Sarah’s Clan. Each of them instinctively began moving to a defensive posture until they noticed Aine’s and Creidne’s relaxed stance. During this time a tall thin man with features similar to Creidne began to materialize. “It is wise to always take a night walk, or as you say ‘a dream walk’, before arriving at a new location or whenever you are uneasy about your surroundings.”

Both Aine and Creidne gave the gentleman a slight bow once he had materialized. Recognizing the implication Sarah’s Clan also bowed to him. Although his appearance was a surprise, they only felt warmth and friendship emanating from him.

“So, it was you monitoring us,” exclaimed Sarah.

“Yes. It was me that you sensed. I congratulate you on that. There aren’t very many mortals that sensitive of their surroundings, or to us.” Turning to Aine and Creidne, “So what did you think of the people on the planet?”

While Sarah’s Clan already suspected who he was, his question to Aine and Creidne just confirmed it.

Aine replied, “The group who put the couple on the planet made a very good choice in choosing them. Even with the limited support they are providing them, the natives should now begin to grow and prosper.”

Creidne said, “I am afraid I inadvertently helped him with his battle plan.”

“It didn’t appear that way to me. You should look at the events again. His approach to a confrontation has similarities to yours, but there are significant differences. The two of you should go back periodically to see how they are doing and give a push if needed.”

“Yes, sir.”

Turning to Sarah’s Clan, “I see you have figured out who I represent. This is not my normal manifestation. My people look more like what you know as an otter on Earth. Aine and Creidne are well acquainted with my tendency to visit them without any warning. Since all of you are so comfortable with them and their sisters, I felt my visible presence would not disturb you.”

“It is a pleasure to have you visit us,” said Sarah’s Clan in unison. “While presumptuous, you are welcome to visit anytime. We see your appearance here as a great honor.”

“Thank you. I just may do that. One reason I joined all of you here was to make the suggestion that Creidne just did. Using what you refer to as a ‘dream walk’ to visit an unknown jump point or destination before arriving can avoid some nasty surprises. Just because the universe is vast doesn’t eliminate the chance of a surprise meeting. Many of those traveling the universe are friendly but not everyone is, so it is wise to be cautious.”

“We will be certain do that in the future,” replied Sarah’s Clan.

“Thank you for offering to share your home with my associates. All of them have indicated that they feel like they are a part of your family, and now I can understand why. Now, I must be off to visit another place.” As he finished speaking his image began to fade.

Seeing him departing Sarah’s Clan said, “Slán libh,” then added softly, “May the Gods and Goddesses be with you.”

It was quiet for some time on the bridge before Sarah said, “A fascinating man.”

“Hmm ... I think we’ve all said that,” replied Aine with a smile and Creidne nodding.

Creidne said, “So, are all of your repairs to the freighters done?”

“They are being wrapped up. That will take two more clock cycles, followed by a clock cycle of clean up and then we will be on our way to J2.”

“Good. Our three sisters will return by then.”

“So you are traveling with us?”

“Yep. We should be around until well after you reach Celia system.” Sarah looked uneasy as she wondered what was behind the extended stay. Finally Aine added, “Sarah, you look a little puzzled and apprehensive. We are due for a break, a fairly long one. So we thought we would just hang around you all for a while.”

Rusty put his arm around Sarah as Aoife did the same from the other side. Rusty said, “You read more into what was said than was there, didn’t you?”

“Yes. I did. Aine, Creidne, my apologies.”

“We weren’t offended. However, considering what has happened over the last few minutes here, and the past three weeks, we can see how you could add 2 and 2 to get 5.” Aine managed to keep her expression normal until she finished the sentence, she then began to chuckle. The whole group was soon laughing.

“She wasn’t the only one,” said Joyce and Sally with several others nodding agreement.

“Well I guess coming up with five is better than three,” said Sarah after a few minutes.

“What?” replied several of the clan.

“Sure, if you only get three you have missed something. I would rather see a problem that is not there than miss one that was.”

“Good point,” replied Creidne. “Although Aine took the opportunity to tease you, it wouldn’t have taken any of you long to realize the true situation.” Then with a big grin, “Besides, if you find opportunities for adventure at one of the jump points, I’m in, as I need to hone my skills, vacation or not.” As she spoke, she flexed her muscles.

Aoife said with a smile, “With a comment like that, it wouldn’t surprise me if you get your wish.” That prediction caused Creidne’s eyebrows to rise slightly before she smiled and hugged Aoife.

They chatted until the chime sounded for dinner.

The next evening Sarah’s Clan had just sat down to dinner when Keri, Earnán and many more of their children, along with the lions, entered the dining room.

“Hi,” said Keri along with the rest of the children. As they greeted their parents, the lions also greeted them.

“We’re glad to see you,” said Alison with the others nodding their agreement. “We didn’t think we would see you until closer to departure.”

“We completed the projects we were working on. The others will be back later tonight or tomorrow.”

“So how was it?” asked Erin.

“Mom, it was great. Can we tell you after we get something to eat?”

“Of course. Hurry back.”

It wasn’t long until the children returned with plates nearly overflowing with food.

“You know you can go back for seconds,” said Joyce as their parents made room for them to sit down.

Keri said, “We may. Right now we need to tell you about a major error in judgment that we made. Casidhe caught us working more hours than we were supposed to. Even though we were told to work only 12 hour shifts, we each worked some 60 hours in the first three days. She called all of us into a conference room and gave us a right royal scolding, bordering on an ass chewing. During it she pointed out all the errors we had made in agonizing detail. At first many of us were angry because we felt she was treating us like children rather than as crew members. We knew we had made some errors, but we had corrected all of them before finishing a task. Our attitude quickly changed as she began pointing out the potential impact of each error, and its effect on ships operations if it had not been corrected. By the time she finished we were all so embarrassed we weren’t sure we could show our faces again. The potential consequences of our errors were much greater than we thought they were. Even though she chewed our asses in private, we knew that those we worked with were aware of what we had done.“In some ways, we felt worse when she ran out of steam. She just stood there looking at us. The room was absolutely quiet. It was clear from her face that she was really disappointed in us, that hurt much more than her ranting.”After we had stewed for a few minutes, she told us that she knew after the first shift that we were not adhering to the schedule. This surprised her because she knew that we knew the rules and the reasoning behind them. After consulting with her spouses, they decided to wait to see how we would respond to, and handle, our growing fatigue. They chose to do this as a controlled evaluation because they knew there would be times when we would have no choice but to take the risk of working extended duty hours. They thought this was a relatively risk free opportunity where our work could be monitored so none of the errors would slip through. This would give them a chance to see how we adjusted to long hours and whether we were able to maintain our performance. She told us that we did well, but still deserved the scolding as the risk was totally unnecessary.”

“So, do you understand why she took this approach?” asked Terry.

“Yes. We believe so,” replied the children together. “Actually, we now see that our effort to make a larger contribution kind of delayed some aspects of the project.

“We did apologize to our fellow crew members. After accepting our apology, a few told us that most of them had at one time or another made similar errors in judgment. Each felt fortunate that all of their errors were corrected before they affected operations.”

Jordana said, “We feel we owe you an apology as well.”

The children in unison said, “Moms and dad, please accept our sincere apology for the embarrassment we have caused our family.”

“Apology accepted,” replied Sarah’s Clan.

“So in spite of that, how do you feel about your contributions?” said Aoife.

“Pretty good,” said Marnia. “Our lion buddies were a lot of help.”

“Yes, we heard quite a few stories. You know that the crew has figured out that you can actively communicate with them.”

“We’ve been able to do that for a long time,” said Keri, “actually, as long as I can remember. The others were really surprised when the lions arrived with us. A few wondered why we brought them along. It didn’t take them long to appreciate their presence.”

“We know,” replied Sarah’s Clan. “This is probably the first time they have gone with you to work.”

“Not really. It is the first time they went with us to work on another ship. Depending on where we are working on Dóchas, they may go with us. This is likely the first time we’ve worked so closely with them.”