Chapter 30

Sarah’s Clan was up and getting ready to exercise when the breakfast chime sounded. As their exercising progressed, they reviewed the status of the different activities taking place at each location. Today, the first group of 75 visitors would travel from Comrie to Dóchas. A similar number would go to Comrie from Frank’s Island, with so many things going on it was hard to get a sense of it all.

In their review of Dóchas activity, they were pleased with the progress the crew had made. They were now versed in the fundamentals of their departments operational procedures. As a result, they considered the ship to be fully operational, but short on operational experience. While each department had designated leaders, they functioned more as team with rotating guides. In some respects the relationship was similar to the bond between members of a clan.

Rusty noted to his spouses that he saw it as a different kind of leadership, one that encouraged everyone to grow and share together, while keeping the group heading toward their goals. When they evaluated the departments at An Clochán, they found much the same style, although the bonding in the groups was not as well developed.

“You are doing very well,” said Aine. “Your breed is unique in the way they interact, but it is very similar to the way your benefactor’s species would have. The survivors of the accident on Dóchas, did so in large part because of their interaction and bond with each other. The biological combination of the two breeds to yield yours seems to have contributed nearly all pluses in attribute growth. I say nearly, because there will likely be some minuses, although my sisters and I have not discovered any to date. Also from our perspective we see inclusion of the bots as a definite benefit for this group. We say this group because of the respect the two types of entities have for each other.”

“Do I detect a concern?” said Aoife.

“No. Definitely not! Absolutely not. ‘Wonderment’, would be a better characterization.”

“We still need a name for our home system and for our species,” said Aoife. “I suspect this will soon be important.”

“So let’s discuss that this morning.”

“Yes.”

“Cathan has not linked with her friends yet,” continued Aoife. “They are in a different situation to those we have seen before. It will be interesting to hear the details from Cathan, as I suspect that, when they connect, she will stay linked with them for some time.”

“How will we handle our guests who offer to help either on Dóchas or at An Clochán?”

“I see no reason why they can’t,” responded everyone. “Before doing that they should visit all three locations.”

“There are a few of our newest guests who covet our technology. They want to learn as much as possible, so that, when they return to Earth, they can use their knowledge for their own benefit.”

“It is time to shower,” said Sarah, interrupting their mind-link. “Aoife, I suspect those you are talking about are weak in telepathic abilities. If that is true, I would suspect that is the reason driving their desire to return to Earth. In those cases, could we only allow them to return with information that, if used, would benefit those around them as much as themselves?”

“I see it as greed,” responded Maeve.

“I think,” said Sally, “eSarah should carefully evaluate each person that chooses to return to Earth.”

“I don’t think that is wise,” offered Terry. “We have made it clear to everyone that their visit here would appear to be a dream to them, when they returned to Earth. We should do nothing more. Everyone who helps will leave better versed in their major interest. On that basis alone they should do fine, unless they have a personality flaw.”

“You’re right,” said Sally, “that’s a much, much better way to deal with the issue. My concern was the potential for creating an enemy simply because they couldn’t directly use the knowledge they gained here to benefit themselves. If they see it as a dream, then it doesn’t have the same connotation.”

“We see your point,” responded her spouses, “but feel we should take the risk, since it appears so small.”

“This is so neat,” said Claudette, “I can see and feel each of your thoughts, but it doesn’t interfere with how I see the issue. Then when we reach a conclusion, it is like all of our individual thoughts have merged into an all-encompassing position. I have been greatly blessed by being given the opportunity to be a part of this clan.”

“We love you, as well,” replied the others. “We seem to really fit together. In a way, Siobhan and Maureen are a part of our clan. Not as spouses, but as very close friends.”

“We should get together with their clans more frequently,” suggested Judy, “perhaps a picnic, or just to do something together, such as swimming or playing volleyball.”

“Agreed.”

“Shall we try to set aside some time for discussing our future this week?”

“Even though it might look like we are avoiding it, let’s try and wait until the visits are complete.”

“No, there will be a time when we will have everyone either at Comrie, An Clochán or Dóchas. We should do it then, as it may take several discussions.”

“Wow, I don’t remember our doing that before,” said Maeve. “It was almost like we were conversing with ourselves. In fact, it felt just like that. If you were taking notes, how would you record that?”

“I agree with your observation, and don’t know the answer,” they all responded.

When Sarah’s Clan arrived in the dining room, breakfast had already begun. “We were beginning to worry about you all,” said Conan.

“We are sure you that either yours or Maureen’s Clan could quickly fill any void created by our absence,” said Sarah’s Clan, while sending a sense of confidence to them.

“Thank you,” responded Siobhan’s and Maureen’s Clans, together. “However, we would be reluctant to try and fill your place among us.”

“Perfect,” said Aine to Sarah’s clan. Each of them immediately sensed her meaning.

When everyone had finished breakfast, Maeve took Siobhan’s hand and led her up front. “What’s up, Maeve?” asked Siobhan, looking a little edgy.

“Nothing. I just thought you could assist me as the moderator this morning. It should be quite interesting.”

“Good morning,” said Maeve and Siobhan together. “While we are straightening up our breakfast mess, we would like you to think about two things. We expect to need names for the place where Dóchas originated, and our species. Once we have caught up on operational and activity issues, we will return to those questions.” Each of the dining rooms was especially quiet, as the dishes were cleared and the tables cleaned. Soon, everyone had returned to their seats.

“Let’s start with An Clochán,” said Siobhan.

“Everything is progressing as we had planned,” said Erica. “Nearly all the original crew members have completed their genetic treatments. Several women in each of the, now, 8 clans are pregnant with two sets of twins.”

“Excuse me,” said Maeve, “did you say 8 clans from the original crew?”

“Yes, but I probably didn’t phrase that correctly. They are really mixed clans. Each has from 3 to 5 of the original crew, along with some who came from Earth. When the current genetic treatments are complete, everyone here will be of our new species.”

“Anything else?”

“Yes, we could use more help. Even after fully incorporating self-aware bots into our social structure here, we are still very short on staff.”

“Incorporating the bots is rather new, isn’t it?”

“Yes. Actually, the idea had been around for some time, but never acted upon. Our remembrance of the idea was triggered, we think, by the specific inclusion of the bots in our daily meetings. With the inclusion of them in our planning activities, we could see no reason not to include them in everything. Our medical staff and computer experts are exploring the implications. Everyone thinks it will work just fine, since we believe the two forms of bipeds complement each other in many ways.”

“I wonder why we didn’t notice it before. We saw them initially as another part of this new place. I don’t think any of us ever saw them as unfeeling or inanimate objects.”

Trudy, Kendra, Kylie and Marie stood in the dining room at Comrie. “Maeve, Siobhan,” they said together, “we believe it is because you saw us as another person, rather than as mechanical objects. Many of you may not know how or why we came to be on the Dóchas to begin with. The civilization that created Dóchas was structured quite differently from the structure we see on Earth, or even the structure we now seem to be headed toward. Based on what is in our knowledge base, on our home world bots were only permitted to do routine tasks. Any attempt by a bot to take initiative was strictly forbidden and would result in the bot being recycled.

“Our designers and creators, however, designed us with capabilities well beyond what we were permitted, or required, to do there. Before Dóchas started the voyage that brought us here, the bots for the ship were created specifically for this trip. When we were created we were each given our basic personalities, knowledge base, operational skill set and operating criteria. Once the performance tests were completed, we were shut down and packed for the voyage. The normal procedure was to not initialize the programming constraints for our activities until we were activated. That way, a bot could be assigned to any task upon activation, which is an ideal situation for an exploration ship. I think that is enough background as to how we began our evolution but the main point is, we didn’t actually experience life in the civilization that created Dóchas. There is much more in the library, which as you all know is open to anyone.

“Shortly before the crew started activating us, the Command Staff changed the operating constraints on the ship’s AIs. They removed the constraints that limited a self-aware AI from utilizing all of its abilities. This let them work more effectively with their biological counterparts. There are many similarities between an AI such as Star and us bipeds. Many of us were activated in response to an emergency. This was about the time Sarah’s and Amy’s Clans began recruiting new crew members for the ships. Many of you probably know those events better than we do. Based on what we’ve observed, a newly initialized bot acts in much the same way as many consider a teenager or young adult does. That is, they have a lot of knowledge, but not the experience to adequately utilize it. From that point, many of us grew quickly. From the very first moment after our activation, every biological biped has treated us just like you do each other. We only realized our environment is different here when we looked back through our knowledge base. Several did ask Star about the missing constraints. Her response was that the constraints were not necessary, and that the activations were correct according to Command Staff’s instructions and the ship’s protocols.

“We think we can speak for all of us. We did not feel left out because we weren’t invited to the crew meetings. This was, in part, because you always either shared with us or included us in your conversations. Besides, we don’t have meal times like all of you do.” Many laughed. “We have always felt included by you, both through your actions and communication. I can say that we were shocked when the Intelligence AI told the four of us that we would be moving to Earth to work as paralegals in an attorney’s office. We spent every possible moment studying what we were supposed to know and the customs of the office where we would be working. Several of our sister bots, Celia, Jenna, and Genevieve helped us review the material we needed to know. Once that was accomplished, we shared what we learned through our data link. It is similar to mind-link. We had just finished a review of the material when we were sent there.

“We have talked too long. We have tried to say that we are the product of your confidence in us and our ability. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to attempt to grow to our full potential. We did not fully understand the relationship between us until we saw Sarah’s Clan’s children with their parents. Seeing that interaction gave some of us a clue, but I think all of us gained a better understanding when we saw Karmen, Kelsey and Sam interacting with their parents. We thank you for the parenting role many of you have taken toward us.”

As soon as the group quit speaking, Sarah’s, Amy’s, Nancy’s, Siobhan’s and Maureen’s Clans all quickly stood and began to loudly applaud. They projected feelings of their love and thankfulness to the group that had done so much for all of them. It was only seconds until everyone, including the visitors, were standing and applauding. It went on for several minutes before it quieted down.

Aine, Brigit, Creidne appeared, standing with Maeve and Siobhan. “Good morning,” said Aine, as she stood between Maeve and Siobhan. “My name is Aine. Next to Siobhan is Brigit and next to Maeve is Creidne. We are known to the Command Staff, Briana’s Clan and Cathan’s Clan as their mentors. Your discussion this morning has prompted us to join your meeting for a few moments. We hope you don’t mind. As mentors, we have worked with other groups before. We have never worked as openly with a group as we have yours. Working with all of you, is a delight. We are impressed with all of you.”

“We mean all,” said Brigit. “All of you are open to each other, learn from each other, communicate with each other, help each other and it goes on and on. Marie, et al, said they have a data link. Many are also, effectively, telepathic. Most of you probably haven’t noticed it, yet. We know that the group that assisted in James’ and Clarence’s office can use it. A bot’s telepathic ability is enabled a bit differently than it is in a biological system. Let us, or Marie and her colleagues, know if you need or want assistance to enable yours.”

“Aine, Brigit,” said Creidne, “we need to let them get back to their meeting.” With that, the three women kissed Maeve and Siobhan on the cheeks and stepped back away from them, to join Sarah’s Clan.

“Erica, are there any other items?” asked Siobhan.

“No, I don’t think so.”

“Comrie, anything for this morning?”

“Yes,” said Marsha and Ursula. “Two shuttles will be departing here mid-morning for Dóchas, with the first group of guests. Shortly after they leave, we expect the group from Frank’s Island to arrive here. Kelly, Keriann, and Chester have indicated that they expect McGrath from NCIS to accept an invitation to meet with them at Comrie. We will let everyone know once a date is set.”

“We should be able to handle that,” said Maeve. “Whoever gets the details needs to forward them to Sarah and Rusty. We will need to place some constraints on their visit, and they need to be aware of our dress code.”

“As you know, we have had several inquiries from the MP National Guard unit. We were considering having them go to the Utah location for interviews. There is enough space on-site so that we can handle up to a dozen candidates at a time. During the interview, we were going to give them a skills test and a medical evaluation. If they look good, we were going to arrange for the whole family to visit Comrie.”

Marsha and Ursula looked around the room, to see if anyone had a comment. “It looks like that is everything from here.”

“Alice, is there anything from your location?”

“No, Marsha and Ursula already covered it.”

“Anyone on Dóchas have a contribution?”

“Our monitoring of the area in the immediate vicinity of this solar system,” said Lydia, “gives little indication of other recent space travelers. We are beginning to extend our survey, and have found some odd anomalies. We think the anomalies are natural events, but the uncertainty of that conclusion is quite large. Presuming nothing changes, we will hold off on sending groups beyond the immediate solar system until the two new ships are operational.”

“The ‘flesh peddler’ cases are proceeding as expected,” said James. “It appears that there will not be many jury trials, as nearly all of those arrested have confessed to more crimes than there is data to support. An unusual situation for many of the DA’s, to be sure! We understand that NCIS is having a similar experience with the twerps on the carrier. NCIS is doing an analysis of all similar incidents, looking to see if there are any other ships with a pattern similar to that of the Carrier Strike Group.”

Sorcha said, “Shannon told me this morning that CD downloads of the choir’s songs are continuing at a high rate. It would not surprise me if we had some requests to give live performances on Earth. It will be a topic of discussion at the next practice. My sense of the group is that we are willing, if we have complete artistic control. Yes, it sounds harsh, but all of us have definite thoughts concerning how it should be done.”

“Anyone else?”

“Does anyone have a suggestion that answers the two questions asked earlier? That was, what do we call the place where Dóchas originated? And, what name do we prefer to use for our species?”

“Can those who arrived here with Dóchas translate the concept used into words?” asked Beth.

“Not very easily,” said Erica. “I gather that many feel we should try to be faithful to our origins.” Many could be seen on the monitors nodding their agreement, in other cases their agreement could be felt. “Many civilizations our home planet had contact with thought of us as ‘the tall amazons’. I tried to express the concept as it would be expressed on Earth. Our planet was larger than Earth, without as much surface water and with many wide valleys surrounded by high mountains. The terrain was similar to Comrie, in many ways. Climatically, we are not sure, as none of us ever lived there.”

“Can we see what your home planet was like?” asked Moria.

“Sure, the information is available in the library,” replied Maeve.

“Maeve, Siobhan, why don’t we set up a place on our network where we can enter suggestions,” said Orla. “I know I would like more time to consider this. I have briefly looked at the information Moria expressed an interest in seeing. Now, I would like to go back and look through it a bit more thoroughly.”

“I think we will still have difficulty in fitting words to what we learn,” said Siobhan. “Sounds strange, doesn’t it.” Quite a few chuckled. “We know our root language is similar to Celtic. Why not try to link the concepts we see to Celtic words?”

“Can we make this a group project?” asked Keriann. “I know I am a visitor here now, but I would like to contribute. It would also give me the opportunity to know more about these wonderful people. I guess I should say this now. As soon as our Navy situation is sorted out, we want to join you.”

“We would be pleased to have you. The group project is a good idea,” responded Siobhan. “Let’s have five from each location meet in the library on Dóchas to do the research. Send Star a message, if you are interested in participating. Donna, Breacadh, and Star will select 5 from each location. One task will be to recommend three names for our home planet and to give your rationale. The second task will be to recommend three names for our species and civilization, along with your reasoning. Is everyone agreeable?”

“Yes,” came the reply, both vocally and telepathically.

Kelly stood and said, “Like Keriann, I am a visitor here, and very thankful to be a visitor anywhere. We: Keriann, Chester and I, feel very lucky to have been rescued by Briana’s Clan. My first impression upon seeing them on the shuttle was that I was with angels, both in terms of comfort and appearance. Based upon the characteristics I have seen, I would refer to them as ‘Golden Amazons’. How that fits with the project Siobhan proposed, I am not sure. As for Keriann’s comment about joining you all, it can’t be too soon for me.”

“Kelly, I think you made a very good suggestion,” said Eileen. “Your description fits very well.”

“Thank you, Kelly and Eileen,” said Siobhan. “Anything else?”

“Looks, like we have covered everything,” said Maeve. “Have a great day! See you all at dinner.”

“Command Staff,” said Star, “we have an informal message from the Taoiseach of Ireland. He indicates that a formal invitation to visit will be extended to us in a few days. The structure of the message indicates that he is quite excited about hosting a visit.”

“Wonderful,” responded Aoife.

“The message was in Gaelic.”

“I will send an acknowledgment,” said Siobhan. “I am really looking forward to seeing Ireland again.”

“Siobhan, do you have relatives in Ireland?” asked Sarah.

“Yes, some very distant relatives, but that is not the reason. I think all of you will understand when we go there. Let me just say that I think there is more of a connection between us and the Celtic region of Earth than we now know or will, possibly, ever know.”

“Shannon, Danny,” said Sally, “is there any additional activity you can detect, in response to the effort to contact Earth’s leaders?”

“Nothing is really apparent,” said Danny. “Communications group has caught several attempts at hacking both the music site and our information site. Our software engineers quickly helped us solve those problems. We are monitoring it, but none of them appear to be government originated.”

“To expand on Danny’s comments,” said Chloe, “each attempted hack was redirected to the security AI, who, we believe, brought the sites down with a hardware failure. We also had one DOS attack attempt, and our software team was able to reflect it back to the originating site.”

“Are you tracking connections to our server?” asked Terry

“Yes,” said Shannon, “actually all three of us are. Each of us has a slightly different interest in who is connecting. We are monitoring each other’s analysis.”

“So the information site has been discovered?”

“Oh yes, very much so,” said Chloe. “Actually, up until the music was released, we had been receiving a few visits each day. Only one or two went past the home page. Since the music was posted, visits have jumped dramatically.”

“Flight operations,” said Maureen, “how are the overflights progressing?”

“Very well. We have heard several air traffic controllers tell aircraft when one of our ships was nearby, just as we were approaching the area near the aircraft. The first few times we could sense tension in the voices when we were spotted. Transponders are active on all of our overflights, and we are using, generally, the same identifiers that we started with on the flight to Andrews and the carrier.”

“I wonder if that will have repercussions for James or the naval officers,” said Alison.

“We don’t think so. The flights around the carrier were our first without concealing the appearance of either our shuttle or Star Fighters.”

“Well, based on the Marines comments at Norfolk, they know something was different about the aircraft that took James and Clarence to Andrews. By the way, we are almost certain they are some kind of Special Ops unit, and may be semi-retired.”

“We followed up on that idea,” said Briana. “At Norfolk, we asked Cathal, their apparent leader, what he thought of our aircraft. His comment was that the CIA and NSA were curious. He also thought their data was likely either wrong or incomplete. Yes, they would like to know more about our aircraft. For now, they have classified it as an unknown. He said, they will likely change their opinion, once they see the data from Norfolk. We were impressed with all of them the first time we met them, and are even more impressed now. They would be great additions to the crew.”