OVER THE SILVER SKY TO THE WORLD OF NEVER : Part 239 - Really? Who Knew?

As you may know I love SPROT. I can't get enough of it. There's nothing I like better than watching my favorite sprot's team playing a game of their sprot in front of some people while being filmed. My love of sprot doesn't mean I'm not critical of it sometimes. Always constructive criticism. Like why don't female gymnasts swap leotards at the end end of their gymkhana matches? Today I was shocked and horrified by some sprots headlines I read. Pictured below is Rory McIlroy. He is a professional gopher. Goph is a sprot I promise. I am not making this up. It's a game where people choose sticks to see which one of them can hit a little ball hardest. That's beside the point. Yesterday Rory McIlroy shot 79 at the US Open. Why didn't somebody stop him? They don't give any report on the casualties either, as if those 79 don't matter. Our love of sprot has gone too far when we can dismiss the wholesale slaughter of people walking across a field staring at people hitting tiny balls. This maniac should be arrested and face the full force of the law. But no because it's sprot he gets away with it. His massacre doesn't even make the front page? This senseless violence must cease.

(The copyright to this image is the property of The Economist.)

Back at the ship, as the docking bay door closed, Jake was struck by something. That hadn't occurred to him until he'd crawled through that narrow opening. He was sure Pip had taken it into account. Mentioning it as a minor concern might be warranted.

"How were you planning to replicate the Death Sphere? There's no way it will go through that opening. Are you going to make the parts then assemble it outside? That'll take time and it could be spotted."
She looked at him in a now familiar way. Part pity, part bewilderment.
"No. I'm going to replicate it whole. This is a star ship. It's got more than enough energy to do that. Getting it outside won't be a problem. Think back. What did you say it could do?"
On replay, he spotted his misstep.
"It can teleport. I am an idiot. If only I could get my head around these things."
She grinned at him.
"You've got a lot on your mind. The thing that struck me was when you planned all this you couldn't have known if any of the doors would be accessible. How would you have got out of it, if that were the case?"
"I don't know. Maybe Chiro does. Come on Chiro. Answer the ladies question."
There were no sparkly lights in the hold. Only that genderless monotonous voice that sounded permanently affronted.
"There are two options available in the event all docking bay doors were unusable. You could exit as you entered or use one of the escape pods. These are situated on all sides of the ship including the tail where there are 4."
"There you go then. May I ask how your analysis is progressing? With regards to the link between us?"
With no immediate reply, he gained the impression Chiro was upset. Of course it might be calculating something.
"There has been very little progress. None of my simulations has produced usable results. I am aware the link is moderating. This may be due to the effect being temporary or to you growing accustomed to the link. As yet I have no solution and no theories as to how to proceed. Your biology is unique."
"But I got you all the medical data on humans."
"Indeed you did Wanderer. It has helped enormously. You however are unique. There are distinct patterns in your genes that are not shared by anyone else. They are not even hereditary. As far as I can ascertain."
He'd been expecting this. It was another thing he had to accept.
"Never mind then. Let's get some sleep."
Pip hung back as he set off.
"i was hoping to have a quick look at things in the control room. To check out some of this new surveillance you've given me access to. I should also check that the blocks and shunts I've put in place are still active and up to the job. That's if you don't want the news Daisy is here, leaking out. I'd prefer if you came with me. Please."
If the puppy dog eyes were anything to go by, she meant that.
"Okay. But why? I do trust you Pip. I know you're not going to be completely honest with me. Nobody ever is. Total honesty would lead to total mayhem. I know that whatever you withhold will be for good reasons."
"Ah bugger. Why are you so nice? I wish you were nastier and more judgmental. Time's a wasting. I'll tell you on the way. As long as you promise never to reveal this to anyone."
"You've got a deal."
The pair of them entered the transport elevator, which would take them to within a short walk to the room.
"You know I don't like sleeping alone. I need people around me. Well I don't like being on my own much as well. I can handle it, but it's stressful. The.. this ship.. It freaks me out okay? It's big, silent and empty. There's no noise and no movement. That puts me on edge. If I'm occupied with something, then I'm great. Better than great. If I get too conscious of the silence and emptiness I will fill it with ghosts. Hear things that aren't there. Not voices or anything like that. Random sounds."
That's what you got with honesty. A birds eye view of the crazy locked up inside everyone. No point continuing in this vein. She was already coping with other world shattering happenings and had just exposed her vulnerability. Time for a tangent.
"I could really do with a proper drink. What's that stuff called that tastes a lot like coffee?"
"Coffee." Pip replied.
"Really? Who knew?"
"Well everybody except you it seems. You've been here for months and you didn't think to ask?"
"It didn't seem important. What about the stuff that tastes like bacon?"
"It's called bacon. Before you ask the things that taste like eggs are eggs. They don't come out of chickens though."
"What do they come out of?" he asks suspiciously.
"A generative food manufactory. You put the chemicals in and food comes out."
"What about the coffee?"
"Some's grown. Some is generated like the eggs."
"No I meant let's get some coffee from the camp. If we get up early enough we can be there and back without anyone knowing."
"Tell you what. I'll fetch some for you when I go for a shower. Even though, with your new powers, you know exactly what everyone is doing." She froze as they exited. "Oh shit. Does that mean you've seen...?
"Yes it does. Every detail. I can even do replays of it in full color, high definition. I'm an involuntary voyeur if you like. All I'm getting out of it is a strong feeling of guilt. Hermes is enjoying himself though. I'm pretty sure he's recording it. Putting together edited headlights, if I know him."
"You really are extraordinary Jake. I've never met anyone quite like you. So many contradictions in one personality. It's a wonder you don't snap."
"I have done. Not for a lot of lifetimes though. It's not good when it happens. Well here we are. Do your stuff. Then we can get some rest. We've got a lot to do."

Once she was at that screen it was good to watch. Her face switching between full concentration to mystification then joy. Every now and then a cry of amazement. The amount of power available to them was incalculable. It didn't take her more than a few seconds to understand more than he did after 3 days and more. The ship's sensors sent out whatever scanning beams it had brought from the Ustraski dimension. Had been doing so since it landed. Those detection waves traveled outward at light speed. Whatever they found was instantly transmitted back to the ship. Unfettered by the speed of light. It might have been quantum entanglement or something unknown elsewhere. Whatever it was gave a real time result without any delay. Then from that she reasoned this system was built for a reality where faster than light travel was possible. If you traveled at the speed of light you were blind in some respects. With this system you could send out the beam then follow it hours, days or weeks later. Knowing what was ahead. Jake couldn't understand half of what she kept crowing about.

He did understand that she set loose dozens of her bot programs to sift through the information flooding in constantly. Not enough for Pip. Eventually he had to drag her away. Before she sent out another one followed by a dozen more. Each down an alley she spotted. Still protesting that there was a possible historical avenue she hadn't explored, Jake carried her from the room to their chambers. Only setting her down when she promised to sleep. This was the point at which he might not be able to trust her. So he delivered, what was for him, a small lecture. He hadn't been the Wanderer for all those lifetimes without learning that if you worked yourself too hard you made mistakes. A tired mind was a careless mind. Mistakes could be made. Particularly when the task she'd set herself was this enormous.

They settled for the night. He drifted off to sleep. Not deep sleep. He lay there between slumbering and wakefulness. Going over things. Not consciously. The facts and assumptions whirled around. Shuffling themselves into impossible patterns. Slowly his thoughts settled. So it was a surprise when he found himself somewhere else. It looked very familiar yet abnormally structured. As if someone had refurbished the place. Initially he presumed Raven or Angelique had brought him to this distorted image of what had been. Until he saw Pip looking at him sheepishly. Only then did he know where he was. The captain's cabin aboard the Harlot. Bigger than the reality. Things weren't in their right places or not there at all. Other things had appeared, that weren't there. The bunk was huge. The windows much larger and more brightly lit. Sunshine was streaming through those panes. So strong it was impossible to see through them.

"I had to show you. I thought I'd be able to resist the urge. And I did not intend to do this. I couldn't get it out of my head though. Look around."
He turned slowly taking it all in. Far better decorated than the actual cabin. Expensively ornate in parts. Nobody there. The door opened. Another blinding light coming through the opening. Obscuring whatever was beyond. There wouldn't be anything there anyway. Scarlet entered. In a fine dress. Ignoring both of them. Unaware they were there. Instead crooning loving sentiments as she scurried to the four poster bed. Upon which Jean-Pierre lay. Hands behind his head and booted feet crossed. Within seconds they were making out passionately. Their ardor impossible to miss.
"This is wrong." He declared. "This shouldn't be here. It's a memory from only a short while ago. Not from a past life time, but this one. This is perverse. There are only 2 possibilities. Either she's completely obsessed with the Ashenram or whatever this represents to her is another older memory that's been changed. Which could indicate the meaning has changed or the symbolism used has altered. You don't put what you had for breakfast yesterday into long term storage. It's too small as well. It should be a trail you walk along with objects and landmarks that tell the story and provide the links. There's no obvious pathway to read the narrative it represents. Meaning it could be interpreted in thousands of ways."
A vase of flowers blinked into existence. Floral bouquets snapped into being. Their conversation was non linear. Leaping about randomly. The responses didn't match. She'd ask it what kind of day it had had. The Ashenram would stroke her cheek and say that soon she'd understand. Her words even more sickly and saccharin than those she was using with Ydire. Pleading with Jean-Pierre to make her whole. Take her to the heights of ecstasy as she knew only he could.
"I thought you should see it. I think I can see things you can't. Right now I'm seeing multiple iterations of both of them. Overlaid on one another. It shows me she's been here a lot. The sheer number of times she's visited this memory means it's been here for a while though. Shortly before or after the Ashenram was killed I'd say. I don't think it was here before that. I can't explain why I think so. I want you to know I didn't plan for this. It was a spur of the moment impulse. I'm sorry I let you down again Jake."
He slipped his arm around her shoulders. Gave a squeeze as he kissed the top of her head and lifted her downcast chin.
"I'm sorry I didn't listen to you. I needed to see this. There's something going on here that shouldn't be. Now I think of it her Alice in Wonderland was awry as well. There was something about that which didn't gel. Do you really think you can find a way into the other memories?"
"I know I can."
"Go to it then. Let me know what you find." One more thing he had to add. "Including anything distasteful about me. Don't be afraid of hurting my feelings. Like I said. I've done a lot of awful things. None of which I'm proud of. I want it all Pip. Find out where she got lost."
"Do you think we can get her back?"
"I'm not sure. I don't even know if we ever had her. All I know is, this tells me she's deeply, soul crushingly, unhappy about something."