Transmat World: Chapter 30
Deep space, approximately 1 billion miles from Harbinger, 11:34 A.M., Wednesday, December 8, 2145 A.D.
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Control panels bobbed back and forth on flexible stalks as Enrique punched toddler-toy-sized buttons with pudgy exoskeleton fingers, causing See Lurchin’ to disappear toward the distant bauble in a half-billion mile leap.
“Alarm!” said Enrique.
“It’s just the radio alarm,” said Julie. “That’s not too alarming,”
“That alarm went off when See Lurchin’ first got here,” said Enrique. ”It was in a language me, Rousseau, and the onboard computer couldn’t understand. I reset it to go off if there was a recognizable word pattern.”
“Someone on Fat Boy speaks an Earth language,” said Ernesto.
“It may mean we have an alien language message that has accidentally duplicated an Earth term,” said Vince.
“I have an idea,” said Maria. “Let’s listen to the damn thing.”
The spring-loaded console did a particularly large bob back and forth as Enrique punched the button to play the message.
VINCE MILLER. LET’S TALK. FOLLOW THE ARROWS.
VINCE MILLER. LET’S TALK. FOLLOW THE ARROWS.
VINCE MILLER. LET’S TALK. FOLLOW THE ARROWS.
Enrique lowered the volume.
“That’s it? That’s the whole message?” asked Julie.
Vince’s mind was a little frantic. He had recently struck an inter-universal agreement to save the Solar System, and now he was getting personal messages from the largest and strangest artifact in the galaxy.
“Maybe they want to buy a Transmat,” said Rousseau.
“Perhaps it is the stowaway,” said Ernesto.
“That makes sense,” said Rousseau. “It was probably rough riding outside on a spiny ball for fourteen light years. Now he wants his own Transmat to make the trip a little more comfortable.”
“Rousseau,” said Enrique.
“Yes, Enrique?”
“Shut up.”
“Kind of rude … trying to help,” muttered Rousseau as he paced back and forth on Enrique’s exoskeleton shoulder.
“What does it mean, ‘follow the arrows’?” asked Maria.
“Blow up that view of Fat Boy,” instructed Vince.
Enrique filled the inside of the hull with an image of Harbinger.
“Would you look at that,” said Ookie.
Arrows marched across the top hemisphere of the Membrane toward a vertical line of similar arrows tracking down to the opaque band that controlled the day/night pattern on the Rim.
“What are we going to do?” asked Julie.
“Follow the arrows,” said Vince.
Enrique started punching buttons.
