Transmat World: Chapter 35, Episode 1
Section 27 on the Rim, 11:32 A.M., Sunday, December 12, 2145 A.D.
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“Thank you for uncovering yet another iteration of Maxlux. He had re-activated this area’s operations. Looking for you near the original meeting site, this commotion caught our attention. It is a worrisome thing. We will have to conduct an extensive search of Harbinger,” Wundee said. “Please excuse my appearance. It is a major apple of discord between me and Newlux who, by the way, is listening in and can converse with us through translation software built into my body. We decided it would be best if he did not come along as his shiny new body would remind you too much of Maxlux.” Wundee directed the last toward Newlux.
“Hello, it is good to meet you,” said Newlux through a speaker grill hidden beneath fake splix skin made of enduraplast. “I simply have to stay here to run things. Wundee exaggerates. I do not understand it. He was not like this before his trip to Earth,”
“Where is Ernesto?” enquired Wundee.
The room fell quiet, and the humans looked at each other with somber faces.
“He died saving us all,” said Vince.
“I am sorry,” said Wundee. “It is my fault for not having thought of the Supreme Arbiter having a backup.”
“It is my fault for bringing up the subject of how to improve the antimatter guns and distracting Professor Barerra. Otherwise we wouldn’t have left them in the ship,” said Maria.
“It is nobody’s fault. Ernesto joined this endeavor knowing full well the risks. As owner of the See Lurchin’ and head of this expedition, the responsibility ultimately lies with me, and the burden of Ernesto’s death should go no further,” said Vince. “And regarding this meeting, I believe we should find a safe location on the ground where we can take off these damn suits and freshen up before discussing anything important.”
Enrique found a desolate plateau and landed in the middle. They took off the Exoguards and their clothes. The mound of fetid clothing caught fire with trepidation until the sweat evaporated. While the clothes burned, they took a shower. Rousseau was put in charge of holding the Transmat shower head looted from the tiny bathroom in the See Lurchin’ about eight feet high with a constant flow of warm water at maximum pressure. This arrangement was decided when determining who would use the single-person bathroom first nearly came to blows.
“Me now, Rousseau,” said Enrique. “Remember, I’m your owner,”
“Is that a veiled threat?” inquired Rousseau.
“Yes, it is,” said Julie, “and I’ll report him to the Hedbot Abuse Society when we get back if you’ll spray me now.”
“Don’t listen to them, Rousseau. I’m the leader of this expedition and you should keep it on me for a little while …. ”
Vince’s voice trailed away as the water trickled to a stop.
“And it will stay this way until you all shut up and allow me to dispense water in equal intervals between the lot of you,” announced Rousseau.
Showering continued in silence. When finished, they put on fresh clothes from the Transmat. Vince scrubbed out his Exoguard and put it on long enough to arrange a series of boulders for places to sit around the fire. He threw a couple of long-dead plant trunks on the mound of smoldering clothes. They gathered around.
“You have powerful weapons,” said Wundee.
“You have scary despots, and my weapons were disappointing,” said Vince.
“I had no idea you perfected a way to safely weaponize anti-matter even though I was spying on you. The substance was banned from Harbinger — with good reason. The entire structure of Harbinger is made of stasis fields, the same stuff you made disappear on the Prime Mechanical,” said Wundee.
“Sorry for the loss of your friends.”
“They are not gone. They awoke in new bodies and look forward to many more years of continuous existence bragging about how they helped take down the mighty Maxlux.”
“You know Julie Newman,” said Vince. “Do you know Enrique Ramirez?”
“No, but I am delighted to meet the famous and daring Enrique Ramirez and his equally renowned hedbot, Rousseau,” said Wundee.
“Pshaw, you’re going to make me blush,” said Rousseau.
“Vince, because of its size, Harbinger would benefit greatly from Transmat technology,” said Newlux, using Wundee as both translator and voice box. “It would make it a more convenient place.”
“There is a problem with that,” said Vince.
“But we have technology to trade for it―stasis fields and gravity generators,” said Newlux.
“I understand, but it isn’t that. It turns out Transmats draw their energy from a parallel universe. Beings from that universe have asked me to alter the quantum entanglement frequency to take energy from another universe or they will destroy Earth’s planetary system.”
“Why do you not just change the quantum entanglement frequency?” asked Newlux.
“I don’t know how. I’m not sure what to change in the circuitry.”
“It has been long established that a parallel universe is the energy source for our gravitonic and stasis field devices, and we experience no threats. But we do not know what quantum entanglement frequency these devices operate at, and we do not know how to change it. These technologies are simply copies of those the Kolpac developed. We will offer what technical expertise is available and we will offer the stasis field and gravitonic technology in trade for the teleportation technology.”
“No,” said Vince unequivocally and continued in a softer tone. “I will give the freemechs as represented by you, Newlux, or by Wundee, the license to sell and/or distribute Transmats that Earth will build and provide. In exchange, Transmat Inc. will receive the stasis field and gravitonic technology. This will not include X-drive technology at the present moment or for the unforeseeable future.”
There was intense silence around the circle while Newlux and Wundee discussed this proposal.
“There is one other condition,” said Newlux
“What is that?”
“Under no circumstance can antimatter be transported to Harbinger,” Newlux said. “No one has seen a stasis field fail until now. Since stasis fields are the basic building blocks for the Harbinger of Light and Justice, antimatter is too dangerous.”
“All the more reason to limit the quantity of Transmat connections to Earth,” Vince said. “A port will be established. The traffic will be monitored from both ends. Also, Harbinger won’t receive a single Transmat until the frequency problem is solved.”
“Agreed,” said Newlux.
“And one other small thing,” said Vince. “Can you allow mankind one percent of the area of an uninhabited section as a haven should anything threaten Earth.”
“Done,” said Newlux. “But all travel and freight to that area must be through the port we establish. Any Transmat activity will be local to that area until further agreements are put into place.”
“Okay, it’s a deal,” said Vince.
“I must attend to business here before I return to Earth,” said Wundee. “Is there any reason I cannot resume my role as Frederick Beasener? There are a few loose ends.”
“Since you’ve been saving our asses for centuries, I guess your secret is safe with us. Just to let you know, your current Frederick Beasener bot is so much better than the one you had at our house in California,” said Vince.
“Thank you. You would not believe how complicated it is to duplicate the human form in all its subtlety. Vince, you do understand the same agents of the Prime that orchestrated the Hit probably killed your father and his former coworkers. They are still at large on or around Earth?”
“It would explain oddities about the house break-in. The only guy they caught was hired just for that night and had ties to a radical group. Apparently his only purpose was to throw Western Central Enforcement off the scent. The others escaped through a hail of gunfire.”
