Memoirs of Kitty Siam Ch. 32

Memoirs of Kitty Siam - The Coffee Realization.

I still had many questions to ask Sima and was a bit saddened that she had to leave so quickly but being part of the command structure of an under manned covert organization had her in high demand. I was about to sit down at one of the data terminals in the control room when my stomach began to rumble. I figured that they had kept my body fed somehow while I was incapacitated as I had actually gained weight instead of losing it.

Just as I began to think about food, a data panel in front of me flashed to life and brought up a map of the underground facility; on the map was a bright green line that showed the way to the kitchen. Well, it was more of a chow hall than a kitchen and as I looked over the map I wondered if there was a way to print out this map, and just as the thought was completed in my head, the tablet that Sima had given me buzzed to life and the map from the terminal was now displayed on the tablet. I oriented myself in reference to the map on the tablet then set off to forage for food. Along the way I began to understand how the communication module installed at the top of my spine was relaying my thoughts and wishes to the central processor for this facility and how it was acting upon them. This allowed me to cross several questions off my list of things that I wanted to research.

I made it quickly to the dining area and while it was set up to serve many, it was apparent that the room had not been used to serve more than a few people in recent times. I suspected that the last beings to dine here were the medical techs that looked after me while I was in the tank, but they were gone now and I was the only one here that was in need of food.

There were stoves and ovens in the back of the serving line, along with a wall of refrigerators that were disconnected and sealed. The kitchen appeared to have had a hasty cleaning but there was still a lot of dust and such that had accumulated over time and as I took notice of the unsanitary condition of the kitchen, several maintenance bots entered from the hallway and began the job of sanitizing the kitchen and the dining area. I was highly impressed that just a mere thought brought a cleaning crew to act upon my thoughts.

While the maintenance bots were busy cleaning up the room, the dust from their cleaning activities made the room unsuitable for eating while they took care of business. Once again, the facility's data system did not let me down. My tablet buzzed to life with another route laid out in green to a place that was labeled, "Nourishment Replication Alcove". I followed the map to the replication station and as I stood in front of the food portal, a menu above the dispensing area came to life and presented me with many choices, but none of them appeared to be anything that I was used to eating. In my mind I pictured a big round supreme pizza, and I watched as the words for, "Unknown Item" was displayed in the Annu language across the terminal. I made a mental note to myself that we had to visit Earth or one of Earth's many colonies soon as I was missing many of my favorite junk food items.

I set the replicator console to show me pictures of the items that were available and when I recognized something that looked like steamed long beans with carrots and greens over rice I made my selection. As I sat and ate I used a combination of finger swipes and mental commands to browse through the data that the Major had given me. The more I read the more impressed I was of her organization and the task that they had undertaken.

While there was a lot of reading to do on the subject of the PTB and the KC, another thought popped into my head that led me to put aside the required reading and bring up the scans of my own DNA structure. I compared my new matrix against the data collected by the first scan that the obelisk made when I entered the temple. Next I mentally asked the table to display the differences and identify which part of my anatomy was most affected by these changes. What I got back was way over my head and probably would have confounded the molecular biologists back at Osaka Eugenics. I watched as the data flashed by in a seemingly unending list until I finally had to command the display to cease.

I had to go about this a different way, so I asked the tablet to display the genetic sequence in my DNA that the obelisk identified and reported to Central Command. I was instantly presented with a representation of the strand that I was looking for. I asked the tablet to display what that section of my DNA represented. The reply I got was a beep and a red banner across the tablet that read, "DATA UNDER RUN, DATA STREAM CORRUPT" in the Annu language of course.

My next question to the tablet was to identify which planets on the galactic navigation chart where such DNA patterns could be found. The answer I received clearly indicated that there were no planets other than Galora where the requested DNA sequence had been located. I knew that the reference to Galora was when my DNA was scanned.

I instructed the table to display the last time and place a similar DNA sequence had been scanned. The tablet responded with galactic date 27-45-91043. As I ate I tried to make the calculation between the Earth calendar system and the date that was just presented to me using the calendar of the Annu. The tablet picked up my query and announced that the last time a similar DNA sequence had been scanned was 4,714 years, 11 months, 3 weeks, 6 days, 14 hours, 32 minutes and 17 seconds.

I asked the tablet to identify the location that this scan took place.

I was rewarded with a familiar refrain, "DATA UNDER RUN, DATA STREAM CORRUPT,"

It was clear that I was not going to get an answer this way and that perhaps I would have to work backwards by returning to Osaka Eugenics to have a look at my medical records to find out exactly where my stray DNA came from. Once again the tablet read my thoughts and responded back with, "Off world transport is forbidden to personnel not affiliated with the Potaru Tansa Bushi."

So I had gone full circle and was back to the information that Sima had given me to read and approve if I wanted to sign on to the PTB with her. I was not quite ready to take up her cause and still had many more questions to ask and have answered.

I needed to ponder this a bit by myself and searched for the "off switch" to my neural implant. Just a few seconds browsing the schematics and source code for the device told me what I needed to know. When I issued the mental command to the device, my link to the facility and its processors was severed.

I began to think of how I could get around the lockout that the Major had me under but there was no way that I could find around it, but I was not out of luck just yet. Maybe I could not get off world just yet, but I had access to the entire database and perhaps if I could ask the right question, I could find my answers.

From my previous attempts and failures to understand my DNA and why it was so important led me to a dead end. The errors that I received were not warnings that I had been denied access; the errors were an indication that the data was corrupt or that the data was missing. I do not believe that the data had been erased, it was more like the database was so old that parts of it were no longer viable given the time that had expired between now and the last time a similar DNA strand had been scanned.

I finished my lunch and returned the dishes to the replicator recycling slot then searched the replicator's menu for something that resembled Pepsi, but alas, it was not there either. Fair well pizza, good bye Pepsi I thought to myself as my eyes focused on something that resembled tea. I reactivated my neural transmitter and requested the tea-like beverage over ice in a tall glass. A accepted the drink that was offered and was surprised how close it resembled Earth tea, though it was not exactly Earl Grey.

I picked up my tablet and tea and headed for the passage way that led to the stairs that would take me to the temple. The weather display in the control room indicated that it was a warm afternoon top side and I decided to do my research outside where it was much more comfortable.

As I reached the bottom of the marble stairs leading up to the temple, a series of lights came on at the side of each step to provide illumination and the thick marble slab that separated the top step from the temple slid to the side to allow me passage to the temple's alter area. I ascended the stairs and when I got to the top step I took a quick look around and noticed that the temple had been cleaned and returned to a rather pristine state. As I looked around I noticed a new statue had been installed on the temple's mall. The new statue was Ressa, and she was displayed in a place of prominence to the right of the temple's main alter. Like the other statues she was sans clothing, and her magnificent breasts and succulent nipples were on display for future visitors to admire. Ressa was mounted as the other statues were on a three foot high pedestal, and those that had mounted her there took great pains to ensure that even in death, her beauty was well depicted in her final tribute. I walked over to Ressa and stood under her frozen stare and paid my respects to her. Though I did not know her as well as I did Teela, I felt as if we had started to bond as we sailed across an ocean, and trekked across this island. I was saddened to see her life end this way.

I spent some time remembering Ressa and our exodus from Ishtan controlled lands and our voyage to Rontara. I really wanted to ask her if she was doing the big nasty with the ship's captain but never found a way to bring it up without sounding like a busybody in search of gossip.

I left Ressa as the orb that was the sun began to touch the horizon on its way to setting for the day. The first of Galora's three moons began to rise as I moved toward the edge of the plateau that supported the main temple complex. I activated the tablet and made a request for the maintenance bots. I ordered that the thousand or so human statues be moved away from the temple complex, and that the bulk of them be placed a safe distance from the waters edge in a way that their gaze looked out over the sea. I wanted the victims of the perverted temple keeper to at least have a beautiful scene to look upon in their final resting place.

I also instructed that Ressa be left in the temple area with six of the brawniest male statues and that the male statues be arranged in a way that they look adoringly upon Ressa. My final request on the issue of the statues is that twenty five percent of the statues would remain in the city and be spread out along the main roads that lead from the outskirts of the city to the temple. My requested was accepted and the control system for the maintenance bots signaled back that my order would be carried out at first light.

Next I decided to try to do an end run around the DNA questions by looking into the history of Galora and Rontara. I instructed the tablet to access the earliest history records available for Galora and to display them in timeline format. The timeline for Galora went back over six millennia. The earliest pictures depicted humanoid workers that appeared to be similar to Earth's Neanderthals unloading cattle, horses, and other such beasts of burden from large transport vessels that had just arrived at Rontara's spaceport. At the same time some sort of ore was being loaded into a neighboring ship.

From what I could make out from the sample of pictures I had browsed, Galora had been an active mining planet for well over 6000 years and many of the life forms living here had been brought here from another planet to assist in feeding the miners and to assist in transporting the ore to port.

The next set of pictures I came across were satellite pictures taken from orbit of the various continents and the cities and villages that they lived and worked in. I focused in on what today is known as Grimsod Shire just to see how things progressed. I watched the historical record show a growing mining operation that caused the main village to grow into the city that I had spent so much time in. I found one particular satellite that was focused on Grimsod Shire turn away from the planet and begin making recordings of happenings in near space away from the planet. The pictures were of a large freighter approaching the planet that had suffered some sort of damage and was venting a liquid, perhaps its fuel out into space. The satellite focused in on the ship and its damaged hull and followed it toward the Rontara spaceport where it did land safely.

I flipped through many of the pictures that this satellite took but there was not much there that was of interest so I opened another folder containing pictures of the various races on Galora. There were pictures of the Cassani and it seemed that even back as far as five thousand years ago, they were traders and transporters of ore and other goods across the oceans. I also noticed that that the humanoids had evolved quiet a bit in a thousand years. This was too fast to be a natural occurrence and that perhaps they had come from another place, or that their DNA was being manipulated to produce a higher level of being.

I came across pictures of the Kreet and the Na'Tal and it was easy to see that they were miners through out their history on Galora. I even came across pictures of the Ishtan and even as far back as the historical record went, the pictures showed them as task masters and enforcers.

I was just beginning to have a look at the other races on Galora when something struck me about the satellite pictures I had looked at earlier. I pulled up the series of pictures that I had looked at previously and made a note of the satellite's ID number, then requested that the tablet index all pictures from that satellite over the past two years, and a list was immediately compiled.

I then asked the tablet to eliminate all pictures that were taken by said satellite that were of the planet Galora. A new list appeared, then I asked to have all pictures eliminated that did not contain a space faring vessel, and a new much smaller list appeared.

I began clicking through the pictures one by one and watched a jump point open and a small dot emerge from the jump point and grow into an image of a Doenges Class long range shuttle. When the shuttle came into full view a second jump point opened behind the shuttle and from that jump point a small craft emerged and began firing on the shuttle. As the pictures of the shuttle grew larger it was evident that the shuttle had taken damage before it had exited into normal space. Perhaps it was the damage received in hyperspace that led the shuttle to exit here. They taught us back at the academy that only a fool would engage in battle in hyperspace. I suspect the pilot of the second ship missed that class.

As the shuttle passed the satellite it began to spiral out of control toward the planet as it was repeated hit by plasma fire from the trailing ship. When the trailing ship came into range, a targeting reticle appeared on the smaller ship and shortly after, the still functioning defense grid on Galora obliterated the smaller ship. I flipped back through the pictures of the Earth shuttle in an attempt to identify its colony of origin, but the area where the identification number should have been was badly damaged, but as I zoomed in closer, on the fuselage was a clear picture of the Drax Corporation logo. I had found the shuttle that had brought me to Galora, and now I knew what caused it to crash.

I flipped through the pictures again until I found one that had the best image of the small craft firing at the Drax shuttle. The picture was clear and bright and I could see the craft perfectly but I did not recognize it. I pointed out the unknown ship to the tablet and asked for an identification of the vessel and its planet of origin. It took a few minutes for the tablet to search for an answer, but the answer was not one that I appreciated... "Vessel is of an unknown design... origin unknown."

When it came to identifying the pursuing craft I had come to a dead end, so I decided that the next place to look for answers was on the planet Udon that was my birthplace and the home of Osaka Eugenics. If the shuttle originated from there, and it must have if I was aboard it, then chances are that the pursuit ship had to have passed by there. If not, then I could obtain the shuttle's flight plan from there and back track to see where the attack on the shuttle began.

I deployed my backpack using my new wardrobe device then carefully placed my tablet into the backpack. I slung one of the two straps over my shoulder then headed for the stairs that would take me back to the underground complex. The rest of this investigation would have to be done on the huge wall sized monitor that held the galactic map containing the known and functioning transit portals.

I took a seat at the main console that over looked the map and set my thoughts into actions. First I centered the map on the portion of the galaxy where I knew Udon to be located. Once that area was displayed I zoomed in and began searching visually for Udon's solar system. I could not search by name, as I did not know what name it was referenced by in this database.

As I got closer to localizing Udon I became aware that there were no lines of transit near or to Udon, which indicated that there was no portal on Udon or in the system that Udon was located in. I checked the neighboring systems and there were no portals located there either. Well, no portals that Central Command was aware of anyway. Perhaps someday someone will find one there and put it back on the grid but as of today, there was nothing there that would be of use to me in my quest.

It was beginning to become clear to me that if I am to solve this mystery, joining up with the PTB might be mutually beneficial since the only way that I was going to get off of this planet was by accepting Major Sima's offer.

After I had struck out finding a portal near Udon, I decided that I would look for the Sol system and see if there were any transit portals located on Earth. As I zoomed in on the Sol system I did not see an indication that there was a functioning portal on Earth, but there were two grayed out entries listed on the third planet and one grayed out entry on the fourth planet that was highlighted in orange. I pulled up the map's key to see what the colors represented and learned that the grayed out entries on Earth meant that there once were transit portals on the planet but that they were no longer there or at best, no longer functioning. The grayed out symbols with the orange highlight indicated that a transit portal was present and was returning a ping signal, but for one reason or another, the portal would not activate upon command.

I pulled up the database entry for the planet Mars and read through the information on the Mars portal. The portal had been set up to support planetary mining operations, and due to the lack of an oxygen atmosphere, the majority of the facilities on Mars were constructed underground. This was a fascinating read for me as I knew that settlers from Earth had colonized Mars centuries ago but they never reported coming across underground structures, or evidence of mining operations on the Martian surface. Perhaps the evidence had been wiped away by the passage on time on the red planet.

Next I accessed the transit logs for the Mars portal and found that the site had gone non operational over 17,000 years ago, but the data record suffered some sort of storage decay and the logs had been terribly corrupted. The logs were compiled in the Annu language as was most of the information that I was able to access and as I tried to piece together what had happened, there was a reference to a, "loss of atmosphere", but nothing to indicate what caused it or what had happened after that log entry.