Chapter No.60 Revelation

Sometimes it isn't the way you think it is.

The new vessel's construction was coming along quite well. We had lots of help, more than we could ever have imagined. It made the process move along at a very efficient pace.

Molly and Margaret spent time on the command deck trying to determine if there were Scath vessels within short range of the solar system.

I spent my time at the engineering station thinking.

I turned to the women. "I think we're confused about the Scath."

They both turned to stare at me with confusion etched into their faces.

"What if the Scath have created androids that resemble them, and what if their androids have broken away and are the ones attacking us. That would suggest that the biological Scath are powerless to stop them."

"Why didn't they tell us that?" Molly asked.

"I think they're afraid that we'll destroy them in revenge."

"That would also explain how they're able to build so many vessels," Margaret said. "It's obvious that having a large number of androids makes the task of building much more efficient."

"And there is an abundance of raw materials in asteroids not only in the asteroid belt but in the Kuiper belt as well," Molly said.

"If they're constantly building ships, how are we going to defeat them?"

"I think that the Scath androids suffer from the same syndrome that ours do," I said. "They're incapable of innovating. They can't improve their technology without help from living beings."

"We're not living, but we can improve our technology," Molly said.

"Yes, but we're technically not true androids. We're a chimera of sorts, a combination of android machinery and human imagination and curiosity. That combination gives us an important edge in the arms race, so to speak."

"I wonder if Fist knows about this?" Margaret asked.

"He might, but if he did, why wouldn't he introduce this concept to his species?"

"If what you say is true, I could see why he would eschew any attempt to create androids," Margaret said. "We're fortunate that we are able to control ours."

"If all of this is true, what are we going to do to stop them?" Molly asked.

"What if we could gain control of their collective?" I suggested.

"First, we would need to make contact with it," Molly said. "Then we would need to find a way to penetrate their system."

"We don't even know where they are," Margaret said.

"As soon as we complete the new vessel, that will be our mission," I said.

They affirmed their acceptance of that plan with nods.

That evening after supper in my quarters, we gathered for our usual evening meeting.

"I think that we could trace the Scath androids using energy profile scans," Molly said. "They are different than our androids' profile. Their signature spectra show a peak for the rare earth element Yttrium. Our android don't have that element in their scans."

"Scanning for a rare earth element might be difficult because I'm sure there are gobs of it in asteroids," I said.

"Yes, you're right, but it's seldom found in the pure elemental state like it is in the Scath android scans."

I squinted at her. "How did you find that in the Scath androids."

She smiled. "Well, I didn't realize that they were androids, but I always scan enemy ships when we're going into battle. It allows me to adjust the gamma ray blasts to be more effective."

I smiled. "I didn't even know that. Nice work. You may have discovered a way for us to end this madness."

"It's not going to be that easy," she said. "We still don't know how to penetrate their system and gain control. We could end up causing a retaliatory attack on our systems."

I sighed. "Yes, you're right. At least we have a premise to proceed on."

"Not to change the subject, but when will the new ship be ready?" Marie asked.

"I would say about a week," I said. "They're working on the interior now. It shouldn't take that much time to complete."

"We have plenty of time," Molly said.

"Indeed we do," I replied. "Unfortunately, time will be our inevitable enemy. As the universe ages, we will remain the same. Unless we find a way to enter a younger universe, we'll eventually meet our demise."

"We know that portals to other universes appear and disappear," Molly said. "What we need is a method of determining a universe's age."

"I would think that it could be done by determining the number of quasars," Margaret said. "Quasars are a sign of young galaxy formation."

"Yes, that would be one way if we assume that all universes have the same laws of physics."

"We'll have to determine that, but only if we see more than one portal," Margaret said.

I could see that we had lots of work to do before we even attempted entering a parallel universe. That would be risky no matter what. Then, we would have to take humans with us in order to guarantee their survival.