REDEMPTION TRAIL

The huge, crumbling Star Saber continued on its wayward course for the middle of nowhere. Krey nervously glanced out the forward windows at Capella; it had already drifted another four degrees to the left. He knew that they had to make a course correction soon, or face a slow, horrifying death in the empty void of space. That thought continued to torment him as he returned his attention to Cassie and her efforts to fix the flight controls.
Cassie had already connected her Model 7 to the ship's console and was busy entering a series of commands in order to determine the extent of the damage caused by the time wake. Krey struggled to see over her shoulder as he impatiently waited for the results. They were both well aware of what was at stake.
"Can you do anything for it?" Krey asked anxiously.
"Quiet."
The bridge returned to silence, except for the sound of clicking key switches as Cassie continued working on the intricate system. The computer console displayed screen after screen of complex computer codes, each of which were virtually Greek to Krey. After a moment or two of pressing keys, Cassie paused to study the screen.
"Well?"
"Shut up. Let me think."
Cassie examined the data on the screen for some time, then resumed the task of entering commands at the keyboard. She worked at a hurried pace, though it was not quite hurried enough for Krey's liking; he let out a disgruntled moan as he impatiently waited for a verdict.
After entering a lengthy series of commands into the keyboard, Cassie, once again, paused to study the intricate data displayed on the screen. She brought her hand up to her mouth as her eyes scrutinized the codes.
"Hmm..."
"Hmm?" Krey asked, "What do you mean, Hmm?"
Cassie did not reply. She studied the screen for some time, nodded, then resumed work at the keyboard.
Krey took note of Cassie's nod; a relieved smile came to his face, which was brought on by the assumption that she could do something to remedy their dilemma.
"What do you see?" Krey asked. "Something good?"
"Nope, bad."
Krey's smile immediately diminished to worry. He wrinkled his brow in confusion, "Then, why were you nodding?"
"Because you were right."
Krey's look of confusion deepened, "I was right? Right about what?"
Cassie finished entering a series of commands before replying, "The computer link between the flight controls and the time distortion engine is shot."
"Can you fix it?"
Cassie shook her head, "Not without proper tools, software, spare parts, and about five days without some idiot asking me stupid questions every two minutes."
"Then, we're screwed?"
"Not yet."
Krey was clearly having problems following the conversation, "But, I thought you said you couldn't fix it."
Cassie slammed a frustrated hand down on the console, "I can't! Will you shut up for just two minutes and let me finish!"
Krey nervously settled back as Cassie resumed her efforts at the console.
Again, Cassie entered a lengthy series of commands at the keyboard. When she was finished, she sat back to study the complex matrix of codes.
"Hmm..."
"Will you knock it off and tell me what's going on here?" Krey lurched from his seat and pulled his flight harness taut as he struggled to get a descent view of the screenas if he hoped to spot the encrypted message somewhere in the tangled matrix of codes.
Cassie let out a sigh of disgust, "OKif you must know. The computer link between the flight controls and engine is burnt-out; it apparently took out the stick interface with it."
"I see."
"I doubt it." Cassie paused long enough for her comment to sink in. "Anyway, as near as I can tell, the computer link severed communications with the engine interface."
"That's bad, huh?"
"No, it's good."
"Good?"
"Yes, it means that the communication lines to the engine are unhampered and available; I might be able to use the Model 7 to tell the engine what to do with itself."
"You can!?"
"I don't know!!" Cassie retorted, "I haven't tested the engine interface yet!"
Krey lowered his brow, "Well, what's the hold-up?"
Cassie let out a sigh of disgust, "Some idiot with a big mouththat's the hold- up!"
"Oh."
"Now, sit backshut upand let me finish!"
Krey reluctantly settled back in his chair as he anxiously waited for Cassie to resume her work; Cassie waited until she was certain that she could continue without interruption. Satisfied that Krey was going to keep his mouth shut, at least for the moment, she resumed her task of testing the engine interface.
Krey nervously stirred in his seat like a kid waiting to have a tooth pulled. His anxiety grew with each and every nerve-racking click of the keyboard; would they make it to Theti, or would they drift forever in space? Would the results of the test be life and liberty, or would it be doom and despair? He nervously glanced out the window at Capella, which had moved a few more degrees to the left since the last time he checked it.
Cassie stopped entering commands, then patiently waited for the results to scroll up on the screen. It only took a moment or two for her to spot the specific series of codes that she was looking for.
"Bingo."
"Bingo!!" Krey shouted. Almost immediately, his expression dimmed to something less certain. "Uh, is that good or bad?"
"It's good." Cassie glanced out the forward windows, "What's your guess; eighteen degrees to port?"
Krey looked at their wayward destination, then nodded, "Something like that." He turned to Cassie with hope and anticipation clearly displayed on his face, "Will it work?"
"Hang on." Cassie entered several more commands at the keyboard, then the huge, decaying hull began to creek and moan under the strain of an asymmetrical time distortion. The Star Saber was essentially falling to the left as it began to make a huge arc in space. Krey and Cassie swayed to the right somewhat, though the reaction was due solely to the hull's rotation; the hard inertia of the course change was virtually negated by the time distortion, which pulled evenly on every molecule of the ship.
Krey watched with excitement as the stars slowly began to move to the right; he held up a triumphant fist, "Perfect!"
Cassie also wore a proud smile as she watched the star field shift across the windows. The leftward rotation of the craft continued for some time, then gradually began to settle as Capella edged closer to its appropriate position of seven and a half degrees to the right of the nose. Finally, the creaking and the leftward rotation of the ship came to a halt as their destination, once again, rested in its proper position.
Krey was pleased with the course correction; he could have hardly done better himself using the controlsif they would have been working. He looked at Cassie, who was still gazing out the window with a triumphant smile beaming on her face. He reached over and offered congratulations in the form of a pat on the shoulder, "Good job, Cassieyou saved our lives!"
Cassie's proud smile grew, "Thanksit was nothing."
"Where did you learn how to do that kind of stuff? Do you have a master's degree in computers or something?"
Cassie's proud smile suddenly diminished to an eerie uneasiness as her paranoia of losing her secret began to creep up on her. Her initial fear was unfounded; Krey would have accepted any answer without question, and had no idea that a condition such as Tripolean Syndrome even existed. However, Cassie's sudden change in mood alerted him to the fact that something was amiss. Krey's expression changed to something that resembled intrigue; Cassie's expression grew more uneasy.
The awkward silence persisted for some time, then Cassie finally shrugged her shoulders in an attempt to shirk off any suspicion about being a genius, "I just read books n' stuff about computers."
She turned her attention to the computer console in hopes of thwarting any further conversation.
Krey was noticeably confused as Cassie began entering more commands at the console; he couldn't understand what had caused her to go through such a sudden mood swing. His intent was innocent enough; he only wanted to offer praise and congratulations, the last thing he wanted to do was make her feel uneasy. He thought that he might have inadvertently said something that offended her. There was a lengthy, awkward pause before he finally unfastened his flight harness and approached her seat.
"Is something wrong, Cassie?"
He placed a hand on her shoulder as he tried to find a comfortable position next to her seat.
Cassie shook her head, "No. Nothing's wrong; I'm just testing the rest of the systems on the shipso we know what works and what doesn't."
"Good idea. Ahbut that wasn't exactly what I meant. I"
Cassie interrupted, "Are you aware of the fact that the life support system is on it's last legs?"
Krey's expression changed somewhat as his thoughts shifted from Cassie to the ship. He lowered his brow, "It is?"
Cassie nodded, "Yes. The compressor is weak, the photosynthesis chamber is partially clogged, and its computer shows a parity error."
"Will it make it to Theti?"
Cassie shrugged her shoulders, "Maybe."
Krey motioned to the computer screen, "What else doesn't work?"
Cassie was relieved; her attempt to change the subject was beginning to bear fruit. The paranoia of betraying her secret eased somewhat as she turned her attention to the keyboard and the ship's intricate computer architecture. She was pleased to see that Krey had also turned his attention to the computer screen and the secrets hidden among the codes; she knew it would only be a matter of minutes before Krey completely forgot about the fact that his question had brought her distress.
"Apparently, the computer system in this ship is set up as a web of hundreds of individual computers communicating with each other over a network. But most of the computers are either missing, malfunctioning, or unable to communicate with the others."
There was a pause as Cassie entered more commands at the keyboard. Krey watched the screen intently, though he did turn his attention to Cassie from time-to-time to admire her skills.
Krey shook his head, "I can swing a wrench just fine, but when it comes to this kind of shit, I'm lost."
Cassie did her best to keep the discussion focused on RQ-733 and its ailments. "The hydraulic system is leaking out of the gimbals for conventional engine number two. I can close off that part of the system from the keyboard and get the rest of the hydraulic system back in operation."
"Good. Then we should be able to use conventional engine number three when we reach orbitam I right?"
Cassie nodded. Krey smiled proudly; he figured that out all by himself.
"But," Cassie warned, "The stick interface is still bad; we'd have to fly it using the keyboard."
Krey was noticeably disappointed; flying the ship was his job, and he knew nothing about computers. He realized that his macho pastime of flying the huge hulk would now rest on Cassie's shoulders. He didn't particularly like the idea, but there was little he could do about it. After thinking about it, he decided that it served him right; he shouldn't have been drinking in the first place.
Cassie continued to enter commands at the keyboard as Krey idly watched the endless, mysterious codes slowly crawl up the screen. The dull, boring process continued for some time then, suddenly, Cassie stopped and stared at the screen in disbelief. Her expression gave Krey cause for concern.
"I don't believe it," Cassie muttered.
"What? You don't believe what?"
Cassie chuckled, then entered several more commands. "This is weird."
"What's weird?"
"According to my Model 7, there's another navigation computer on board."
"Can't be," Krey insisted, "I sold it to pay a fine."
Cassie nodded her assurance, "There is! It's a hot spare. I'm going to test it." She wore an ear- to ear smile as she turned her attention to the keyboard. "I don't believe this!"
"What's a hot spare?" Krey asked.
"It's a complete, redundant system that's always up and running, but stays off linelike an emergency spare that can be switched on line in case the main navigation system fails. According to my computer, it's located in an electronic utility area somewhere above the engine room."
Krey shook his head, "Can't be!"
"Strange but true." She paused to look up at the computer screen. "Yup. It's been tracking our position ever since we left the mooring orbitit has an accurate fix on where we are, and should be fully capable of flying the ship. All I have to do is switch it on line."
"I'll believe it when I see it," Krey said in a skeptical tone.
"Watch this." Cassie entered a few more commands at the keyboard, then a large portion of the dark, dormant displays in front of the pilot's seat suddenly lit-up as the century-old navigation system came on line.
Krey looked at the pilot's console in complete and total awe. A moment or two later, the implications of what Cassie had accomplished finally sank in; RQ-733 could, once again, be flown automatically by computers. Krey quickly moved to the pilot's seat as his astonished eyes wandered over the displays, controls, and indicators that had been dark and dormant for years. A bold grin came to his face, which somewhat resembled the smile of a gladiator at his moment of victory.
"Hot damn! Would you look at this!"
Cassie smiled proudly. "Go ahead," she encouraged, "Try laying in a course."
Krey strapped himself into the pilot's seat, then spent a moment or two reviewing the vast array of controls and indicators, which he had not used in years. He reached up and flipped several switches, then pressed a number of keys on a small keypad. One of the display screens changed to show star charts and commercial shipping routs.
Krey's smile grew, "The charts and everything are still in place!" He examined the display for a moment or two, then began pressing keys on a keypad as he laid in a course for Theti. "You're a geniusa certified genius!"
After Krey finished laying in the course, the huge hull of RQ-733 began to creak and moan as the navigation computers made a minor course adjustment. Krey turned his smile to Cassie, but his smile quickly dimmed when he noticed that his comment had, once again, brought her distress. Krey finally came to the misguided conclusion that, perhaps Cassie had suffered abuse from her peers for being remarkably intelligent, and that she just as soon avoid any confrontations regarding her intellectual abilities.
Krey decided that perhaps it would be best to change the subject. After all, he was grateful that Cassie had managed to save them from a slow death in space, and the last thing he wanted to do was bring her undue distress for having the ability to rescue them.
"AhI guess there's not much left to do up here; the ship will fly itself." He glanced down at his newly-found instruments, "We'll be in orbit around Theti in about nine hours." He looked up at Cassie, "Got any ideas on how we could kill that much time?"
Cassie shrugged her shoulders, "We should probably get some sleep before we reach Theti."
Krey nodded.
Cassie still appeared to be somewhat uneasy; she motioned toward the computer console. "UmI have a puzzle in my computer that I might work on for a while before I go to bed."
Again, Krey nodded. He pointed toward the rear of the bridge, "OK. I'll probably stretch out on the bunk and read a comic."
They affirmed each other's plans with a short, awkward round of head nodding, then Krey unfastened his flight harness and started for the rear of the bridge.
Cassie waited until Krey was several feet down the rope before she turned her attention to the computer console. She began by entering a series of commands into her Model 7 to call up a copy of the strange software implant, which she had discovered in the UN mainframe just before they left Unli. The implant came to mind when she was working with the Model 7 to effect a course change; once it was brought to mind, it rekindled her curiosity about who might have installed the implant, and why.

Cassie had spent several hours studying and analyzing the strange implant. Some segments of the code used standard techniques to manipulate the powerful mainframe, while other segments were clearly unorthodox. She noticed that most of the implant centered around collecting data, rather than manipulating data, which led Cassie to believe that the purpose of the implant was predominately espionage.
There were, however, several aspects of the implant that continued to puzzle Cassie. One of which was the text tables that were used to generate messages; the text contained in the tables was not in English, nor was it any other language that Cassie could readily recognize. Another point that puzzled Cassie was communication; if the implant was for espionage, how was it relaying the pilfered data to its author? She found no evidence of any standard communications techniques, nor was the pilfered data stored anywhere for subsequent retrieval by its author. Instead, the pilfered data seemed to be channeled into a strange routine, which did some kind of elaborate data conversion, as if it were being prepared for transmission, but no transmission seemed to be taking place. The mystery routine was terminated in a dead- endit made no sense.
Cassie rubbed her tired eyes, then shut off the computer as she settled back in the copilot's seat. She still did not know who created the implant, or how the implant was communicating with its author. Cassie had managed to analyze, re- route, and reconfigure the Star Saber's entire elaborate computer network in fifteen or twenty minutes, yet she could not make sense out of the relatively compact implant that was lurking the UN mainframe. After several lengthy hours of analyzing code, all she was able to determine was that the implant was some kind of espionage tool, and that whoever wrote it was a far greater genius than her. For some reason, that thought frightened her.