Chapter 4 - Inquiry.

The next day, fifteen minutes after getting up, Vic received the following notice:

"Good afternoon Vic.

You are welcomed by a law enforcement officer from the SBO department. We, like you, were thrown out of the rut by the trouble that happened to you, which occurred on the first day of the fifth month of the three hundred and sixty-third annual cycle from the moment of departure. To conduct the most correct investigation of this incident, aimed at finding vulnerabilities in the security system. I ask you to come today from 10 to 12 business hours.

Sincerely, Victoria Parker"

Vic was not surprised by this message. Having notified his colleagues, he went to the place where the SBO department was located. The department was stationed in the third head building, and shared it along with the spatial jump engine.

He had two paths he could take. The first included a path through the "innards" of the ship and a passage through the main compartments up to the third main hull. The problem on this path could be the flows of the expedition members. Or use the monorail and get to the building from the outside. Just the comlink showed that this path is already possible due to the readiness of this section of the canvas.

Vic decided to take the monorail and evaluate the results of his activities over the past seven years. Arriving at the platform of the first winged compartment, Vic noticed several groups waiting for the train.

He, too, did not go unnoticed, and, like the day before, a familiar voice called out to him.

"Vic, hi," Richter greeted him. "Where are you going?"

"Hi," Vic called out and held out his hand. "To the third building, you need to report on the incident."

"Well, I understand, by the way, I'll drop by to you today. Yesterday I came on shift, but my radio scanner does not work, I asked the guys, they said that no one took it.

"We will be glad, but where are you going?" Vic asked.

"Until the ninth wing, I go, periodically, I drive weekly reports back and forth. There, Elarion Collins himself knocked out a place for himself under the laboratory "

"But why would he accept papers over the network, and not scan them?"

"And he hasn't been in stasis for two years, he's been sitting in the top nine for the last year and he's weighed himself with reports, with my help." grinning Richter informed.

Elarion was the lead space geologist on the ship. On his shoulders was one of the fundamental duties, namely the analysis and selection of materials necessary for the capture and further exploitation of the materials encountered on the way of the ship.

After talking a little more time, the guys passed the time before the arrival of transport. After the sunset, on which they were poisoned on their way.

Outwardly, the ship could not stand out against the background of space, because the images of various kinds of transports, during interstellar flights, were replete with colors of consecration. Only in reality, if you move away from this object at least a short distance, then if it does not have consecration turned on, then you will not see it.

On board the ship, in different parts of it, there were many light sources. Light lines along the tracks of the monorail were especially visible. The light line encircling the body looked bewitching.

Vic got off at the bus stop before Richter. After passing a biometric check, he gained access to the SBO area.

The comlink indicated the direction leading him through a labyrinth built from offices equipped with transparent walls on the entrance side. Behind them, servers and testing departments could be seen, looking for and introducing new situations for activating the SBO.

After the Red Sunset event, the ship's crew was concerned about both private and general safety. In addition to systems like SBO, monitoring the state of the crew, both physically and mentally. Many norms and rules of behavior were introduced among passengers and in increased self-control of the crew itself.

For example, you can imagine a situation where two people disagree when summing up the result of a bet between them. They argued on the result of the match, but the end of this match turned out to be controversial. At the same time, none of the parties to the dispute does not want to concede the outcome of this dispute, as a result of which a conflict arises.

In the process of this clash of opinions and desires, there is a considerable possibility of the conflict moving from the philological realm to the physical realm. With subsequent results bearing irreversible consequences.

To resolve such conflicts even before they began, a number of rules or, in other words, laws were provided, leading to extremely sad consequences for both sides of the conflict.

Passing between the private departments of the SBO, each taking on a certain area of responsibility in the general program, in the distance Vic noticed the outlines belonging to the Spitz emergency evacuation department.

"Spica" was an emergency movement project, using on its basis the work of the engine Raduzhkin Avram Vakhitovich. Which during the crisis, two years before the "Red Sunset", created a prototype of the device, later called the "Spoke". The work of which was, when in reality the knitting needle is threaded between the fibers of the fabric and pulls out a new thread, so this engine sends an "anchor" by means of a shot, which pulls the object in which the "Spoke" is located in the center of its location.

This project, the crew decided to install almost on the bow of the ship, in the third compartment, and, according to preliminary calculations, captured the area up to the end of the sixth compartment. In the event of a need to use this engine, the crew located in the area from the seventh to the ninth compartments, including three winged compartments, should have been evacuated before the start of the jump.

Thus, in the field of law and order was the primary means of salvation.

Fifteen minutes after Vic's arrival in the third compartment, he reached the law enforcement area. This was the main center of this service on the ship, in addition to this area, there were station departments in different parts, in which three to ten persons worked.

The head office was divided into departments of inquiry, training and education departments, as well as a department of the prison department. It was possible to enter the office itself only by invitation, or by hand. Requests from the crew, which had an insufficient level of access to different compartments of the ship, were dealt with by employees of the station departments.

Vic's first visit to law enforcement, apart from a single incident of a fight in his youth that led him to the door of one of the station departments. The primary area of the department was like a vast workspace, in the area of ​​which, behind a massive counter, there were about fifteen tables. These tables were split across and made it possible for two people to use them at once.

Although it was just the beginning of the day, fruitful activity was already in full swing at these tables, because in addition to fighting riots, the department's employees were also engaged in assessing the quality of work performed by other departments. There was even a saying "If something happened, then the SBO's know at least what exactly." And in the absence of unrest, every specialist knew about the location and involvement of any cog in the ship's structure.

Vic approached the counter.

"Good day." The duty officer greeted Vic. "Please state your purpose of visit."

The attendant looked neat, in a standardized form partially repeating the design of the work uniform. This style of uniform was different from what Vic had seen in fiction. They did not hamper the movement of employees, and gave greater freedom in field work. Also, the dark color of the uniform contrasted very well with the almost gloomy atmosphere on the ship. This allowed the servants to better remain unnoticed and better use the element of surprise.

In addition to the form itself, the specialists who worked through the CI could use bots with the most advanced technologies, which were limited only by the penetration ability of the guns. And the leather bags themselves had access to specialized implants, allowing them to have a huge advantage in the fight against crime.

"Good, I'm on call to Victoria Parker. For the number. . . Now." Vic opened the message on the commlink and searched for the request number. "So the number is 22059419."

"Wait a minute." the attendant asked as he entered the data into the computer. After a couple of moments, he said "Room 35, go through the left door and go through the first opening and you will reach the office"

The door to Vic's left made a sound and opened, allowing him to pass into the primary area, going beyond the threshold, he immediately noticed the desired passage and went through it. The passage led along the primary area, which could be observed through a transparent polymer wall separating the passage and this area. And soon the training ground changed its appearance, on which at the moment about ten cadets offhand occupied.

Soon he approached the office he needed, on a sign next to the entrance, which, in addition to the number of the office, had the inscription "Victoria Parker, Chief Interrogator for Incidents Related to Disruptions of the Security and Defense Forces"

The doors opened automatically, urging the visitor to enter the room. In which, in turn, one could feel the stale atmosphere, which only lacked dust and heaps of paper documents like in the movies.

The office was filled with all sorts of devices, the purpose of which Vic could only imagine. In fact, there should have been devices that were parts of incidents with the system, or objects subject to security checks.

"Hello!" breaking the unspoken silence, Vic saluted. In response, he heard only silence. "Is there anyone here?" he asked a question that worried him, because the doors to the workrooms or offices that were part of the area of responsibility of certain persons were opened only if this person was in the office. The only exceptions were the emergency services.

Waiting for an answer, Vic looked around, he did not dare to walk around the office without the permission of its owner. Somewhere in the depths of the filled room, rustling sounds were heard, ending with an audible warning, known to everyone on the ship as the sound of robot control. This sound can be heard every time the consciousness of personnel or various kinds of AI complete the connection with a robotic device, from a banal loader, to a swarm of technical bots in everyday life nicknamed Stormbreakers.

After that, approaching sounds were heard that could be recognized as steps, only these were not the steps of a living person.

Living on a ship, everyone has long been accustomed to the concepts that a person can be both made of bones and meat, and the same person can appear before you in various metal structures. And the everyday models used by their users were subjected to various modifications, ranging from adjustments, shapes, sizes and weights of the machine to fit their meat carcass, to imitation of everyday clothes, and their individual elements like thermoplastic rubber soles. Allowing the same bot using the sole to deceive the expectations of the individual hearing the sound by sound. For walking down the corridor, for example, you hear around the corner the sound of steps that do not sound like the sound of metal touching metal, and then bam and surprise.

Over time, as long as some craftsmen, in order to surprise someone, made such modifications, causing genuine astonishment in the similarity of perception. Comic numbers began to appear at entertainment events, according to the idea of which the participant in the number, without sight, had to determine whether the person in front of him was alive or a bot.

Centuries later, the entire crew could tell, even by sound, whether they heard a robot or a human. For example, the human gait was more improvisational in sound than the robot's, because even though using CI to issue an order and the bot's pinpoint control, the machine is still programmed and designed to use a specific center of gravity.

And based on the sound of the connection heard, and the step that was different from a human gait, Vic concluded that an Antrobot was approaching him.

"Good morning, Vic," said the girl connected to the robot emerging from behind the largest blockage. "Victoria Parker," she held out her hand.

"Good, Vic, about your request, I came to the inquiry," he held out his hand in response.

"Follow me" said Victoria went deep into the cluttered office.

Passing by small hills of instruments, Vic did not notice the exposed mechanical rod and hooked it with the edge, leaving a small scratch on the skin of his hand.

"And it's convenient for you to store everything like this, it will be useless to find something here, no? he asked with a little annoyance at the collision.

"Firstly, every instrument in the room is marked in the techno-scanner, so using CI, nothing will escape my sight," Victoria began to give an answer, escorting Vik to the workplace. "Secondly, according to the research verification program that I have been entrusted with, verification of devices is complicated by the complexity of groups of devices operating in one bundle. That is, for example, the floor of the instrument cabinet here represents only one verification task. And thirdly, they don't want to give us places on the winged compartments for these needs, "So that unscrupulous workers would not be tempted to either bypass or sabotage the check." ' Parker finished her explanation as she walked over to her desk. "Sit down," she asked, pointing to a place clearly not used to hosting a visitor.

Sitting at the table, Victoria provided a working tablet and asked to write down everything that happened from the moment the incident began to the end. After establishing the data, she asked Vic to read the report provided by the first responders, and confirm the authenticity of the events described.

"I read the testimony of the specialist who checked the status of your comlink yesterday, and it says that somehow, the energy from the shielded container. . . well, that is, the batteries splashed out into the outside, without damaging the container itself. Bud then. . . Parker hesitated a bit as she searched for her words. "Technology from science fiction stories, like a black hole, created a spatial tunnel, from a container into a space about ten centimeters higher. Yes, and taking your hand as an instance of a stable "reality". Well, as far as we can tell, you moved your hand, although not arbitrarily, that is, the point of release of energy and the vessel with it moved in space, which could chop hand, based on the laws of physics known to us.

"That's what I would like to know. "

"Do you know about the Spitz project? "

"Yes, I heard it."

"Do you also know how this project works?"

"Yes, in the know, the anchor is dropped, and with the help of it objects are transferred in the engine zone, which performs this operation."

"Were you involved in the development of the project, or were you present during the test? Have you also participated in any experiments related to space before?"

"No, and I visited this compartment for the first time today, as far as I remember. I know that the Spoke project and the engine itself are here, but I have never seen it, nor have I tested it, and even in terms of application, I don't know how this engine works, only figuratively. Yes, I did not participate in experiments with space. "

"Regarding the conscious. . . "Victoria focused on this word," then you really did not arrive in the compartment. In fact, your guardian, Aoi Nakamura, has access to this department on duty, and when you were two years old, she took you with her to the department. According to the flight log, at that time there were problems in your living quarters, in the area intended for educational institutions, as a result of which you visited this department."

"So he was present, but do you think that this incident is somehow connected with Spice? "

"Based on the damage, it can be, and this similar phenomenon, as you understand, was in miniature this time, it could have mobility this two, and was in a certain period of time, and not simultaneously in the bio-environment, transmitting an energy dance, this is three. " The investigator summed up and, after a minute of silence, continued. "Are you aware of an event that happened yesterday at the same time as your incident? "

"No, there was no desire to watch the news. "

"Oh, this situation has not yet been covered. Do you know anything about such material as geofuel? "

"Yes, I heard that, as far as I remember, this is fuel that can store energy material, sort of. "

"Quite right. And we have it faceted in several tankers in warehouses. So yesterday, the contents of one of the tankers abruptly lost their potential. "

"I wonder what it has to do with me? "

Victoria held on the table, in the investigation a bluish schematic hologram appeared above it. On which Shambala was depicted in volume, with crossing it in some places, namely on the eighth and first winged compartment.

"That's how. Parker began to explain, pointing to an intersection near the eighth winged compartment. "The loss of potential occurred during the same time period as your comlink incident. On the one hand, there is no connection, only on the capture field of asteroids located between the fourth and fifth wings, at the same time, the energy field fluctuated. And if we connect all three points, a perpendicular line will appear. According to the trajectory by which these incidents occurred, and when analyzing the time of occurrence of the situation, there is a clear correlation of the sequence of incidents, namely in thirteen ten-thousandths of milliseconds."

"And what does it mean? "

"Let's find out that there are no such cases in the archives, maybe an unexplored astronomical phenomenon, like a miniature black hole, is in a state of superposition. " Victoria explained, in whose voice there were cheerful, playful notes.

"What happened to me has a strange pattern, but what does the AI ​​say and why did the SBO not work? Vic asked worriedly.

"The AI is still calculating, and the SBO has worked until now according to the methodology: cause - danger - threat to life. And we only had a "threat to life" here, so the algorithm did not pass, as a result, now there is a strong emphasis on advanced monitoring, which will not be driven into the framework."

"And if there is a heart attack, is there only in your opinion a "threat to life"? "

"A heart attack is classified as: Life Support Scanner displays damage in the body - sounds the alarm - threat level is set. In your case, it is not provided for the outpouring of electricity into the body without a source of this energy, so the system fixed the danger, but could not identify the cause." Victoria explained

"So the algorithm didn't find the missing piece of the puzzle?"

"As for the non-operation, it turns out that way, and you probably heard about the greater sensitivity of the first versions of the SBO?"

"Yes, in the lessons of experimental analysis, we were given as an example just an example of the introduction of the SBO into operation. "

"So, like any undertaking, the first algorithm had rather vague boundaries, which in turn led to tricky incidents, such as catching people in their solitude." There was a slight playfulness in Victoria's voice.