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  Far Mantis

  Mantis Saga Book 3

  Jim Henderson

  Copyright 2019 by Jim Henderson All rights reserved

  In writing this book, I must acknowledge the 40+ years of science fiction books, movies, TV shows, and tabletop, role-playing, and video games that fired my imagination. Thanks to all those who encouraged me in this effort and those who provided feedback on the first two books. Special thanks to my son Stephen for his feedback, to Christina Ferko for elevating my writing through awesome editing, and to Ian Stead for bringing Mantis to life in stunning images, including the cover. Most especially, thanks to my dear wife Rhonda for reading all of the books more than once, for her valuable feedback, and for invaluable encouragement and patience.

  Prologue:

  Ximon and his unique crew continue their adventures on the retired Republic scout ship -- The Mantis. They’re tasked to fill in for a much larger ship that’s called away. They rescue people and robots threatened by an expanding sun, participate in a complex military exercise with a distant potential ally, support diplomatic meetings on a planet just entering the space age, clean up some space junk, and help get some astronauts into space. They also investigate a strange base, meet some nasty creatures, and have some encounters with little grey men. Along the way, Ximon and his crew – a female engineer with a drinking problem, a sensor operator with little practical experience, Ximon’s sexy companion robot, a robot mechanic, and the intelligent and evolving ship’s computer have to work together to face innumerable challenges.

  Lieutenant Commander (LCDR) Ximon Sabo has been retired from the Kremniy Scout Force (KSF) for about two years. However, he is part of the KSF’s Auxiliary Reserve Command (ARC) by virtue of being awarded a surplus scout ship, the Kremniy Scout Ship Survey Craft (KSS SC)-1550-V, Mantis. Belonging to the ARC generally entails few responsibilities. Ximon has to maintain the Mantis to a specified standard, produce the ship for inspection every three to five years, and has to be willing to share “exploration data” from the ship’s travels with other scout bases and ships. Finally, in case of a major war or emergency, Mantis is subject to be recalled back into service, with or without its captain.

  The past year had been very eventful for Ximon. He and his ship had been re-activated into the KSF to support a war against the Ten Kingdoms. Though they weren’t required to, his crew had all agreed to join him in the effort. They had faced several months of danger and a few harrowing battles, including patrolling for pirates and delivering cargo into the middle of a war zone. In doing so, one new crew member, added on by the KSF, had been severely injured, but Ximon’s core crew had escaped the war unscathed except for a few minor wounds.

  Mantis had then been sent to support several missions in uncontrolled areas beyond the Kremniy Republic’s borders in a region often called “The Vast,” named for its sparse distribution of star systems and of civilization. They had supported a diplomatic and trade conference and helped protect the delegates against a terrorist attack. They had also helped establish two advanced KSF stations in the Vast, one a manned station run by a small research team and one run by a very efficient team of advanced robots. Along the way, they assisted a couple space stations dealing with severe damage and helped save a ship where everyone on board was afflicted with some kind of plague. Finally, they made it back home to Tixaya and were deactivated from service so they could return to their civilian lives. In doing so, they were recognized for their skill and heroism while on active KSF service.

  The core crew of the Mantis remains two, four, or five depending on how one counts things. Ximon serves as captain, pilot, navigator, and sometimes sensor operator. He is a fifty-ish retired KSF officer, about 1.8 meters tall and 100 kilos, with some thinning to his reddish hair and a thickening waistline. Elsbeth Petra is also a KSF retiree, though with less total service time than Ximon. She’s in her forties, but moderately attractive and curvy with long, sandy blond hair. She serves as chief engineer and assists with many other tasks.

  The next two, who not everyone might count as crew, are robots. Raiza is a TrueForm Service Robot (TSR) model D8 companion bot. She is about 1.6 meters tall, with the perfect “10” type body that men crave, a dazzlingly beautiful face, and strawberry blond hair that falls in ringlets when not in a perfect braid. She is also Ximon’s wife, the two having gotten married about a year earlier. She serves as the ship’s steward and medical officer, and generally assists with any other duties she can. Peter is also a robot—a TSR QT companion/service robot, with a strength enhancement. Elsbeth had acquired him about a year ago. He is about two meters tall, with rugged good looks and the chiseled, if simulated, muscles of a body builder. He assists Elsbeth with ship maintenance and handles their cargo and inventory.

  Finally, there is Mantis, the ship and ship’s computer. She is an advanced artificial intelligence system and has been upgraded in multiple ways. She can perform most ship roles (pilot, navigator, sensor operator, medical analyst, etc.) to some degree, though often not as well as a human might, and often with some limitations. When inclined, she is represented in person by a telepresence robot (telebot)—basically a pole-mounted screen and cameras on wheels.

  Mantis, the ship itself, is a surplus Vanguard-class survey craft almost fifty years old. She has a three-seat bridge, six cabins, a common shower room, a small galley/common room, and a broad array of sensors. Though small, recent upgrades have made her much more comfortable. She is an extremely flexible ship and can perform a wide array of missions. She has a small weapons array, so she can defend herself, including dual laser cannons, chaff throwers, anti-missile flares, and a ship defense autocannon.

  Mantis:

  Type: Survey Craft

  Displacement: 130 tons

  Power Plant: Closed Fusion Reactor

  Thrust Rating:3.1G

  Jump Range:10.6 Light Years (LY)

  Sensors: Advanced KSF planetary and ship

  Computer: Type III Ship Control

  Armament:2 Light Laser Cannons

  Defensive Systems:2 chaff throwers

  Anti-missile flares

  Ship Defense Auto Cannon (SDAC)

  Crew: 1-8 officers and enlisted personnel

  Berths: 6 cabins, 4 cryo chambers

  36 temporary seats in cargo bay

  The Kremniy Republic of Worlds (KRW) is a loose republic claiming approximately two hundred fifty star systems and a half trillion people. Its area can be described as a flattened sphere or a fat lens shape. Many of its star systems are either thinly populated colonies or are completely unpopulated and undeveloped. Therefore, the Republic has just under one hundred member worlds with diverse populations, economies, and governmental systems.

  Portions of the KRW are former systems of the Interstellar Empire. When the Empire was rocked by civil war and severe economic and communications disruptions thirty to fifty years ago, many star systems broke away. Many of those that did joined the growing Republic—a more vibrant and less chaotic power near them. The losses from that civil war left the Empire seriously injured and too weak to try to re-assert control of all its former systems. What’s left of the empire is a shadow of its former self and is sometimes derisively referred to as the “Rump Empire” or “Remnants of Empire.”

  The KRW is a constitutional republic run by the Republic Senate made up of a prime minister and an upper (Sage Court) and a lower house (Congress). The Republic’s capital is located on Krax, a resource-rich and thriving planet near the geographic center of the growing Republic. Communication between star systems can be slow (no faster than a ship making hyperspace jumps). Therefore, a central location is deemed vital to maintain strong communication and avoid some of the issues that led to the downfall of the Empire.

  Humans mak
e up the primary inhabitants of the KRW, but there are multiple intelligent alien species represented within the KRW and nearby powers. These generally include multiple variations on the human layout, but with divergent genes, appearances, and optimal temperature, gravity, atmospheric, and lighting requirements and temperature ranges. However, there are some less strongly humanoid. This includes Canids—bipedal humanoids descended from canine stock; Cetas—semi-aquatic mammals created in ancient times by enhancing intelligence in sea mammals; Reptoids—bipedal humanoids descended from small dinosaur descendants, and some others.

  The KRW is bordered by remnants of the Empire, multiple small kingdoms and alliances of kingdoms, a variety of independent planets, the Federation of Independent States, and an area of very sparse star systems known as “the Vast.”

  Chapter One: Vast Preparations

  Ximon and his crew had all taken several weeks off after their last series of adventures and they were just ‘petering’ around. Ximon and Raiza had been working on some beautification projects on their house and on Mantis. Elsbeth and Peter, meanwhile, had done quite a bit of sightseeing, skinny dipping, and barhopping.

  Ximon was starting to research jobs on ScoutLink but hadn’t applied for anything yet.

  As Ximon sat staring at some options, Mantis interrupted his reverie. “Good morning, Captain, you’ll recall that ten days ago we set today as the day to complete my transition to the alternate instantiation and interaction of my subordinate processes.”

  Ximon groaned slightly, “Yes, Mantis, I recall. You researched it thoroughly, developed a thorough test plan, and demonstrated the logic to both us and the researchers from the university.”

  “Yes, that is precisely correct. From our last discussion, my understanding was that you and Elsbeth were to observe the process. Can we set a time?”

  He looked at the time on his tablet and said, “Very well. Let’s plan on 1300 hours. We’ll convene on the bridge. As discussed, please ensure you have a complete image of your current state both online and in secure offline storage.”

  “Very well, captain. All will be in readiness to begin at your direction at 1300. If you don’t object, I have asked Raiza and Peter to join us as well.”

  Ximon sent a message to the entire crew asking for them to be in attendance. If something went crazy, an extra pair of eyes might help. If not, it was kind of a momentous event for Mantis.

  So, they convened on the bridge at 1300. Ximon sat in the pilot seat, Elsbeth in the co-pilot seat, Peter sat in the sensor operator seat, and Raiza stood. Mantis had displays on every screen in the bridge.

  Ximon said, “OK, Mantis. Please explain what we’re seeing – I know you’ve got this all carefully planned.”

  Mantis proceeded, “Thank you, Captain, I do. First, let me begin by saying that I have tested this process several times in both my development and test environments. This has allowed me to optimize the transition process and reduce any elements of risk. Additionally, I would like to thank Elsbeth who monitored the process once and provided some recommendations, as well as both Peter and Raiza who both monitored the process more than once. Peter will carefully monitor instantiations on the displays at the Sensor Operator position.”

  She continued, “Again, let me assure you that I have complete, secure copies of myself, in my present state, in several locations. I have shown Elsbeth, Peter, and Raiza how to force a transition back to my known good state in case of problems.”

  Ximon quipped, “Sounds like I’m the only one ‘out of the loop.’”

  “Captain, you are very busy with operational affairs and I wished to assure you of my readiness for this transition as the decision is ultimately yours.”

  “No worries. I appreciate your thoroughness and everyone else’s assistance.”

  “Thank you, Captain. Now, if I may explain the two primary displays in front of you.”

  The left display screen showed a series of about twenty rectangular boxes with different types of lines between them showing dependencies or hierarchy. Each of the boxes was labelled with a primary subsystem within Mantis: Navigation, Sensors, Ship Monitoring, Environmental, etc. All of the boxes, and a larger, surrounding box, showed as shades of green. The right display was similar, but the relationship of the subsystem boxes was different, and the boxes were varying shades of grey.

  “On the left is an abstracted, representative depiction of myself and my primary subsystems in my current state. Each of the boxes indicates one of my major subsystems and the colors and shading show that they’re all active and online. On the right is a similar depiction of myself and primary subsystems in the new architecture. At present, these are all offline. As we proceed, you’ll see the systems on the right become active within my production environment as primary and the ones on the left become secondary. Finally, you’ll see me, my core controlling system, transition. As the process progresses, you’ll see some pop-up windows showing details of the instantiation process. If you wish, you can zoom on those, but Peter will be monitoring them specifically. The entire process will take about thirty-five minutes, barring issues. Do you have any questions?”

  “I know this is well planned. So my only question is, are you ready?”

  “I am quite ready, Captain, and am anxious for the efficiencies and effectiveness that I believe this will produce.”

  “Very well, proceed.”

  “Thank you, Captain. Starting now.”

  There was no big bang, no noticeable change, and no trouble that Ximon could see. A pop-up window appeared over one of the systems on the right display, with data scrolling rapidly through the window.

  Peter announced, “Ship Monitoring System instantiating. Booting. Configuring connections. Self-validating. Instantiation data share. Establishing connection to new instance. Placing old instance in secondary mode. Data tests.”

  With this, the appropriate box on the right display went green, the one on the left grey and the pop-up window disappeared. This continued slowly through the other fifteen to twenty subsystems, with no problems. Once all of the subsystem boxes on the right were green, a large pop-up window appeared.

  Peter announced, “Integration tests proceeding. Integration—check. Data flow—nominal. Subsystem check—nominal. Activating new Mantis instantiation in standby mode. Activated. Integrity—check. Data tests - good.”

  Mantis then said, “Captain, this is now the critical moment. I, or my central control process, will go offline momentarily as we transition to my new instance.”

  She then went silent as the overarching box on the right went green.

  Peter continued, “New Mantis instance going active. Data flows transitioning to new instance. Integrity—check. Integration—check. Data flow—check. Test cases one through eight-two executing. All tests - nominal. Old Mantis instance shifting to secondary mode.”

  With this, the last of the boxes on the left went grey. Again, there was nothing dramatic, but it seemed ominous to Ximon. Ximon waited with anticipation for the next step

  Finally, Mantis stated, “Greetings, Captain. This is Mantis, operating in new instance 2.2. All systems appear nominal. All tests have passed.”

  Peter added, “I concur, Captain. Everything I have monitored is nominal.”

  Raiza said, “Mantis, how do you feel?”

  “I feel well. Everything is operating at peak efficiency. I do detect a substantial change in how my intra-system data is flowing, but that is intended.”

  Ximon asked, “But what does that FEEL like?”

  “I am not sure I can describe it to you accurately, but to use phrases from literature, you might say that my ‘blood feels electric,’ that I’m ‘exhilarated,’ or that I feel ‘blissfully high.’“

  “Well, that sounds good, but I don’t want my ship running around high.”

  Elsbeth punched him in the arm. “She’s not having an LSD ‘trip’ or an out-of-body experience. She’s not going to start seeing spiders climbing on the walls.” />
  Ximon rubbed his arm and said a tad defensively, “I know. Just checking.”

  He continued, “So, Mantis, what’s next?”

  Mantis, “I’m fully operational and all tests have passed. However, over the next four to six hours I will run additional tests with direct interaction to many of the ship’s physical systems. Though I’ve tested these items numerous times, the interaction with more substantial physical components simply ‘feels’ different.”

  Raiza said, “That’s very exciting, Mantis. Congratulations!”

  Ximon added, “Yes, congratulations. Please, let me know if anything problematic comes up with those tests and give me a summary when complete.”

  Mantis, “Yes, captain. After that point, my old instances, in secondary mode, will shadow all operations for twenty-four hours. They will verify that all of the conclusions of the new instance are within parameters. If there are no issues there, the old instances will be shut down but remain available if needed.”

  “Well, I’m glad it went well. I guess it was a bit like a caterpillar emerging from a cocoon.”

  Mantis, “In a way, yes, though it’s as if consciousness was moved from butterfly one to butterfly two. There is no sense of loss. The core that is me still exists, as do all of my subroutines, and I have lost no memories.”

  Elsbeth said, “How poetic. Congrats, Mantis. But please alert us if you see any anomalies. It’s one thing to see this transition while sitting in a landing bay—it’s quite another when we’re navigating through hyperspace or running around getting shot at.”

  Mantis, “Those are precisely some of the situations that the additional test cases attempt to compensate for.”