Chap. 412 The Signal Trap

“Chief?”

One of Communication’s techs came to her Chief’s desk.

“Yes?”

“Remember during the shutdown, when Data caught that one datalink signal to the Yokohama? Even though everyone knew we weren’t supposed to use our datalinks?”

“Oh, yes, I do, Data was on it so quickly it didn’t leave the planet.”

“Yes, ma’am, and Data had their geeks build a trap to catch it if the person did it again.”

“Yes. It was shut up so quickly they couldn’t locate the position at the time. Are you here to tell me it worked?”

The tech smiled. “Yes, ma’am. I am. It just popped up on our screens. The person pinged the Yokohama and she caught it, too.”

“Woo hoooo!” Commo crowed in victory. “Horned and heeled! Where is it coming from?”

“From here, ma’am, just like last time. I was just watching while I was working, you know, and it popped up.”

“Well DONE! I know it’s been boring, waiting for it to trip, well done, lass. I really wondered if we’d imagined it. You’re sure it’s the same datalink?”

“No doubt, ma’am. The trap was set for that ONE datalink, no other.”

“YES!” She shouted in victory. She jumped to her feet. “You,” she pointed at one of her other techs, “call Data. Tell him their trap caught that rogue signal and that I’ll be in his office in a few minutes. You,” she said to her tech, “show me. NOW.” Her staff all cheered.

Data Chief looked at his main screen. Inside his mind, he was jumping in victory, too. Caught you, you little shite.  Are you a kid? Or a grown up? Laid low for a while, what? That’s okay. Electrons don’t have timers.

Only because Data wouldn’t allow it did he not have a growing crowd behind him other than her tech and Commo’s Chief. But he sent the screen to every Division in Landing.  

“Okay, whoever you are. Let’s see what you pinged Yoko about,” he said. I fully expect something big, he thought, something, well knowing some people, maybe something pornographic? Especially if it was a kid? Or some idiot disbelieving that the Butchers were real and out to eat us. He clicked an icon.

A map of Landing bloomed on his screen.

He waited for several long moments before he realized that was all it had.

“That’s it? Just a map of Landing?”

Map of Landing downloaded onto targeted datalink the computer responded.

“Why would someone who was here download a map of Landing?” Commo asked.

“That IS odd,” he said.

““Chief,” Commo’s tech said, “Maybe it’s someone who’s just visiting? Or maybe compare it with the map from the first transmission?”

Data smiled. “Yes. Good idea.” He pinged the database again.

Location of initial transmission unknown other than from Landing.

“Damn”, he said, “But hey, it’s okay. We know the person is still here.”

“Maybe ping Yoko and see if she has a better location?”

He looked at the girl. “I should hire you away from Commo,” he said, liking her greatly. I love it when the kids use their brains.

“Don’t you dare,” Commo hissed.

The girl flushed. “Thank you, sir, but no. I’m no geek,” she said, “But if this transmission did hit Yoko, she should be able to pinpoint it. Maybe even have a picture of the person? I know she can do that.”

“She can,” Data said. He typed again.

Signal sent this date 0600 hours origin in vicinity of warehouses on Rigel. No photo available.

“Rigel? All the way on the other side of Landing?”

“Apparently. There’s no one out there, as far as I know. I bird out there all the time, it’s still pretty wild, none of the buildings have been opened.”

“Let me see what Engineering says,” as he typed.

Data, Commo, congratulations on trapping the shutdown transgressor. Rigel is so far down on my list of scheduled openings that it will be a few years before we get to it.

Right now, my records show it’s nothing but ash covered warehouses, and I can’t say what’s in them, if anything more than volcanic dust. I’m sure they were emptied before the eruption. Warehouses that big were designed for big machines and the 3D printer that poured all of Landing’s buildings. There’s no living quarters there. The only ones who go out there are kids getting drunk from dad’s stolen ale or having a little tryst with a girl or boy friend. I can’t stop that and Security can’t, either. But I’m also betting it was a good place to hide and try to break through the shutdown, for why I can’t imagine, either through bravado or stupidity. Does your data show a name of the transgressor?

“Duh,” Data said, “I’m so excited I forgot to do the basics.”

The response: Datalink not registered.

“Hmm,” he said, “that’s odd. I thought every datalink has been registered.”

Commo was thinking hard.

“Data, go into Chief Elene’s database and see if the Library has any information on what might be in those warehouses.”

He thought for a moment. “I think the Yokohama will have that information more than Library. I’ll try her first.”

Contents of 3 warehouses on Rigel.

Individual buildings?

No Data typed and immediately regretted it.

“Oh, dear,” Commo said, when Data’s screen began to pour out data. Much of it was incomprehensible:

CONTENTS OF WAREHOUSES AT TIME OF COLONIZATION:

Antenna components: no other designation

Beacon, laser receiver

Beacon, laser transmitter

Cement, pallets

Crane, overhead, 5 tonne

D-9 Caterpillar bulldozer

Ditchwitch

Evaporator

Earthmover

Engine hoist

Excavator

Fencing no other designation

Forklift

Incubators: Human

                     Animal

                     Scientific

Mixer, Cement

Nets no other designation

NMH no other designation.

Osmosis, Reverse

Panel, Solar components

Propane

Reels, Cable:

            Fiber Optics

             Electric

             Microwave

Tractors

Tools: Agricultural

  Building

            Earthwork

           Food handling

           Food processing

           Gardening

           Livestock large

           Livestock small

           Medical

           Surgical

           Tire repair

           T

 “Stop! Stop!” Data cried, stabbing at the ‘quit’ icon. The computer obeyed.

“What IS all that stuff?” Commo asked.

“Who knows. But, something is twinging my mind,” he said, “something I read a long time ago about the colonists. I think-let me ping Science.”

The response was almost immediate.

Data, Raylan here. Give me a few minutes.

“Gladly,” Data said.

From: Science Division,

Data, Commo, thanks for catching the shutdown breaker. I looked at that list. NMH most likely means Natural History Museum. And I bet my boots it’s got something to do with DR Plank. He emigrated on the Yokohama as an all round scientist/polymath and wrote several books regarding the zoology, geology, botany, oceanography, even the weather of Pern; the creatures left behind on Earth, plant and animal life here on Pern and last but not least also wrote the seminal “Mammals of the Galaxy”.

Jansen has been using his books for information on the specimens in the natural history museum she’s been creating on her own time. I’m sure you remember the speartooth carcass K’ndar brought in last winter. If you were within half a kilometer of it, even upwind, you will remember it for as long as you live.

In the forward to two of his books he mentions that he couldn’t stand living “amidst a noisy crowd of humans” and even more perplexing, “needed to let Rajah and Fetch hunt,” whoever they were, I’m suspecting dogs; and so chose a ‘remote and wild side of Landing with enough room for all my toys.” I bet that’s the spot. It’s Maintenance day for my Division and quite honestly, I need to escape these noisy humans myself for an hour or two. I’m heading out for Rigel now. I’ve wondered all these years where Deearr lived, I’m hoping you’ve found it.

Data looked at Commo.

“I’m going out there, too. I’ll see if Engineering wants to take a look, she might be able to tell me more. Are you coming with?”

Commo Chief pouted.

“What’s wrong?” Data asked.

“I..I can’t go.”

“Why not? You’re CHIEF, right? You have people, right?”

Commo grinned.