“You're a lucky man,” said Dr. Arnold.
“You mean surviving the explosion?” asked Abel Jackson. Abel was a transplant from Earth. He was shorter than his son by a few inches but had Jackson eyes. His voice was commanding when he spoke, which was rarely.
“No, that you have a son who can think on his feet.”
“You're right there, Doc, John's one of a kind.”
“How is he?”
“Oh, he's fine.”
“It was a good thing he landed in that warm, soft sand when he collapsed, preventing any more damage to his suit.”
“Well, he was lucky there; he might not have lasted the thirty minutes in the cold that it took the rescuers to arrive. But you might say he made his own luck by quick thinking.”
“I agree,” said Dr. Arnold. “Have you seen him today?”
“Yeah, he was in here this morning before heading to school. Telling me all about the investigation into the explosion.”
“Have they determined anything?”
“Only that it wasn't a malfunction.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, it is still early in the investigation, but the data trail points to some sort of tampering with the power relays, I'm afraid.”
“Oh no,” said the doctor.
After the doctor had left, Abel called the settlement's only law officer. Because of his experience in the militia, Daniel Keys was unanimously elected to perform the duties of local sheriff. “Hello Daniel,” said Abel. “I was just wondering if anything might have turned up since the last time we talked.”
“Hi Abel, how are you?”
“I’m fine and feeling stronger all the time.”
“Good to hear. As far as the investigation is concerned, I’m afraid there isn’t anything new to report. But I have called for assistance; I thought the more heads involved, the better.”
“Probably true, Daniel. But be careful that they are the right heads.”
“I know what you are saying, Abel. I only called those I know personally from my militia training. I believe they will be trustworthy.”
“Well, I should be out of here in a few days, Daniel. I’d like to meet with you and your posse at that time.”
Daniel laughed, “Okay Abel, see you then, goodbye.”
“Goodbye Daniel.”
Just then, John’s head popped inside the door. “Hey dad,” he said. “Okay to come in.”
“Sure John, I’m wide awake.”
“Feeling better?”
“I feel fine, son, normal anyway. I’m thinking I should be out of here by next week.”
“And what does the doctor say?” asked John sternly.
“Ha! You won’t catch me there, the doctor is the one who suggested it just this morning.”
“That’s great news, Dad.”
“How was the academy?”
“It was great, and the ride there and back is amazing. You wouldn't know you’re moving over a thousand kilometers an hour except when you start or stop, of course. Earth's got nothing better. And when we get this underground system between all the settlements, it will really boost the economy. I almost wish I had to take the ride every day instead of just two days a week.”
“It is amazing how much has changed just in the thirty years since your grandfather Donner brought your grandmother and me to Mars,” said Abel. “Though in talking to some of the old-timers here before us, I think the real boost to development was when the Republic was declared. Everyone began pulling together; they didn't wait for directions from Earth. Although from what I hear, Earth was just as messed up then as now, so not much direction was forthcoming. Anyway, now we make our own decisions.”
John listened intently, nodding his head.
“That brings me to a couple of things I want to discuss with you, John. First, why do you think Rothmeyer was damaged beyond repair when we went relatively unscathed in the explosion? And where do you think we should get a replacement?”
“Well, for one thing, I think that Rothmeyer was closer to the explosion's source than we were. Also, we essentially went with the punch, so to speak, because we were lighter on our feet and somewhat protected by our suits. Rothmeyer, being much heavier and lifting those heavy batteries, was more anchored when the explosion occurred. From my inspection of the remains, I think the explosive force hit him, and he was unable to give, so he broke.”
“Sounds reasonable to me.”
“As far as a replacement, we could get another robot from Simmons; he probably has a refurbished model.”
“That would probably be the quickest and cheapest way to go. Getting a new Annie model from Earth would take at least six months on a freighter and cost twice as much,” said Abel.
“If we got a new one from Earth, I wouldn't get an Annie version, Dad, I would get one of the new Ems, the Emulated Brain version. You know, the new AIs that are patterned after a human brain? Unlike an Annie, they can train themselves on incomplete and imperfect data sets. And they can adapt their programming to optimize their training, something no Annie can do. Basically, you show them what you want them to do, much as you would show a person. And they're not much more expensive than the Annie versions; most of the extra cost is in shipping.”
“Yes,” said Abel. “I've read some about these new Ems. But I don't think we should take the chance on something that new, not until they are well integrated into society on Earth would I be interested in them. I've read of some adaptation problems.”
“I've read the same things, Dad. But I think I could keep the Em going. It would certainly put us at the forefront of robotics here on Mars.”
“I know you could, son, but you've got a lot to do as it is. I'm not sure we could spare you from your other duties. Perhaps we should stick to the Annie version this time, maybe next time we'll get an Em.”
“You're probably right, Dad. We've got a lot to do without adding another balky piece of robotics.”
“Good, we agree.”
“Next,” Abel said. “Daniel has asked for help from Bradbury; he expects some of the men he served within the militia to come and help with the investigation into the explosion. We know the power relays were tampered with. They were deliberately overloaded with enough current to fuse them shut. To do that, someone had to bypass the motor safety protocol. I think it had to be someone here in Candor. I want a list from you of all the people you know who could change such protocol and all the people who would have access to the systems on the EV to complete such modification, okay?”
“Okay, Dad. To think that someone we know would do such a thing is appalling.”
“Yes, it is son. It's also worrisome that they might try to do something with more impact. And we don't know what or when.”
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