The Dead Sun (Star Force Series) Read Online Free PDF Page B

system, it can’t be instantaneous.”
    “Why not?”
    “Because there is no such thing as a true instant in time—it is a continuum. Perhaps the process of destruction takes a nanosecond, or a millisecond. Whatever the answer is, that’s the timeframe in which we have to work.”
    I snorted. “That isn’t much time, Marvin. You can’t even get a computer chip to add two numbers in a nanosecond.”
    “The reaction will have to be extremely quick. In fact, it will have to be ongoing as the probe passes from our system to the next. If it is already engaged, it will not be necessary to sense a changed situation and react to it.”
    “I’m not following you.”
    “Here,” he said, curling tentacles in my direction. He indicated the command screen embedded in the conference table. All major ships in our fleet now had them. It made tactical discussions far easier.
    The big oval screen glowed at his touch. It showed the Thor star sy stem, with its three dead water-moons once inhabited by trillions of Crustaceans. I didn’t like to look at it as it was probably my biggest failure to date.
    “At this end of the Thor system, we have the ring which links to Eden. Over here, we have the second ring, which chains to an unknown destination. The third ring is underwater and currently inactive on the world formerly known as Yale.”
    “Formerly? It’s still Yale, even it if is a radioactive hellhole.”
    “Reference updated,” Marvin said. “In any case, imagine we construct a probe with a single powerful signal emanating from it. We send it through the ring, and, even if it’s a very, very brief signal, we’ll find out where it comes from when we hear it.”
    I frowned. “I can see how your plan could work. You’re saying that it could be anywhere in the galaxy, and wherever it’s transported, if it’s broadcasting when it goes through, it will be broadcasting when it comes out. Even if it’s destroyed almost instantly, we should get a blip.”
    “Exactly, sir.”
    “I don’t like it for two reasons.”
    “I’m ready to defend my proposal,” he said.
    “I’m sure you are. Reason one: we’ve never sent anything noisy and disruptive through the ring before. We’ve tried to be stealthy, so as not to trigger the Macros into activating a counterattack.”
    “I would suggest that our attempts at stealth either haven’t worked, or they haven’t been relevant. The fact that the probes never return and the Macros never come in response indicates they were detected and destroyed—and yet the anticipated Macro response wasn’t triggered.”
    I rubbed my chin and nodded. “I’m willing to give you that one. And I would like to know what we’re up against, so I’m willing to take some level of risk. But here’s my second objection: this radio signal you’re going to send won’t be able to get here in any reasonable length of time. What if the other end of the line is a hundred light years distant? Are you honestly expecting us to wait a century to find out if your experiment failed or not?”
    “No. The response will be instantaneous.”
    “How?”
    “I was not proposing to use radio-based technology. Ring-communications utilizing entanglement theory will be used.”
    I shook my head. “I’m surprised at you.”
    “Really, Colonel?”
    “Yeah—your plan can’t possibly work. In fact, the more I hear about it, the more inclined I am to think you’ve got some other plot up your sleeve.”
    “Could you clarify that statement?” he asked.
    “You know as well as I do that the ring is being continuously jammed,” I said.
    He moved as if to rebut my statement, and I put a hand up to stop him.
    “A small broadcasting ring will not be able to send us anything,” I continued. “Even if it does, it won’t be able to tell us where it’s from. Not if there’s only a nanosecond to take readings. The beauty I saw in your plan, if we were to use radio, would be the directional nature of the signal. We