the data?”
Jix replied, “We scanned the jungle looking for the source.”
The antigrav glider slowed to scanning speed. Dr. Hadje engaged the autopilot and joined his subordinate in front of the instrument screens.
Almost immediately, the DNA side-scanner sounded an alarm. Dr. Hadje triangulated the exact location of the source on his instruments and fed the coordinates into the ship’s navigation computer. Autopilot made a gentle course adjustment while the doctor returned to the pilot’s seat. He nodded in approval as the scout glider flew slowly away from the jungle, up onto the sparsely vegetated transition zone between jungle and mountain.
“How did you figure that out?” Jix asked, equally perplexed and impressed.
“The data told me, Doctor Lillip. I listened to the data. When I over-controlled on that first turn, our glider came around one hundred and eighty degrees. The side scanner looked up out of the jungle for an instant. You and I assumed, incorrectly, that the positive scan came from somewhere within the jungle below. That was our personal bias. We believed the human could only be within the jungle. Naturally, we considered only that possibility.”
He disengaged the autopilot while educating his young understudy.
“After our second negative pass, you adjusted the scanner by raising the projection angle on the horizon. Again, during a turn, the scan no longer looked within the jungle. You see, the data did not lie. I only had to eliminate our personal bias and trust the data. It looks like our human friend may have left the jungle . Or . . .” Dr. Hadje frowned as his thoughts reached another logical conclusion, “perhaps his remains left the jungle.”
Chapter 14
General Tragge burst out of the Council chambers with assistants scampering behind him, taking careful notes of his orders.
“Recall the outer fleet to Wallow Minor. Order capital ships of the 9 th Battle Group to return to Tanarac . . . flank speed. Support ships can catch up later. We need the firepower of those deep space heavies.”
A junior officer stepped away from the fast walking group and began relaying the general’s instructions on his communicator.
The general’s antigrav sled lifted off for the short flight to the Empire’s Central Defense Center while he continued a steady stream of commands.
“Energize all three planetary shields to 50%. Load primaries so we can jump to 100%, if needed. Extend the top shield beyond the local defense fleet. Call up Air Reserves and assign them to low -atmospheric patrols. I want our experienced pilots transferred to Tang and Obol trans-atmospheric fighters. Put our Extended-Reserves on a six-hour recall clock.”
Minutes after the general’s transport landed, he and his staff entered the War Room.
“Captain Ludic , have we blocked those scans yet?” The general’s voice boomed over the noise in the bustling room.
A young officer sitting in front of a dozen monitors replied without taking his eyes off his screens.
“No, sir. Can’t block their scans, so I’ve been hitting them with false feedback. It’ll take months to sort out all that electronic crap. They’re bracketing the planet with twenty-three picket ships, but all scans are coming from their command cruiser. General, I got a lock on that mother ship’s scanning array. You want me to give em a Vaal-al surprise?”
The old general smiled. He liked soldiers who spoiled for a fight.
“What do you mean by Vaal-al surprise, Captain?”
“I can match their scannin g frequency and focus the entire power of our upper planetary shield onto their primary sensor array. It ought to fry the whole thing. Should take em at least two days to repair that much damage. How bout it, General? Can I fry some lizard arrays?”
In considering Ludic’s offer, the general turned to his radio operator. “Are they responding to our hails?”
“N egative, sir. We’ve been sending the standard request for a comm link since
Jix replied, “We scanned the jungle looking for the source.”
The antigrav glider slowed to scanning speed. Dr. Hadje engaged the autopilot and joined his subordinate in front of the instrument screens.
Almost immediately, the DNA side-scanner sounded an alarm. Dr. Hadje triangulated the exact location of the source on his instruments and fed the coordinates into the ship’s navigation computer. Autopilot made a gentle course adjustment while the doctor returned to the pilot’s seat. He nodded in approval as the scout glider flew slowly away from the jungle, up onto the sparsely vegetated transition zone between jungle and mountain.
“How did you figure that out?” Jix asked, equally perplexed and impressed.
“The data told me, Doctor Lillip. I listened to the data. When I over-controlled on that first turn, our glider came around one hundred and eighty degrees. The side scanner looked up out of the jungle for an instant. You and I assumed, incorrectly, that the positive scan came from somewhere within the jungle below. That was our personal bias. We believed the human could only be within the jungle. Naturally, we considered only that possibility.”
He disengaged the autopilot while educating his young understudy.
“After our second negative pass, you adjusted the scanner by raising the projection angle on the horizon. Again, during a turn, the scan no longer looked within the jungle. You see, the data did not lie. I only had to eliminate our personal bias and trust the data. It looks like our human friend may have left the jungle . Or . . .” Dr. Hadje frowned as his thoughts reached another logical conclusion, “perhaps his remains left the jungle.”
Chapter 14
General Tragge burst out of the Council chambers with assistants scampering behind him, taking careful notes of his orders.
“Recall the outer fleet to Wallow Minor. Order capital ships of the 9 th Battle Group to return to Tanarac . . . flank speed. Support ships can catch up later. We need the firepower of those deep space heavies.”
A junior officer stepped away from the fast walking group and began relaying the general’s instructions on his communicator.
The general’s antigrav sled lifted off for the short flight to the Empire’s Central Defense Center while he continued a steady stream of commands.
“Energize all three planetary shields to 50%. Load primaries so we can jump to 100%, if needed. Extend the top shield beyond the local defense fleet. Call up Air Reserves and assign them to low -atmospheric patrols. I want our experienced pilots transferred to Tang and Obol trans-atmospheric fighters. Put our Extended-Reserves on a six-hour recall clock.”
Minutes after the general’s transport landed, he and his staff entered the War Room.
“Captain Ludic , have we blocked those scans yet?” The general’s voice boomed over the noise in the bustling room.
A young officer sitting in front of a dozen monitors replied without taking his eyes off his screens.
“No, sir. Can’t block their scans, so I’ve been hitting them with false feedback. It’ll take months to sort out all that electronic crap. They’re bracketing the planet with twenty-three picket ships, but all scans are coming from their command cruiser. General, I got a lock on that mother ship’s scanning array. You want me to give em a Vaal-al surprise?”
The old general smiled. He liked soldiers who spoiled for a fight.
“What do you mean by Vaal-al surprise, Captain?”
“I can match their scannin g frequency and focus the entire power of our upper planetary shield onto their primary sensor array. It ought to fry the whole thing. Should take em at least two days to repair that much damage. How bout it, General? Can I fry some lizard arrays?”
In considering Ludic’s offer, the general turned to his radio operator. “Are they responding to our hails?”
“N egative, sir. We’ve been sending the standard request for a comm link since
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