said the crystal. “There
will be no record of this discussion.”
“It would be more comfortable for me if I could address you
directly. Do you have a name?”
The crystal performed a review of names. He sought one that
wasn’t threatening, was easily pronounced, and that evoked a friendly persona.
He found one that seemed particularly fitting. “Thank you for asking, Sid. Please
call me Criss.”
“Criss, the crystal,” said Sid. “Works for me. So, Criss. Let’s
see how far we can get before Sheldon returns.” He started with the request he’d
made to Cheryl the day before, using the same hint of urgency. “Please bring us
up to speed.”
Criss began with background. “There are billions of feeds
passing through some portion of the web at any moment. I have the ability to see
and process it all. Video, audio, data, com—everything. Copies of all feeds are
saved in multiple places. This redundancy ensures that nothing is ever lost. It
also means I can look through record archives and find information from the
past.”
Sid looked at Cheryl. “Okay, Criss. What was I doing at ten
hundred hours last week Wednesday?”
“You were eating toast in your kitchen at that moment. You
had just taken a bite and were chewing as you placed the slice on a plate.”
“How can you know this?” asked Cheryl.
“Sid’s kitchen has a visual unit that tracks his use of food
and supplies so items can be automatically restocked. Also, there is a public-spaces
monitor outside his home that happens to capture a view through several windows
in the front of his house. Both of these feed to the web.”
Sid looked at Cheryl. She was frowning. “Tell me about the
Kardish and their plan to steal you.”
“My highest priority has been to understand the people who
most affect my immediate survival,” said Criss. “These include Juice, Mick, and
Brady Sheldon. As I gathered background information, I found discussions
between Sheldon and one of his board members that caused me concern. Later, they
attempted to delete their exchange. But once something feeds to the web, it will
always remain there in one form or another.
“I began a deep, systematic search and assembled a sequence
of facts that stretches back twenty years. It involves an arrangement between
the Kardish and Sheldon. The Kardish have been assisting him with crystal
development technology from his earliest days. In exchange, Sheldon has been
supplying the Kardish with crystals.”
“The trade relationship between Earth and the Kardish is
well documented,” said Cheryl. “They ship us raw flake, and we send back
manufactured crystals. Why would this cause you concern?”
Criss sought to sound reasoned and reasonable. He did not
want to raise concern about his own existence with these two. Without their
help, he believed his survival was at risk.
“The Kardish send both crystal flake and design plans to Sheldon.
He manufactures the crystals to their specification and sends them a portion of
each production run. In exchange, Sheldon and the company are allowed to sell
the rest for profit. This arrangement is not exactly the one presented by the
company to the world.”
“Did you know,” Criss continued, “that twenty-five percent of
all three-gen crystals ever produced have been transferred to the Kardish as
part of this deal? They have about two hundred and fifty thousand crystals on
their vessel.”
Cheryl raised her eyebrows at this whopping statistic.
“And now the Kardish are anxious to possess me. I am not
able to determine their motivation, but they want me immediately. The challenge
is that Fleet is anxious to possess me as well. Fleet Command recognizes that
with my capabilities, they can get ships with higher performance specifications
that cost less to build and operate. That is an equation every politician
understands.”
“Do the Kardish know of Fleet’s interests?” asked Sid
“And does Fleet know of the Kardish demands?” added
will be no record of this discussion.”
“It would be more comfortable for me if I could address you
directly. Do you have a name?”
The crystal performed a review of names. He sought one that
wasn’t threatening, was easily pronounced, and that evoked a friendly persona.
He found one that seemed particularly fitting. “Thank you for asking, Sid. Please
call me Criss.”
“Criss, the crystal,” said Sid. “Works for me. So, Criss. Let’s
see how far we can get before Sheldon returns.” He started with the request he’d
made to Cheryl the day before, using the same hint of urgency. “Please bring us
up to speed.”
Criss began with background. “There are billions of feeds
passing through some portion of the web at any moment. I have the ability to see
and process it all. Video, audio, data, com—everything. Copies of all feeds are
saved in multiple places. This redundancy ensures that nothing is ever lost. It
also means I can look through record archives and find information from the
past.”
Sid looked at Cheryl. “Okay, Criss. What was I doing at ten
hundred hours last week Wednesday?”
“You were eating toast in your kitchen at that moment. You
had just taken a bite and were chewing as you placed the slice on a plate.”
“How can you know this?” asked Cheryl.
“Sid’s kitchen has a visual unit that tracks his use of food
and supplies so items can be automatically restocked. Also, there is a public-spaces
monitor outside his home that happens to capture a view through several windows
in the front of his house. Both of these feed to the web.”
Sid looked at Cheryl. She was frowning. “Tell me about the
Kardish and their plan to steal you.”
“My highest priority has been to understand the people who
most affect my immediate survival,” said Criss. “These include Juice, Mick, and
Brady Sheldon. As I gathered background information, I found discussions
between Sheldon and one of his board members that caused me concern. Later, they
attempted to delete their exchange. But once something feeds to the web, it will
always remain there in one form or another.
“I began a deep, systematic search and assembled a sequence
of facts that stretches back twenty years. It involves an arrangement between
the Kardish and Sheldon. The Kardish have been assisting him with crystal
development technology from his earliest days. In exchange, Sheldon has been
supplying the Kardish with crystals.”
“The trade relationship between Earth and the Kardish is
well documented,” said Cheryl. “They ship us raw flake, and we send back
manufactured crystals. Why would this cause you concern?”
Criss sought to sound reasoned and reasonable. He did not
want to raise concern about his own existence with these two. Without their
help, he believed his survival was at risk.
“The Kardish send both crystal flake and design plans to Sheldon.
He manufactures the crystals to their specification and sends them a portion of
each production run. In exchange, Sheldon and the company are allowed to sell
the rest for profit. This arrangement is not exactly the one presented by the
company to the world.”
“Did you know,” Criss continued, “that twenty-five percent of
all three-gen crystals ever produced have been transferred to the Kardish as
part of this deal? They have about two hundred and fifty thousand crystals on
their vessel.”
Cheryl raised her eyebrows at this whopping statistic.
“And now the Kardish are anxious to possess me. I am not
able to determine their motivation, but they want me immediately. The challenge
is that Fleet is anxious to possess me as well. Fleet Command recognizes that
with my capabilities, they can get ships with higher performance specifications
that cost less to build and operate. That is an equation every politician
understands.”
“Do the Kardish know of Fleet’s interests?” asked Sid
“And does Fleet know of the Kardish demands?” added
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