I might be on to something here. Another QMT-related document. Would you give it a quick read and see?
Okay. Hold on. Allison would have to slow her decryption efforts for a moment in order to give the report more processor power, but Kira had a hunch it would be worth it.
Hey, I think you're right, Kira. At first this thing reads like a science research paper, explaining how QMT is possible by transferring energy wavefunctions through any of the multiple dimensions of the space- time membrane outside of normal space.
Uh huh. And?
Well, then you realize that this is a U.S. classified program, and from the dates and markings, it is over forty years old. The interesting part is where it describes applications for large ship teleportations and finally for personnel transport as well. There is a design for a star-to-star QMT bridge.
What do you mean?
This is obviously the basis concept for the transportation mechanism that took us from Sol space to Tau Ceti in such short notice four years ago.
I figured that. So they stole the idea from us. Wonder why we haven't been developing it and using it if this is forty years old? Kira was beginning to realize that there was something bigger than just a rebellion going on with the Separatists. But what she wasn't sure.
Not sure on that one. Could be that we are, but it is classified.
I doubt it, Kira replied. We haven't sent a lot of help to the colonies because it takes so long to get to them. This technology would make a big difference in the colonization growth.
Right. Anyway, the final suggestion of this report is that single human transport between stars is possible. There are even some preliminary calculations suggesting that it is possible to do this accurately to within meters.
Sounds out there. Kira rubbed at her arm some more.
So did exporting thirty million people from the Sol System in one day.
Point taken. Anything else?
No, not really.
Okay, get back to decrypting the files.
Right.
Kira flipped through the file, looking at the preliminary design drawings in it. There was one drawing of a proposed facility with concentric octagonal structures. At each vertex of the outer octagon there were towers. In the very center of the octagons was a larger tower that stood at least twice as tall as the others, and it extended in both directions above and below the structure. The caption for the image read 'Quantum Membrane Fluctuation Projector.' Kira studied the three- dimensional image a while longer and then moved further through the file, looking at other interesting graphics.
Well, we've for certain seen this thing, she thought.
Right. Oort Seven Three Nine Nine Zero One and the one in orbit above New Tharsis here. Been there. Done that.
A smaller version of the large octagonal structure appeared in the personnel transporter section of the report. The design looked more like a pad, though. The octagonal concentric structures were there, but there were no towers at the corners or in the center. However, there were small silver circles in their place. 'Interesting,' she said verbally, hoping that the sound of her voice would help keep her awake. 'We haven't seen that. Have we?'
'Not sure.'
In order to avoid the eyes-glazing-over effect of reading too technical a report, she closed out the stolen classified technical paper and opened the next file in sequence. This file consisted of flight plans scheduled for the Phlegra. The battle cruiser had been conducting flights for more than a year since it was commissioned, and there seemed to be little of interest there until she came to a flight plan labeled with the present day's date on it. There were future flight plans for the ship, but the one for today was intriguing.
'Holy shit,' Kira laughed. 'We got off that thing just in time. It's scheduled to go back to Sol space today through the QMT bridge.'
'Really?' Allison replied over the ship's speakers, realizing that Kira must want—or need—the verbal stimulation.
'Yeah, it just has experimental flight test listed as the reason. It's supposed to depart about two hours from now. One battle cruiser can't be a threat to the system all the way out in the Oort Cloud, could it?' Kira rubbed at her eyes with her palms and then shook her head, flinging her hair loose about her face.
'I don't see how.'
'Let's keep this in mind as we filter the rest of the data.'
'Makes sense to me.'
Several minutes passed, and there was little of immediate use found in the data. Kira yawned and struggled to stay awake as the cruiser approached the outskirts of New Tharsis. Fifteen minutes later, Allison was waking her up telling her that they had landed.
Kira dragged herself to the parking lot of the small suburban airport and crawled in her car. Allison took over again, driving her to the Tangier estates across the county. On the way, she stripped down and tossed her clothes in a bag to drop in an incinerator along the way. She ran a bathwipe over her body and changed her hair back to its
