Beyond the Farthest Star: Chapter 27 (revised)

It took Amy only a moment to transport the three of them back to the deserted beach on Amy’s world. “You know, I think I could get used to traveling that way,” Miles commented. “It’s actually pretty convenient. It would be nice to have a bit more warning, though.”

“I’m sorry,” Amy apologized. “I don’t mean to keep jerking you around like that. I just couldn’t stand any more of that woman’s attitude. I wasn’t expecting her to thank me or anything, but she was exactly like Adrian. Those people just make me so mad.”

“You still did the right thing,” the Sentinel commented. “You have given new hope to a dying race.”

“I wish. Personally, I think I wasted my time. Those people don’t want to build a future for themselves; they just want to kill each other. Do you know how many people would get killed if you disabled those bots for just 24 hours? It wouldn’t be pretty, I can tell you that. Those people have zero self-control.”

“You never know,” Miles commented. “You may yet be surprised.”

“I guess,” Amy said.

The Sentinel spoke up. “Either way, Xanthe is now behind you. Their fate is in their own hands and you need not deal with them again. I did not get a chance to say this before, but it is good to see you again. I have missed you, Amy.”

“I’ve missed you too,” Amy replied. “I’m sorry I got so angry with you earlier. You were right – destroying Xanthe would have been a horrible mistake, even if they are a bunch of ungrateful jerks. I’m glad you were there to stop me.”

“You are welcome. I am just glad that I found you again. Not to change the subject, but what have you been doing on Mars? Is there something that I can help you with?”

“No, I think I’ve got it covered. I’m actually trying to terraforming the planet – but slowly, in a way that makes people think it’s just a natural process. So far things are coming along pretty well, and as far as I can tell no one suspects that I’m responsible. Once the planet is habitable again Miles and I are going to lure people out of New Tikal and coax them into actually doing something productive with their lives.”

“How do you plan on doing that?” the Sentinel asked.

Miles spoke up. “That’s where this gloomy, depressing planet comes in. We want to design a city that almost functions but is broken in numerous key areas. Once we’ve done that we’re going to bury the city in the Martian desert. We’re hoping that when people discover it and see how fabulous it is, they’ll leave New Tikal and move in. Of course, it will take some work on their part to get it operational again – but the city’s advanced technology will give them a strong incentive to overcome the obstacles we’ve planted.”

“I believe I understand. Your plan appears to be sound; the lost city should act as effective bait. Mankind has historically been drawn to mysteries.”

“Right,” Amy agreed. “Then, once they have the city up and running again, we can start bringing in refugees from Earth. Of course, we’ll have to cure them first and I will need your help with that. I’m afraid that my own attempts at curing their madness were not very successful.”

“Refugees from Earth?” the Sentinel asked.

“Oh yes!” Miles exclaimed. “That’s the final stage of our plan. The people from Earth are afflicted with a terrible disease that has made them go insane. Amy wants to cure them, but after they’ve been cured they’ll need someone to show them how to live as civilized human beings. Our plan is to bring them to Mars and teach them there.”

The Sentinel looked puzzled. “But there are tens of millions of people on Earth, and less than two million people on Mars. How can you possibly take care of so many?”

Amy started to say something, and then stopped. Miles’ eyes widened. “Oh,” he said. “I guess I didn’t think about that.”

The Sentinel thought for a moment. “Instead of bringing them to Mars, it may be better to use the network. We have millions of vacant planets at our disposal. I see no reason why we could not house them all.”

“But housing isn’t the problem,” Amy replied. “They need someone to teach them! They’ve lived like animals for who knows how many generations. They need help and guidance.”

“There are the Stewards, you know. They are quite intelligent and they did not perish with the Artilect. They can provide ample help for all of them.”

“But the Stewards aren’t human!” Miles protested. “They’re just machines. You can’t put computer programs in charge of people!”

“Steve is just a machine too,” Amy pointed out. “You don’t seem to have a problem with him.”

“But he’s different somehow,” Miles replied. “The Stewards aren’t anything like him. They’re a far cry from a real person.”

“Do you really think that the ignorant savages on Earth would be able to discover the Stewards’ true identity?” the Sentinel asked. “The Stewards may be purely artificial intelligences, but they are quite advanced. Even Amy’s mother thought that they were real people until she was told otherwise.”

“Steve has a good point,” Amy said. “I know you’ve never seen one of the Stewards, but they’re really amazing. I agree that it would be better to have real, live people caring for the refugees, but it might be centuries until Mars reaches a point where it could absorb that many people. I don’t think we should wait several centuries before we try to help Earth. For the time being, the network really is our only option.”

“All right,” Miles sighed. “I guess that will have to work.”

The Sentinel nodded. “Very well. In that case, if there is nothing else I can help you with then I will return to my work.”

“You’ll do what?” Amy asked, startled. “Where are you going?”

“Well, first, you must understand that I spent a long time searching for you. That single task left me preoccupied for many weeks. I did not expect you to simply disappear, and when you did so I was fearful for your safety.”

“I know, and I’m sorry. I won’t do that again. It’s just–”

The Sentinel interrupted. “There is no need for an apology. I talked with Miles a few weeks ago and he explained what was going on. It is no longer an issue. But what I am trying to say is that I do have work to do, and looking for you put me behind schedule. Now that the Artilect is gone there’s no longer a central way to manage the worlds of the network, or to bind them together into a cohesive unit. Our unified network of 93 million stars has degenerated into 93 million separate systems, and that presents a tremendous administrative challenge. I do not have the ability to rebuild my father, but there are other things I can do to improve the management of our stars. If you need my help then I will remain, but if you do not then I will return to my work.”

“I guess you are kind of busy,” Amy admitted. “All right. I’ll let you get back to work. I will miss you, though.”

The Sentinel smiled. “I am never very far away. If you call for me I will return. All you have to do is ask.”

“I know,” Amy replied. “And – thanks for coming.”

“It is good to see you again. Take care, little one. Let me know if you need anything.”

With that, he disappeared.