XNOR

By Anand Purohit

1759 was a defining year for the colonies that became Canada. It was also the year the British Empire rose to preeminence over other European nations and empires. All that changes when technology deployed in 2047 to shield Canadians from an escalating world conflict inadvertently teleports a group of scientists, engineers, teachers and medical people back to Nova Scotia, 1759. Despite their technological superiority, they, like many new settlers, struggle to establish a homestead, feed their community and deal with the constant threat from a violent world. Established empires with their large populations are not about to let a small group of upstarts interfere in their lucrative slave trade and subjugation of whomever they please.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tellwell Talent
• Release date: Sep 8, 2021
• ISBN: 9780228858256

Anand Purohit

ANAND PUROHIT was born and raised in a Caucasian, Christian family. After several years of inexplicable experiences, he travelled as young man to India for insight. The shocking immersion, alone in a chaotic and foreign culture, forever changed him. Wandering among the slums, always on the edge of death and disease, his perception was shattered. He returned to Canada with a new name and legalized it to cement his commitment to a life of mindfulness.While enlightenment proved elusive, the quest for greater understanding remained strong. Forty years of software design and business ownership did not quell the thirst. Constant study of history, logistics, physics and metaphysics watered the desire to weld a nexus between analyst and mystic.The days of designing complex software systems have passed. A new door has opened.

Book preview

Copyright © 2021 by Anand Purohit

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law.

Tellwell Talent

www.tellwell.ca

ISBN

978-0-2288-5824-9 (Hardcover)

978-0-2288-5823-2 (Paperback)

978-0-2288-5825-6 (eBook)

The old game: Rock, Paper, Scissors.

The new game: Weapons, Money, Technology.

A country ruled by weapons is hell on earth.

A country ruled by money is slavery with toys and soft pillows.

A country ruled by technology will be crushed by weapons.

Contents

Foreword

From the Author

Main Characters

Acknowledgements

Chapter 1 - Space is Alive!

May 15, 2046 - Halifax, Nova Scotia

May 16, 2046 - Spectacle Lakes, Nova Scotia

May 30, 2046 - Halifax, Nova Scotia

July 8, 2046 - Halifax, Nova Scotia

July 15, 2046 - Twenty kilometres offshore from Halifax, Nova Scotia

July 18, 2046 - Halifax, Nova Scotia

July 20, 2046 - Ottawa, Ontario

July 22, 2046 - Spectacle Lakes, Nova Scotia

Chapter 2 - Testing

September 12, 2046 - Thirty kilometres southwest of Halifax, Nova Scotia

September 13, 2046 - Spectacle Lakes, Nova Scotia

September 13, 2046, 3:00 p.m. - Halifax, Nova Scotia

Chapter 3 - Countdown!

April 24, 2047 - Longueuil, Quebec

April 27, 2047 - Halifax, Nova Scotia

Later that day - Spectacle Lakes, Nova Scotia

October 24, 2047 - Spectacle Lakes, Nova Scotia

October 25, 2047 - Halifax, Nova Scotia

November 7, 2047 - Halifax, Nova Scotia

November 8, 2047 - Early Morning Shield Area

Chapter 4 - The Void

Nowhere, Everywhere

Chapter 5 - Where Are We?

Place unknown. Date unknown.

The next day - St. Margarets Bay, Nova Scotia

Chapter 6 - A Place to Call Home

May 12. 1759 - St. Margarets Bay, Nova Scotia

Chapter 7 - Meeting the Natives

May 13, 1759 - Head Bay, Nova Scotia

Chapter 8 - British Loyalists

May 14, 1759 - Head Bay, Nova Scotia

May 18, 1759 - Minas Basin, Windsor, Nova Scotia

Chapter 9 - Doctor’s Orders

May 19, 1759 - Windsor, Nova Scotia

Chapter 10 - Negotiations

May 21, 1759 - Head Bay, Nova Scotia

Chapter 11 - Beggar-Thy-Neighbour?

May 24, 1759 - Head Bay, Nova Scotia

May 25, 1759 - Head Bay and Halifax Harbour, Nova Scotia

May 26, 1759 - Halifax Harbour, Nova Scotia

Chapter 12 - Contemplation

Sunday, May 27, 1759 - Halifax, Nova Scotia

Monday, May 28, 1759 - Halifax, Nova Scotia

Chapter 13 - Normality?

Thursday May 31, 1759 - Halifax, Nova Scotia

Friday June 1, 1759 - Head Bay, Nova Scotia

Saturday evening, June 2, 1759 - Twenty kilometres from Boston Harbour

Sunday Morning, June 3, 1759 - Boston, Massachusetts

Tuesday June 5, 1759 - Homestead, Atlantic Canada

Wednesday, June 6, 1759 - Boston, Massachusetts

Chapter 14 - Progress

June 29, 1759 - Homestead, Atlantic Canada

July 6, 1759 - Homestead, Atlantic Canada

Chapter 15 - The Lion Awakens

July 26, 1759 - London, England

July 27, 1759 - London, England

July 29, 1759 - Homestead, Atlantic Canada

August 21, 1759 - Homestead, Atlantic Canada

August 28, 1759 - Homestead, Atlantic Canada

September 2, 1759 - Homestead, Atlantic Canada

September 5, 1759 - St. Lawrence River, New France

September 15, 1759 - Two kilometres over Quebec City, New France

September 27, 1759 - Downriver from Isle-aux Coudres, New France

October 12, 1759 - Forty kilometres offshore from Louisburg, Atlantic Canada

October 15, 1759 - Homestead, Atlantic Canada

Chapter 16 - Do or Die

October 19, 1759 - Homestead, Atlantic Canada

October 20, 1759 - Homestead, Atlantic Canada

Chapter 17 - What Now?

October 21, 1759 - Homestead, Atlantic Canada

Chapter 18 - The Big Sell

October 24, 1759 - Homestead, Atlantic Canada

October 26, 1759 - Homestead, Atlantic Canada

October 28, 1759 - Homestead, Atlantic Canada

October 29, 1759 - Homestead, Atlantic Canada

November 1, 1759 - Homestead, Atlantic Canada

November 2, 1759 - Homestead, Atlantic Canada

November 4, 1759 - Homestead, Atlantic Canada

November 8, 1759 - Homestead, Atlantic Canada

Chapter 19 - Peacekeeping?

November 18, 1759, early morning - 180 kilometres WNW of Quiberon Bay, France

November 18, 1759, late afternoon - Forty kilometres west of Quiberon Bay, France

November 19, 1759, early morning - Twenty-three kilometres southeast of Quiberon Bay, France

November 20, 1759 - Quiberon Bay, France

November 21, 1759 - Quiberon Bay, France

Chapter 20 - Diplomacy

November 21, 1759 - London, England

November 22, 1759 - London, England

December 9, 1759 - St. Peter Port, Guernsey

December 10, 1759 - St. Peter Port, Guernsey

December 11, 1759 - St. Peter Port, Guernsey

December 12, 1759 - St. Peter Port, Guernsey

December 12, 1759 - Homestead, Atlantic Canada

December 19, 1759 - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Chapter 21 - Snowbirds!

Saturday, December 20, 1759 - Homestead,

Atlantic Canada

Sunday, December 21, 1759 - Homestead, Atlantic Canada

December 22, 1759 - Homestead, Atlantic Canada

December 23, 1759 - Homestead, Atlantic Canada

December 24, 1759 - Homestead, Atlantic Canada

December 25, 1759 - Homestead, Atlantic Canada

Chapter 22 - Southward Bound

December 27, 1759 - Homestead, Atlantic Canada

December 28, 1759 - Boston, Massachusetts

December 29, 1759 - Boston, Massachusetts

December 30, 1759 - Cambridge, Massachusetts

January 3, 1760 - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

January 5, 1760 - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

January 7, 1760 - Thirty kilometres east of

Virginia Beach, Virginia

Early morning, January 8, 1760 - Fifty kilometres north of Charleston, South Carolina

January 9, 1760 - Charleston, South Carolina

January 10, 1760 - Charleston, South Carolina

Chapter 23 - Bahama Breeze

January 11, 1760 - Nassau, The Bahamas

January 13, 1760 - Nassau, The Bahamas

January 15, 1760 - Nassau, The Bahamas

January 16, 1760 - Inner Reef, The Bahamas

January 17, 1760 - Nassau, The Bahamas

January 18, 1760 - Nassau, The Bahamas

January 24, 1760 - Nassau, The Bahamas

Valentine’s Day, February 14, 1760 - Nassau, The Bahamas

February 18, 1760 - Nassau, The Bahamas

Friday, February 29, 1760 - Havana, Cuba

Saturday March 1, 1760 - Havana, Cuba

Chapter 24 - Northward Bound

March 10, 1760 - Nassau, The Bahamas

Monday, March 24, 1760 - Nassau, The Bahamas

March 29, 1760 - Nassau, The Bahamas

April 3, 1760 - Boston, Massachusetts

April 7, 1760 - Cambridge, Massachusetts

Chapter 25 - Stop the Presses!

April 8, 1760 - On route from Boston to Homestead

Chapter 26 - Home Base

April 8, 1760 - Homestead, Atlantic Canada

Foreword

XNOR is the story of people facing individual and group choices, emotional and life-threatening decisions. How will they choose? How would you choose in the same situation?

XNOR is also a logical function used in engineering and Artificial Intelligence.

OR is another logical function. Do this OR do that.

Likewise, AND is the logical function that instructs to go there AND do that.

NOR is negative OR. Do not do this NOR that.

XOR is not as well known. You can be here OR there but not here AND there at the same time. Computer programmers use it to create graphics.

XNOR is intriguing. It’s used in Artificial Intelligence to evaluate equivalence. Our subconscious may also use it. You are standing on the road of life with two paths before you. How do you evaluate their equivalence? Where will each path take you?

Before you make your choice, there’s a moment of inaction, a pause before you choose. As you approach the decision, you evaluate the possibilities and weigh the pros and cons of each path. The pause before action when the choice between paths is evaluated is …

XNOR.

From the Author

I’ve often wondered how the British Empire came to be the most powerful and widespread one of its time. Were they, on balance, a force for good or, as some believe, an evil, greedy pack of wolves?

The history of my country, Canada, was profoundly impacted not only by British economic and military might but also by their search for excellence and the deep commitment of the British people to their independence. Even today, some of our most cherished ideals, as well as our most intractable social and political challenges, emanate from decisions made during the eighteenth-century British conquest of the land that became Canada. Do we owe a debt of gratitude to the foundation they laid, or should we curse their short sightedness and expedient pursuit of quick profit?

My research of the colonial period turned up a lot of less than honourable characters from the many competing European empires. The year 1759 appears to be the breakout year when Britain’s growing advantage catapulted them to the head of the pack. It was also the year Canada’s history changed direction most radically. My attention, naturally, gravitated to this era.

Atlantic Canada doesn’t receive the attention other more populous and prosperous colonies do. Recognized mostly for its natural beauty and fun loving, easy going people, we often forget that it played a vital role in Britain’s ability to conquer and control the continent of North America. The American colonies, with their rambunctious attitude and flamboyant characters, soak up all the attention of historians and their readers.

On closer examination, I found the military installation of Halifax was vital in many ways. It wasn’t just a last chance saloon where grifters could sell their rum and wares for a piece of the British Navy’s plunder. Its fortifications were actually better designed and properly armed when compared to contemporary places like Boston and Philadelphia. Possibly this was due to its remote location on the world map and its small civilian population. It had to stand on its own. It was the launching point for British attacks on New France and control of the North Atlantic.

This first book lays the groundwork for a plausible fantasy. What would happen if a relatively large group of scientists, engineers, teachers, and medical people found themselves suddenly transported back to 1759? What decisions would they need to make? Would they be able to create a different paradigm for North American history, or would they be content to find a warm beach in the Caribbean?

Main Characters

Chan Wei—Entrepreneur, owner of Wei Corp., a supplier of laser and AI technology to the Canadian military. At age forty-seven, he is catapulted from rich to mega-rich.

Peggy Doyle—Feisty COO of Wei Corp. Age … state secret.

General Hammond—Military liaison to Wei Corp. Age sixty-two.

Tracy Galloway—Chemical engineer. Logistics expert. Destined for greatness. Age Twenty-seven.

Daniel Olson—Network specialist. Mid-twenties. The guy everyone turns to for key knowledge. Unlucky in love until his political star rises.

Dr. Pajöt—Senior medical person at Wei Corp. Ageless.

John Shepard—Meditator. Mid-fifties. Leader of the Northern Light commune.

Captain Tonya Archer—Captain of Canada’s flagship frigate. No one messes with her. Age … thirty-seven-ish.

Dr. Wu—Lead scientist at Wei Corp. Age unknown.

Neil Gargano—Eccentric engineer. Nutty as a fruitcake. Age … no one cares.

Colonel Anand Rajan—Chief negotiator. Late fifties.

Cecile Dubois—Language specialist. Mid-twenties. French immersion teacher. The Mad Moiselle.

Main Historical Characters

Dr. Benjamin Franklin—Fascinated by twenty-first-century technology (1705–1790).

Colonel George Washington—Plantation owner. Slave owner. President of the US (1732–1799).

William Pitt—Acting Prime Minister of Great Britain (1756–1761).

Admiral Hawke—Commander of the British flagship the Royal George (1759).

Admiral Saunders—Commander of the invasion fleet during the siege of Quebec (1759).

Captain James Cook—Cartographer, navigator, and key person during the siege of Quebec.

Charles Lawrence—Early Governor of Nova Scotia Province in the British Empire (1756–1760)

Acknowledgements

Special thanks to Lisa Andrews for her help improving the dialogue, and to Lori Christiansen and Kerry for their tireless work editing this saga.

Several members of Quora, a place to share knowledge, contributed answers to my peculiar questions regarding eighteenth-century British warships.

The professionals at Tellwell Publishing deserve a shout out for bringing this story to you in a pleasing format.

Chapter 1

Space is Alive!

May 15, 2046

Halifax, Nova Scotia

Chan Wei is skeptical anything important will happen. I’ve been here before. Scientists and engineers are always excited about their latest project or idea. I’m willing to take risks. Sometimes it pays off immensely, but I must avoid the duds no matter how enthusiastic the supporters are.

Peggy Doyle meets him as he walks to the AI & Physics lab. Hi, Peggy. I hear we’re in for a really big show.

So says Neil! she laughs. In all my years, I’ve never met a more erratic yet brilliant individual. You’ve given him a long leash. I hope he hasn’t strangled himself with it.

Thanks to your sales team, we’re having our best year. We can afford a misstep. What will our revenue be this quarter?

Peggy smiles broadly. I predict we’ll pass the billion mark for the first time! Our laser and AI divisions are steady thanks to our military sales. Graphene power storage has really taken off. We’re the world leaders.

Fantastic! When we go public, we’ll all be very rich, Chan boasts.

I’m thankful for the share options. The salary and bonuses go down well too, she replies as they enter the lab.

Neil Gargano is bouncing around in his usual style. His project partner, Dr. Wu, is seated, smiling, and displaying more emotion than usual.

Chan asserts a challenge as only a company owner can: Gentlemen, I’m prepared to be amazed or issue a pink slip. What will you be showing us today?

Neil can’t contain himself. Space is alive! We’ll show you proof. Space is alive!

Chan is amused. Peggy, is this something you can sell?

Peggy takes the cue. Let me see. I don’t see a fit with our laser division. Maybe we can sell the military some Alive Space. They buy some of the darndest stuff and pay well for it.

Dr. Wu surprisingly backs Neil up, somewhat. if this demo goes as planned, I think you’ll be recalibrating your expectations.

Great! Chan enthuses. Blow us away!

Neil bangs away on his keyboard and uses a magnetic stylus to interact with a plasma device as he explains the demo. As you can see, we have a small steel ball sitting on a pedestal inside this plexiglass container. The container is a little over one metre long. The steel ball and its pedestal are at one end of the container. Another pedestal is stationed at the other end. Our AI programs are interacting with eight atomic clocks and tuned lasers.

That’s where the clocks are being used! Peggy exclaims. Our comptroller, Elisabeth Quinn, mentioned them at a steering committee meeting last year. No one could understand why your lab needed so many atomic clocks. Chan gave the go-ahead, but the rest of us were left shaking our heads.

Neil gets very restless whenever he must slow down and explain what he’s doing. Dr. Wu sees the signs Neil is close to becoming unstable and jumps in to explain. You may recall that Neil and I were hired from the ALPHA lab at the University of British Columbia several years ago.

At great expense, I mighty add, Peggy quips.

Yes, our primary function is to enhance Wei Corp.’s laser and AI program. We accomplished that and used the 20 per cent optional development time Chan allows for us to pursue projects of personal interest. The ALPHA lab achieved an important breakthrough for Canadian research twenty-five years ago in 2021. They were able to contain antimatter in a strong magnetic field and use tuned lasers to slow its motion almost to a dead stop. Neil and I weren’t at ALPHA at that time but enjoyed the benefit of its subsequent advances in laser and antimatter containment. Our personal project here uses strong AI, coupled to lasers and the atomic clocks, to cause antimatter to move in distinct patterns.

I’m still not hearing anything I can sell, Peggy responds.

Neil can’t hold back any longer. Space is alive! I can prove it. Look, as I was saying, we have a steel ball sitting on this pedestal inside a sealed plexiglass container. There are no magnetic or other forces generated by us acting on it. You will see the ball jump from its pedestal, one metre to the other pedestal. How will it make this jump? Space is alive! It will move the ball after we ask it to.

Neil makes the final adjustment to the AI interface and exclaims, Watch as the spatial volume surrounding the ball begins to glow slightly. Our AI has communicated the properties of the object we wish to move. Space understands the communication and is locking its volume around the ball. After it finishes this locking process, we’ll communicate a command or request for Space to move the ball to the other pedestal. You can see the progress as a spatial volume is beginning to glow above the second pedestal. Watch closely. We have high-speed cameras recording this, but it’s important for you to actually see—

Holy shit! Chan exclaims. It jumped. I can’t believe it. It jumped!

OK, Peggy smiles, What’s the trick? My eyes can be fooled, but my Irish knows when some blarney is afloat.

Neil is adamant, No trick. No outside force has been applied to the ball by us. Space decided to move the ball using whatever powers it has as an intelligent being. All we did was find a way to get Space’s attention and develop a small set of communication ‘words’ to define the parameters of the movement. We have high-speed camera footage of each teleportation we tried. The recording equipment can show the flight of a bullet with each millimetre step clearly visible. There is no intermediate step in our teleportation. The ball is in one location one moment and in the other location an instant later.

Dr. Wu, Chan asks, I noticed the look on your face every time Neil blurts ‘Space is alive.’ What’s your analysis of this event?

Dr. Wu begins slowly, choosing his words carefully. Neil is an engineer and a brilliant one. He has his perspective. I’m a physicist. We used our capability to move antimatter atoms in distinct patterns to create an extremely unique situation. It’s like a pure signal in amongst the noise of the universe. Just as electronics can be used to create a radio signal that can be detected by a receiver, our antimatter signal apparently is detectable by something. It responds to our signal.

Why have you not notified us of your progress sooner? Chan wonders.

Again, as a physicist, I’m trained to be skeptical. I wasn’t certain if the response we detected was simply an echo. Our signal might simply be bouncing off some unknown structure and returning to our receiver. I implored Neil to remain quiet until we have proof of an intelligent response. As soon as we were able to achieve a physical effect like the teleport you witnessed here today, we set up this demo for you.

Chan is uncharacteristically circumspective. If you have truly developed a means to communicate with an intelligence, whatever its nature, and with the capability to cause a physical effect, this is monumental … and potentially dangerous. Very dangerous! My first decision is to lock down any communication of your research. Our contracts with our military prevent scientific publication of research such as this for one year until the military has time to evaluate its impact on their operations. I have no intention of revealing much to them at this time. I will move cautiously, as should you.

We have a multi-trillion-dollar technology in the making here, Peggy interjects. If we truly have control of it, the potential is unlimited. It will revolutionize all transportation, including travel to the stars. On the other hand, are we in control of it, or is it out to control us?

Chan’s mind is racing. Is this technology scalable? Maybe it’s just an interesting lab phenomenon. "Have you experimented with other materials or object sizes?"

We experimented with several sizes of steel and plastic balls and transfer distances, Neil answers. The same amount of AI processing is used. If we want to demo something really big, like a house, the problem will be in defining the volume to be teleported. How much of the earth beneath the house will also move? What will we destroy in the space where the house is moved to? Doing a large-scale demo on land will be tricky.

How about on the ocean? Chan asks. Could we duplicate all of the hardware and software used by this project onto a datacenter ship and teleport a nearby cargo ship more than a few metres?

That would be much easier to program, Neil replies.

Have you tested the technology using live subjects, like plants and animals?

No, we haven’t.

OK, plants should be your next test, then maybe a rabbit if the plants survive. Just moving inanimate objects is a very impressive feat by your team, Chan praises. Before we go to a large-scale demo, I’d like to know if this teleportation technology is limited to non-living subjects. Can you do the rabbit test within this lab?

Yes, we have the space for a larger test. We’ll need to equip the lab for hazardous waste or infectious disease containment.

Oh, I never considered that, Chan replies. I thought the worst would be roasted rabbit. Good catch. We need to be prepared for genetic alteration, including the creation of a new lifeform. How long will it take to prepare?

All our lab activity at Wei Corp. is inanimate. We don’t have any experience with biowaste or genetic contamination, Dr. Wu demurs. I have a close colleague, Dr. Pajöt, who may be able to help us. It could take a month just to acquire and install containment equipment, and a very large offer to entice her to Wei Corp.

Make it so, Chan commands. Strict confidentiality is required for this project—

Whoa, whoa! Slow down, Peggy shouts. We don’t know why the steel ball moved. Space is alive I hear. Maybe so. In my world, live things eat other live things. I’m not too concerned if this live space decides to eat the rabbit, but I’m not ready to be lunch for some hungry space, or whatever Dr. Wu said. I rarely understand half of what he says, but I do know when eager people are playing with fire.

Good point, Peggy, Chan relents. How much study have you done to determine the safety of this technology? What assurance do we have that your next test won’t swallow up this lab and maybe half of Halifax with it?

Neil is exasperated and starts babbling while jumping around. Chan stops him cold. I respect your intelligence and dedication, Neil. You’re a brilliant engineer, and this discovery couldn’t have been made without your contribution. However, you do have a tendency to skip over vital steps along your breakneck path to your goals. I’d like to hear from Dr. Wu.

Dr. Wu pauses. He seems to go into a bit of a trance before slowly giving his assessment. Nothing is ever 100 per cent known. There’s always some risk, but I can’t think of anything more we could or should have done to gather more data. I’m not an AI expert. That’s Neil’s specialty, along with the other engineers here at Wei Corp. Over the past ten years, our AI algorithms have become so fast and complex, we never know exactly what they’re doing. I don’t sense any immediate danger. The signals and commands we developed to communicate with the Intelligence, space or otherwise, are limited. Our lab is equipped with multiple layers of sensing devices. We’re as safe as we can be.

Chan contemplates. I don’t like to delay decisions. Great wealth has come my way by knowing when to stop quickly or move quickly. XNOR, as you scientists say. You have a go-ahead for the rabbit test after obtaining the biohazard containment. If the test with animate subjects is successful, we’ll duplicate all the hardware and software in this lab and install it on a datacenter ship. No communication regarding the nature of this project, its status or progress, should be made to any person outside of this present group. I will officially declare this project to be in limbo. You can use that as a cover story for future work. Officially, you’re working to wrap the project up. Are we clear on this?

Yes, sir.

It will take at least a month to acquire a ship suitable to act as our floating datacenter, Chan concludes. I’ll talk with Tracy Galloway to have her procure everything we need. A contract will be written for a new set of network people to set up the equipment on the datacenter ship. The contract will end with the equipment installation. In the meantime, Godspeed with the bunny test.

May 16, 2046

Spectacle Lakes, Nova Scotia

Tracy Galloway shakes her head at the latest request. What is Chan up to now? I wonder if Daniel knows more.

Hi, Daniel, have you seen the latest edict from on high?

It’s perplexing, isn’t it.

After three years working here as a chemical engineer, I seem to be the go-to person for logistics. How did that happen?

You get things done, so we come to you.

It’s frustrating to only have a sketchy idea of what the end-goal is. Remember when we were setting up Chan’s Engineering Village? All we could drag out of him was, ‘Assume you are building a village, isolated from the rest of the world. Assume you have all the resources of Atlantic Canada at your disposal but none of the technology. No tools. No unnatural materials. WTF?

It certainly sounded obtuse, but look at the results we achieved! Using only the talents of a small group of scientists and engineers, we discovered which basic materials, supplies, and tools were absolutely necessary to progress from survival to a somewhat modern community.

I agree, we did produce some remarkable results in a short period of time. How does this new request for a floating datacenter fit in?

All I know is Chan expects quick results, and this project is the new ‘top priority.’ He pays us well … very well. I can help with the data processing equipment side of this project. Good luck with finding a ship for us.

Thanks! What do I know about ships? Maybe we’ll get more details in the online meeting. It starts in a few minutes.

Tracy is surprised to see Peggy Doyle included as an attendee. I like Peggy. She’s been a mentor to me during tough decisions. Still, what does sales and marketing have to do with this new project?

Chan begins the meeting. Thank you for attending. We have an eclectic group assembled. This meeting kicks off the highest priority project of our company. I’m not at liberty to discuss the full nature of the project, but you’re probably used to that because of our strong ties with the Canadian military, and my management style. I must stress the need for urgent action. No expense will be withheld if it gets us to the goal line quickly. Basically, we need to duplicate much of our data processing and network on a ship. Tracy’s been tasked with finding us a suitable vessel. Dr. Wu will lead a team to define the extent of the equipment to be housed on the ship. Neil Gargano will determine the power requirements for the ship. If we can’t find a vessel with sufficient generating capacity, we’ll purchase a supplemental power supply. Our network expert, Daniel Olsen, will manage the purchase and setup of the equipment onboard. We need this finished yesterday. No other project or task should be allowed to interfere with your work on this project. Peggy has agreed to act as a human resource manager to provide whatever talent you need. I throw the meeting open for questions and discussion.

Tracy has a question. How long will this floating datacenter be in use? Am I looking for a relatively new ship that will last many years?

Assume the datacenter will have a long life, Chan replies. Our comptroller, Elisabeth Quinn, will arrange the financing. Buy or lease the best you can find quickly. Peggy will use her military contacts to find us secure berthing in Halifax Harbour.

Tracy knows the drill. Everyone is familiar with Chan’s style. No unnecessary questions are tolerated during kickoff meetings, especially for a high priority project like this one. Chan wants basketball, not ballet. He’s a speed demon and expects everyone to figure things out while they’re running at top speed.

If there are no further questions, Chan declares, we can work out the details on the fly. Godspeed. Make it so.

Peggy calls Tracy after the meeting. I might be able to help you with the ship acquisition.

Oh, thank you, Peggy. I was worried about this task. I haven’t a clue where to begin, and you know Chan—he wants results immediately. What have you got?

Our navy has a decommissioned intelligence ship in their inventory. As far as I know, it’s in sound shape, just not suited for their current needs. It may be large enough for our datacenter. Let me call General Hammond and see if their ship is available.

Thank you, Peggy. I’ll search the availability of commercial ships. As to whether they’re suitable to house servers and networking gear, that’s beyond my expertise.

Don’t worry. We girls stick together. You can call me anytime for help.

General Hammond is not expecting a call from Peggy Doyle. What does she want to sell me today? Wei Corp. is a reliable supplier of AI software and advanced electronics. We don’t have any projects in play at this time. Maybe it’s just a curtesy call. Hello, Peggy. What’s on sale today?

A reversal of fortune, she replies. We may be interested in buying one of your ships.

"That would be a change! Money coming to us instead of always flowing in the other direction. Do you have a particular ship in mind?"

I do. CSIS recently removed its intelligence gathering equipment from one of their ships. I understand the intention is to scrap the vessel. Is this true?

That’s my understanding also.

Does the vessel still have its propulsion system in place, or has it been ripped out already?

As far as I know, they haven’t stripped it bare yet.

Good. Can you arrange for a few of my people to view the internals of the ship?

Hammond is cautious. I’ll check if all the security equipment has been completely removed. Let me get back to you on whether this is feasible or not.

Thank you, General Hammond. We’re willing to offer top dollar if the ship meets our needs and can be made available quickly.

Hammond laughs. As you know, ‘quickly’ is a relative term in our military. I’ll try to expedite this. Of course, there will be many prying questions as to what your intentions are for this ship.

Peggy lifts the veil slightly and whets Hammond’s appetite. We have our own security issues to deal with, but I’m sure our government will be pleased with the project as it unfolds. The military may also want to play a role.

Why does that sound like you’ll find another way to sell us something down the road? Hammond jokes.

That’s not my intention, Peggy assures him. In fact, if our project is successful, there could be a very substantial flow of money into the military.

We’re always short of funds. I’ll press as hard as I can to get this ball rolling quickly.

Thank you, General. I look forward to your return call.

May 30, 2046

Halifax, Nova Scotia

Chan, Peggy, and Daniel arrive at a military facility near Halifax Harbour. General Hammond is there to greet them. Before we board the ship, I have some questions I need to ask in a secure setting.

After they passed through several layers of security, they arrive at the Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility, or SCIF. It looks like a glorified cargo container located deep in the basement of the building. The sound inside is unique, like a test room for a high-fidelity audio equipment supplier. There’s no echo, Chan remarks. I never realized how much our voice quality is impacted by sound bouncing off the walls and ceiling in an average room.

This is not a normal room, Hammond replies. It’s designed to keep all audio and electronic emissions from leaving the room. Nothing happening in this room leaves, other than what we retain in our memory. We’re here because your project has caught the attention of the highest authorities in our military. CSIS and the CIA have been exchanging intelligence. I’m not privy to what they know about your activity. I only know, whatever it is, the spooks are on to you like a shark. Before our military can engage with you, you need to review the activity of each of your employees and past employees. Sensitive intelligence has leaked from your company. Not only are the CIA and CSIS aware of the nature of your project, but Chinese and possibly Russian intelligence have also penetrated your network, your facilities, or your people. I’ve been with our military for over thirty-five years, and I’ve never before received a command like the one that came down from Ottawa. I’m authorized to give all assistance possible to your project after we are assured your security has been raised to the necessary level.

Chan is concerned. I’ve always thought we did a very good job of security in our company. Our business with our military demands it. How could we have failed?

You’re playing at a whole new level. The forces arrayed against you have capabilities beyond most people’s knowledge. Even I, at my level in the Canadian military, don’t know what they have in their arsenal. Whatever it is, they have it focused on your project with an intensity matching that of the advanced lasers you sell to us. They want whatever capability you are developing. Our military wants it too. We want Canada to control this technology.

Chan is more than concerned now. Of course we’ll share our technology under the right circumstances with our military. However, we’re a private company, and we value our assets and technology.

Please be assured, Hammond replies, that no one in the Canadian military wants to steal your technology. We don’t have the brainpower to know what to do with it. The Americans and Chinese are a different story. If they haven’t already stolen some of your work, they’re busy doing everything they can to do so. My orders are directed to helping you progress as quickly as possible, keeping in mind the need for the highest security.

You will have our complete cooperation, Chan affirms. How do we start our collaboration?

CSIS will not authorize the sale of the ship, for security reasons. Instead, they will allow you to use the ship indefinitely, provided they can be assured all activity onboard the ship is as secure as this SCIF. They will guarantee no Canadian government interference or intrusion into your project. You will not be spied upon by our government, and CSIS will ensure you are not successfully spied upon by other governments. I have legal paperwork ready for your review.

After Chan gives a quick review of the paperwork, he declares, I’ll give this to our legal department. I don’t see anything that jumps out at me, but I’m not a lawyer. Are we able to view the ship before the paperwork is finalized?

Yes, we can go over there immediately.

I like immediately, Chan quips. "My middle name is ‘Now.’ At least that’s what I grew up thinking. My mother would always say, ‘Chan Now’ not later, ‘Chan Now.’"

Daniel’s review of the ship finds that it is more than adequate. There’s enough room for all of our equipment, and space for the scientists and engineers to establish their offices, plus room to spare. The power capability is good for our initial usage of the equipment. If the project expands, we’ll need to look at a supplemental power supply.

General Hammond is quick to provide a solution. As an example of how cooperative the military is willing to be, they discussed the provision of our nuclear power ship for the project. It was developed to supply power to remote Arctic bases. It’s a valuable military asset. The fact they’re even considering lending it to your project is the best example of how much they want your technology to succeed, especially before the Americans get it.

Before they leave the SCIF, Chan queries Daniel on the status of equipment that will be installed on the ship. It’s been two weeks since the decision to duplicate our AI lab. What’s the status of the equipment purchase and delivery?

The items required have been identified and ordered, Daniel replies. We expect the first deliveries to arrive at our lab within the next week. We should have all of it by the end of the month. We can move it to the CSIS ship as soon as we get the approval. It will take another month of testing to get everything up and running.

July 8, 2046

Halifax, Nova Scotia

Chan heads over to the AI lab. The cryptic messages coming from there indicate good news. He’s pleased to see security is stronger than in the past and that he’s forced to wear a biohazard suit. I see you’ve redecorated the place, he says to Dr. Wu as he enters the lab.

Dr. Wu replies in his usual dry tone. All security has been upgraded. Thank goodness the biological precautions have not been tested by an unexpected failure. Neil is anxious to give you the details, so I won’t steal his thunder.

Neil is engrossed in some adjustment.

I see a living rabbit, Chan quips as they approach.

Roger is alive and well, Neil exclaims with his usual arm waving and bouncy demeanour. He’s made several trips without any noticeable effect on his health. We even sent him on the longest jump possible in this lab, accompanied by a gerbil. I’m pleased to say both remained separate. We didn’t end up with a single, fused animal nor did they exchange any physical properties our vet could detect. Blood tests found only one anomaly.

What was it? Chan asks tentatively.

Their telomeres have lengthened. They may live a much longer life, all other things remaining the same. As the cells of a living creature reproduce, their telomere length declines. In humans, ours decline from about eleven kilobases at birth to fewer than four kilobases in old age. Unfortunately, we men decline faster than women. As our telomeres shorten, our cells lose their capacity to replicate. Eventually, we die of old age unless a disease or accident knocks us off first.

Chan is intrigued. Did the increased length keep happening with each teleport?

Somewhat. The biggest increase happened during the first jump. Only marginal increase was seen from subsequent jumps. It would be interesting to see if we teleported Roger again in a few years if his telomeres have another large increase in their length? On another note, we need your approval for a test we would like to perform.

What’s that?

We’d like to acquire a diseased animal or purposefully infect one to see what effect teleportation has, if any, on its condition.

Chan is unusually cautious. Until now, our company has not had any expertise in biological experimentation. We could easily violate a law or ethical standard and end up in deep doo-doo. Your experiments have already exceeded regulatory limits. Let’s concentrate on preparing for the large-scale tests. We have access to a secure vessel formerly used by CSIS. Our new equipment is being installed presently. This is a delicate operation from a security standpoint. I trust you can develop a protocol for transferring your software without a leak, internal or external.

Dr. Wu gives his assurance that they will make it happen.

Chan has a last item on his agenda. CSIS claims that we have been infiltrated by an outside entity. Our network people assure me they have examined their logs and tools completely and have found no evidence of successful intrusion. I received a list of employees from human resources who have left our company in the past year. It’s not a long list, thankfully. Please examine it and point out any person you’ve had contact with.

Neil identifies a woman he spoke with sporadically, Dr. Leanne Simon.

What was the nature of your interaction with her? Chan inquires.

We’d talk at lunch. She was interested in my work. I gave her a tour of this lab once in its early days before we achieved any important results.

Chan winced. I’ll be passing her name on to CSIS. You may receive a visit from them, but be careful. They’re not allowed into this lab. You must not divulge any details of your work to them. All answers to their questions must be limited to explaining your interaction with Dr. Simon and nothing more. Legal council must be present during any time spent with CSIS. I trust CSIS only slightly more than I distrust the CIA.

Chan contacts General Hammond immediately after leaving the lab. Hello, General, I have some information regarding a Dr. Simon I need to convey to you.

We already know about her. As I said previously, the sharks are circling your company. If you come over to our SCIF at 2:00 p.m., we can share our details.

OK, I’ll be there.

Chan has another project to move forward before the meeting with Hammond. "Tracy, we have a go for buying the second ship I requested, the Ark. After you acquire it, contact John Shepard from the Northern Light commune and transport the animals he agreed to provide to the ship."

OK, Boss. We have a good working relationship with John and his group. They’ve helped us many times as we developed the Engineering Village. They also appreciate the money you generously donated to their cause. I think they were on the edge of bankruptcy before we started working together.

They are a unique bunch, Chan agrees. I was attracted to them because of their commitment to using natural methods of farming and their broad knowledge of tools and skills from a simpler time. If all goes well, we should have the Ark ready for a test next week.

Tracy is exasperated. You still can’t tell me what this is all about?

Not yet. Security surrounding this is very tight. If the test is successful, the number of people in the loop will expand. You’ll probably be part of that expansion.

I wish you luck, Tracy enthuses, mostly for the hope of being included in the inner circle. She is still peeved. I don’t like being outside the inner circle. Chan designates me as his logistics expert and then leaves out important details I need to get the job done. I often have to guess what he’s up to. I hope this doesn’t turn out to be like the Engineering Village. Suddenly, it was my responsibility to oversee logistics in the Village. This Ark and datacenter ship project has the same feel to it. Chan is up to something, only this time we have government security people crawling over us.

July 15, 2046

Twenty kilometres offshore from Halifax, Nova Scotia

The Ark is loaded with a wide variety of animals. Some are purposefully being kept in close contact to determine if that will impact the test results. Chan runs his beloved speedboat alongside to pick up and remove the crew of the Ark. We’re not ready to have human subjects involved in the teleportation until a later test.

He then speeds over to the datacenter ship to meet with Neil and Dr. Wu.

This is a very impressive setup, he cheers as he enters their lab. "Are you certain we’re far enough away from the Ark?"

Neil lets Dr. Wu respond, since he is well aware of Chan’s wariness concerning his safety and security record. We’ve gone over the AI process repeatedly. I’m convinced we’re ready and safe. The teleport process locks in the area and volume to be teleported. We’ll see it glow. If it encroaches on our ship, we have a last-minute failsafe built into the process. We can stop the teleport before it proceeds to its final phase.

Let’s get started, Chan anxiously commands. I understand this event is being recorded with several high-speed cameras.

Yes, it will be documented from several angles, including some drones we have overhead, Neil replies.

As the test proceeds, the signature glow appears around the Ark. All is going well until an unexpected boat is seen approaching. Captain Archer of HMCS Falcon moves to intercept the unwanted intruder. I recognize this bunch, she mutters. "They’re from Halifax News and are certainly recording everything. We need to keep them at a safe distance but not arouse any suspicions or give them a story beyond what they already know and can record. Military interference in news gathering plays well at 6:00 p.m."

After securing the area, Archer sends an all-clear message to Dr. Wu, and the test proceeds. This is the moment we’re waiting for, he exclaims with uncharacteristic emotion. A second glow appears one kilometre south of the Ark, and in a flash, the Ark teleports to that new location.

Cheers