A Girl's Best Friend

A Girl’s Best Friend

By Clive Cooke

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Published by Clive Cooke at Smashwords

Copyright 2013 Clive Cooke

Cover Design by Laura Shinn

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This volume comprises a collection of fifteen short stories with diamonds as the common theme. I have used the British style of spelling throughout and have frequently taken liberties with English grammar to represent local speech. I have also added a sprinkling of foreign words for atmosphere and colour, but not so many as to have you reaching for the dictionary. Please enjoy!

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Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy, or if it was not purchased for your use, then please return it to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

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Table of Contents

Enceladus

A Glass of Wine

The N’Dou

The Sting

Diamond Sutra

Cremation

Maid-Mistress

The Mule

The Merry Wives of Kimberley

Eden Vale

Piece of Cake

A Girl’s Best Friend

Isotropy

Switch

Chop Shop

The Khoi Diamond

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Enceladus

Twenty years ago, Matt would have bet his last dollar on the impossibility of space travel. How things can change in a lifetime! When he was a boy, space travel was regarded as the stuff of Hollywood movies: to safely go where no man has gone before. Matt was a great fan of the TV series. It was one of the reasons why he chose the career of an astronaut.

At the astronaut training school, they taught that the laws of physics made space travel impossible. Even the closest star in our galaxy was far too distant to be reached within the human life-span. This was Einstein’s fault. He had imprisoned mankind inside a universe of space-time where the prison walls were the speed of light. His equations could describe how gravity acted, but not what it was. Then, an unknown theoretical physicist by the name of John Smith worked out the physics inside an event horizon. It turned out that that gravity comprised a suite of fundamental particles. His theory went unnoticed outside the scientific community and even amongst theoretical physicists it was slow to be accepted. As a result, the practical applications of his break-through were not exploited. John Smith’s equations showed that gravity could be channelled and controlled. It could be used. Space travel was now theoretically possible. All it needed was for an organization with money and brains to make it a reality.

Such an organization was the International Space Agency (ISA), the company where Matthew Odoh had been employed for the last twenty five years.

‘System-check.’

‘Roger.’

The lights on the control panel flickered momentarily.

‘Cross Check.’

‘All okay.’

The spaceship that Matt commanded was called the John Smith in honour of the genius who brought about the era of space travel. It was the first of its kind, spacious and luxuriously designed for long voyages. There were lounges and a gym and even a small farm growing fresh vegetables. The size and weight of spacecraft were no longer relevant since they operated by a different principle compared to old-fashioned rocket propulsion. There were no fuel tanks. Even the storage of drinking water was minimal. Water could be made from hydrogen. It could be harvested from asteroids as and when needed.

‘Activate gravity shift.’

‘Locked in, Captain.’

The voice was sweet and seductive. Her name was Claudia and she was a computer.

‘All right, Claudia, it is over to you. Let’s go.’

This was an historic moment. It seemed that a few words to mark the occasion would be appropriate, something memorable, something grand. One small step for man…. one giant step for mankind, was good, but had already been used. Matt thought of Michelangelo’s fresco of the hand of God in the act of creation.

‘May the hand of God reach out to us, protect us and guide us wherever we go.’

‘Amen,’ echoed the first and second officers.

There was a slight vibration as the spacecraft eased into gravity shift. On the large screen in the bridge, physical objects took on strange colours and shapes. The space station from which they had just un-docked became more and more distorted. Then, it dissolved into a jumble of geometric shapes.

‘Well guys,’ said Matt, ‘we are on our way. Keiko, Yuri report.’

The first and second officers went through the instrument read-outs displayed on the screens in front of them.

‘All fine, Captain. We have ten giga bayrons of gravity and anti-gravity annihilations per second squared.’

‘Keiko, increase power to twenty giga bayrons. Yuri, send the data file to mission control for analysis.’

The mission of the John Smith had two objectives. The first was to test the capabilities of the spacecraft and the second was to undertake scientific studies of two of the moons surrounding the gas giants Jupiter and Saturn. Exploring outside the solar system would be left to future missions.

‘How long will it take us to reach Jupiter, Captain?’ asked Keiko.

‘Claudia, report.’

‘Earth time: thirty six hours, forty two minutes and three seconds, Captain.’

‘We will do a tour past the major moons of Jupiter. Claudia, plot a course to rendezvous with Europa. Our tame scientists will be taking samples. Calculate travel time to Saturn, Claudia.’

‘Earth time: seventy two hours, thirty five minutes and ten seconds, Captain.’

‘Thank you, Claudia.’

Matt had a habit of thanking the computer every time it complied with a request. First Officer Keiko found it most amusing.

The scientists on board comprised two astrobiologists and one geologist. The task of the geologist was to interpret any unusual physical feature they might find on Europa and Enceladus, the two moons of interest to the mission. Europa was the fourth largest moon on Jupiter and Enceladus the sixth largest on Saturn. The astrobiologists were tasked to search for possible life forms.

Earth-based telescopes suggested that Europa might be ejecting plumes of water and ice from its surface although none had been observed during previous space missions. The John Smith would fly close enough to Europa to settle this question once and for all. Enceladus had a much more extensive system of ice-volcanoes. One of the rings around Saturn was thought to be built out of material continuously ejected by Enceladus. The John Smith would fly through the plumes to collect samples for analysis.

‘Do you believe in extra-terrestrial life, Captain?’ asked Second Officer Yuri.

‘It is not a question of belief, Yuri. It is a matter of weighing up the scientific evidence.’

‘I am an Old-Believer, Captain.’

During the selection process, each astronaut had undergone psychological profiling. There was more to training than technical competence. Mental toughness was a key factor in being able to survive in space for extended periods.

‘You are welcome to your beliefs, Yuri. We know from spectroscopic analyses that the plumes of material being ejected by Enceladus contain basic chemicals. This is not the same thing as life. But, they are the building blocks of life. In fact, many asteroids contain these chemicals. They seem to be pretty common in the universe. If we do find life, it will most likely be primitive, something like a single-cell organism.’

Keiko was happy to accept the possibility of extra-terrestrial life forms. She wondered whether the discovery of bacteria would validate the theory of Panspermia.

‘What is Panspermia?’ asked Yuri.

‘It is only a theory,’ said Matt. ‘Panspermia states that life did not originate here on earth.’

‘Claudia, what do you have on Panspermia?’

‘Panspermia proposes that life exists everywhere in the universe. It may have been spread across all the galaxies by cosmic dust, by meteorites and asteroids. Life forms would remain dormant until the conditions are right for it to reproduce and to colonize its environment. Life needs water and water is plentiful in the habitable zone. In our own galaxy there are about forty billion earth-sized planets in the habitable zones of sun-like stars and red dwarfs….’

‘Thank you Claudia. It’s an open question, Yuri. Work in progress.’

‘Would these life forms be dangerous, Captain?’ asked Keiko.

‘We don’t know. These simple bacteria could be pathogens for humans. We have to take every possible precaution. The astrobiologists will work in total isolation in their laboratory. When they are done, anything left over will be destroyed and the whole laboratory sterilized.’

‘Some people think that the biggest danger to the universe is not primitive bacteria. It is us: human beings. We have a reputation for destroying everything in our pathway.’

‘An interesting point, Keiko.’

‘Captain, if we do find bacteria on one of these moons, what do we do with it?’

‘Harper will characterize it and Lee will sequence its DNA. We will not take any life form back to earth with us. Keiko, Yuri, report.’

‘All okay, Captain.’

‘Keiko, increase power to thirty giga bayrons per second squared and Yuri send the latest data file to mission control. Keiko will you drive the bus? I’m going to my cabin. I’ve been on the go for twenty eight hours. I need a rest.’

‘With pleasure, Captain.’

‘Call me if you need me.’

The crew of the John Smith comprised the captain, Matt; a first and a second officer, Keiko and Yuri; one engineer Zlatko; two astrobiologists, Harper and Lee; and one geologist Earl.

Earl and Zlatko were at the engineer’s control panel in a different part of the spacecraft. They had not known one another until being seconded to the mission. They had quickly struck up a friendship. Both had been gone through a brief training module to allow them to take part in the mission. They were not qualified astronauts. Earl had been based on the space station for the last three months analysing rock samples from Mars while Zlatko was based at mission control on the ground. His speciality was reactor design. Zlatko’s psychological profile had been the source of disquiet amongst ISA management. However, his knowledge of gravity-annihilator reactors overrode their reservations.

Zlatko was checking the temperature profile of the reactor. He asked Claudia to bring up the readings. Everything was normal. He asked for data from the vibration sensors.

‘So Earl,’ said Zlatko, ‘how did you get onto the mission?’

‘I volunteered. I am going through a divorce at the moment and wanted to get away from it all. And you, did you volunteer?’

‘The prestige. The glory.’

‘Don’t give me that horse shit.’

‘They offered me more money.’

The readings from the vibration sensors were well within the normal range. Zlatko asked Claudia to display a time-trend of the pressure differential across the reactor.

‘I know what you mean,’ said Earl. ‘ISA is not the most generous employer.’

‘I got a wife and three kids. I got a mortgage on the house and a dog. It’s not easy.’

‘This divorce is ruining me,’ complained Earl. ‘I’m going to end up living on the streets. Claudia, are you listening?’

‘Yes, Geologist Earl McEwan.’

‘Delete what we just said.’

‘You don’t have the authority to delete my files, Engineer Zlatko Vujović.’

Zlatko said something disrespectful about artificial intelligence. Earl asked his colleague how much he thought Captain Matt earned. Earl did not know.

‘Claudia, how much does the Captain earn?’

‘You do not have authority to view the Captain’s file, Geologist Earl McEwan.’

Lunch in the canteen had been prepared by Claudia. Earl and Zlatko made their selection on the panel and collected the food from the hatch. They sat down at a table in the centre of the room.

‘There’s another thing about a divorce,’ said Earl. ‘I’ll have to cook my own food and wash the dishes. What are you eating?’

‘Hamburger and French fries. It’s bio-beef, supposed to be healthy, tastes all right. And you?’

‘Tomato soup followed by fish and chips. It’s also bio. The salad is fresh. Thank goodness for fresh vegetables. Zlatko, I’ve been meaning to ask you; what does your name mean in English?’

‘Zlatko is common to most Slavic languages. I am Serbian. We left the country when I was six. The name comes from the word for gold.’ Zlatko laughed. ‘My parents were rather optimistic. I haven’t seen much gold in my life. You eat; you sleep; you fornicate and then you die.’

‘You also defecate.’

Matt and Harper entered the canteen.

‘May we join you?’

‘Let me get you a chair, Captain. Harper you sit next to Earl.’

‘What are you drinking?’

‘I’m having the mixed tropical fruit. Claudia, can we have some music, please…. little softer…. that’s fine.’

‘Why do you say please to a computer?’

‘Habit,’ said Matt. He put a forkful of shrimp cocktail into his mouth. ‘My complements to the chef. When I was young, space travel was never like this. It was cramped. There was no privacy. The food was…. well…. basic. I was permanently sick from weightlessness. Not badly sick. Some of the astronauts couldn’t handle it.’

‘Dangerous?’

‘Oh, yes, you can say that all right. A full load of fuel, the heat of the engines, the flames. Every time we took off we thought of what could go wrong. It’s bad luck to talk about it.’

‘How is your lunch, Harper?’

‘Good. The bio-steak is excellent.’

‘Harper, how long have you been with ISA? Are you married?’

‘Seven years,’ replied Harper. ‘Yes, I am married with kids. I don’t wear a ring. It gets in the way of my laboratory work.’

‘Did you volunteer? asked Earl.

‘For the money. I have to be quite honest about it. My eldest will be going to university next year. We need the money.’

‘Earl, are you married?’ asked Harper.

‘I am going through a divorce at the moment.’

‘Sorry. I don’t mean to pry. You are a geologist, aren’t you? Tell us about the geology of Enceladus.’

‘Well, as you probably know it is covered by a layer of ice. Underneath the ice is a salty ocean of cold water and ice. We believe it covers the whole moon. In theory, the ocean should be frozen solid. This indicates that some process is keeping it warm enough to stay liquid. We already know there is a source of energy which drives the volcanoes. Underneath the ocean is….’

‘When you say volcanism, you mean molten rock and ash?’

‘No, these are cold volcanoes spewing out water and ice. These volcanoes are cracks in the surface. They are only in the southern hemisphere. We are not sure why. There are other interesting features too. Have you heard about the diamonds?’

‘No, tell us.’

‘This is crystalline carbon, same thing as diamond. It is raining diamonds onto the surface of Saturn.’

‘You’re having us on.’

‘No really, this is a fact. The crystalline carbon comes from methane which is being vented out of the ice-volcanoes on Enceladus. The pressure from Saturn’s gravitational field converts the methane into pure carbon.’

‘Maybe we collect a few diamonds for ourselves,’ said Zlatko. ‘I could do with a nest egg for my retirement. We can send the robot to harvest them.’

‘No you can’t,’ said Harper. ‘We are using the robot. Our work takes priority.’

‘Just one or two trips.’

‘Absolutely impossible, we have a full schedule of experiments.’

Matt referred the issue of diamonds to Claudia.

‘Methane is present in the ice-volcanoes in low concentrations….’

‘Yes, we know that Claudia,’ said Matt. ‘Tell us about the diamonds.’

‘Crystalline carbon is formed by the break-down of the methane molecule under the high gravitational pressure of Saturn. The carbon orders itself into the lowest free-energy structure. Spectroscopic analyses show that the crystals are ultra-high purity with a size range of one hundred to one thousand nanometres….’

‘There you are,’ said Harper. ‘The diamonds are microscopic. You won’t be taking home diamonds for your wives and girlfriends on this mission.’

‘Thank you Claudia.’

After lunch, the shifts changed. Matt relieved Keiko on the bridge. Second Officer Yuri was sleeping as he was scheduled to work night shift.

Day Two of the mission was devoted to testing the capabilities of the John Smith. This included manoeuvrability and speed. Zlatko reported to the bridge that the performance of the reactors exceeded design. The spacecraft was halted and restarted several times. The two reactors were tested separately and together and each time they performed perfectly. On the big screen in the bridge, Jupiter loomed large. Matt had seen pictures of Jupiter many times before, but had never been this close to the gas giant before.

‘It’s amazing, awe-inspiring. Claudia, calculate the travel time to rendezvous with Europa.’

‘Earth time three hours and forty five minutes, Captain.’

‘I’ll be asleep by then. Wake me up thirty minutes before we get there.’

‘Certainly, Captain.’

Harper and Lee were in the laboratory. Everything was ready. The equipment had been checked and re-checked. There was nothing for them to do except to wait. The sign outside the laboratory door indicated that it was safe to enter. The women were sitting at their work stations.

‘Bored?’ asked Harper.

‘Not really. More like impatient. I want to get started. This is a big moment for us.’

‘We will cope. There’s nothing to worry about. If we can’t do the job, then no-one else can.’

The younger woman was glad to have company. She had been concerned that she would spend the entire mission alone in the laboratory.

‘I guess so. We are actually very lucky to have been selected.’

Harper looked at her colleague.

‘Pay me, don’t praise me.’

‘Yeah, okay.’

‘My eldest is going to college next year that is why I am here. I would much rather be at home with the family. This is a big sacrifice.’

‘Yeah.’

‘Lee, I see you and Yuri…’

‘Don’t talk to me about that man. He gives me the creeps. Always smiling. He’s like an android. Yesterday, he followed me back to my cabin. I’ve got a boyfriend back home. Next year, we are getting married.’

‘What do you think of the Captain?’ asked Harper.

‘He’s all right. I thought of reporting Yuri to him for harassment. If it carries on like this, I will. What is your opinion of the Captain?’

‘I think he is quite good looking. Claudia, how old is the Captain?’

‘You do not have authority to open Captain Matthew Odoh’s file, Senior Scientist Harper Le Clerq.’

Harper let out an obscenity.

On the bridge, Matt asked Claudia to scan the surface of Jupiter for diamonds. The results were negative. According to the computer’s data base, crystalline carbon had only been detected on Saturn and only in trace amounts. The problem with computers, thought Matt, was that they could only regurgitate what was already in their data bases. They could do calculations, but not build hypotheses. Imagination was still the preserve of the human mind. When they reached Saturn, Matt would use the spaceship’s instruments to conduct a thorough search for crystalline carbon.

It was two o’clock in the morning, earth time, when the John Smith rendezvoused with Europa. Zlatko turned down the reactors to ten kilo bayrons per second squared to maintain a geosynchronous orbit around Jupiter. Europa was in their grasp. No human had ever been this close before.

‘Laboratory, report?’

‘All systems okay, Captain.’

‘Twenty minutes to sampling.’

Keiko was off shift, but she had not wanted to miss this historic encounter. She was sitting in her usual seat on the bridge. The sight on the large screen was incredible. The four largest moons of Jupiter were visible. Ganymede was about to disappear behind the planet and Io was directly opposite the great cyclone on Jupiter’s surface.

‘The colours are much more vivid than the photographs, Captain.’

‘That is because of the position of the sun.’

‘I can see Europa’s plume. It’s not very big.’

The door of the laboratory opened. Both Harper and Lee were dressed in protective suits. Harper looked up from her console.

‘Yuri, what are you doing here? This is a restricted area. We are busy sampling. Did you not see the notice on the door? Get out!’

‘I just wanted to ask if you believed in extra-terrestrial life.’

‘Get out! Get out!’

‘I am an Old Believer.’

‘I will report you to the Captain.’

Yuri’s face was impassive. It was as if he had not heard, or had not understood. Lee pushed him out of the room and told Claudia to lock the door. Yuri went to the gym, sweated on the bicycle for thirty five minutes and did the circuit. Afterwards, he had a sauna and massage.

Zlatko was monitoring the reactor in the engine room when Yuri appeared, fresh, clean and smelling of roses, courtesy of Claudia. He sat down in an empty seat next to the engineer.

‘Hello,’ he said.

‘Hi.’

‘What are you doing?’

‘Working.’

Yuri pointed to a flow diagram on the monitor.

‘What is this?’

‘Yuri, I am busy. Please leave.’

‘I just wanted to ask you something: do you believe in extra-terrestrial life? I was born under the sign of Gemini. I have been searching for my twin for years. I was wondering if I would find him out here.’

‘Yuri, I am not telling you again: I am busy, now go.’

The sampling was completed and analyses performed. There were no life forms. Harper found several chemicals not previously identified by spectroscopic analysis. Some of them were surprisingly complex, but unlikely to have been formed by a biological process. The two scientists entered their results into Claudia’s data base. Lee suggested to the Captain that they send the robot onto the surface of Europa to collect a sample. Matt turned the request down. All indications were that Europa was lifeless. They should rather spend the available time at Enceladus.

Over the next twenty four hours, Jupiter receded as the other gas giants increased in size. From the angle of the sun, the rings of Saturn showed up brightly on the big screen. The mystery of the rings had long ago been solved. The rings comprised dust and gas, debris from meteorites captured and crushed by Saturn’s gravity. No crystalline carbon had been found by previous expeditions. Matt could not get the thought of diamonds raining down on the surface of Saturn out of his head. Just one big diamond was all he needed to retire and to buy an estate in Hawaii.

‘Claudia, what is the methane content of the ice-volcanoes on Enceladus?’

‘We have several measurements by the Cassini mission varying from two to three parts per billion.’

‘Thank you, Claudia.

This was bad news. The low methane concentration meant that very little crystalline carbon could be formed and that which had formed would be microscopic in size. Matt went off shift. Harper was waiting for him in the lounge.

‘Your cabin or mine?’ asked Matt

‘Yours.’

Yuri was on shift when the John Smith reached their destination. Matt returned to the bridge.

‘I’ll take over now,’ he said.

The spacecraft was orbiting fifty kilometres from Saturn’s E ring. The vents from the southern hemisphere of Enceladus were clearly visible. Matt ordered a slow descent to within ten kilometres. Harper and Lee were on standby. However, before sampling started, Matt had one task for the spacecraft’s instruments. He ordered Claudia to scan closer to the surface of Saturn, looking for crystalline carbon.

‘Crystalline carbon detected, Captain.’

‘Report details.’

An alarm, warning of an important announcement, came over the communication system. The crew was requested to assemble on the bridge. Harper and Lee closed the laboratory door. They met Zlatko in the hallway.

‘What’s going on?’ asked Lee.

‘The Captain wants to speak to us.’

‘Why the bridge? He can do it over the system.’

The three entered the bridge. The rest of the crew were already there. Zlatko looked at their faces for hints of what was about to happen. Earl signalled to him that he was equally in the dark. All eyes turned to Matt.

‘Colleagues, we’ve found something interesting. I want to share it with you and I am going to make a proposal. Claudia, the discovery of crystalline carbon, please.’

A close-up of the surface of Saturn appeared on the large screen.

‘Crystalline carbon has been detected in the lower atmosphere of Saturn. Under high pressure, methane from Enceladus’ vents breaks down into its component atoms. Carbon atoms re-arrange into the lowest free-energy structure, in this case, cubic symmetry. The common name for crystalline carbon is diamond. In Saturn’s A ring these range in size from ten to fifty nanometres. Closer to the surface of Saturn, these micro-crystals coalesce into larger crystals under the influence of pressure and heat. Ten thousand kilometres from the planet’s surface, the crystals range from ten to fifteen centimetres in size….’

Matt interrupted the computer.

‘Thank you Claudia. What we are saying is that the closer to the planet’s surface, the larger the diamonds. Our instruments have picked up diamonds the size of golf balls. There could be bigger ones out there.’

Matt looked at each person in turn. He continued.

‘We have a choice,’ said Matt. ‘We can shorten the schedule of scientific tests and collect a few diamonds for ourselves….’

‘No Captain, no,’ shouted Yuri. ‘This is totally against our professional code.’

‘I am going to put it to the vote, Yuri.’

‘Is this safe, Matt?’ asked Keiko. ‘I mean, do we know the escape velocity?’

‘Claudia has done a calculation. You can liken it to a stone skipping over the surface of a pond. We will make a flat entry angle and bounce off Saturn’s thin atmosphere.’

‘Can’t we send in the robot?’

‘I will not agree to this, said Yuri.

‘Thank you, Yuri. Your contribution is noted.’

‘No Captain. This is sacrificing science for commerce.’

Lee whispered something to Harper standing next to her. Zlatko was smiling. He looked at Earl for support.

‘Matt, let’s take a vote,’ said Zlatko. ‘We can argue for hours and get nowhere.’

‘May I say something?’ asked Earl.

‘Shoot.’

‘Friends, I need money more than anyone else on board the John Smith. ISA is not the most generous of employers. I think you all agree. At the moment, I’m going through a divorce and my wife’s lawyers are trying to take every cent I own off me. Think about what Matt is proposing. We are on an historic mission. The scientific world is watching us. Our work will add to the body of human knowledge. We are leading the way for future generations to follow. What use is money when you lose your reputation? What about the ideals we are supposed to live up to? I ask you to think carefully before you vote.’

Keiko again asked for reassurance on the safety aspect. Claudia re-calculated the escape velocity. The result showed that the escape velocity was well within the capabilities of the spaceship.

A vote was taken. There were two dissenting voices and six in favour of harvesting the diamonds.

Matt was waiting for Harper in the lounge.

‘Your cabin or mine?’

‘Let’s do it in mine, this time.’

The friendship between Zlatko and Earl was the first casualty of the voyage of the John Smith. They argued in the passage outside the bridge and the argument carried on all the way to the engine room. Earl accused Zlatko of abusing his position of trust. Zlatko replied by saying that the majority had voted in favour of harvesting the diamonds. Earl threatened to report the Captain to mission control.

‘Claudia,’ asked Earl, ‘are you recording this conversation?’

‘Yes, Geologist Earl Mc Ewan.’

Zlatko accused Earl of being a traitor. The break between the two friends was complete and final. Earl went off to his cabin. He would consult Yuri in the morning about their rights and their options.

The first fly-by through Enceladus’ plumes took place when Keiko was on shift. The spaceship was less than ten kilometres from the surface of the moon. She noticed something unusual about the vents. The one plume was intermittent, rather like a geyser on earth. It was also red-brown in colour. The other plumes were continuous and colourless. She called up the geologist. There was no reply. She called the Captain.

‘Captain, Earl is not responding.’

‘Try again.’

‘I’ve tried several times.’

‘Ask Zlatko to