“As you can see, the red negatively-charged electrons, which exist all around us, immediately rush into the device like male dogs going after a pack of bitches in heat. They mate together to form boson pairs, color-coded in purple here. The boson pairs compress and then exit through the central core to the first outer ring where they cause the twelve rollers to accelerate to speeds averaging 250 miles an hour. From there they pass through a magnetic layer which both excites and pulls them through the second ring where they cause these rollers to revolve at a velocity exceeding 600 miles an hour. Finally, the electrons exit to the copper emitter layer where they join trillions of other boson pairs in ring three, spinning these rollers at over 1,500 miles an hour. A switch directs the generated electricity through standard coils, completing the electrical circuit. Unlike conventional generators which heat up after prolonged use, the zero-point unit remains cool no matter how long it runs. There’s no fuel needed, no toxins released — the unit is powered solely by the electrons entering the unit and the internal tensions of the atoms. It is, literally, a source of endless clean energy.”
Jessica shut off the hologram. “Powered by these zero-point-energy units, our team produced three different operational designs for the ITS, two of which scored above the minimum 92 percentile rating on the Oracle Computer Simulation. Unfortunately, during zero-gravity tests inside the CHIL–Lockheed’s Collaborative Human Immersive Laboratory — the system reported targeting deviation errors exceeding three one-thousandths of a degree. That may not sound like much, but when you’re scanning an area from the Earth to Mars and beyond — that’s a major league whiff.
“The good news is that I was able to isolate the cause of the problem. Turns out the moving parts of the zero-point-energy unit were causing the satellite to wobble just a tick. While it was barely perceptible in our dimension, in an area of space we refer to as the crossing point of light, it was creating quite a noticeable hiccup. Allow me to explain.
“To track a fast-moving object in space requires a laser. A laser is essentially an amplified beam of light. The light you see in this auditorium has a wave component which travels at 186,000 miles per second — a figure more commonly known as the speed of light.
“The crossing point of light is the boundary that separates our third dimensional space from the higher dimensions. We can’t actually track an interstellar space craft moving through these higher dimensions, but we can lock on to the disturbance created when the ET vessel crosses over. To track this disturbance requires us to use a scalar wave.
“A scalar is a longitudinal wave that travels way beyond the speed of light and in multiple dimensions. The geeks working at Nellis Air Force Base back in 1947 discovered this when they used a scalar wave to track three interstellar craft as they passed through the crossing point of light — in other words, as they stepped down from a higher dimension into our physical dimension. The scalar wave caused two of the interstellar craft to collide. One crashed northwest of Roswell, New Mexico; the other about a hundred miles west of the first. We were able to salvage a treasure-trove of the ETs’ technology.
“Getting back to the Interstellar Tracking System, I swapped out a first-generation zero-point-energy generator with one of the more advanced ZPE units reverse-engineered from the ET craft. These devices use nano-crystals as opposed to rotating gyros, thus eliminating the wobble. The results from my CHIL lab were perfect. Once we replace all twenty first-gen ZPE units with the nano-crystal generators, the satellites should be ready to launch. Are there any questions?”
Lydia Gagnon signaled from the vacant first row. “Dr. Marulli, we have multiple requests for you to expand upon how interstellar craft travel through space.”
“First let me state that a rocket is a very inefficient method of propulsion; you’re essentially pushing a craft through space. Interstellar craft travel by phasing in and out of higher dimensions where time and space do not exist.
“Think of these higher dimensions as an intergalactic short cut, linking any two points. To enter these higher dimensions requires an electromagnetic propulsion system which draws energy from the zero-point field. The process creates an anti-gravitic effect, or what we refer to as a bubble in space-time. Traveling inside the bubble allows a craft to access the higher dimensions. When it’s accessed in the physical dimension, a craft can travel 20,000 miles an hour and then suddenly execute a 90 degree turn with no deceleration effect. All of this falls under what Einstein referred to as ‘spooky magic.’ It’s what makes interstellar travel possible.”
The event coordinator waved once more from the front row. “Dr. Marulli, several Council members would like to know why we haven’t used zero-point technology to send our own ARVs on missions across the galaxy.”
“Do we have the means to accomplish this? The answer is yes… in fact we’ve had that ability since 1956. As to why we haven’t gone… it seems our Interstellar visitors have quarantined us.”
From her vantage behind the lectern, Jessica could see Lydia’s iPad screen light up like a Christmas tree.
“Dr. Marulli—”
“They want to know why humans have been quarantined.”
“Correct.”
Jessica Marulli stared back at Lydia Gagnon. The event coordinator had warned her on the elevator ride over this morning that this line of questioning would probably come up — that it was a litmus test for all new Cosmic Clearance members — the MAJI equivalent of asking a Supreme Court nominee their feelings about abortion.
“Dr. Gagnon, I don’t think any member of Zeus is qualified to speak for an Interstellar. However, since it was the testing of the atomic bomb during World War II, and the hydrogen bomb a short time later, that appeared to summon our galactic visitors in droves, I think we can safely make a few assumptions.
“First, by our own definition, Interstellars are Type-3 civilizations, the highest rank a species can achieve on the evolutionary scale. By contrast, humans are the definition of a Type-Zero civilization — the lowest rung on the ladder. Violent and self-centered, we have yet to advance beyond the planet-polluting era of fossil fuels, while we continue to teeter between advancing as a species and initiating our own self-destruction. If you question that evaluation, pick up a newspaper. On any given day we’re either bombing or shooting or stabbing one another. To be fair, the Interstellar communities that have shown interest in humanity have been around a lot longer than we have — maybe ten thousand years, maybe a million… who knows? At some time during their own history, they no doubt dealt with their own equivalent of hatred, prejudice, and violence. Homo sapiens also had to evolve from the violent end of the gene pool, our primate brains are wired for conflict. Lest we forget, we did acquire the ETs’ technology by force, shooting down their vehicles. Whether that gives them the right to quarantine the entire human race is a matter of opinion… a quarantine, let me remind you, that includes our own moon. The Interstellar community made it quite clear during the last Apollo missions that they will not tolerate any more lunar landings or flyovers of the far side where their bases are located.”
“One last question… one of our senior Council members is asking about these CE-5 encounters where civilians — acting as self-appointed ambassadors for humanity — have been initiating contact with Interstellar species. Up until now, the efforts of our Air Force to discourage this unauthorized contact has been rendered ineffective by the speed of these ET craft and their ability to move into transdimensional space. The question, Dr. Marulli, is how effective will a fully-functioning Zeus satellite array be in discouraging these CE-5 encounters?”