Escaping the Cradle

by Karen Page

Part 47

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Part 47
DATE:FC+172

The mournful silence over breakfast had become too much, so Becky had started to have the radio on. She'd gone for Radio 4, a news and current affairs station, in the hope that they would hear something that might be a subtle reference to Ashleigh.

"Tomorrow, parliament will hold the first reading of the Rohastin Council Referendum Bill," the announcer said. Becky glanced at her watch, wondering where the week had vanished.

"Are you okay coming with me?" Becky asked Jenny.

"It'll be fun," Jenny replied. "I've never been to Prague before."

"It's gorgeous, but unfortunately we won't see anything of it. We go to the airport, and straight to the hotel that's holding the conference. Once we've finished, we'll be coming home."

"Oh," Jenny sounded disappointed. "Did you know the river Vltava, which flows through Prague, has a song written about it by Smetana?"

"It does," Becky smiled. "It is one of six symphonic poems."

Jenny nodded, having looked up Prague when her Ma had stated they'd been asked to go. "Are you going to get all geeky?"

Becky blushed. "Yeah. Probably."

"I wish Mum was here to be with you."

Becky stopped, her mug of coffee in the air. "So do I. But I'm not going to give up in life. If they've taken her thinking it will stop our connection with the aliens, they're mistaken. I love her, and I miss her, but sitting around won't bring her back."

"I thought you'd be wearing a suit," Jenny said.

"Not for something like this. It is a technical meeting. If I wear a suit or a very smart dress, I'd stand out like a sore thumb. I'm wearing a polo shirt, so it has a collar, and smart jeans. You dress for the occasion."

She looked down at what she was wearing. "I think I'll go change."

Becky smiled. "You're perfect. You aren't a techie. So, you don't have to wear that uniform. You wear what you want to."

"How are we getting there?"

"Eos. Julie booked a slot at the airport in Prague yesterday. You remember Julie?"

"I remember her. She used to work at The Anchor before Mum came. She didn't mix with us much. Not like Mum did."

"No. Mum's special like that."

"Yeah," Becky smiled goofily. "Come on, let's go."

When they got to the factory, there were two extra vehicles in the car park.

"Isn't that Miss Taylor's car?" Jenny asked as her Ma parked.

"It looks like it. I wasn't expecting to see her."

Becky grabbed her rucksack from the back, and they walked in. Laura Taylor was there, with her standard driver and bodyguard. Next to her were two men and a woman.

"Hi," Laura cried out in greeting, as Becky and Jenny came into the reception area. "It's good to see you both again. Since you've had some unwanted attention recently, I've got three people to look out for the two of you. I know you don't like it, but I think it's wise."

Becky tried not to scowl and gave a curt nod. "You'd better introduce us."

"This is Rebecca Head, and her daughter Jenny," Laura said.

"Ade," the tallest guy said. He looked to be of African descent and was full of muscles, but his handshake was surprisingly gentle.

"Lucas," the second man said. He was totally different to Ade. His blond hair was neatly side parted and piercing blue eyes that looked like they were looking into her soul.

"Hughes," the woman said, her Welsh lilt made Jenny look up and smile.

"If anything does happen, Jenny is your priority," Becky stated. "Especially if there is a kidnapping. Jenny is irreplaceable."

Laura didn't look happy about that but didn't say anything to contradict. "I have some news about Ashleigh."

Becky looked around. "Let's go to the stores, so we can talk discreetly."

Laura nodded and Jenny followed the two adults. She wanted to know too.

"We know where she is. However, we can't get her out yet without endangering others. It's a group that we previously infiltrated and had thought disbanded. A lot were arrested last year, but those that avoided that have reformed, and trying to operate in a way they thought would avoid detection."

"Is that the emergency jump you got James to do?"

Laura swallowed. She thought she'd managed to do it without Becky knowing. "Yes. When she was first spotted, an investigator managed to get her to swallow a tracking pill. We had a very small window to get this investigator in place."

"What aren't you saying?" Becky asked. "You aren't normally this cryptic with me."

"The investigator is the same one that was there last time. Because some escaped, they thought there wasn't as much risk as I thought. She saw the people involved and recognised others on the plane. She didn't know about her sister until after she'd demanded she was going back in."

"Auntie Tina is there?" Jenny gasped, her eyes wet.

"Yes. I don't think there is a better person to be there to get the best result. I just hope we are all better prepared for what's happening than last time."

"Thank you for letting us know," Becky said, faking a smile. Internally her mind was racing.

"Since the government changed, they don't have the same cover. Last time some were untouchable. I hope this is one less thing for you to worry about. Have a safe trip."

"Please get her out as soon as possible," Becky said, her voice breaking.

Laura walked out of the storeroom without responding.

When Becky had herself under control, and saw that Jenny had too, they made their way back to the reception. The three bodyguards were waiting patiently. Laura and her team were gone.

"Shall we go?" Becky said, taking charge.

They followed her into the basement. If they were surprised that the ship was underground, they didn't say anything. Climbing on board James and Paul were there.

Becky greeted the trainee. "Hi Paul. Your first flight?"

"Yes. Sam's not back and Henry said it would be good experience."

"We aren't going into space, but that's probably a good thing for your first jump," James laughed. "Just to confirm, everybody has their passports?"

This was more of a check for the three bodyguards. They confirmed they did.

No sooner than the door was closed, they transitioned and Becky was opening the door at Vodochody airport, on the outskirts of Prague.

"Why do you have belts when it's instant?" Ade asked as he exited first.

"Because in space, you don't want to float around."

There were three vehicles waiting just outside the Eos landing zone. It was marked with 'do-not-enter' signs.

Border officers got out of one of them and came across. "I've got an airside check booked for Rebecca Head and four others."

"I'm Rebecca."

"Passports," he said, producing a mobile EES machine.

The updated passport control in the EU was a lot simpler. Where it had taken Becky ten minutes to get through in America, here she just waved her passport, it read the chip, confirmed her face matched. There was a slight pause as the backend system checked she was registered and a green light lit up.

"You're all good."

Hearing those words, Paul closed the door, and Eos vanished.

"Now, that is something I can tell my children about," the border officer said in awe.

The driver of the executive car got out and opened the car door for Becky. This was a new experience for both of them, and it took all of Becky's will to not close the door herself.

"I'll ride with you," said Lucas, taking the front passenger seat.

The other two security would follow behind in the other vehicle, a large black SUV.

"It's like you see in films," Jenny whispered to her Ma.

"I know," Becky whispered back. "What an adventure."

As they got closer to the city, Becky checked her rucksack again. Nothing could have got lost, but it was a nervous action. She'd been in meetings before, but the people in this committee were some of the top decision makers for the internet. And she was going to be in the same room as them.

Jenny sensed her Ma's nerves. She said, "Don't worry Ma. I'm with you."

Becky gave her daughter a smile. "Yes, you are."

Even though Prague is the capital of the Czech Republic, its traffic flowed a lot better than even a small UK city. The smooth drive of the expensive vehicle they'd been picked up in, made the journey smooth and effortless.

"We didn't see the river," Jenny pouted as they arrived outside the hotel.

Lucas got out, taking up a position and making sure all was clear.

"We skirted around the east of the city," Becky said, having watched the directions on the sat-nav. "We can ask if we can go back over the bridge if you want."

Jenny gave her Ma a loving look and Becky wanted to laugh.

"You should be able to see it from the rooftop bar," the driver added.

At a signal from Lucas, the driver hopped out and opened Becky's door. Becky spotted the SUV had parked at an angle, protecting them, with Ade and Hughes in position, scanning the surroundings.

Jenny followed her Ma out. Becky decided to ignore the bodyguards. They would be used to people just getting on with things. Together they walked to the entrance.

The doorman had notified reception that a VIP had arrived. Having someone in an executive car wasn't unusual, but having bodyguards was a flag. This was someone special. People like that spent money, and they always made sure they were looked after.

Inside, Becky almost gasped. This wasn't a hotel. It was a mission statement. She was sure that the reception area was bigger than the whole office they rented.

A middle-aged man approached them. "I'm Jiri from guest relations. Can I help you?"

"I'm Rebecca Head. I'm here for the IETF conference," Becky explained.

"Of course. Are you staying the night?"

"No, I'm just here today."

He gave a courteous nod. "Let me show you where their registration is."

They were guided through the vast covered central courtyard, and through a set of doors to the conference area. The bodyguards moved like they already knew the building, making sure she was not within anyone's reach as they moved. Being a Sunday, this was more side meetings, and steering committees rather than the big agenda. That would start the next day.

"This place is huge," Jenny said in awe. "Like a palace."

"It sure is," Becky agreed.

When they got to the meeting registration desk, Jiri handed Becky his business card. "If there is anything we can do for you, Ms Head, just let me know."

Feeling rather bemused at his pandering behaviour, she turned to the young woman behind the desk. "Becky Head for Star Bright. I've an invite to the special IESG meeting."

She looked on her tablet and found Becky's details. "Is your daughter going in with you? If so, can I have her name for her badge?"

"Jennifer Head," Jenny said, using her full name.

Becky looked at her daughter trying to see what brought that on, but she just stood there waiting for the badge.

Two badges were created. Three additional ones were taken from a cardboard box and handed to the three bodyguards, SECURITY in large letters.

A man in his mid-forties came up. "Becky. I'm Eric Hartman, area director of the IESG on Beyond Earth Integration. Thank you for coming at such short notice. I was only recently made aware of your document."

"I'm glad to be here."

"We're just setting up in the Grand Ballroom. Today is more of a discussion on where things are going. From what you've said in your paper, you imply you have documentation nobody else has. Your expert knowledge will help guide multiple Working Groups so changes can be made appropriately."

"You don't mind my daughter coming with us."

"Not at all. Perfectly understandable with what's happened recently. You'll find we are more interested in the systems, rather than others. Just peek into some of the other rooms as we go past. Jennifer isn't the only one who's come with a parent. If someone has something to contribute, they're always welcome at these meetings."

Indeed, they were ad hoc meetings in other rooms. A toddler asleep in a buggy next to someone cross legged, tapping away while discussing something with the person next to them.

When they got to the ballroom, Lucas stayed outside. Ade and Hughes followed them in. Ade stayed near the door. Hughes would station herself against the wall when Becky sat down.

Hardly anybody was seated, there were little conversations going on. At this level of the IETF people knew each other from previous meetings. Along the walls there were six large screens. If someone needed to show something, no matter where they were in the room, they would have a great view of what was being presented.

Not knowing anybody, Becky took a seat and Jenny sat next to her. As she got out her laptop, she got Jenny's out too.

"Thanks," Jenny beamed. "Though I am just watching, aren't I?"

"Yes. I hope you don't find it boring. If so, write a letter to your alien friend about it."

Jenny laughed. "I've better things to tell her."

Becky got out an interdimensional gateway box and hooked it to a standard Wi-Fi unit. This didn't go unnoticed. A few in the room pointed to it, wondering what it was.

"Can you take your seats," Eric Hartman called, and like the professionals they were, they complied. When everyone was seated, he began. "Thanks for being here at short notice. The recent First Contact event has started a process of change which is going to impact the Internet. Some changes will be physical, and others new or changed services."

He paused, making sure everyone was following. "I've invited Rebecca Head, co-founder of Star Bright to discuss work already done and what other things are in development. Those of the email development group will already have a proposal of a GMTP protocol. Let's hear from Rebecca and hopefully we can understand some of the reasons behind the request."

Becky reminded herself that this was no worse than other meetings where she'd had to talk. She just wished Ashleigh was here to give her a jolt of confidence. Fifteen years ago, she'd stood in front of a few hundred at a company meeting, but this seemed different. She was in front of the Internet Gods. When she'd given her first training course, two years out of university came to mind. She was a nervous wreck, and her boss of the time reminded her that she was the expert.

She stood. "I'm Becky. I've not had to talk at a conference for a while, so please forgive me."

There was a gentle murmur, as delegates moved to see her better.

"I'll start with space hardware, move on to terrestrial hardware and then services. If anybody has questions, please interrupt."

Becky connected her laptop to the screens, and a picture of Earth-1 was shown. "This is a satellite that's currently being fitted out. We call it Earth-1. It is a main communication satellite between Earth and the aliens. It uses a similar, but not identical, interdimensional tunnel that we use for Aurora and Eos. A series of other satellites are being built. Mars-1 is the next one. Interplanetary latency is about 10ms end-to-end."

That caused a babble of noise. Some thought it was unbelievable. Becky pressed on. "Existing CCSDS standards will tunnel via the gateway. ESA, NASA, CNSA are looking forward to using this. The gateway is based on standard IPv6 addressing."

There was no feedback on that. "At home, we have a partnership with HILLSAT. They will implement an Earth gateway at their three locations. That is UK, East Coast USA and West Coast USA. Those three links can be used Gateway to Earth-1 and also Gateway to Gateway. The expectations are a 3ms Gateway to Gateway connection."

That did cause some discussion. Becky clicked on her next slide. "This is the SSID of the Wi-Fi unit on my desk here with the password. It is connected via tunnel to a company in the East Coast and onto the Internet. If anybody wants to connect and test, by all means."

She was in a room with engineers and computer scientists. Of course they were going to try. Becky watched the connection counter rise as people in the room tested and a few mutters of "I'm in" as people connected. Someone three chairs away stated he was getting impossible ping responses from his corporate firewall.

After a few minutes, Becky said, "Okay, that's the hardware side covered. Any questions on that?"

"Is there plans for more Gateways in other parts of the world?" someone asked.

"We did three Gateways for redundancy to Earth-1," Becky answered. "The Gateway to Gateway facility is a happy spinoff. More could be added, but to not cause thousands of interdimensional tunnels, a hub-spoke system would be preferable."

"The NSA would love that," Becky heard someone mutter. He was spot on.

"Okay. I'm taking down the Wi-Fi now. For those that have studied the Hytuna Primer, they might have noticed the number standard is Octal. They use 3-bit binary. At Earth-1 we are translating communication to Unicode so it can be processed by human computers. They have drip fed us Hytuna, they are also doing the same with communications. We have a link to the Rohastin Council beacon and had a method to receive documents electronically. An electronic copy of the Hytuna Primer allowed us to verify our conversion.

"We have recently received a document for basic messaging. Messages are in plain text, with no formatting, no images etc. Once we meet a milestone, the next level of document will be released to us. So, whatever is implemented will need to be flexible for additional services. Everything must only be in Hytuna, or the gateway won't be able to translate it.

"So it is clear, I will upload a copy of the communications document to the repository. It covers addressing authorisation, message structure etc. It also covers what humans need to implement to receive messages from the aliens."

Becky disconnected the Wi-Fi unit and pressed a button causing the Interdimensional Gateway unit to vanish. For protection transporting itself back to base. That didn't go unnoticed, and there was another small babble of noise. They'd seen the communications tunnel in operation and now they'd witnessed something being physically transported.

"Thank you," Eric said, as Becky sat down. He walked across and gave Becky a URL to upload the document to. "That was quite a comprehensive overview. Why don't we have a break for an hour to read this document."

"Well done, Ma. You did great," Jenny whispered, looking at Becky with love and respect. "I think they now realise how much you've rocked their world."

"It's in Hytuna," someone called out, having opened it as soon as it arrived. "Two hours?"

"Okay, two hours. Have a think about what you've heard. Send me what topics you think we need to discuss later."

Becky packed up her rucksack. Jenny had hardly touched her laptop; she'd be too enthralled watching the presentation. As some went past, they thanked Becky for her contribution. Some even shook her hand. Jenny smiled, knowing her Ma was being polite but hated the fuss.

"Have you seen the time?" Jenny asked. "I can't believe it is lunchtime already."

"Prague is an hour ahead of the UK," Becky pointed out.

"Ah. I forgot. Can we still go and get something to eat?"

"Sure."

They wandered down the corridor back towards the courtyard. With the sun shining, the glass roof let the light in. Now they weren't hurrying to a meeting, Becky could admire the grandeur. It reminded her of her one trip to Orlando, and the airport had a similar design. The indoor trees and greenery made it seem slightly surreal.

They found a bistro on the mezzanine floor, and relaxed. They saw some from the meeting come in to eat, but they didn't approach. Mostly they had their laptops with them and were reading as they ate. She wondered if it was the document she'd uploaded earlier.

When they finished, Becky asked one of the waiters about the view from the Sky Bar.

"It is spectacular, but isn't open on a Sunday," he said, his English impeccable.

"Oh. My daughter wanted to see the river and some of the views."

"Follow the sign for the Beer Garden. It goes over the road, and she will have a great view of the river."

"Let me check it out," Lucas suggested, causing Becky to jump.

Becky had forgotten about the three people following them. At least they'd stayed outside the toilets when they'd gone in. Well, after Hughes had made sure that they were clear.

Jenny was just finishing her meal when Lucas reappeared. "Ma'am, it is rather exposed."

Becky frowned. "Are you saying no?"

"I'm just pointing out a security issue. At the end of the day, it is up to you. However, Jiri from the hotel guest relations is opening up the Sky Bar. He understands your security is important and they are happy to do that for you."

Jenny squealed with delight. "Oh Ma, that's wonderful. Thank you, Lucas."

Becky smiled, but it wasn't genuine. She felt uncomfortable that special arrangements were being made for her. It wasn't how she'd been raised. However, it was the first time that it had given Jenny something that she'd wouldn't normally have experienced.

The Sky Bar was everything it promised. They had a view out over Prague, seeing into the distance that they wouldn't have got from the beer garden. They were there for ten minutes, Jiri waited, glad to see them enjoy his city.

"Thank you," Becky said, leaving Jenny, her forehead pressed against the glass. She watched as a boat made its way along the river.

"My pleasure. Just so you know, the bus area is clear. There is room for Eos if it helps you leave easier."

It was then that Becky realised he knew exactly who she was. Another door opening for her which wouldn't be available to others.

"Thank you, Jiri. I will keep that in mind. Your photographer would need to be quick to get it in frame. Eos doesn't hang around."

Jiri beamed. Becky understood how much good publicity this would give the hotel.

"Come on Jenny," Becky called. "We have a meeting to get back to. Jiri, thank you so much for opening up for us."

Becky and Jenny were one of the first back. She got out the laptops, repeating the process from earlier. There was no interdimensional gateway though, that had been transported safely back to the locked stores in the UK. The room quickly filled, the other delegates appraising her as they went past.

Eric called them to order. "Thank you for your feedback. Let's start with what most came back with. IPv6 address blocks. When IPv6 was created, nobody thought it would be used beyond Earth. The latency even as far as The Moon was too much. Earth-1 gives possibilities never dreamed of."

"Couldn't we just NAT each planet? We don't—"

The speaker's voice was drowned in protests. "We've not spent decades keeping end-to-end routing for it to be stopped now", "NAT is never a solution", "We want to be humanity not individual planets."

Jenny looked at Becky, not understanding the issue. It was similar to how the doctors reacted when Becky had suggested using the Malachai Virus. "Was that a really bad suggestion?" she whispered.

Becky chuckled, "Yeah. He won't be forgotten quickly. At least he didn't say it would add security."

Someone senior stood up, ignoring the protests. Clearly and authoritatively, he said, "We just issue 8000::/3 for systems outside Sol. Since this isn't going to happen immediately, we have time to consider."

That calmed the room down.

"What about here? You already have Earth-1?"

"We treat non-Earth space as a different RIR. Assign them a /12. It makes routing easier, and with the low latency, it shouldn't be an issue."

The idea was batted around for a few minutes, before it was agreed that Roger, the person who'd suggested the solution, should create a working group to work through the details.

After two hours of discussion on various topics, the meeting started coming to an end.

Becky stood. "If I may. I just wanted to thank you all for your dedication to getting this change right. However, can I just remind you all of the timescales. If all goes to plan, Earth-1 will launch in a month. The referendum is in January, and the UN are still negotiating with the Rohastin Council. This is harder without communication. It also causes issues. When I was kidnapped, the aliens came to Earth because they had no way to contact us. I understand your work is important, so standards are created diligently. However, I ask if your fine work can be done with that backdrop in mind."

Eric's eyes narrowed as Becky spoke. In his years working with the IETF it had always been process led. They were given time and space to work things out. He didn't like the pressure Becky was putting on them. Yet she was right. There were implications. It was just something alien to him.

Jiri was delighted when Becky asked if Eos landing was still okay. "The area is already blocked off."

"Thank you for everything today," she said, shaking his hand. "Next time I'm in Prague, I'm sure to stay here."

He beamed at such a compliment. "You will find our suites are designed for people that bring extra security."

Becky was going to get the exact GPS coordinates, but Ade stopped her. "Let me do it."

She was about to berate him, but when she looked up to his eyes, she saw he wasn't implying she couldn't. He was just looking out for her.

"Thanks. I'm not used to this."

"We know. Miss Taylor said you'd not been protected like this before. You'll get used to us."

He disappeared before she could respond. Get used to them? She thought they were just for this trip. They certainly weren't like the investigators when they protected her, but the level of threat then was nothing like it was now.

James was happy to pick them up from the hotel. They'd still have to go back via the airport, to meet the Schengen exit requirements, but it was a lot quicker and smoother. They also had the joy of Farnborough too.

As they got out at the factory, James pulled Becky to one side. "Just so you are aware, I'm on standby later. It seems the French aren't happy that ten of their children were taken and are sending in a team to get them. They're aware of Ashleigh and will extract her with them."

Becky let out a breath. "Let me know if it isn't going to happen. I don't think I'll sleep."

James gave her a hug. "I know. Hopefully Ashleigh will be home soon."