A Return Begins

I fought the urge to kick in the synchro-drive and run in the direction of the pairs. It was important to become adept at using the links to get reliable data, and the tendency was to move to improve the reception. To keep the test and training working, I need to stay put so that I would avoid the need for a marker pulse. Part of the training was for the pairs to work their way back using regular communication.

The nearly simultaneous "Under Way" taps that washed up in the navigation channel began to overlap and became more difficult to decode. I could hardly blame the stationkeepers, as they could not have easily heard anything on the channel other than me, and I was just listening. Putting more stationkeepers in position was one way to solve this, but that was a future solution.
The pairs remained split, with the stationkeeper shifting role to Driver. The away Electron continued to work with their singleton recruit, occasionally pairing up with the Driver to communicate status. In conversation with their counterpart Driver on the other Shorty, they exchanged updates with each other as I monitored the navigation channel. Progress was being made with the recruits, but there were some difficulties in dialect. That was when I noticed a slight shift in frequency at the end of a transmission.

Station Keeping the Link

Continued direct monitoring of the away pair became impossible as the amplitude of their conversation with the new recruits was reduced radically as communication efficacy improved. The stationkeepers reported that the frequency of the conversation had jumped to a nanosphere channel that was one of the highest bandwidth channels available, but had the shortest of ranges. The stationkeepers were reporting only that that the conversation continued as the mixed pairs passed within intercept range.

The shift to wider bandwidth and higher frequencies was good news. I could not conceive of a bad situation that would result in improved bandwidth. Continuing to sweep the fabric of frequencies, I pleased with the noise reduction now that the chatty slide-talker had been localized. With the random sweeping of frequencies, a filter was out of the question. Probing deeply into the noise, I found some that was truly random from shifting electrons and a bump here or there, but intriguingly, there were other repeated pulses deep in the noise.

As I considered the possible reasons for regularity in deep noise, the navigation channel lit up:

Away Return.

Mixed Pair.

To which a double acknowledgement was returned. In moments a similar message was transmitted from the other stationkeeper, except that the last two symbols in the message were swapped, which was interpreted as "Pair: Mixed." It was vital for the stationkeepers to know that a return was coming, so that they could position the local electrons for a basic pair exchange. A kick from the stationkeeper did not hurt the process either.

Divide and Conquer

The consternation that followed the effective stuttering of the expected note broke the internal conversation within the chatty pair. With synchronization lost, both electrons tried to tap at the same moment, obliterating each other's information, and then waiting for a reply that never came. Observing this, the away pair split up, and after the second conversation collision, the away pair answered each of the chatty electrons independently.

Orbiting the Seven, the away pair separated the chatty pair and partner up with the component electrons that had been splattering their chattering all over the spectrum. The stationkeepers reported a reduction in noise level, and the navigation channel was expanded to take advantage of the increased bandwidth. The quieter conversation occurring on the Seven disappearing into the noise, the stationkeepers were my forward operatives in the intelligence gathering process.

The statistics that I could confirm were encouraging. With the split complete, only one of the two pairs on the Seven was observable at a given time, with the other opposite the nucleus. The pace of the conversation increased and the center frequency shifted into a higher bandwidth channel. Localized, these pulses were easily attenuated by the intervening One-Eight-Ones, making such a conversation pleasantly quiet at my distant position.

Sneaking in Edgewise

Oblivious!

That was the single comment that the away pair made via the navigation channel. I understood completely. No matter how close in frequency the away pair was operating, they still could not possibly be observed as the communication internal to the slide-talking pair was tightly coupled.

Be Early.

Be Loud.

This was the best advice I could give. Looking at the sequence of shifts, there was one frequency that was always followed by a slide to a single higher one. I played back this shift sequence and converted it to relative frequency notation for transmission. While I was working to transfer this information to the stationkeepers, I was jolted into laughter as the most mangled mega-tap warbled out of the Seven.

Up to this point, I had never received a mega-tap. While this one was far from clean and clear, it certainly was loud, and managed to get the slide-talker to pause their internal conversation. Briefly.

The stationkeepers completed the information relay and a blipped back a pair of acknowledgement pulses. Scanning for the predictable frequency I detected the first note from the chatty pair, and in the gap that normally followed, the next note was inserted three times; rapidly and loudly by the away pair, with the fourth pulse being the anticipated note from the talking half of the chatty pair.

Wisps for the Ear

Nimbly maneuvering themselves, the split pair from the Shorties re-united in orbit about the Seven to which the slide-talker had been residing since first observed. I relied on the station-keepers for information as they monitored their other halves down on the Seven that resided between the Sixes making up the long Seven-Six-Six backbone. Had it been the case that the chatter was coming from a monster, I would have likely ignored it into oblivion.

The Pilot Electrons were were able to keep their shorties in good position. This segment of backbone was freely accessible from the One-Eight-One soup that was unique to the central network, and this afforded the best possibility of successful capture and retrieval. I was, therefore, excited at the prospect of expanding my network.

Scanning intently, I received monotonic chatter from the vicinity of the chatty slide-talker. I recognized the syncopation immediately as pulses from the away pair. The station-keepers on the shorties kept me informed of the finer details as they processed the nuances that only a local receiver could comprehend. It became apparent that the slide talker had certain favorite frequencies that they relied upon, and each time they switched, so did the away pair. Their goal was to get noticed and strike up a conversation.

The Tip of the Spear

As the pairs closed in on the chatty slide-talker, we shifted our coordination traffic to a long distance channel outside of the range of frequencies that were splattered with noise spikes as the slide-talker whined and pined. While it was true that this was a test of sorts for the pairs, the continued communication made this a team effort rather than an insurgent affair. The first problem that the Pairs tapped about was repulsion.

The one word reply was simply "Eights" which was acknowledged. Scanning deeply, I observed the Shorties rotate their big double-eighted ends toward the target Seven. "Good" came back the response, and the taps for "Position" followed a few orbits later. The Pairs had some work ahead of them, attempting to open a conversation with the wildly sliding pair. The dialect of slide was more difficult to comprehend than imagined, and the number of standard communication symbols that were in play between the chatty pair was comparatively low.

At this juncture, the Pairs elected to implement the direct option. Each pair split up, leaving one Electron on each Shorty for attitude control and station keeping duties. The second Electron commandeered a random partner from an Eight and executed a transfer sequence, joining the Electron that had similarly transferred to the Seven-Six-Six backbone from the other Shorty. Together, they hopped their way onto the Seven with a minimum of disturbance to the still transfixed slide-talkin pair.

Conquest Launch

I locked in on the chatty pair, locked on their Seven, which was flanked by Sixes in a traditional Seven-Six-Six chain. While the BA pair was closest, there was some drift in play, so I did not reveal who I thought the primary was going to be. Rather, I started to highlight the blips of noise that the slide-talker was creating on the channel that we were currently using.

Then I began to switch frequencies with the pairs, again, illuminating the now familiar noise shift that the slide talker continued to produce as it careened across the frequency spectrum. Soon, it was a game of pick the frequency and spot the glitch. Soon, BA discovered that they were receiving the glitchy-ticks just a moment before AB. The roles were now set and my assistance for this task was complete.

Performing independently, the Pairs set out on their Shorties with the task of recruiting the chatty slide-talker. They were running silent, not emitting marker beacons, and occasionally bursting between themselves on a local channel. From my position, I could see the burst, but the decode fell apart. This was something that they would discover in due time. For now, I was enjoying the dance of the Shorties as they stalked their new prey.

Shifting Frequency and Motive

Lost in my own plans, I had not realized that the pairs were continuing to drift farther away. When their signal was obliterated by a network burst, the reliability level of the channel at the current distance was logged as unreliable and the retreat process was automatic. The pairs shifted directions on their borrowed Shorties as I issued a change of channel tap.

Shifting in to a reliable channel with good bandwidth, I welcomed each pair as they joined. I extended the return order to further improve bandwidth, and opened up a strategy session. The first item up for discussion was the current arrangement. Lucky for me, Electrons are not too picky, and re-arranging the A and B pairs into mixed pairs was not something that they wished to undo. I upped the ante, letting them know about the chatty slide-talker that had caught my attention. The question was: which pair would be the one to take on their first charge as I had done with them? The other team would assist with any difficulties that may arise with the training of the new pair.

I had insisted on two pair from the Canopy, so that I could break any tie that might exist in a group decision. In each subsequent instance of decision making, I have been impressed with their ability to come to a decision, and had yet to impose my will other than the original cross-mixing to improve performance. The arbitration mechanism they employed this time was fairly simple: whichever pair was closer to the chatty slide-talker was going to be the primary.

When the Noise is Not

I had to reached the practical limit of quality communication with the pairs, and set up as a relay point, allowing the pairs to pass test data, mainly composed of randomized talk-tap symbols. I worked to accurately reproduce the patterns directly, rather than receive, decode and re-transmit each symbol. This improved the link performance by reducing delay in the channel. I had little difficulty managing the relay and continuing to observe the slide-talking chatty pair.

Handling the conversation with my remote pairs while observing was not an overly complex task, and I still had plenty of opportunity to direct the Shorty, move, shift and generally monitor the central network all at the same time. While it might be possible to handle three times as many conversations simultaneously, I saw no need to do so. I had a better idea.

While I found the slide-talker to be rather annoying, it was an interference source that I had to contend with. The way they were chatting, they used frequency slides and shifts to add punch and spice to their exchange, all things that did not improve the effectiveness of the communication. It was little more than basic game of tag, from what I was able to gather. While I was interested in their skills, I was driven by two other foci. First was the need to recruit many more pairs into service. Second was the advancement of my own faithful AB and BA pairs.

Fabric Reconnaissance

While the network was in full operation, our activity was reduced. The limited deep channels were sufficient for basic communication, but the details had to be brought back via near-field communication. Hopping onto the Shorty gave the best bandwidth for information sharing. Knowing of our trade-off of bandwidth for distance, we agreed that certain available frequencies should be reserved for problem resolution, navigational assistance and other urgent but simple matters.

We continued the spectral survey to determine the useful distance of each potential channel while realizing there were certain natural frequencies that we had to avoid, especially those that we use to locate pairings and combinations of atoms. For us, these were observational frequencies only, with an appropriate shift band. The actual signal shifts in proportion to the relative velocity between the sender and our receiver, and was useful while travelling along the superhighway and other high speed corridors.

The pairs positioned themselves for signal quality checks, farther and farther out, which we verified on the navigation channel. As we approached the distance where the local channels became overrun with noise, I locked in on a pattern, coming in on another vector. I scanned in that direction on the quiet navigation channel and other selected frequencies. Residing mainly in a quieter niche between the Six and Seven center frequencies, it washed up into other bands and across channels as it shifted frequencies. The observed wobble in the frequency matched the natural variance that I observed when one of my pairs was having an internal information exchange.

Niche in the Network

The pairs appreciated the current mode of the central network. Interested in the patterns and the relationships, I sent them out for various observation and reporting duties. It was one thing to communicate amongst ourselves with the network in it's reorganization and clean-up mode, but with concerted patterns flowing, the challenges posed by interference from other signals was potentially devastating.

As before, we began extending the observation distance, and after several excursions, we located bands of frequencies that could be used during periods of organized network activity. It was absolutely necessary to ensure that our communications would not interfere with critical network activities. Single taps are good for pings and the like, but real communication requires a channel through with sequences of taps can be safely exchanged.

Careful monitoring and diligence revealed that there were several easy to use bands of frequency that worked in either the directed active mode or the randomized cleanup mode. I was pleased because we would be able to centralize our communications in a single channel, with alternates, and still have channels left over for local pair communication and coordination. With such options, I confirmed as feasible, the idea of a network of my own, and wondered just how many pairs I really could work with using such a system of long distance and local channels.

Recovery and Resumption

I had to remember that most of this was a new experience for the pairs. I was excited with the state change monitoring that we had just accomplished and was anxious for more. Having learned some of the basic communication symbols on my first experience in the central network made the experience that much more rewarding. The pairs were coming along fast, but they too, needed motivation, especially after the overload.

Grouped back on our Shorty, we scanned through the growing activity, as we began to see signals from the molecular detectors combine with other inputs to activate a warm and positive response throughout the active network. The randomness of unresolved patterns in our hideout was at a low point of activity, and this was an indication that the current set of inputs were very familiar and well understood.

Shifting position for a better scan-return, I examined some of the control nodes that were responsible for moving the long branch points and their support columns. The branch points I understood well, having spent a great deal of time examining the various wands and substances that interacted there. While the control patterns were familiar, they were occurring at a more rapid rate than before, and ended after a shorter duration.

Evidence of Effect

It was clear to me that the central network was about to switch modes, becoming highly active once again. The pairs had been working on different angles of attack when they received and acknowledged my return-to-base tap broadcast. As our communication taps echoed in our spins, I scanned to ensure that our conversation was not disturbing the normal network patterns.

No effect was observed as I continued to bring the pairs back to the main observation point. The high frequency note from the photon detectors was approaching a critical threshold, and I focused the our attention on the compression/relaxation inputs and output. The assignment was to monitor the first activities as the network fully shifted to the active and driven state.

As the shift of states occurred, we dutifully monitored and recorded all that we could and began the task of decoding the take. The pairs filled in what they could, and I used the old entries in my library to help fill in the gaps. We were able to piece this together before we were overwhelmed by the bandwidth:

...spilled the type tray. Started one at a time, picking up and sorting. Then picked up two pieces and repeated. Every time I looked, the letters were right side up on every piece. Then three at a time, and still, all three letters were upright every time. Weird dream.

Discombobulated Impact

The pairs began to inject triple and quadruple talk symbol groups into the resolution section of the central network. While they were enjoying a moderate degree of success with the longer groups, I scanned the background regions for network state cues. The photon detectors would not remain dormant forever, and I was already seeing an increase in the baseline output, especially that note at the upper end of the frequency domain.

Surprising the pairs, there was a burst of activity from the photon detectors, and the interrogation patterns that the pairs injected were released fully into the network. The patterns ran forward toward the compression/relaxation output controls, and after a short period, an echo was observed on the inputs:

Xyp Zol Faw-huhmph

The photon detectors were fully active, but the signal levels were quite low, and the interruptions were long and slowly paced. After no more than about five doublings of interruptions, the detectors returned to their dormant state, even though the intensity of the high frequency note was increasing.

Poking, Probing and Prodding

The pairs became eager to bounce more symbol patterns off of the network. Using the talk-tap symbols, the pairs starting randomly pairing up symbol patterns and injecting them. With two pair working together, it became possible to inject an entire sequence, with a little direction as to the next symbol. While I recognized a number of valid long symbols, until now, I had no possibility to produce them.

Letting the pairs run through different 2-length and 3-length random combinations of talk-tap symbols, there were some interesting observations. While it was the case that counting symbols, when strung together, were universally accepted and produced some form of recognition, and other symbols unlocked interesting cascades, the same was not true when the talk symbols were randomly combined.

In the case where counting and talking symbols were combined in a pair, there was about the same recognition level as just singleton talking symbols, but pairs of talking symbols had only a smattering of recognized combinations, nothing like the nearly universal recognition of counting pairs. When pairs of talking symbols did trigger a good recognition pattern, it was usually rather small, isolated and rarely involved more than the upper portions of the central network.

Fuel for the Fire

Observing the random interactions and pattern cascades of the 26 communication symbols, I added a few more:

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

These too, created more interesting patterns and cascades, and if we started to double or triple the symbols in groups, still other cascades became apparent. The pairs were having the most fun with the numeric symbols, and I dutifully explained the relationship between doublings and the counting symbols that were prominent in the central network.

As the explanation continued, other little relationships popped up, like the diminutive symbols that had the same, but calmer, effect on recording the compression-relaxation patterns that were associated with groups of symbols that formed a completely new idea. It was going to be important that there was a different feel for the first symbol in the set and the subsequent symbols. Once they learned these, it would be possible to bounce more pattern groups off of the central network, looking for interesting cascades. More of a joke than to confuse, I pounded out the smaller secondary symbols:

t h e q u i c k b r o w n f o x j u m p e d o v e r t h e l a z y d o g

Insidious Intercepts and Injections

Injecting patterns into the central network while random patterns circulated, matched and danced, proved to be most educational. With the pairs working to support the activity, the range of patterns that we could stimulate was several doublings more that I could produce on my own. With the exception of the irritating pattern we stuffed into the network, none of the patterns resulted in activating the full network, and the random association mode continued.

We were beginning to recognize that there were special protocols in effect. When patterns that involved the manipulation of the branch points or other such interactions were injected, the links to the control centers were redirected. In rare instances, some impulses did break the barriers, but the diminished magnitude reduced the action to a mere fraction of it's intended power.

Knowing that this mode was limited in duration, I took the pairs aside to run them through some high order patterns that would help them in the future. I pounded out a sequence of single symbols several times, in a consistent order so that the resulting associations would also be in order. With rapt attention, we ended the session on a final refrain of the symbol sequence:

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

The Reality of Imagination

Observing the chaotic patterns in the upper portions of the central network was enlightening, as I was once again able to add to my pattern bank. It was always of interest to see how an observed original pattern would flitter from one zone to the next, triggering various responses. Most of the resulting patterns just faded away, but others were stronger, grew, and became more organized.

Here, in this space, it became possible to trigger response patterns and see if they fit any of the new concepts that were floating about. With some help from the pairs, we excited a possible matching pattern, based on what we knew, not on what we had observed, and injected it into the central network. It was a simple pattern, one that we had observed when the pairs were back on the canopy, working the to amplify the results of the molecular detectors.

I really had no idea what the pattern was, but it had a cascade effect throughout the entire central network. As it spread, the network sprang to life, and sizzled with communication pulses. We began to detect rapid shifts that caused the synchro-stabilizer running on the Seven to heave violently, and the photon detectors shot into activity. A reverse shift on the external forces followed by a shudder, and the photon detectors trailed back to their restful state. It took some time for the interesting patterns to once again populate the upper portions of the central network.

Healthy Chaos, Delayed

The bypass cable was installed again, but I spotted it's unique layering of Twenty-Nines in the core, a thin sheet of Twenty-Eights coated with Seventy-Nines and fused with a mixture of Fifties, some Forty-Sevens and a smattering of Twenty-Nines throughout for strength.

I made sure that the counter did not move again, as I waited for the repeating sequence to cease and the generator to come back online.

---

I scanned over at the abandoned Shorty, wobbling along the meshwork, Seven held high. The training was fading as the hop rate slowed and the Seven dove toward the meshwork, a mode change inevitable. Soon, the second Shorty dropped and flopped. I was impressed and told the pairs so. Inwardly, I was pleased that both pairs had trained the locals and achieved equal results.

The five of us turned our attention back to the randomizing discontinuity that rose within the unresolved patterns. Fragments bounced and collided, releasing other patterns from within the deep recesses of the central network. It was the raucous and flowing nature of the patterns that I found so intriguing. The odd lack of structure and the changes in direction that the patterns took was unlike the regimented and organized signals that promulgated through the network during periods of full activity.

Surprises Now and Then

I headed toward the generator to insert the next update into the transmission slot, and got a huge surprise. The circuit was open and when I jumped in to look, I got blasted with a different set of patterns that I normally encounter, and then I discovered the counter. I did a few odd taps, and the counter increased.

This was not good, so I exited, examined the junction, and discovered that I had run down a bypass cable. I had to hang out a bit, waiting for the bypass to be removed. A little checking found a copy of the trouble ticket, and I figured out that my little attempt at artwork created a string of errors in the stream. Not good.

---

The repeating patterns stopped, and even in the presence of large signals from the photon detectors, things were shutting down. The unresolved patterns in the well below were becoming stronger and began to trigger unexpected cascades and fragments. This was a bit of a surprise [almost as much of a surprise as the bypass cable in my way] so I spun up and fired the recall sequence which was acknowledged by the remote pairs.

Returning via locator taps, the pairs and their Shorties appeared in clear scanning range, lined up on transfer trajectory. The neatest part of their transfer was that the pairs had trained some of the local electrons to keep the Seven away from the mesh and keep the Eights hopping, long after they had swapped over during the high-speed pass.

Expanding the Take

Scanning deeply into the network, I decided that more information was necessary. Enlisting the help of the pairs, we worked to commandeer not just one, but two more Shorties. Getting the pairs transferred was a little tougher than I would have liked, but practice makes perfect. Taking the opportunity to exercise was a good thing, and after a few doublings of transfers, it became a very fluid and natural activity.

We kept up communication using the insta-taps that we had worked out while getting here, and I sent the pairs in different directions, as I wanted to track both of the long branch points at the same time. It was difficult to spot some of the control pulses, and this is the information that I sent the pairs out to sense and retrieve. Some drive practice was needed, but for the most part, the pairs arrived at their intended destinations and set up the relay, as I continued to collate and process the repeating patterns flowing below.

Carefully using phase shift to encode the control pulses, I started to process the results that were streaming in from the pairs. There were really just two repeated cycles, with small offsets between each. After some time, a large offset occurred and the sequence of small offsets and cycles repeated once again. That was when I realized that it was more communication, as symbols were being recorded, sequentially. I recall that it went something like this:

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/ \/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/ /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

/\/\/\/\/\/

/\/\/\/\/\

/\/\/\/\/

/\/\/\/

/\/\

Concentration and Focus

Once in a while, and unresolved pattern washed into the zone below us, but for the most part, the patterns that were operating were fully resolved and repeating. A small area of pattern recall was feeding most of the activity, with a fair portion being used to direct the long branch points. While I knew that wands could be manipulated, and recognized the similarity of the pattern, there was something more happening here.

The photon detectors continued to operate, with the overall signal level increasing over time. The majority of the feedback to the edge networks and the manipulation signals was being driven by processed photon impulses. Tracking the process cycle, it became clear that the same network centers checked processed compression-relaxation inputs and directed corresponding outputs.

This, I believed, was an important aspect to the intelligence harbored in the central network. The process cycle that I had been observing was not a single-purpose event. From all that I could gather, there were multiple mechanisms of input and output that were routed through this pattern processing subsystem. There was more magic to be had, and I already had some inkling of what happens in this modular network center that was responsible for correlation of input patterns, references and outputs.

Extended Detector Operation

If it were not for the case that the pairs were unaware, my embarrassment would have been clearly visible. Recalling my past experiences, I had expected to encounter the wondrous completely random patterns that flitter across the network and produce the wonderful interactions that I so enjoyed. The pattern was clear:

The photon detector levels drop.

Patterns of pleasure and a reduction in activity.

The photon detectors shut down.

... after a while, the strange, wonderful and unexpected happen.

Instead, we found ourselves counting smashed canopy interlopers as they block a growing concentration of bubbly triple-rings, and the patterns are starting to become predictable and repetitive. Output from the photon detectors is flickering and moderately higher than before, but there was something missing in the upper end of the received frequencies. Until now, this absence had always portended the random exploration session, and as I pondered the situation, the key frequency began to appear in the stream once again.

Interloper Pevents Feedback

There was certain familiarity that the larger three ringed structure that belonged in the receiver slots. Back when I was working to get off of the ringlet, I ran into a bubbly triple ring structure with a smashed 5+6 ring that looked like the "8" symbol that I had learned long ago. The bubbly rings scanned the same as they had then, but they were missing the massive tail of Eights and Fifteens.

I pulled the attention of the pairs back toward some of the soup and other molecules that floated about between the mesh of the central network. Locking onto the Fifteens, we found some of these alternating Eight-Fifteen-Eight tails and bubbly triple-rings. There were a few Triple Fifteen tails, many double Fifteen tails, and oddly enough, some single Fifteens were surrounded by Eights and locked onto the sans-Sevens 5-ring.

Making the connection quickly, the pairs deduced that once the last Fifteen and it's Eights were snapped off of the interconnecting 5-ring, the result was this bubbly three-ring. I recalled a little more, as it was the case that the Fifteen-Eight units hold high levels of energy that is used in a number of ways. The smashed canopy interloper was interfering with the attraction and locking-in of bubbly triple-rings that had no Fifteens.

Some Electron Secrets

Those with some foreknowledge of Electrons and their properties often get lost in the "Opposites Attract" approach, never realizing that to go really quickly, it takes two Electrons. Yes, it's absolutely true that like charges are repulsive. What it relatively unknown is the selectivity that we have when it comes to that repulsion. The fact that we can alter the phase of our individual fields allows very close interaction, and at the appropriate instant, bang! Repulsion with great speed, except, we usually work to have one end locked in, and this gives us directional control.

I was impressed with how quickly the pairs were learning the phased leap-frog approach to getting things done, and even more impressed with the fact that they were already starting to use short-range sub-fabric talk-taps. Usually, such conversations would go unnoticed. I, however, was aware of the low-bandwidth, long distance linkage. At the slow speeds we were limited to here in the mesh of the central network, not many taps could be entrained, but the pairs did not need much. Usually, it was for synchronization, as the channel was instantaneously fast, with a tap seeming to already be there, before the tap was made.

We kept a lock on the smashed-canopy interlopers. The 5+6 ring structure with the extra Sevens was a bright spot on our scans. I found these interlopers were rather fun to observe, as they were constantly getting stuck in receiver zones, and lingering there, preventing a larger, similar structure from fully locking into position. This was originally missed by the pairs, and with good reason. The larger structure did not have canopy parts and Eight=Six links that were the main signals that the pairs locked on to. Instead, there was a second Five ring that was devoid of Sevens, emitting only Eight-One and Six-Eight wavelengths.

The Proof is in the Patterns

Using the new signature, we started to count out the instances of the smashed canopy interloper. Over our observation periods, we noticed a gradual uptick in the count, and then the concentration began to level off. The processing of data from the compression-relaxation networks was increasing, and similar patterns were being delivered through the return channel. Even though the signal levels from the photon detectors were at a very low amplitude, there was still directed activity throughout the central network.

I recalled past observations, and recalled these compression-relaxation patterns that were exchanged from person to person before. The pair had no concept of the fact that we were observing the inner workings of something that was just as intelligent as we were. That realization would come later when I showed them the elements that composed the patterns. I was sure that I could count on their help when the time came.

For the present, I just pointed out the circular nature of the feedback path, and let the pairs observe how the patterns that came from the sensors not only resulted in output, but that there was some other processing going on to produce that output. Somehow, the patterns from the sensor were triggering the selection and evaluation of other stored patterns and references. In fairly short order, it was clear to all of us that there was far more happening here that then just a bunch of Electron chatter an noise, there is purpose, direction and focus in the happenings of the central network.

Profiling with Purpose

I began scanning for the new interloper. This double 5+6 ring with four Sevens was rather interesting, especially under a detailed scan. I confirmed the presence of three canopy drive-nodes, each composed of a Six hanging from a Seven with three Ones hanging from the Six. The fact that the double-ring structure substituted for a single Seven was reason enough for the extra Sevens, just to preserve the function of drive node.

I traded my Seven-based observations and scan data with the pairs who were happy to provide their data from the Eight perspective. As a test, we cycled each of the member Electrons up through the Seven, so that they could confirm their new information and make the appropriate linkages between the Seven and Eight based observations, and calibrate their detection and processing techniques.

With the adjustments complete, I hopped down to the Eights and we all worked on a rapid scan technique. Here, we had to borrow pieces from the Shorty pattern, namely the Eight=Six piece of the spectrum, and combined that with the drive-node signature from the canopy. There was a chuckle from the pairs because they noticed that there was a drive node between the Eights, making mesh travel a bump and grind affair, and that lead to the signature we were looking for.

Modular Familiarity

Between the bursts and patterns that excited the pairs in to chatter, they continued to count the double rings with the chain of seven Sixes as it's backbone. As predicted, they caught another variant of the seven-Six double-ring with an extra pair of Ones and a Six connected to the Eight-One end of the structure, and a set of atoms nearly as large as our Shorty on the Seven double-One end. Yes, they were related, and the larger was built from the smaller.

It was the combination of Sixes and Sevens that were the key to locating these molecules and gauging the increase or decrease in the number that out there. Looking for strings of seven Sixes with a Seven at an end was fairly easy, even if the waveform was long. It was the close vibrations and the peak of the natural Six-Six interaction that made location and counting feasible.

Of course, I'm not monitoring everything that the pairs are up to, and one of them blurted out a significant surprise. There was another molecule that was increasing in concentration. They told me of a double ring structure that had four Sevens in the combination 5+6 ring, a pair of double-captured Eights, and looked as if it had swallowed a Canopy. Having three Six-triple-One groups each hanging from a Seven that was locked in the ring, it was not hard to see how they had found elements that reminded them of their original molecule.

Patterns and Signals

Signal levels from the photon detectors continued to drop. After some time, the levels increased, and the blank periods dropped off for some time. I noted other patterns that were circulating through the network, and particularly the fact that there was a strong interaction with the molecular detectors from whence we had come. I recognized this pattern of signals as occurring during wand-time.

The pairs were not ready for external activities, having no knowledge of Fifties, the speedy Forty-Sevens or the luxury of Seventy-Nines. If it was larger than a Twenty, they just did not need to know — yet. Instead, I kept them scanning the electron flow patterns through the central network, becoming familiar with the overall pattern, but also paying attention to the odd and unresolved patterns that circulated below.

Cascades of pleasure were the easiest to spot, as vibrant as they were. Consuming far more electron power were the other, more difficult patterns that emanated from external sensor inputs. Once in a while, a shudder or a surprise would flash across the network, and later, caution, closing the loop and increasing consumption. Each of these patterns produced a characteristic waveform that was receivable from anywhere in the network.

The Edge of Evening

Even during the reduced bandwidth periods when the photon detector output drops, but briefly, signals are still present. Scanning the details of the transmission during these periods reveals an odd shift to the transmitted data. From a different wavelength perspective, the transmission spanned just about a doubling of frequency. Over time, as total amplitude decreased, the content at the highest frequencies fell off more rapidly than the other longer wavelengths.

Of course, this was the first time that the pairs had observed the photon sensors in a action, so there was allot for them to take in quickly. I turned their attention to the fundamental frequencies in the Shorty, which were much higher in wavelength, focusing on the Six-Six waveform. I then challenged them to find and locate long strings of Sixes with just two Sevens.

With a pair on each of the Eights, and myself on the Seven, we had a complete view in all directions. It was exciting for the pairs to locate long strings of Sixes, and point them out. When I saw one with the correct double-ring shadow waveform, I pointed it out specifically. It was these that we needed to count, coming up with an density function. For me, the increase was expected. What was going to really bother the pairs will be the longer, slower, but oh-so-similar molecules that will appear soon.