Data Singularity

"Taste this," Paula said, handing me a drink.

I took a sip, smacked my lips a couple of times, and nodded. "Beer. Perfect day for it."

"It's made by Submind beer trees," Paula said, watching me.

I wasn't surprised. "Of course it is. Plant one in my ship please. It tastes wonderfully intoxicating."

Simon came into the Dizzy Pig Bar and Grill, looked around until he saw me, and started through the crowd towards us.

"Uh oh," I said.

"What?" Paula asked.

"Simon seems intent on interrupting our dinner," I said.

Paula looked around. "He's a good kid."

"Yeah," I said darkly. "Just don't say anything he might take seriously."

"Like what?"

"I don't know. Piloting a combat ship maybe."

"Oh, that," Paula said mildly. She stood up and kissed my forehead. "I'm going to go freshen up."

"Great," I muttered.

"Hey, Mr. Jackson. Where's Miss Mattson off to?"

"Closet," I said.

"Ah," Simon said. "I came by to say you should stop by the office tomorrow and authorize your super-node. Joe said you can have two if you want, but I think he was joking. He was really happy when he sent me to find you."

"Two?" I asked. "I'm surprised he's giving me one."

"Joe found and repaired that broken q-link," Simon said. "Like we talked about the other night."

I nodded.

"The data paths went up by a factor of ten. The drive generators are beyond hyper and we are reinforcing the system with Submind organics. We've got some long days ahead, but this is beyond bonus oxygen, Mr. Jackson."

"Submind is definitely taking over," I muttered.

"What?" Simon asked.

"My understanding of quanta technology is limited to calling someone else," I said. "All I know is my sys-op instructor was fond of saying 'data singularity' whenever I asked why we went to all the trouble for a quanta drive we didn't really need. They all connect to the same quanta, so ten of them doesn't make any more sense to me than one."

"It's a matter of access," Simon said. "About how many pathways you got. More paths, more super-nodes, and more chance of connecting to an existing network."

"That explains everything," I said in sarcastic joy.

"Quanta is like this not-a-place made completely of data potential, and it can only be accessed through a data core."

I nodded.

"The data core is created by the drive generators," Simon said. "And the strength of the data core determines how many paths the core can process at any one time. Pathways usually process much faster after the first time, and there are a number of established pathways which are instantly accessible from almost every drive."

"Just like my sys-op instructor," I said, grinning at him.

Simon shrugged, but he didn't give up. "It's like an endless forest of data, and paths are how many trees we can touch on the way through. The more data you plant in the core, the more quanta paths you can access, and the easier it is to find the data you want. I've never been clear on whether we add the data or the pathways, but the end result is the same; an endless dark forest with places where light occasionally comes in."

"Ah," I said, taking another sip of beer. "An endless dark forest. That's a bit easier to imagine."

"Tomorrow, then?" Simon asked.

I nodded. "I'll bring Paula. You can authorize that second super-node for her."

"But..."

"Joe said two. There's no reason to confirm that," I said. "Is there?"

"No reason at all, Mr. Jackson. I'll see you tomorrow."