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Umbo thought for a moment. “Under what name are they explained?”
“‘Remote storage and transfer of the ship’s log.’”
Umbo held up the knife and looked at the hilt. “These jewels are the log of each of the nineteen ships?”
“Yes.”
Remembering what he had read, Umbo said, “So each jewel contains a complete record of all actions and observations made by all the computers aboard that particular ship.”
“Yes.”
“Including all the actions of the Remote Expendable Action Modules.”
“Yes.”
“How recent is the information on each jewel?”
“The jewel that holds this starship’s log was updated just now when you certified.”
“And the other jewels?”
“The jewels carried by Rigg Sessamekesh were updated when he certified himself as commander of all the vessels.”
“And the jewels on this knife?”
“They were updated when you passed through the Wall.”
The Wall was certainly a lot more than a barrier between wallfolds. All human languages, and an update of all the ships’ logs. Umbo thought through what this might mean. “When a jewel updates, is it a destructive or a cumulative update?”
“Cumulative.”
“So if I were to time-shift and enter a Wall in an earlier time, the information recorded from the later time I came from would not be erased by the update that it subsequently gets in the earlier time.”
A momentary pause. “I have parsed your question and I can say, Yes, the information from a future time would not be erased by updating the ship’s log remote storage and transfer unit by passing into the Wall in an earlier era, as long as the time-shifter carried the log with him into the past.”
So the jewels would not suffer data loss by passing through the Wall and being updated in a back-shifted time. “If Rigg or I take a copy of the ships’ logs through the Wall when the Wall has been made passable according to Rigg’s command, is the log still updated?”
“Turning off the barrier features of the Wall does not turn off the Wall. All other functions continue.”
Umbo could not help himself. He laughed in delight.
“You are amused,” said the expendable.
I can be amused if I want and when I want, for whatever reason I want, Umbo wanted to say. Instead he grinned at the expendable. “The Odinfolders know this, don’t they?”
“Yes. I have kept no secrets from them.”
“Really?” said Umbo. “Have you told them about the deaths of all but one of the other Ram Odins?”
“I answer all their questions as fully as permitted.”
For a moment, Umbo took that as an answer to his question. Then he realized that it was not. “Has anyone ever asked that question?”
“You are the first.”
Umbo chuckled again. He not only knew information now that the Odinfolders had wanted to keep from him, he even knew information that they didn’t know. All in all, this was turning out to be a successful expedition.
“Odinex, please arrange for the ship to make me a good noon meal. Then bring it to me wherever I am in the ship.”
