Chapter 4 — The Star Growers

Do Bach appears on a screen hanging in the cultural house with a white wall background and a skewed bookshelf. He wasn't wearing a uniform, just a gray shirt and thin-rimmed glasses. The call signal was delayed by two seconds, causing villagers' questions to often come before the answers.

“I understand people want to continue collecting data,” Bach said. "But a starburst is a flying object. If it loses control, it could get caught in low-flying paths, power lines or farming areas."

Cu sat in the front row. “Do you know where it is flying?”

“We have the location data sent.”

“Whose data?”

“Of the community network.”

“So why do you say it's out of control?”

Bach did not dodge. "Having a signal does not mean control. A device that sends its location after it has passed through a prohibited zone can still be dangerous."

Lam placed the map on the table. "We changed the drop corridor, recorded the time and tied the rope outside the lagoon. The V-18 crashed because of capacitor failure, not because of the flight path."

“I read the minutes.”

“You read the rough version?”

"Not yet."

“So you haven't read the capacitor error yet.”

Bach looked at her through the screen. "I want to read it. But first we need to stop releasing it so as not to increase the risk."

Thao Nhi asked: "If a person observes the sky with his eyes, does he need to ask permission from the sky?"

"If just observing, no. If sending equipment to airspace, yes."

“Our star particles are not satellites.”

"I know."

“But your paper is called a flying object.”

“Because it's a flying object.”

The conversation revolved around calling, as if one word could stop the wind. Mien sat next to Lam, looked at Bach's lips, then looked at the signal board. I couldn't hear everything, but I read the adults' faces: they were pushing responsibilities back and forth.

Ha asked for a microphone. "I want to ask a specific question. If we don't release more, will the medical station be able to use the data of the five active stations?"

“Yes, if it is clearly stated that it has not been calibrated.”

“Who is responsible for reading?”

"Community."

“Who is responsible when the community reads it wrong?”

Bach stopped. “We need to coordinate.”

“That's not the answer.”

“No one can guarantee a forecast.”

“So don't ask us to be quiet just because our sentences aren't beautiful.”

Lam saw Bach leaning towards the camera. "I'm not asking for silence. I'm asking for no alarms from data that doesn't have a calibration chain."

“We haven't issued a warning yet.”

“But you are calling the people to a meeting because of it.”

“We are preparing.”

“Preparation also requires data.”

Bach looked at her, not arguing further. He asked for the station address, sensor type, operating hours, and housing material. Lam answers each item. When asked about access rights, she said the raw version belongs to the community, the technical team is viewed for calibration, and the data is public after hiding the location of people's homes.

“Why hide location?” Bach asked.

“Because the station receiver has the right not to make the roof a public spot.”

“If too much is hidden, the model cannot be used.”

“Models have no natural rights.”

Thao Nhi smiled softly. Bach looked down at the document.

"Miss Lam," he said, "I didn't come to get data. I came to avoid an accident."

"Me too."

“So we agree on that point.”

"Not yet."

“What's missing?”

"If you stop, you have to send us a quick calibration, not just a request. And you have to be willing to read the rough version."

Bach was silent. An officer next to him appeared in the frame, whispering something. Bach nodded.

“I will submit the six-hour calibration procedure,” he said. “But the You are not allowed to release any more until you have it.”

Kha burst out laughing. “Six o'clock is the wind window.”

"I get it."

“Have you ever released star seeds?”

"Not yet."

“So you don't understand.”

Bach is not angry. “Yes. I have not."

The call ended with a provisional record: five active stations held, two flying particles to watch; no new stocking; process sending center; Van Suong sent the encrypted raw copy. Lam signed as a group representative, but added the sentence "does not mean accepting that data has no value".

After the meeting, Cu pulled Lam out onto the field. “You just received the order to stop, you still want to hold the station.”

“The station is in operation, not a new one.”

“Spare words.”

“Read the words correctly.”

“We up there will say you're making things difficult.”

"Mr. Bach is not us."

“You believe him?”

“I believe he will read the data if the procedure allows it. I don't trust the process yet.”

Cu looked at the sea. Outside the lagoon, Thin Cloud's reflective roof shines like a long piece of glass. “I don't like that.”

"Why?"

“It makes the water glare. Fish change regions.”

“Fish changing regions may be due to heat.”

“I didn't say it was the cause. I said it appeared at the same time.”

“Need to measure.”

“Can you measure the fish?”

“The direction can be measured.”

“That's what I do.”

Lam recorded the time Cu spoke, but did not record the conclusion. Since Star Garden began, she'd learned to keep every word at the right weight.

Mien gave her a piece of paper with a circuit diagram. I marked the abnormal vibration point on the receiver and added a connection to the Lower station.

“What do you want to do?” Lam asked.

Mien pointed to the process Bach promised to send, then pointed to the receiver. I wrote: “Calibrated by humans.”

Lam doesn't understand. Mien took three cups of water: tap water, well water and lagoon water. I dipped the filter membrane into each station and recorded the reaction. I do not replace the laboratory, but create a common comparison for all sensors.

“Do not use lagoon water as a standard,” Lam said. “Salinity varies.”

Mien wrote: “Not correct. Compare."

Lam looked at her, then nodded. Bach will send the standard process, and they can create a simple testing routine that everyone can repeat.

In the evening, the health station issued an internal bulletin: not calling it a storm, not closing the village, but asking people with respiratory diseases to check for filtered towels and clean water. Go door to door with a list, do not send a general message. She said a warning only makes sense if the person receiving it knows what to do.

At the dome, Thao Nhi opened the warehouse door for the children. She showed them an old map of the sky, in which the constellations were marked with their profession names: Net Star, Salt Star, Cau Len Star. That's how fishermen remember directions, not astronomical names.

“So did they plant it before?” Ti asked.

“They call the way in the sky by the things on earth,” she said. “Planting stars is making the sky have a place in life.”

Lam listened, but did not want the saying to become a slogan. She looked at the screen. V-20 sent northwest data packets, V-19 was fine, salt hut station increased salt. Two seeds are moving away from the beach.

At exactly 10:02 a.m., one of the two navigation lights went out. There is no warning package. There are no final coordinates.

Kha ran out to coil the wire. “V-20 is gone.”

“Follow the last packet,” Lam said.

“No.”

Mien touched the table. I felt one beat and then three very light beats in the receiver, outside the computer display range.

Lam opens the wide frequency filter. A dot appeared at the edge of the beach, going against the wind.

“It's not gone yet,” Mien wrote. “It changes the way we speak.”

Lam looked up at the sky. Side Outside, no one heard anything except the sound of Cu's factory engine. But high above, a star particle is still sending invalid signals, and only a little girl who reads vibrations recognizes it.

Bach's six-hour calibration had not yet begun.

Van Suong Village has a new question: if a device doesn't speak in the central language, is it silent?

The question was posted on the door of the equipment room in two copies: black letters on white paper and embossed dots punched by Mien with a cold soldering tip. People coming in and out touch it before passing. Some people find the question too philosophical for a calibration session. Some people say that because it's difficult to answer, it needs to be left at the door.

Bach sent a twelve-step process. Check the source, determine coordinates, compare meters, measure pressure, record heat, take dust samples, check vibration, seal the case, test transmission, confirm witnesses, save the original, then allow reading. Print the procedure in three copies. Mien read and crossed her steps to "confirm the witness". If only technicians look at the equipment, people remain outside the data creation process.

“Who do you want to add?” Lam asked.

Mien wrote: "One person uses hand signals. One person does not know technology. One person has the right to say no."

So, the first calibration session included Ms. Luu, an eighth grade student, and Ms. Ha. They don't repair circuits. They observed, asked questions, and signed what was explained to them. When the technician said "the delay is not significant", Ms. Luu asked whom it was significant. No one answered immediately. Bach then changed the line in the minutes to "three-second delay, which should be noted when used for short-term warnings."

Mien placed a vibrator under the table to record how the body perceived the signals. When V-18 sends a packet, the green light turns on but the motor vibrates more slowly. She doesn't consider it entirely her fault. Listeners can read a chart, non-listeners need a beat. Two different experiences must be part of the design.

Outside the gate, some people still complain that the government should send a professional team to do the job instead. Lam does not object to that wish. She just asked if the professional team left after two days, who would know what a bulging battery, a vibrating wire or a streak of salt on the window said. Questions slow down the conversation.

In the afternoon, Bach sent temporary licenses to six stations but kept the order to stop launching. Sao Garden has the right to observe the ground, but does not have the right to see high floors. Lam signed the receipt, then distributed copies to each group. They don't have new star beads, but have one more process that everyone can check out. When it was dark, Mien put her hand on the vibrating box and said in a very low voice: "If the device can't talk, we learn to listen to the rest."