This is a [SerialStory] with tags [SS] and [Subm] titled 'Submersible.'

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( Here is a link to part #1 so you can start at the beginning. )

( Find other items in the series - search 'Subm' | Find part 3 - search 'Subm_3' | Find other serials on SN - search 'SS_' )

On the staircase landing, Vasquez was not yet ready to relinquish his stage. He nodded to each guest, requesting credit where he saw credit due -- well beyond those who had heard his moment. Ms. Melody Moods, by virtue of her proximity to the staircase and her natural attraction to the light of the bright dining hall, was one. She appraised Thiago curiously as she ascended and saw that his posture and elevation matched his presumption of preeminence. But she did not know that it was mostly temporary and, to him, merit-based; she thought it was his default setting. The group of mostly-men that trailed her were none the wiser, and matched Thiago with cordiality. That was enough for him, and he entered with them.

Thaddeus Tilney loitered inside hoping to harass his friend further, "I still say an intercom would suffice, Thiago. There's no need for these fobs."

Unperturbed, Thiago was glad for the invitation to explain himself, and confident in his reasoning. "You are thinking backwards, Thaddeus. It is true that an intercom could do the job of receiving voice commands. However, that does not disprove my hypothesis. It is the very existence of these devices that prove an intercom was not sufficient. Frederic Forenza is a private individual, and no one knows a great deal about the man, but we can give him enough credit to assume we wouldn't have these without some specific purpose for which they are uniquely suited."

"Fair enough, Thiago," said Thaddeus. "But what purpose?"

"An intercom would certainly serve us well, yet we have seen no sign of any such apparatus. This fob, then, will likely serve that purpose... among others. These make intercoms redundant."

Thaddeus agreed that seemed likely, but maintained his position: "It's not enough, Vasquez."

"It's never enough for you, Tilney," he joked. "Consider that a microphone provides infinite extensibility, and adding a speaker allows for an individualized experience. Intercoms can only speak to the group all at once, whereas these fobs could message the individual. That is enough, is it not?"

"No!" Tilney objected, "It most certainly isn't. Not enough to be sure about the doors. It does not logically follow. You had enough to generate a hypothesis through inductive reasoning, but it required more testing. There might have been other eventualities that fit the facts at hand. You were guessing. A reasoned guess, I'll give you. A good one even. But you could not have rationally had the confidence that your voice command, in combination with the button, would open the door. It was just a guess."

"If it's any consolation," Thiago continued, "there is more of what you might consider valid evidence to draw from. First, the two buttons we know are intuitive. If there is a voice indicator required, such as the old 'OK Google,' no one here knows it yet. We would need it explained to us before we could use it at all. Hardly intuitive. Surely the technology at Forenza estates will not require that we search the library for an instruction booklet, either." He waited for the anachronism to sink in, and then for Tilney's amusement to follow.

"My suspicion, therefore, was that a vocal indicator is not required to distinguish command from conversation, and is not required to activate its advanced functions at all. That it is fully intuitive, easily used by anyone without explanation. The 3rd button is the indicator. This hypothesis fits all of the facts at our disposal, and all else that we have gleaned."

Tilney considered, but was not convinced. He needed Thiago's thoughtful silence to put together his final move. "It's all valid evidence, Thiago, but it just doesn't follow necessarily. You couldn't be sure it had a microphone at all. Your suspicion was informed, but your certainty was irrational! There are other conclusions that fit the facts. Perhaps Forenza Estates is equipped with intercoms capable of voice recognition that can distinguish me by my vocal fingerprint to serve me individually. And lack of knowledge is not proof of lack -- perhaps the robot gives us the indicator over dinner."

Thiago was quiet as he looked right at Thiago. After a moment of this, Tilney grinned. "Check, my friend," then mutual silence until Tilney added, "You must have found the LED on the front of the device. But the flashlight is not enough to close the gap."

"Perhaps..." Thiago looked away and went deep into solitary thought before responding. "Perhaps I should offer a draw. Perhaps."

Tilney loved this, and would have basked there silently all evening. But soon Thiago spoke, slowly and deliberately.

"Why did the robot refuse to explain, Thaddeus? Do you feel the air of mystery that surrounds us? We are invited with no explanation. When we arrive at Forenza Estates, we are ushered in to wait. For what? We don't know! And consider Frederic Forenza himself. Very little is known about him -- and what we think we know comes second hand. He is an enigma, as is this entire experience. It is a riddle. It's all a riddle. Something had to be solved here. Sensing this, I was certain. The robot was instructed to avoid spoiling Forenza's challenge."

"Certain? Be careful with your words," admonished Thaddeus, "You could not have been certain."

Thiago sought explanation from the ocean, then the sky. He looked to the device in his hand, and looked back at his friend. "And yet when I hold this, and I see... all of this? It was the only explanation. I felt certain. My hypothesis had become my theory. My theory became the basis for my belief. My actions followed."

"Oh bullshit!" Cried Tilney. You can't just do that! You have to recognize the limitations of your observations and conclude objectively. The certainty of your conclusion cannot be better than the sum of your evidence. Without the missing link, your theory... was just a guess! Nothing more."

Thiago smiled at him slowly before delivering his last: "How is your shoulder Thaddeus?"

It was funny to Tilney because he could see the truth of it, but being nearly impervious to ridicule, he would have recovered easily anyway. "Sure, I can admit that I went shoulder-first into my own hypothesis. But I also paid for it! It looks like you won the evening, for your..." He didn't want to say foolishness.

Thiago was glad to steal the last word. "I only risked my pride, while you risked your person."

Thaddeus rubbed his sore shoulder in lieu of a response, and having advanced well into the new room, they finally disengaged to take in their surroundings.

It was a panoroma room, with windows forming the full oceanside wall and part of each that adjoined, as well as the full 45 degree facet that connected the vertical to the horizontal ceiling, and even some of the floor. The unobtrusive mullions were so slight, and the window panels spanned so far, that it was a wonder the thing held -- but the aesthetic effect was that it brought the sky closer, so that all could be seen on this clear night. It was a magnificent overlook from Forenza's island to the Pacific, so immersive that the lack of air and ocean sounds was disquieting.

"Perfection!" Melody sung enthusiastically, brightening the air and bringing a smile to all who could hear. "Can you imagine?"

And it was a beautiful night. The noisy shore below was mostly out of sight, allowing the ocean to be one wide and solid thing with no obstruction; the view was split in half where it met the sky. On the vertical it was the moon that sat at center, proving that the room's orientation had taken it's celestial path into account -- and that this was the night it had been built for.

The crowd filled in and seated themselves, as was expected by the arrangement of tables, chairs, and tableware. Once seated, nothing distinguished the experience to any among them from one that could be had at any time since childhood; there was no ultra-modernity, no novel technology, and none of the perpetual unanswered questions and associated subtle anxieties that had come to define their adult life. Here beneath the stars, there was no mystery as to what does what, as to how this works, as to what these do, or why. Among this peaceful, friendly crowd, with simple utensils and calm water, it had all been lifted. The traditional motif was comforting, and it made them feel at home.

Please consider zapping this post if you enjoyed it. Much appreciated ~

Note: Part 6 had a bounty that had carried over because it wasn't solved, with a total of 2,000. The question was, 'Why does Thiago know? Why not intercoms?' @Public_N_M_E of the ~Music territory, ventured a guess, and it was correct! He wins the 2,000 bounty... PLUS 2,000 sats made possible by a grant from a fan. Future bounties will also be larger due to this generosity. Additionally, the guess was INTEGRAL to my revisions to the story. For that, an extra 500 sats. Thanks, and well done @Public_N_M_E!

Second Note: @Public_N_M_E 's guess was very helpful in clarifying something for me. The word 'redundant,' was better than any I had, and he noted that no intercom had been spotted by any character thus far, which I hadn't thought of. I incorporated this and made this distinction more key to the flow of the dialogue. My initial instinct was that winning the prize would involve recognizing that It is the very existence of these devices that prove an intercom was not sufficient, which is another way of saying 'redundant,' but also key was an individualized experience. I also realized when I thought it through, as Tilney and Vasquez do above, that...

...does not itself 100% beget the following test of a simultaneous button press either, it is only vaguely intuitive to anyone with experience of various electronic devices. Thanks for clarifying and improving the story @Public_N_M_E ...an extra 500 sats for that!

Stay tuned for part 8, which will reset and introduce new characters and possibilities :D