by S. H. Jucha
Pia chuckled and followed Kasie down the steps.
When the group arrived at the storeroom, Kasie impatiently swung an arm at the lockers. “Where are the cases, Luther?”
“Patience, Kasie, I’m trying to recall,” Luther replied.
“Sorry,” Kasie said contritely, but her head popped up at the sound of laughter. “Funny,” she commented, when she realized that the SADE’s extensive memory would have the placement of every tool and case within the lockers.
Luther smiled at Kasie, and then he moved quickly down the row of lockers. He opened three of them, selecting a small case from each.
Kasie reached for the first one, and Pia cautioned her. “That’s Luther’s job,” she said.
Luther carefully examined the case. When he couldn’t detect any untoward triggers, he opened the case.
Edmas peered over Luther’s shoulder. “It looks to be a single instrument that has to be assembled, or those parts are attached to the body for different occasions.”
“An adequate analysis,” Luther said.
“Okay, the next one,” Kasie urged. Hurrying to the second case, she waved at Luther to follow her.
When Luther opened the case, Jodlyne commented, “Those look ideal.”
Nestled within material were eight identical small devices. Each had a single button in Messinant blue, and the button was shielded by transparent material.
“Let’s test one,” Kasie said.
“After we’ve made preparations, we’ll perform this exercise on the platform deck,” Luther replied.
Then Luther checked the third case and found it similar to the first one. Two cases were returned to their lockers, and the SADE carried one case to the platform deck.
When the group made the upper deck and closed the console, Luther, Pia, Edmas, and Jodlyne made for the ramp.
“Where are you going?” Kasie asked plaintively.
Before anyone could reply, Luther signaled them to wait.
Kasie heard the anger in her brother’s thoughts.
Kasie knew her brother, especially in his role as commander. He would do exactly as he said. She focused her mind. His intervention had come as she questioned the others about where they were going. Several simple ideas occurred to her, and she quickly dismissed them. Jess would have only intervened because of some danger.
“Shutdown,” Kasie whispered, but her implant carried her word. Then she sent,
Kasie thought the answer was obvious, but the fact that her brother was asking the question told her to be careful responding. The more she considered the problem, the more thoughts she came up with about what might happen within the dome when a device was triggered.
When the answer finally occurred to Kasie, she could have kicked herself. Jess had pointed the way, and she hadn’t registered it. There was no doubt that her desire to hurry had made her a liability for the group.
While the group donned environment suits, Luther consulted with Minimalist and Miriam.
For safety’s sake, Minimalist halted the excavation and directed the crews to the far side of the deepening pit.
“What’s happening?” several captains asked Minimalist simultaneously.
“Is there any danger from their use?” Horner asked.
Minimalist sent.
The humans met Luther in the corridor. He’d closed the ramp, and Minimalist and Miriam prepared to communicate what they observed.
Luther created a conference link. Then he sent,
Luther agreed.
Over the captains’ comm, Gurtride said, “We’ve plied space for decades, walked on asteroids smaller than our ships, and witnessed the anomalies of space. But did you ever think you’d see a group of humans and digital entities turn on and off a Messinant dome?”
There wasn’t any response to Gurtride’s rhetorical question. The captains and their crews had been mesmerized by the operation.
10: Loopah
Centuries ago, the Loopah, a developing simian race, had a world-shattering introduction to the purpose of the Messinant dome, which they’d just occupied, when figures appeared on a platform in blinding blue light.
The Loopah’s senior scientist, Eggess, took the entities on the platform to be the dome’s creators.
However, among others, they were Jessie Cinders, Harbour, Aurelia Garmenti, and her partner, Devon Higgins.
The explorers knew they’d ignored the Tsargit’s strictures against contact with races who hadn’t learned a dome’s mysteries. But, as Jessie and Harbour were wont to say at the time, “Pyrea
ns aren’t members of the Tsargit.”
By necessity, Aurelia had descended from the platform and approached the console. This was a requirement to prepare the team’s return to Norsitchia via a console’s timed journey.
Fortunately, Eggess’s long, powerful arm had swung invitingly toward the console, allowing Aurelia access.
The explorers had a singular purpose for the journey. From within the Loopah dome, Norsitchians had observed the development of the race before the simians achieved spaceflight, and they’d recorded the use of projectile launchers.
Jessie and Harbour were convinced that the launchers would be invaluable in the fight against the Colony. At the time, their chief concern was to protect a dome’s integrity. It was thought that energy weapons might disrupt the dome and expose the explorers to vacuum. This was later proven to be an unnecessary precaution.
To the Loopah’s surprise, the strange visitors had asked for one of their needle launchers, and Semgess, the head of security, had reluctantly handed the weapon across.
When the platforms’ flash of light sent the supposed creators back to where they came from, Eggess had wondered what such technologically advanced entities would have wanted with so primitive a weapon.
It had been more than three centuries since the aged, silver-haired scientist had passed. In the course of time, the Loopah had mastered the basics of the Messinant console, and they’d explored the gates available to them.
One gate proved inaccessible. It was the one by which the creators had arrived and left. The Loopah accepted that the entities had restricted their access.
In actuality, the Norsitchians had blocked the gate. First, the denial had been accomplished by placing a cube on the platform. Later, the gate was blocked via a console submenu.
The Loopah’s other gates led to unoccupied worlds. To date, the race hadn’t sought to journey beyond the single journeys. There were concerns from citizens whether the creators would have allowed it. Skeptics thought the next journeys outward would have sent the Loopah into nothingness. Intrepid individuals wanted to explore farther but the High Council had forbidden it.
After the creators had appeared, the Loopah’s spaceflight capabilities continued to mature. They expanded outward within their system. They now mined their twin belts, constructed fast passenger ships, and built massive freighters. Heavy industry was shifted off the home world to dead planets and moons.
Jess and Lucia had decided that no race deserved the support of the advanced races more than the Loopah, who had supplied the Resistance with the prototype of the dart weapons.
Jess had tasked Alain and some of his consortium envoys with making the Loopah their first contact.
As the Norsitchians held the gate coupled to the Loopah dome, Jess requested Minister of Planetary Defense Nemanous to approve the gate’s opening, not that the minister had much choice.
Although the Tsargit’s edict against contacting developing races remained in place, the consortium’s contract with the outpost took precedence over the Tsargit’s ancient rules.
Despite Lucia’s protestations, Jess chose to accompany Alain and support the envoy’s first attempt at contacting a developing race.
When Jess climbed onto the Norsitchian platform, he felt an odd chill and sensed the gate had already coupled to the distant dome. he sent privately to Alain.
Jess gazed at the team. Two SADEs had volunteered to help Alain, and Jess was appreciative of their presence. The SADEs were Esteban and Juliette, who had been with him in the early days of the fight against the insectoids. Esteban was a business partner of Edmas and Jodlyne.
The pair of SADEs had been instrumental in coaxing the tiny Pims to take on the Colony that had infested their home world. With the aid of Mickey’s engineering teams and Crocians, the Pims were supplied with newer and newer forms of the shadows. The final version had grav-capability, targeting lasers, and enhanced controllers.
Under the Pim leader, Oforum, and her mate, Phette, the race had become a manufacturing force for the alliance. The Pims’ grav products, the productions of which were supported by Crocian engineers and techs, were in high demand.
Also on the platform and standing beside the SADEs was Major Sam Fleetfoot. His inclusion had been at Lucia’s insistence. As she had phrased it to Jess and Alain, “If you think I’m allowing my partner and a close friend of Alex and Renée to journey unprotected to a dome of unknown status, then the two of you are losing your minds.”
A set of senior Norsitchians completed the platform’s group. They were the consortium envoys and comprised an economist, an aerospace engineer, and an agricultural scientist. Each individual had access to hundreds of other specialists, who could be called on to support the nascent race.
The only weapon among the journeyers was a stun gun carried by Sam, and Jess had insisted that he conceal it.
Both Juliette and Esteban carried small bags filled with ear comms, which would be employed when the language application could be built.
“Ready?” Jess asked, gazing around at the team. Short positive answers and head nods greeted his question, and Jess signaled the console operator.
Twin flashes of light resulted in the team appearing on a Loopah platform. Their manifestation froze the few Loopah scattered around the upper deck.
Jess was relieved that he couldn’t see a single launcher.
Nogess, the only on-duty console operator, eyed the assorted collection of individuals who stood quietly on the platform. Every operator was told repeatedly to be cognizant of entities who might arrive via gate two. It was believed that they would be the creators.
Images of the creators had populated Loopah lore for centuries. Now, Nogess saw the similarity in four of the figures, but the others were obviously of a different origin.
When Alain saw nothing untoward, he sent,
The SADE eased off the platform and gestured toward the console.
Nogess stepped away from his post and indicated the female was free to access it.
Juliette activated a console menu. The language app hadn’t been employed, and she initiated it.
Nogess stepped close to peer over the creator’s shoulder. He was sure to be asked later about what she’d done. The fur on his bare arm was brushed, and with a quick glance, he recognized Barbess, a relief console operator. She was due to come on duty soon. She glanced up at him, and he cautioned her to remain still and quiet.
When Juliette was ready to run the program, she motioned the two Loopah forward.
Nogess hesitated, but Barbess came quickly to the SADE’s side.
Juliette waited until the male joined the female. Then she started the language translation program. It began as it had in every Messinant dome. A simple image was shown.
Juliette held up a finger, and then she pointed to the image.
With hesitancy, Barbess said, “One.”
Juliette nodded and indicated the icon to advance, which Barbess touched.
Barbess instantly replied to the second image, and then she took over the program.
Juliette turned to the skeptical male Loopah, pulled her portable holo-vid, and activated it, which drew Barbess’s attention from the console. She indicated the platform, and she flicked the fingers of one hand to suggest the team had disappeared. Then she displayed an image of the dome and darkened the star’s radiance. With a finger, she indicated the spinning of their moon. Then she repeated the exercise twice more. Finally, she held up three fingers and indicated the team would reappear.
With gestures and grunts, Nogess repeated his idea of what
Juliette had indicated.
The SADE nodded and patted the simian’s shoulder. Then Juliette pointed to the panel running the translation program, and she repeated her pantomime of three cycles.
Both Nogess and Barbess nodded quickly. They’d understood.
To complete the communication, Juliette pointed to the two simians, held up two fingers, and shook her head. It brought furrows to the Loopah’s heavy brows.
Tucking away the holo-vid, Juliette held up two fists. She opened two fingers and pointed at the pair. Then she opened the rest of her fingers and tapped beside the panel.
Nogess must have comprehended the message. He said something to Barbess, who then spoke in reply. Turning to Juliette, he held up eight digits, pointed to the ramp, and swept his arms to his chest.
The message had been successfully delivered.
Juliette deposited her bag of ear comms on the panel, selected one, and inserted it into her ear. Nogess nodded his understanding, and she replaced the ear comm. Then she set gate number two for delayed firing and swiftly joined the others on the platform.
The Loopah raised fists in salute. Then the gate fired, and the creators disappeared.
Nearly instantaneously, gate one lit, and a survey team arrived. They’d been monitoring a planet for signs of sentient life and were rotating home for a rest.
Approaching the team, Nogess announced triumphantly but quietly, “You missed them. The creators were here.”
Every one of the four-simian team barked at the jest, and Nogess shrugged and returned to the console.
That Nogess hadn’t taken offense nor laughed piqued the team’s interest, and they gathered around the console.
Barbess was switching images and speaking the names. These were the simpler images.
“What is this?” the lead surveyor whispered into Nogess’s ear.
“A female creator started this program,” Nogess explained. “Barbess is speaking what she sees and moving to the next image.”
“What do you suppose the creators want?” the surveyor asked.
“I think they wish to speak to us?” Nogess replied and shrugged. It was his best guess. “Do you want to help?”