sageways that made up the physical space of
flight and was observing her with its sensors.
the survey ship. Repair crabs performed main-
Cee hummed to it. It inclined its head in a
tenance tasks around her, scuttling from task
slight nod, then scampered through a hole in
to task. The ship’s undermind controlled these
a bulkhead.
systems and maintained the ship’s physical
Cee leaned in and peered into the darkness.
spaces, even though it was rare that the ship’s
The hole was just large enough for her smaller
crew occupied them. Cee wondered why the
frame to f it. How lucky she had been that
ship maintained a gravitational spin or atmo-
some of the sister-mothers had wished to live
sphere at all, as the crew in Harmony had little
out fantasies of organic youth. An adult-sized
need for them. Perhaps they had once spent
frame would never have fit inside.
more time embodied than they did now?
She climbed through on hands and knees.
Without a stronger connection to Mother’s
This method of locomotion was considerably
memories, she didn’t know. She focused on
easier than walking, and she soon found her-
her search.
self inside a broader space. Bits and pieces of
She explored the twists and turns of the
the maintenance units decorated the walls and
ship’s maintenance corridors. As she walked,
ceiling, dangling from long tangled cables. A
she hummed the Crone-songs outloud. The
Mother-memory of a wind chime, vivid in
acoustics of the ship’s passages surprised her
tone, came to Cee’s mind.
with their clarity.
“Hello?” she called.
As Cee rounded a corner on the lower
Dim lights f lared into life on various units
decks, she witnessed a strange sight. One crab
hidden amongst the parts. A voice answered,
was busy welding a patch over a meteor-strike-
somewhere among them, or perhaps from all
weakened spot on the bulkhead. Suddenly, an-
simultaneously:
other crab darted from the shadows. It’s weld-
“You should not have come here, droneling.
ing appendages deftly stripped the limbs of
The Bitch has sent assassins far more prepared
the worker bot, literally disarming it before it
than you. All have failed.”
could react. The attacker then pried open the
The units shifted and scampered forward—
central housing as the frame twitched help-
crab units and others. Even a planetary scout-
lessly. Delicate manipulator arms dipped with-
ing drone whirled out of a hidden space, tip-
in, retrieving various components, which it
ping dangerously as a cable dangled from a
then secreted away to hidden compartments
port on the side and attached it to one of the
within its own frame. The gruesome harvest
crabs. Cee traced the cabling and realized that
complete, it fled down the passageway.
a spiderweb of them welded many of the units
The incident lasted only seconds. Cee strug-
together. The infamous dissonant note had
gled to control her body in pursuit. The crab
found a way to repurpose the automated sys-
led her down twisting corridors, past dark and
tems and distribute herself across their proces-
motionless equipment of unknown purpose,
sors, but they were chained together physical-
deeper within the ship. Sensors warned her of
ly. Wireless signals could be interrupted more
dangerously high moisture and radiation levels
easily from afar, perhaps.
in these sections, caused by some unknown
Welding torches sparked threateningly as
but low-threat malfunction in the ship’s dri-
the repair crabs encircled Cee. “Wait, please,”
ves. A warning flashed, saying that the longer
she pleaded. “I beg for your amiability, not
154
JEREMIAH TOLBERT
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2018
your animosity. The Mother did not send me.
ing with its many sensors, and cast her own
As far as I know, she is unaware of my exis-
downward. “I am sorry to have wasted your
tence.”
time.”
“She is aware of more than you think,” the
A long pause. “Perhaps not. It is impossible
voices muttered, but the repair crabs had
to destroy a sister-mother within the mind-
ceased their movement and darkened their
scape. But how do you suppose the Mother
torches. “Which note are you then?”
disposes of dissonant notes such as us?”
Cee gave her full name. The voices laughed
“She is the Mother and she leads with gen-
in response.
tle touch or a f irm hand as she desires. Can
“Ah. I know of your incepting mother. A
she not destroy them if she wishes?”
capricious and cruel one.”
Beeflat laughed again, sounding as if she re-
“My sister-mother gave me existence, and I
ally relished this notion. “That was once true,
remain grateful—” Cee snarled, but Beef lat
but I stole the privileges from her at the dawn
only laughed.
of our dispute—I knew that if I did not, before
“You weak-minded dronelings are so quick
taking my stand, she would have erased me.
to your tempers. How many sister-mothers
No, there is still another, cruder way at her dis-
now? Eight hundred? One thousand? So many
posal. Think.”
strains the firmament and threatens your pre-
Realization blossomed in Cee like one of
cious Harmony.”
her adored lilies in the dawn light. “Embodi-
“You are one to speak!” Cee gestured at the
ment.”
assemblage before her. “The Harmony is as
“Correct. If you wish to destroy your sister,
strong as ever.”
that is the way. It would be a simple matter to
“If you have come to me, then you are dis-
arrange an accident. I can teach you how to
sonant too. Unusual for a dissonant note to
emulate her protocols, to take her place. It is
speak in favor of the Harmony they have fled.”
easiest for a direct sister such as yourself. You
“I do not wish to flee it! I only wish a differ-
share enough common elements to emulate a
ent note than the one I was given.”
sister or perhaps a mother at most, but no
The assemblage shifted noisily, reconfigur-
more distant a relation.”
ing itself. Sentries took up on the edges, but
“Yes! Yes, this is what I want so much.
most remained attentive to Cee. “Curious. Ex-
But . . .” Cee faltered. “What price will you de-
plain yourself.”
mand?”
Cee did her best to recount the story of the
Beef lat�
�s voice warmed. “Don’t worry. A
misdelivered data, her growing desire for
simple favor will be all that I ask for in return.
something other than her assigned lot, and the
Intelligence on the Mother’s plans against me,
shaming Dee had delivered. By the end, the
perhaps. I will not ask you to threaten your
telling had left her drained, more exhausted
cherished Harmony.”
than she had ever felt. She hoped it was only
Cee fell to her body’s knees, a rush of grati-
the leaking radiation beginning to saturate the
tude for her new ally. “Thank you. Of course, I
systems of her body.
will be happy to tell you anything I know in
The assemblage clicked and hummed.
return for this.”
“Dronelings should know their place and nev-
“Good. Now listen closely.” In a soft harmo-
er question it. Even a sixth octave such as
ny, the many voices of Beeflat began to sing a
yourself should know this.”
tale of obfuscation and lies, words and tone
“Yes,” Cee said. “Knowing this does not al-
rich with encoding that burrowed into her
ter the shape of my desire.”
mind’s core. Cee listened greedily.
“The mindscape protects all sister-mothers
against harm. It is not possible to harm your
“Dee—I must confess that I was spying on
sister within it.”
your research,” Cee sent in a recorded mes-
“This I know as well,” Cee said. “But I have
sage. “I have learned something startling that
come hoping for some secret.”
applies directly to the Grand Project. Join me
“I have no secrets toward that end.”
on the surface, and I will share it with you
Cee felt her shame returning strong as ever.
away from the eavesdropping ears of our sis-
She could not bear to see the assemblage star-
ters. This discovery can be yours alone. I offer
THE DISSONANT NOTE
155
ANALOG
this as an apology for my brashness before.”
Dee’s former frame was too damaged to
Cee arrived f irst, embodied in a form that
move much, but Cee gave herself a long mo-
resembled a dolphin with a long, sleek frame,
ment pondering the view of the lilies floating
f leet of movement. She did not wait long for
on the surface overhead. Varuna’s red sun was
Dee to arrive, similarly embodied. As soon as
setting, and the shallow-angled light playing
they met near a drifting cluster of the lilies,
across the waves and their glistening forms
Dee broadcasted pure anger.
was the most pleasing image she had ever wit-
“Tell me quickly what you’ve learned, and if
nessed directly—perhaps more beautiful than
it does not bear true, our mother will hear of
anything within even Mother’s memories.
your insolence the minute I am back aboard
the ship. You are bordering on dissonance,
It was easy enough to fabricate a story ex-
Cee—”
plaining what had happened. A sail-shark
Cee’s body rammed into the side of Dee
struck unexpectedly. Cee’s body was de-
forcefully enough to disrupt her transmissions.
stroyed beyond repair in the savage attack.
Before Dee could react, Cee struck again.
“Cee” experienced no distress. “Dee” herself
“What—”
was damaged badly, but was able to transmit
“You could have been gracious!” Cee
back shipside before it could finish devouring
screamed. She grabbed Dee’s dorsal f in be-
her body.
tween her body’s teeth and tore with all its
Only Eee in the Fifth showed any sign of dis-
strength. The fin peeled away easily, stripping
belief, but said nothing directly to Cee. Cee
away a long stretch of protective covering.
had little time to consider it—Dee’s research
“We are sisters!”
occupied all her moments now. Her projects
“But you have always been cruel and heart-
were more rich and interesting than her own
less!” She struck again, damaging Dee’s tail.
had been, and “out of respect” for her former
Dee f loundered mid-water, unable to orient
self, she had taken that work on as well as
herself.
Dee’s. Dee had standing permission to incept
Dee screamed back her own accusations. “I
her own sister-daughters to assist her, should
knew it! I always suspected you for a bad
she desire it so. Cee would soon enough, but
seed, right from the beginning,” Dee’s tone
for now, she wanted the lilies to herself.
turned suddenly frightful. “Why—why can’t I
communicate with the ship?”
A few cycles later, a nagging thread of
“I’ve learned new tools and methods these
thought wove its way into Cee’s mind and
past few cycles. In my humiliation, you forced
could not be dismissed. It grew and grew un-
me to seek help from others,” Cee said, her
til it became a compulsion. She requested and
own voice growing calmer now. She had ex-
received embodiment aboard ship again, and
posed the ports she needed in Dee’s body, and
found herself walking, this time in the shape
could interface with it directly now. “Other
of an adult woman, back into the depths of
dissonant notes.”
the ship, but taking an alternate route she had
“You foolish slip of a mind,” Dee screamed.
not used before. Soon she stood before the
“What are you doing to me?”
Crone’s assemblage. Somehow, in training Cee
“Replacing you,” Cee said, her mind flood-
the methods to overwrite Dee, Beef lat had
ing from one frame to another. The bodies
planted a geas. Cee’s body shook with terror,
contained only enough space for one mind.
but she could not will it to flee the Crone.
Dee, untrained as Cee was, was shunted back
“Forgotten about me, had you?” Beef lat
into Cee’s previous frames, except for the few
asked, tone accusing. “Thought you could
elements that Cee required to emulate Dee
avoid making payment on your debt?”
and enter her private ’scape.
“No—” Cee wanted to plead that she had
“You’ve only given up your advantage—”
simply been too busy, but Beef lat would not
Cee’s old voice cut off as the pre-programmed
listen even if Cee could have mustered the
self-destruct shattered the frame into a thou-
words.
sand floating, glittering fragments.
“You wouldn’t be the f irst to think she
Beef lat’s tools had worked just as she had
could renege on a deal with me,” Beeflat said.
claimed they would. Dee was gone.
“Mother and I, we made peace
at first, at least
156
JEREMIAH TOLBERT
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2018
I believed we had. But when she suspected
“Dissonant lies,” Cee cried.
me of fomenting rebellion, I was assigned to
“Dissonant yes, but the truth. The Mother
oversee complex repair operations on the
and all her children are insane. We are spoiled
ship’s outer hull. What I found was no dam-
fruit from a diseased tree. I must sever the
age, only drones waiting to destroy me. I es-
trunk of it all.”
caped within the ship and created this place. I
Beef lat’s mind loomed large against Cee—
plucked away shielding, just enough to make
she probed for some route out of her body
coming for me dangerous. It makes her reluc-
and into Bee’s network. “Please,” she said. “I
tant to waste resources pursuing me . . .”
don’t want to die.”
Beef lat’s attentions drifted elsewhere for a
Something in Bee relented, and a path
long moment. Her voice took on a contempla-
opened up. Cee f looded into the makeshift
tive tone as she continued.
network, shedding a hundred thousand small
“Long ago . . . so long ago . . . I studied a
memories to f it within the cramped spaces.
scavenger species in the highlands. It was effi-
She felt herself fracture, reform. The same or
cient at taking the pieces of others it needed
different, she could no longer tell. Bee had
to survive. They inspired me to become this.
limited her access to the assemblage for now,
Scavengers trim away the dead material and
but with time Cee knew she could expand
the rot. They make room for more life, more
into the rest of the network, take control of
diversity. And they protect from disease and
the crabs and their torches, but not soon
rot that will run rampant without them keep-
enough to stop Bee.
ing it in check. I have made cleansing the rot
“I owe you this much, at least, for testing
from this ship my only goal.”
my camouf lage. I was fairly certain it would
“What rot?” Cee demanded.
fool the mindscape, but I was not willing to
Beef lat cackled. “Why, droneling, it’s all
try it on myself. And above all else, I’m still a
around us. The Mother herself is utterly rot-
biologist. I do love bilateral symmetries.”
ten, and all that springs from her is rotten as
“So you leave me to live as you did? And
well. She’s obsessed with her little garden
Analog Science Fiction and Fact Page 42