Waking in the Stars (Marston Chronicles Book 2)

by D Patrick Wagner

  “No! I forbid it!”

  “Father, I am second born. I hold prestige but no position. I will probably be bonded to the son of a clan leader to strengthen the throne, strengthen the Kaporine Clan. Tell me, Father, what better clan is there than the Human species, billions of beings, hundreds of planets, all bound to the Clan of Kaporine?”

  “Not my daughter.”

  She felt her father begin to waver. “I’ll have Sir Mahajani with me. We’ll put an army in the bay. I’ll be safe.”

  “I don’t know that ship, this Griffin.”

  “We’ll bring it to the royal ship yards. Master Engineer Varrini will oversee every detail of every repair to Griffin.”

  “And upgrades. Master Engineer Varrini, you’ve seen the human ship. Can you make sure it is a space-worthy vehicle? Can you vouch for my daughter’s safety?”

  “Griffin is a sturdy little ship, Your Majesty. I can get it back to where it should be. It has good bones. It can take many improvements and upgrades. Yes, I can get Griffin right. About safety, the only way would be if I were on board during the flight there and back.”

  “Then, if I decide to let my daughter go, you are going.”

  The grimacing muzzle on the Chief Engineer’s furry face flashed only for a moment. “Your wish is my command, My King.”

  “No commitments, daughter. We see what happens with this human ship,”

  “I understand, Father.” Princess Analyn, daughter of the King, pulled her thoughts together. “In summary, the accompanying of myself, Princess Analyn, on this journey to and from the Gregor Clan ship depot is acknowledged and provisionally approved, dependent on the worthiness of the human ship, Griffin, and the agreed-upon security arrangements. Also accompanying this flight is Master Engineer Varrini. Are we all in agreement?”

  The Princess pointedly stared at her father’s hologram and waited. She saw the short, quick ear-flick and snout nod.

  “Honorable Vidhee, please add this discussed addendum to this agreement, to be modified at a later date.”

  Looking at her brother’s visual representation, she saw the scowl turn to a smirk. She suspected that it was because she had just committed to going a long, long way away, with the possibility of never returning.

  If the cat-like Elonian princess could have, she would have purred, knowing that she would explore depths of space having never heretofore been reachable.

  “If the Princess is going, then I should be going, My King.”

  “Why, Doctor Roshnak?”

  “There is no one better to understand the many humans we will meet. As an anthropologist and having worked with these particular humans, no one has a better understanding of the peoples and environment we will be encountering.”

  ‘A valid point, Doctor. If my daughter approves. And if I deem it safe enough.”

  “Of course, My King.”

  “Is this point settled? As well as it could be?” Princess Analyn waited for any feedback. Receiving none, she continued.

  “Then as Chief Negotiator, I approve this addendum to the negotiated trade agreement.”

  “A next, very good point which my brother mentioned. Monitors.”

  “I have a thought on that, Your Highness.”

  “Yes, Ambassador Suzume?”

  “We need someone who is unswayable, someone who is un-bribable.”

  “True.”

  “Someone who is inflexible in the interpretation of our soon-to-be created trade agreement. Someone who is completely knowledgeable of Elonian law and its applications.”

  “Also true.”

  “And someone who is trusted by both of our peoples.”

  “Whom did you have in mind?”

  “The Honorable Vidhee.”

  “That is not possible, Ambassador Suzume. Without Vidhee, Wisdom Seeker ceases to function. As long as Wisdom Seeker is under power, Vidhee must remain on board.”

  “Oh. I didn’t know. I withdraw the recommendation. Is there someone you could recommend?”

  “Princess Analyn?”

  “Yes, Honorable Vidhee?”

  “Ambassador Suzume’s recommendation is an excellent one.”

  “Yes, Honorable Vidhee. I just don’t see any way around it.”

  “This would be an excellent opportunity to monitor Buster’s maturation, witness the exponential growth and expansion of the Human/Elonian hybrid sentience algorithms.”

  “Yes it would, Vidhee.”

  “And it would be an unparalleled experience of learning about the Human civilization.”

  “All good points. But we are still limited by the requirement that you stay aboard Wisdom Seeker.

  “There may be a solution. And I do wish to accompany you and Buster on this journey.”

  “What would this solution entail?”

  “Very simply, I petition the Monarchal Council for the creation of a new artificial intelligence.”

  “Another Vidhee? Another synthetic to replace you on Wisdom Seeker?”

  “Not a level one. No. a level three. As you know, I actually contain two parallel processing matrixes. One to manage Wisdom Seeker and the other to manage my identity matrix, the one presently operating this ambulatory casing.”

  “Then you are proposing to have a duplicate of your managing matrix ensconced in another body?”

  “Obviously, only with the approval of the Monarchal Legal Counsel. Otherwise it would violate our constitutional laws governing the creation of an artificial intelligence.”

  “What body would be used?”

  “I have an alternate, a backup casing in storage. It is more than capable of housing this new being.”

  “Dame Srilin, are you up for this?”

  “Yes, My Princess. I did the transfer of Vidhee into her current housing.”

  “Ok, Vidhee. If you can get the approval, then I approve of Ambassador Suzume’s recommendations.”

  “Thank you, My Princess.”

  “Father?”

  “Why not. We seem to be turning this trip into a festival cruise. Again, only if I deem the human ship space worthy and all on board safe.”

  “Understood, Father.” Again, the Princess paused to collect her thoughts. “Honorable Vidhee, please add the addendum which states that Doctor Roshnak and Honorable Vidhee will be passengers on the trip to and from the Gregor Clan space depot. Honorable Vidhee’s participation will be contingent upon the approval of the Monarchal Legal counsel for creation of a third-tiered artificial intelligence and Captain Kakkarna’s acceptance of this new AI.”

  “So recorded, My Princess.”

  “Is that acceptable to you, Captain?”

  “Acceptable, no.” Wisdom Seeker’s captain flicked an ear, in jest, at Vidhee. “But tolerable, yes.”

  Ambassador Suzume, are there any other points of discussion?“

  Keiko looked at Mack.

  “The magneto-plasma engines. We use fusion drives. To make the jump drive work, we still need thruster engines. Yours would be a lot more efficient. Your Highness,” Mack added the last as an afterthought.

  “Master Varrini?”

  “Naturally, that would be part of the upgrade, My Princess.”

  “Anything else?”

  “Not at this moment, Your Highness.”

  “I do have a small point. After we get you back to your clan, would Buster give permission for us to back up his system for future understanding?”

  ‘Would this backup be aware?”

  “Yes, Buster.”

  “Would it be treated like a lab rat? Dissected and pulled apart?”

  “No, Buster. He would lead a very normal life. He would simply be a member, a central member, of a research team.”

  “Can I think on that? Discuss this with Vidhee during our trip home?”

  “Of course you can. In fact we will not put this in the trade agreement. This will simply be between you and Honorable Vidhee.”

  “Let’s leave it at that, then.”

  �
�Anything else?”

  Negatives came from everyone involved. Both Varrini and Mack began to squirm, eager to dig into their new toys.

  “In summary, pending approval of the King, of course,” Princess Analyn gave a brief flick towards her father, “A trip to the Gregor Clan ship depot is planned. To that end, we repair and upgrade Griffin. I, Master Engineer Varrini, Doctor Roshnak and Honorable Vidhee will be on board. A contingent of military personnel will be on board. Upon arrival at the Gregory Clan ship depot, and the safe delivery of these five human beings, Griffin’s ownership will be transferred to me, Princess Analyn, and we will return to Elonia. Does that sum everything up?’

  This time positives came from everyone.

  “Honorable Vidhee, has this been recorded?”

  “Yes, Princess Analyn.”

  “I and Ambassador Suzume will begin the creation of the trade agreement, per the agreed-to terms of this meeting. Is this agreed to?”

  “One point, Your Highness.”

  “Yes, Ambassador Suzume?”

  “As we need legal representation during our creation of the trade agreement, I propose that Vidhee be included for Elonian legal matters and Buster be included for Human.”

  “Agreed. Anything else?”

  This time no objections rose.

  “Then this meeting is adjourned.

  King Kaporine’s and Prince Daruke’s holograms winked out, but not before Analyn’s father gave her a ‘job-well-done’ ear and tail flick. Her brother simply intensified his glare before disappearing.

  Master Engineer Varrini grabbed his container with Keiko’s chameleon suit and raced out. Mack did the same with his shiny, new gravity controlling cylinder.

  The remainders slouched in their chairs, took a few long breaths and relaxed, glad that it was over.

  Tolimar

  For the past two weeks the huge utility bus stood to one side of the frenetic construction site. Hundreds of people swarmed over the grounds, doing what needed to be done to turn the formerly abandoned lumber camp into a heavily fortified town with its own landing port. Granite walls stood completed or half formed, a huge grey monument to what everyone feared was coming. The finished, partially finished and yet-to-be started internal wooden structures again exhibited the frenzied pace at which everyone worked.

  Beside the van stood the six men and one woman responsible for this massive undertaking. Of the seven, Lawrence Gregor knew he was the man in the docket. He knew that he would be grilled on anything and everything concerning his new town. He’d studied the plans and progress for days, waiting for this first of many status reports.

  “I like your helicopters,” commented Ernst Meier, CEO of Galactic Consolidated Mining.

  The seven stared at the four-bladed flying boxes as the ships each dangled a huge, square-cut block of granite through the air and deftly descended under the guidance of a watchman waving brightly lit beacon sticks. They saw multiple men and women holding the guidelines, pulling or loosening them to direct the granite cube into its proper place of the growing barrier.

  “Where’d you get them?”

  “Shelley. Latinia uses them for moving heavy loads around the planet.”

  “Well, I could use one.”

  “They’re his, Mr. Meier. I’m sure you two could work something out.”

  “Ernst. Call me ‘Ernst’.”

  “Only if you call me ‘Lawrence’.”

  “I see your boy got the messy job, Mr. Roth.”

  “Kevin. He’s been digging wells and laying pipe since he was a boy. So it’s only right that he bosses the sewer and water crew.”

  “I’ll bet Harriet doesn’t like the way he smells at the end of the day, especially with the heat coming in.”

  “Oh, I don’t know about that, Lawrence. She doesn’t seem to be put off whenever she comes over for supper.”

  “True. And I’ve noticed that she’s been doing quite a bit of that, lately.”

  “Well, you know the young.”

  “Those two aren’t that young.”

  “No. But still young enough to let their hankerings get them into trouble.”

  “I don’t know about your Randy, but, for my Harriet, a little frolicking would be good for her.”

  “I think my boy has something more than a quick romp in mind.”

  “We’ll see.”

  “Now that you two men are done talking about your kids like mares and stallions, how many more block do my people need to cut?”

  “Well, two walls are completed, Mrs. Brandt. The third and fourth are about half way. We still have to finish the central command structure. And the towers. The exact number of block still needed, I’m not sure. Harriet and Sean are keeping track of all that.”

  “That design looks like something I saw in my history classes about Old Earth. A giant castle.”

  “That’s where we got the designs.”

  “There certainly are a lot of towers.”

  “Anti-aircraft. Since we won’t have any kind of a space or air force, we need to be able to drive off the alien attack ships.”

  “Why the sloping walls?”

  “Two reasons. One, the severe sloping stops the walls from toppling if the foundations are weakened. Two, reflection. For any kinetic ordinances, if the aliens have any, they can’t get a direct angle at the wall. For energy and particle weapons, we plan on coating everything with reflective surfaces. Between the angles and the reflection, there should be a cut down on the amount of damage per second. Give us time to fight back.”

  “And the holes?”

  “Battlements. We’re cutting them in and placing a combination of kinetic, energy and particle cannons in them. Each will have a two person crew. We’re also building re-armament vehicles to constantly bring reloads to wherever they are needed.”

  “Impressive.”

  “Big. When we stop those alien invaders, that will be impressive.”

  “Power?”

  “That’s Mrs. Grey’s bailiwick. Per your approval, we’ve already sunk the nuclear battery. It will keep things going for years. Wiring, communications, intranet, she’s been working with my chief engineer, Hank McCauley, on the designs. Those two have been managing the teams doing the actual installations.”

  “Sounds like you’ve got everything covered.”

  “I hope so, Garman. Your people are doing a great job, getting the warehouses and living quarters built.”

  “Yeah, well. Your warehouse man, Anthony, knows his stuff. He’s laid out a good grid. And he’s hand’s on. My people appreciate that.”

  “When do you plan on finishing up?”

  “Warehouses, this week. The walls and control center? Two or three more weeks. Four at the most.”

  “We won’t get all of the inside buildings done by then.”

  “I figured. We plan on continuing work until we can’t”

  Pointing at the landing pads under construction, Governor Kaufman cut in. “That’s a big landing port.”

  “Yes it is, Governor. This insures that there is no backing up of landing patterns. We need to get our supplies and people landed as fast as possible. Also, we’ll need it if we can’t hold and we need to run for it.”

  With the first round of questions asked, the seven power brokers went back to watching the progress.

  Inside the bus, standing over a small video table, Harriet and Sean worked on the blueprints of the new town. Touching and sliding different colored images which represented manpower and skills, they slid the representations around the map, searching for the best labor utilization and performance efficiency. Periodically, one or the other would pull in an accompanying view or chart and that would start another discussion. Once they reached a consensus, Harriet would activate her personal communicator, contact the proper manager and issue orders.

  Patricia Grey, Gregor’s information technology guru, Hank McCauley and Sue Benton’s son, Dean, sat at another table, working through electrical diagrams, network f
low charts and communication nodes. Although Dean’s presence had been implicitly forced on Hank, he came to accept the youth. Dean proved to be a very sharp teenager. He learned quickly, assimilated the information even faster and offered out-of-the-box suggestions. Both Mrs. Grey and Hank took an immediate liking to the boy. The wiring and networking of the new town had been straightforward and simple. All three currently worked at determining the maximum support they could supply to those people on the front line.

  A loud horn blasted over the construction site. Lunch. Hundreds of people wound down their current tasks, wiped hands and face then headed to one of many buffet tables scattered around the fledgling town.

  Randy knocked on the command bus, opened the door and stuck in his head. “Lunch, people. No more skipping. Let’s go.”

  Patricia, Hank and Dean grudgingly found a stopping point, saved their current data and headed towards the table set up for the higher-ups. Harriet and Sean repeated the steps.

  Randy waited by the door until Harriet exited. Taking his position at her side, he escorted her to lunch.

  “You’re a little ripe, Cowboy.”

  “Wrangler, wrangler. Jeeze, you townies never learn. I’ll stand down wind.”

  Reaching the buffet, Harriet gave a quick wave to Shar.

  “She must be in hog heaven.”

  “Yeah. My father is throwing money her way like there’s no tomorrow.”

  “True. But Shar keeps coming through. There’s a ton of effort to keep these buffets going every day. And just getting all of the food stuffs.”

  “Well, that’s the other half of this money-making proposition. Decker. He’s draining his entire inventory from all of his stores. So he’s right there with Shar.”

  “Decker using the helicopter Shelley loaned him?”

  “Yup. That’s how all this stuff is getting here. Truth be told, the Roth families are earning credits, too. A lot of the vegetables and fruits are coming from their farm. And a lot of the people setting up and serving are Roth people. So, I guess you could say that I’m getting a piece of the pie. Still, it will be a lot easier when we finish the cooler and freezer warehouse. And get the communal kitchen set up.”

  With plates built and drinks poured, the two headed to their now-familiar tree, sat and futzed around, getting ready to eat. Quietly and comfortably sitting, the two ate and enjoyed each other.