Punishment

by Guerin Zand

  “We can use these implants to communicate telepathically?” Roger knew this could be very useful.

  “Not exactly. We can’t have a full-blown conversation or anything like that, but it’s possible to send a thought, an image from your mind to another. It has its uses.”

  “Can we do that too?”

  Stella was confused. “No. Guerin shouldn’t be able to do that. Sly and I can only do that with a lot of effort.”

  “But if Guerin can do it, doesn’t that mean we can learn to do it as well?”

  Cindy looked at Katie. “I can teach you. It may take a while for you to learn but…”

  “No, you can’t, Cindy. You aren’t allowed to mess with us monkeys. You’re here as shuttle crew only and shouldn’t even be up here drinking with us. Why Sammy is letting you, I can’t say, but you know the rules.”

  “Why can’t they help us?”

  “Christ, Katie. You’re really not paying attention, are you? You’re letting all of this alien crap distract you, and you’re not questioning any of it. It’s that sort of thinking that ends up getting a lot of dumb humans ass raped. Look at you. They already have you all liquored up. It’s not long before they take you back to their place and they break out the shiny little probes.”

  Katie’s blood continued to boil. “Then why don’t you explain it to me then?”

  “Cindy, Jackie,” I pointed at each of them as I called out their names. “Ricky, and Tommy are kids, you moron. There out here, probably on their first assignment, learning the ropes.”

  “I’m not a child!”

  “Please, Cindy. How old are you?”

  “I’m twenty-seven Earth years.”

  “And tell my friends what is the normal age that you Bree consider to be the age of maturity, emotional maturity.”

  “In the range of eighty to one hundred Earth years. But I’m smarter than you, Guerin.”

  “Of course you are, Cindy. Do you think that is saying a lot?”

  Cindy simply frowned.

  “She’s twenty-seven, Guerin. That’s pretty grown up if you ask me. They don’t look like kids to me.”

  “Go ahead and tell yourself that, Steve. That’s what all pedophiles say.”

  Now I had Steve pissed off too. Hopefully, they’d start thinking soon.

  “That doesn’t make any sense, Guerin.”

  “Steve. Have you heard of Romeo and Juliet?”

  “Yes.”

  “Do you know about what age they were?”

  “No.”

  “Well we know for sure Juliet was 13 from Shakespeare’s play. Back then the age of maturity was very close to the age of puberty. At that time, the life expectancy for the average person was maybe thirty or forty years, so the age of emotional maturity was considered to be in the early teens. Now we live to be eighty years old or more and so Juliet would be considered a child now. The Bree live thousands of years so do the math.”

  “But why can’t we help? You always break the rules, Guerin. Why can’t we?”

  “Because, Cindy. The Council is probably already pissed enough at me over Milly. I don’t need any more of their shit in my life.”

  Stella looked at me with a mixture of surprise and shock. “Dear God. Have you actually mellowed a bit, Guerin? What happened to the infamous rebel leader?”

  “Yea?” Cindy was not happy at my refusal to let her play with the monkeys.

  “No, I have not mellowed or changed my rebel ways, Stella.”

  “Then you’ll let us help out?” Cindy was pleading with me, and well, the flesh is weak.

  “I’ll tell you what, Cindy. You tell me what the magic monkey word is, and I’ll consider letting you guys help out.”

  “There is no magic monkey word, Guerin. You’re just making that up.”

  “See, that’s why I won’t let you help. There is a magic word, and when you figure it out, you can talk to me about helping out.”

  Stella looked at Cindy. “He’s not lying, Cindy. They do have a magic word.”

  Katie started to open her mouth.

  “Button it up, Katie, unless you want me pushing one disgusting thought after another your way. They have to learn just like we do. There’s no cheating in my little part of the universe.”

  “Let me make things perfectly clear here, Katie. I was the one chosen to come to Earth as the emissary for the Collective and make this little project work. That means I call the shots. All the aliens on this ship are here to aid me in this endeavor. They’ll do what I tell them, within the rules I’ve been given. I chose you, Roger, and Steve to help me on Earth. I’m not looking to be some sort of dictator, but you need to stay out of the alien affairs part of this, just as they need to stay out of the human part. If you disagree with me you can talk to me about it, but you don’t go around me, ever. If I say the kids can’t help, then that’s it, period. Do you understand?”

  “I didn’t sign up to take orders from you.”

  “Yes, you did. If you have a problem with that, then you can walk away right now. I’m not fucking around.”

  Roger raised his hand to motion Katie to sit down and be quiet. “He’s right, Katie. This isn’t our decision to make. We never discussed the chain of command, or who’s responsible for what, and we’ll do that when we get back to Earth amongst ourselves. There will be rules for all of us to follow, and you know that. Guerin has rules and responsibilities that we have to respect. So, drop it for now. You’ll get a chance to voice your opinion.”

  “Katie, I’m not trying to pick on you or be some kind of hard ass. I know everyone’s having fun, and that’s fine, but I told you that things aren’t as simple as they appear. Maybe you’re just happy about the medical help you received, and I understand that, but you were also chosen because you’re a disciplined person. I told you that everything was a test with these aliens.”

  “So, we’re being tested now.”

  “Of course. Sammy is the Council representative here. Even though he hasn’t said so, you should be able to figure that out. Sammy’s not a wild and crazy sort of a party guy, so ask yourself why he would allow the crew to join us for drinks?”

  “Do you think you might be a little paranoid, Guerin?”

  “Sure, I’m paranoid, Katie. You would be too if you went through everything I have. It doesn’t mean I’m wrong. Why don’t you ask Sammy?”

  “Is he right, Sammy?”

  “Guerin has a strange ability to see the truth when it isn’t obvious to everyone else. He can get a bit carried away with his suspicions but he’s right more often than not.”

  “That, Katie, is what I call Bree speak. He didn’t actually answer your real question, but technically he answered your literal question. He didn’t lie to you. This is a lesson you need to learn. Ask him the right question that will get you the answer you’re looking for. You need to be very specific when speaking with them.”

  “Is this a test?”

  “Yes.”

  “So there. Go ahead and have fun, enjoy yourself but also be aware that your behavior doesn’t just reflect on you. The kids can stay, and I don’t have a problem with you guys making friends. Just you and Steve should remember that these ‘kids’ may just have a parent like Julie, and trust me, you don’t want to visit Gitmo as a guest.”

  Sly stood up and filled the empty glasses on the table, including mine. “You know, Guerin, I never took you for a party pooper.”

  “I know. If someone has a blaster then shoot me now. I’m starting to sound like my parents.”

  “We don’t have any blasters but the Gluark can have the same effect.”

  “Thanks.” I took a long drink of my Gluark.

  “Actually, you almost sounded a little like Julie.”

  “Well then put me out of my misery now, Stella. Since we don’t have any blasters I guess you’ll just have to space me.”

  “What?”

  “Steve. Please explain the concept of spacing to these supposedly intelligent ali
ens. I’m tired of having to educate the whole universe.”

  “Spacing is a term that refers to throwing someone out of an airlock into open space without a protective suit. Of course, this is a form of execution.”

  Jackie finally joined in and asked her new boyfriend, “You actually do that to each other?”

  “No,” Steve responded. “We don’t really do that much space traveling and this has never actually been done. It’s something you mostly read about in science fiction novels.”

  “Speaking of which,” Stella jumped in. “Can I read your book, Guerin? Have you finished it? I heard you talking about it.”

  “Sure, Stella. I’m just getting ready to publish it when I get the time. I can upload you a copy. We should probably get you guys some laptops and maybe a few tablets so you can access Earth information a little easier. I’m sure Ricky could work out some interfaces to move the data around.”

  “Can I read it too?”

  “You can all read it, Cindy, and you need to stop flirting with me. I don’t need any more Bree trouble right now.”

  “But, Guerin…”

  “Seriously, Cindy.”

  “That gives me an idea. We could also use Ricky’s help to design and install some software for us on our personal devices. We need a secure method to exchange data and communicate with each other while still using common Earth tech. Milly installed something on my iPad and home computer that hid all my data from the authorities. I’ll get a bunch of different devices from Earth for Ricky to play with.”

  “Sammy, can you enable the external view mode for the room?” Stella asked.

  Sammy went to the control pad from the room. All of a sudden, the floors, ceiling, and walls, seemed to disappear and we appeared to be sitting at a table floating in space. All the furniture and devices, like the food replicator and beverage station, looked like they were just floating in space with us. You could see Earth below us as well as the Sun and the Moon. Looking at the floor I could see my feet, but they too were just floating there in space. It was a little disorienting and I thought to myself that walking would be difficult. My whole team was mesmerized by the view as was I. I was also pissed off.

  “Seriously, Sammy. How many times have I flown on a shuttle and nobody told me about this? I asked about windows and you said I could use a viewer to see where we were. Let me guess. This is one of those special properties of that ugly paint you use all over the ship? You couldn’t tell me about this?”

  “Yes. This visual uses a property of the coating on the ship to project a perspective correct view of your location in space. I never told you about it because you never asked.”

  “ARGGGHHH! See this is what I’m talking about.”

  Everybody just laughed.

  “It’s nice to see that the mighty Guerin Zand doesn’t know everything.”

  “I know, Stella. It’s always fun to outsmart the monkey, isn’t it?”

  Chapter 7

  Adults Talking

  Roger was just sitting back and observing. He’d had a couple of drinks but you could tell he wanted to talk seriously. Steve and Katie were just enjoying this and I couldn’t really blame them. I wished my first experience in space had been this much fun. I think it helped to have friends with you, people to help hold that link to your reality. Once again, I couldn’t help thinking that if I could make a first contact situation like this work so well, why couldn’t the Bree? For a second I thought about pointing this out to my alien friends, but I decided I’d leave the showing off to the aliens.

  “Cindy, why don’t you guys take Steve and Katie and show them the recreation area?”

  “What’s the recreation area?”

  “Actually, I don’t know, Katie. I’ve never dared check it out. It may be where the serious anal probing happens for all I know. I’ve always had a ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ attitude when it comes to that area of the ship. You two look like you’re up for anything so why don’t you check it out.”

  They both looked towards Roger and he threw his head to the side to signal they should go.

  “You’re not coming, Guerin?”

  “No, Cindy. We adults need to talk.”

  Cindy pouted, “Come on. Let’s go have some fun.” The rest of the kids headed out with Steve and Katie in tow.

  “Sorry, Roger. I know you didn’t come up here for a party, but I don’t want to spoil this for Steve and Katie. Let them enjoy this experience. It probably won’t happen that often.”

  “That’s fine, Guerin. I agree they should enjoy this. Hopefully, they pay attention to your warnings and don’t let their guard down totally. If they do, then I guess it will just be another lesson learned.”

  “I’ve been watching you, Roger, and I think you may have some concerns or questions?”

  “Well, let’s start with that little trick you pulled on Katie. I think you said you pushed a thought to her?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’m concerned that you might not have been joking about being able to control us through these implants.”

  “He can’t, and no one can,” Stella explained. “The fact that Guerin can do what he did is surprising. Like I said, it is difficult for me to do. I’d like to know how it is that he could actually do it.”

  “First let me try and put Roger’s concern to rest. You can correct me if I get anything wrong.”

  “The implants are a microscopic biological device for lack of a better term. As you know, my exams showed no device, so they can’t be detected. If you were to die, I believe that they will just rot away like the rest of your brain. They wouldn’t be found in any autopsy.”

  Sammy nodded his head in confirmation.

  “They don’t ‘control’ your brain. Think of them like amplifiers. They amplify your own inherent abilities so you can control this tech. When you use the replicator, you are essentially pushing a thought, a memory, an image to the device. The device has a receiver obviously, that receives this, whatever you want to call it, that you pushed to it. It then queries your memory for more information. The implant does allow access to your memories through these devices, so I was being truthful that I could read your memories with the right equipment. I’ve submitted to memory dumps when requested. There have been times when they have done this without my permission as well. I warned you about this before you agreed to the procedure.”

  “Yes. You did warn us about that. I’m concerned you could push a thought that would cause us to take an action we normally wouldn’t.”

  “The answer is simply yes and no. Let’s say you were playing cards and I knew what the next card to be dealt to you was. I could push that image of the next card and it would affect your action. If I pushed an image of killing the dealer you’d shake that off like any other random thought unless of course, you were thinking of killing the dealer. I could also push the image of the dealer with a gun. That may make you take some action.”

  “How do I know then if it’s my thought or not?”

  “How did Katie know it was me? Because the thought I passed was obviously not her own and she instinctively recognized that. I did, in that case, make it blatantly obvious but with practice, I can teach you all to notice even the subtlest thoughts that may be pushed your way. I wasn’t aware of this for the longest time and there were a few people I encountered that used this trick on me, including Milly.”

  “You could have informed us about this before we had the implants?”

  “Sorry, but at least you have me telling you about this rather than you having to figure it out on your own. Even without the implant, I believe the Bree could do this. In fact, I don’t think the Bree have, or need the implants. Only us lower lifeforms need them to enhance our abilities. Even with that all said, you know that there are plenty of examples of this happening naturally between humans. People, or couples, who can finish each other’s sentences. It’s no different. This ability has simply been enhanced in us through the implants.”

  I lo
oked to Sammy and he was conspicuously silent. This meant I was probably right but he wasn’t about to admit it.

  “But how is it you’ve been able to develop this ability, Guerin?”

  “I’m not absolutely sure how. Perhaps I had a good teacher. It could be that the similarities between humans and Bree make the implants more compatible with humans. Maybe humans just have a more natural ability then Cylethereans. And, of course, it could just be that I’m special.” I gave Stella a devilish grin.

  “You can teach each of us this ability? I can see that this could be a valuable tool as well.”

  “I can teach you to recognize it when it happens. I’m not sure if I can teach you to do it based on what Stella has said.”

  “Cindy said she could. So why don’t we use her to teach the team? I heard what you said earlier but the rules seem to be a bit fuzzy if you ask me.”

  “We could, but it goes back to the whole non-interference fuzzy logic. If we learn it on our own fine, but it’s not ok for them to teach us. I’m sort of the missing link in this fuzzy logic chain. You have to remember she’s just a child, Roger. Would you ask a child to do something you know would get her in trouble? If I did, then what would that say about me? I’m not the darling boy to a lot of the aliens and I need to step carefully. Sure, Sammy wouldn’t stop me but he’s always tracking what I do and reporting it back up the food chain. Like Santa Claus. He’s keeping track of when I’m naughty and nice.”

  “Are we being judged as well?”

  “That’s another one of the yes and no deals. In respect to how your actions reflect on my decision to trust you, the answer is yes. They aren’t so much judging you as they are always judging me.” I could see Stella ready to butt in, but I raised my hand to silence her. “They say they’re not judging me, but I know they are. They can call it evaluating me but it’s the same thing. If you, Steve, or Katie did something that crossed the line they’d just tell me to drop you and, of course, add another black mark to my permanent record. If it were egregious enough they might wipe your memories and dump y’all in the woods with memories of aliens and anal exams.”