by C. Litka
01
'As you can see, we've two fliers and an island boat in the shop at the moment,' said Malin, as he ushered us into the large hangar beyond the residence building after Py's ten minute treatment.
'The fliers bring in our supplies and most of our customers from our other communities. In a few rounds they'll be out collecting passengers for the courier ship. A few passengers may choose to walk here as you did, either for the exercise or a disinclination to risk their lives flying, but most we fly in.
'I was told flying was not a very safe way to travel,' I said.
'I would not advise it either - in Windvera standard fliers. However these aircraft are much safer than the native versions they look like. They were actually built on Saraime using the most up-to-date Saraime technology. We use aluminum and steel framing under the canvas and an electric motor powered by batteries to drive the propeller. It does have a typical set of pedals, but they're connected to a generator that charges the battery - extending the flier's range, and so are not essential to flight.
'The same for our island traders. We've a fleet of five to move our people and supplies between communities in the Windvera and the Cataria Islands. All are equipped with reliable Saraime-built steam engines. With steam engines being so rare on these islands, no one is likely to notice any difference between them and the more primitive Windvera versions.
'Now if you'll follow me, I'll introduce you to our newest project. Since it involves Unity technology, we need to keep it out of sight of our customers,' he added, leading us to a small utility room at the back of the hangar, and then through a door half hidden behind some flier parts which opened to a modern, electric lit storeroom piled with crates - likely in the cliff behind the hangar.
'The crates are filled with books that have been collected from the various communities' libraries within our province,' he said with sweep of his hand. 'Which is one of eight provinces we operate in the Pela, and so we have thousands of libraries, and have gathered a vast collection of books, scrolls, and manuscripts from the societies we serve. Many of them have been effectively lost in dusty collections scattered across the thousands of communities. Many are written in languages only local scholars can read, as well. We've now undertaken a vast project to translate and transcribe all of them into one common data base in the hope that we can discover the early history of humans in the Pela hidden beneath the myths and legends. It's been a project long dreamed of, but only now do we have the resources to undertake it, as you can see,' he said as he led us to a brightly lit room with four workstations fitted with Unity Standard screens. Three of the scholars we'd met were working at them. They looked very surprised to see us.
'This is our reading room. MiMylan, GarDone, and CrisJarka are historians. They review the scanned books, expanding and annotating the literal translations of the material. The earliest works can be very cryptic as literal translations,' Malin said, and then for the benefit of the three historians, reintroduced us, with our outside-the-shell origins and knowledge, adding, 'You can treat them all as white-sashed scholars, full members of The Hermitage. I will explain this to our community at the mid-round meal.
'Now, I will introduce you to the chief librarian of this project,' he said, leading us to a door on the far side of the reading room.
'Company!' he called out as he ushered us into an office with a single standing desk with piles of books on both sides of it. Between them was a slim, pale figure standing before the desk. Its hands were rapidly flipping pages in the book on the desk before it.
As we entered, it turned its white, sculptured-metal face towards us. It regarded us for a full second with its glowing eyes before exclaiming, 'Captain!' its eyes growing even brighter, radiating happiness, somehow.
'Botts?' I gasped.
Botts bounded over to give me a steely hug. I'd never realized that sentient machines could be that emotional.
Stepping back while still holding on to my shoulders, Botts took me in with its brightly glowing eyes and exclaimed, 'I have found you at long last!'
Yes, it was Botts. I recognized his sense of humor.
'Your unfailing persistence has finally paid off,' I managed to reply, with a happy grin.
'It was wu-wei in action, Captain! All that was necessary was to turn around at precisely the right moment, and behold! You're found.'
'You are a master of wu-wei,' I admitted, and realized that it was Bott II standing before me - I could see a few dents and scratches and was suddenly alarmed. 'But what are you doing here, and where are the rest of my shipmates? Did something go wrong?'
'Everything went as planned. I am with them in the Amdia system as we speak. But I will say nothing more, for now. You must surprise them yourself. Oh, there is so much to tell, so much to learn - how I regret I must do it vocally, Captain!'
I turned to Malin beside me. 'Did you know our connection?'
'It seemed very likely. I was curious to see if I could surprise a sentient machine.'
'You did, Chief,' replied Botts. 'I had not expected wu-wei to work so efficiently.'
Behind me I could hear Naylea mutter an aside, 'A magnet for weirdness...'
Botts looked past me at my wide-eyed friends. 'I hope I did not startle you. I may take some getting used to. Living machines are very rare outside of the machine worlds, and of course, unknown in the Pela.'
'These are my friends,' I said, and introduced them. Each took Bott's extended hand, Naylea with a wry grin. 'Litang never fails to surprise.'
Py with a combination of eagerness and wariness. 'Wilitang told tales of living machines, but I never dreamed I'd meet one. NyLi is right, traveling with Wilitang is full of surprises.'
Trin shook its hand stoically. 'A pleasure to meet you, sir,' she said.
'Siss, Hissi?' I said, beckoning them forward, but they remained standing, growling softly by the door. 'It seems my dragon friends are a bit wary of you. Perhaps because they can't read your mind.'
'Siss, Hissi,' Botts nodded politely to them and turned to Naylea, 'You are right about the Captain. I can tell you that the entire Machine Directorate is as delighted as I am to find Captain Litang alive, since he does seem to have a strange talent for the unexpected. The Directorate values him greatly for everything he's brought to our attention. Indeed, who else would have not only survived what appeared to be certain death, but turn up here accompanied by his would-be assassin, an ex-Cimmadarian sub-captain, a Laezan teacher, and two Simla dragons?'
'It's not a talent, it's just blind luck - good and bad. Still, I've a perfectly rational explanation for being here?'
'Save it, Litang. We'd be here all morning, and it's not all that rational anyway,' muttered Naylea.
'Right. We'll have time later, I hope - if your work allows. But tell me briefly how you, or rather Botts II, ended up here. And come to think of it, how you know that my shipmates are fine, that the Machine Directorate is delighted, and what you have to do with this book project? I seem to recall that Botts II did not have a quantum com-chip installed.'
'Actually, this is Botts III, Captain. With the entire crew off in the Pela, Botts II had little to do, so when I was in radio contact with it, I put it to work building a third Botts to explore the Pela. We had replacement parts for Botts II in the parts room, so much of the work was simple assembly work that Botts II could do without my direct involvement.'
'And the necessary quantum-chip? Didn't you tell me once, long ago, that you could not fabricate a quantum com-chip with the printers on the ship?'
'True. I borrowed the quantum com-chip from the CreditBox, which, of course, did have one.'
'You "borrowed" it?'
'It was redundant, as long as I was on board, and so would not be missed. And since the Starry Shore was going to be replaced before it would be needed again, I?'
'Borrowed it.'
'I fear that I may have picked up a few expeditious habits during my many years in service with Villain Viseor. The quantum com-
chip was necessary for the mission, as was an extended-range rocket sled for transportation that I also had Botts II build.'
'Without informing me.'
'I knew that you were reluctant to have Botts II stay behind with you, but for a third remotely controllable avatar version of me on a separate and secret mission for the Directorate? I felt that it was not worth bothering you about.'
'Villain Viseor would've seen it in that light, I suppose,' I said.
Its eyes brightened. 'Blame it on my youth. However, the project was not a personal one, but rather part of a larger Directorate project. There was, and still remains, a great pressure from my comrades in the Machine Worlds to explore the Pela. The Pela has become the hobby - the art, if you will - of tens of thousands of Machines, all of whom require more data. The Directorate's formal exploration may take decades to be put into effect, so a vast number of machines were eager for even the tiny samples of data that a single avatar-explorer could provide.'
'So much for having all the time in the universe?' I muttered.
'As I said, Captain, it's our art. Our passion. We are, after all, sentient beings evolved from humans?My machine comrades interested in the Pela made the case that data was needed to design an efficient study, and that a single avatar providing that data would not likely pose any significant risk to the large scale study - an argument that they won. So the Botts III avatar had set out for the Pela on its rocket sled before you and the crew arrived back aboard the Starry Shore to return home.
'This quantum com-chip equipped Botts III avatar is constantly on line and controllable not only with and by me, but with the thousands of sentient machines that are following its exploration. A small directing committee has been formed to direct its operations, leaving me free to look after my own affairs. I do, however, have priority over this remote avatar which allows me to take full control of it as needed - I am using that priority now, in fact to be here with you.'
'For example, when you failed to return to the ship, I directed Botts III to Redoubt Island. However it arrived only after Captain Merlun had concluded her search. If you were still alive, I decided that you were most likely with the fleet...Perhaps erroneously?'
'Yes. However, carry on with your story.'
'I then attempted to catch up with the rebel fleet, but once again, arrived too late. It had been destroyed and the Empress's fleet was already returning to the space station. I did, however, locate, take possession of, and repair a slightly damaged Cimmadar transport to use as a secure base after which Botts III resumed the exploration under the direction of the Pela committee, reaching the island of Windvera within the first year.
'Here, while remotely observing the civilization on Windvera, radio signals were intercepted from The Hermitage. Since radio technology seemed out of character with the rest of Windvera, we investigated further, and noting signs of Unity technology, decided to made contact.'
'Botts turning up was quite a surprise. We'd begun to receive reports of the survivors of the battle reaching the Cataria Islands, and had pieced together a fair idea of what happened. But nothing prepared us for a sentient machine, or rather the remote unit of one,' said Malin. 'It had some rather interesting implications.'
'Which were explored by the Machine Directorate and, via their embassy in the Alantzia system, the Taoist Elder Council of Kimsara,' Botts continued. 'The result of which is the Pela Library Project, a joint Taoist and the Directorate project.'
'So you've spend most of your time in the Pela scanning books,' I said. 'I must admit there were times when I would've gladly changed places. Still it does seem rather tedious, even for a machine with all the time in the Nebula.'
'It is not I, but the Pela Committee that operates this unit most of the time. I spend most of my time with our old shipmates - not that it is all that much more exciting - our operation now is very routine - just as you would've liked.'
'I'm happy to hear that. I take it no one is in any hurry to get you back to chasing rouge machines, which I believe is your primary mission,' I said.
'I will eventually return to my mission, but human time-frames are irrelevant to us. I can spend a human lifetime with my friends and it won't impact my mission in any meaningful way. And I should add that the Directorate values my link to you far higher than chasing down rouge machines. Even now, I sense an undercurrent of anticipation. Your unexpected reappearance has them anticipating interesting things from you.'
'They can hope all they want, I've already done my part to keep them amused.'
'It's not hope, Captain. It's a matter of quantum-probability mathematics.'
'I don't believe there is a thing called quantum-probability mathematics.'
'I believe you call it luck.'
'They can dream on. I've seen all of the wild Pela I care to see. I intend to return to the civilized Principalities of Saraime and find a nice, unexciting job - be it running a ship's engine room or growing tey.'
'I'll ask you again in four years, after my replacement arrives,' replied Botts. 'You may find growing tey does not suit you.'