Helium 3: Fight for the Future

by Brandon Q. Morris

  “Yes, this is our vibration transducer. I am Tolkut, and as Shipmaster, I welcome you aboard my ship.”

  Norok watched the Mendrak as he spoke, but he couldn’t tell by looking at him how he was communicating. His behavior didn’t appear to change noticeably. He moved some of his limbs, but he did that all the time.

  Kimi nudged him lightly. He was so fascinated he had forgotten he was supposed to answer. “Greetings, Tolkut. I’m Norok, Supreme Explorer.”

  He wasn’t sure if the alien would be able to make anything of this information. But how else could he have explained it? Yet it should be clear to anyone that this was a title.

  “I’d like to thank you,” he began, “for saving my crew member. She means a lot to me.” It felt strange to say this. “I would also like to thank you for the trust you’ve shown us by taking us aboard your ship. Perhaps we can establish a basis for our species to understand one other, and to work together instead of fighting.”

  Kimi nodded in agreement, and Norok looked at the Mendrak. Yet the capacity for empathy failed him. Suddenly, it smelled like the forest for a moment. Norok was so surprised that he smiled involuntarily.

  At the same moment, the Mendrak’s voice came through the speaker, “I agree with you, Norok. No winner will emerge from a struggle between our species. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the members of my species do not all agree on this issue. There is one faction that believes we must have this system only for ourselves. The Shipmasters who belong to this group are already steering their vessels on their way to destroy your asteroid ship.”

  Suddenly, Norok froze. “What can we do?” he asked. He was having trouble breathing. He should have seen it coming.

  “We’ll start following the attacking faction immediately,” the voice said through the device. “There are also some Shipmasters who have more of a wait-and-see attitude. They’ll take sides with the winner. So we have to win. However, we lost precious time due to the standoff with your ship.”

  Norok slumped down. Now he’d also have to bear the blame if the peaceful faction didn’t arrive in time. First he’d put Kimi in danger, and now the survival of the Iks was in question because of him—and all this after losing his entire crew. He was a good-for-nothing, not a leader.

  Kimi placed the tip of her wing on his shoulders. “You couldn’t have known that they’d saved me,” she said. “And it’s not too late yet.”

  He felt a warm feeling of gratitude in his throat. Then he had an idea. “Tolkut,” he began, “during our battle, did you notice anything? On my flying machine, I mean.”

  “I did. Your ship... healed itself.”

  “It’s the work of tiny machines that we call ‘nanomachines,’ or simply ‘nanos.’ They’re able to repair anything as long as they have the exact design plans. They can replicate themselves. All they need is the necessary material.”

  Tolkut was moving back and forth, and to Norok, it looked like he was performing a nervous dance.

  “The material—and the plans,” came the voice from the speaker.

  “Yes. You’d need to provide us with the blueprints for your ship and your weapons.”

  Norok was aware of what he was proposing. The Iks had not yet mastered the physical principles that the Mendraki understood and made use of to travel through the universe with a wormhole drive. It wasn’t possible to erase the data in the nanos, so once they learned something, it could not be undone. The Iks would be able to access this knowledge. But what could he offer in return?

  Kimikizu broke the silence. “With the nanos, your ship would be practically invincible. And they can be used for your entire fleet.”

  That was quite a deal, thought Norok. If Tolkut were to agree, the Iks might not be able to do much with this new knowledge about wormholes. After all, the Mendraki could easily just wipe them out and become the invincible terror of the universe.

  “I can’t make that decision on my own,” Tolkut said over the speaker. “Give us some time.”

  The answer came as a relief to Norok. He was on the verge of determining the fate of his entire species all on his own, and anything was possible. Whether the outcome was utter defeat or peaceful coexistence, it was his responsibility.

  But now he wasn’t alone. Kimi was with him, and they’d share the responsibility. They wouldn’t make the exchange unless they both agreed.

  “Shipmaster Tolkut,” he stated, “I readily agree to a deliberation period. It will take some time before we reach our generation ship.”

  “Yes, Norok. We expect that it will take at least one day.”

  “Good. It takes half a day to prepare for using the nanos.”

  Through the speaker, Tolkut replied, “Then I’ll have you taken to your cabins now. It’s not very comfortable, as Kimikizu already knows. But this is all we have at the time being. And you definitely have the status of guests. We won’t lock the door, and we’ll provide you with food. Your companion already knows that it’s edible.”

  What had the Mendrak just said? His companion? Norok felt warm. Was it a translation error, or had he known what he was saying? Was he so completely transparent, even to an alien? He opened his beak a few times but said nothing. He definitely needed this break.

  It was a far shorter distance to their quarters than it had been from the airlock to the bridge. A Mendrak escorted them there, but since they did not have a translation device, they followed him in silence, allowing Norok to mull things over. When they reached the cabin, Norok saw that it must have been a storage room. Their suits were already there, as was a cart holding a large container of water and a pot of food.

  But Norok wasn’t hungry now. What had the Shipmaster said about him and Kimi? He was almost afraid of closing the door because he had never been with a mate before, which wasn’t all that unusual—if you wanted to have a career, you couldn’t build a nest. That was the way it was. He had always thought there would be time for that later, after arriving in the new system. And now they were finally there, but the future they’d hoped for had turned to dust.

  A creaking sound came from the corner of the room. The door had closed, and they were alone. What should he say? Wasn’t he supposed to explain to Kimi how he felt? Should he propose to her, promise her something that would become irrelevant if the Iks were wiped out?

  Kimi just stood in front of him and spread her wings. The room was just big enough for her to do so. Then she wrapped her strong feathers around him and drew him closer. What was happening? Should he resist? He felt panic rising from within. Then Kimi started to sing an old nursery rhyme. It brought him to tears. His muscles went limp, and he let himself be pulled to her body. They sank into a hug that was not just long—it was infinite.

  Allies

  A male and a female with equal status, Tolkut thought. What a strange concept!

  Even more peculiar was the offer that this Norok had made. Nanomachines! His species had also been conducting theoretical nanotechnology research for a long time, but had never produced any results they could use. It astonished Tolkut that the Iks seemed so far ahead of the Mendraki in some areas while they were exceptionally behind in others.

  But there was another matter Tolkut had to consider. As Norok had explained, the nanos required some kind of basic programming to do their job, which would also mean they would be exposed to the Mendraki’s latest technological secrets. Using the information stored in the nanos, the Iks would inevitably be able to copy Mendraki technology, and this would do away with any advantage the Mendraki currently had, especially in terms of wormhole technology and more advanced weapons systems. Could he be responsible for this? Were the Iks trustworthy?

  Tolkut did not doubt that he could trust Kimikizu and Norok, but what about the rest of the Iks? He’d learned that Kimikizu was a young threadfinder, and Norok was called the Supreme Explorer, which seemed to be a mixture of ‘supreme remote scout’ and ‘network explorer.’ But would he have the power and influence to keep other prominent
Iks from turning against the Mendraki with the help of the new knowledge and information gained from the nanos? By making this deal, would Tolkut be surrendering his species to an invincible enemy? Would he involuntarily become a traitor to the Mendraki and bring down his kind?

  Tolkut was sure that if he told the other Shipmasters about Norok’s offer, it would lead to heated debate, especially for the neutral parties who had not yet joined Kasfok, but certainly for the allied Shipmasters, too. There was even a risk that this would cause some of them to dissociate from him, and then he could say goodbye to any chance of stopping Kasfok. The only solution to this dilemma was to not tell them about it. Or at least not everything.

  But how could he keep the nano-stored information about the Bud and the Mendraki technology from getting into the Iks’ hands, if it turned out that the Iks were double-crossing them? He would have to destroy the Bud—he’d have no choice but to blow up his ship before a single nanomachine had the opportunity to transmit its stored data to the Iks.

  Every spaceship in the net fleet had a self-destruction circuit intended to keep it from falling intact into the hands of an enemy. Until it became clear beyond all doubt that the Iks could be trusted, he’d keep the self-destruct switch—which would cause the helium-3 reactor containment fields to collapse immediately—in active mode. Just one vibration from him, be it from the bridge, from his quarters, or the sensor fields of his spacesuit, would be enough to transform the Bud into a rapidly expanding plasma cloud.

  After Tolkut had reached this decision it was time to consult with the other Shipmasters. Kasfok was already traveling with a total of 11 ships in the direction of the asteroid, but fortunately, he wasn’t going at maximum speed. Presumably, this was in the interest of saving increasingly scarce energy resources. But if they wanted to catch up with him and protect the Iks, they’d need to reach a decision quickly. None of the ships allied with Tolkut had joined the attack fleet, but the Netmaster had succeeded in drawing three of the neutral Shipmasters to his side.

  Shipmaster Doskart from the Mild Breeze Over Endless Forests was the first to initiate communication. He still hadn’t explained to Tolkut why he’d behaved as he had in the first skirmish with Kasfok’s followers, and Tolkut wasn’t entirely sure that he could be trusted unconditionally.

  Shipmaster Doskart! Tolkut drummed. I see you are not participating in the attack on the Iks.

  I am aware that you must have your doubts about me, but I can explain my actions, Doskart replied. I imagine that you found them strange early on. I was aware that Kasfok knew about your revolt. Several macropulses before, I had embedded a spy on the Proud Dance in the Sunlight. He informed me that Kasfok was planning an attack on the ships allied with you, but was unsure of which Shipmasters were on whose side. I managed to ingratiate myself with the Netmaster by pretending to oppose you, allowing me to infiltrate his phalanx and attack him from the rear. As you will remember, I was able to free Shipmaster Kilmek’s Gusty Wind Rends Every Web from a pretty sticky situation!

  Tolkut had to admit that this explanation was consistent with how the short space battle had played out. Doskart had intervened to help the Wind when it was caught in the fire of two of Kasfok’s ships. He accepted the explanation for the time being, but resolved to keep his eyes on Doskart.

  The discussions took less time and involved fewer problems than Tolkut had anticipated. All the allied Shipmasters agreed to his plan. However, the two remaining neutral ships did not respond to his repeated attempts at contact. It seemed that they wanted to stay out of everything and wait to join the victor, typical behavior among the weaker Mendraki clans in the chaos of wars that had continually ravaged the home planet. Tolkut couldn’t blame them. It wasn’t easy for everyone to just abandon the behavior patterns that had been internalized over generations.

  Fearing that he might lose them as allies, Tolkut hadn’t told the other Shipmasters the whole truth about the nanos. He’d only spoken of a technology that was able to repair any damage quickly, without referring to the basic programming that it required. The other Shipmasters were thrilled and would have loved to be able to access this technology themselves. Tolkut led them to believe that there was only a small supply on board Norok’s flying machine, an amount just sufficient for the needs of the Bud. He couldn’t tell if they’d believed him, but it was the best line he could come up with.

  He’d ended the conference call and given the order to leave their orbit around the gas planet when he saw Kimikizu and Norok entering the bridge accompanied by two soldiers. No weapons were in sight, per Tolkut’s orders that the two be treated as guests. He had to remind himself that these Iks, despite their repulsive appearance and bizarre gender roles, were two highly intelligent beings who were in no way inferior to the Mendraki.

  All six allied Shipmasters have agreed to stop Kasfok, he drummed, but there’s a possibility that he’ll be leading eleven ships into battle. I hope our seven ships will be enough to thwart Kasfok’s plans.

  “Don’t underestimate the possibilities of our generation ship,” Norok said, producing airwaves that the vibration transducer translated. “I’m convinced we can fend off the attack together.”

  Tolkut could see the young female Iks snuggling up close to the Supreme Explorer. Kimikizu had one of her wings around him and gently rubbed her hard mouth on his shoulder. If he wasn’t mistaken, the two were a couple.

  Once again, he could hardly hide his astonishment at the convoluted paths of evolution. It would be inconceivable for a Mendrak female to be so close to her sexual partner, or even to show any affection, after mating with a male. A few of the lobotomized females still consciously sought physical proximity to the male once the act was finished. Such unnatural behavior was almost certainly the product of some rogue intervention during the lobotomies. Tolkut had never been one to find pleasure in this perversion, but it was rumored throughout the net fleet that Kasfok was quite fond of such perverse behavior.

  The seven ships had left the positions at which they’d been stationed and started heading for the asteroid ship, which showed up only as a small dot on the remote scouts’ displays. The Solstice Bud flew at the head of the small group. Inside, the nanos provided by Norok were multiplying, gathering information, and permeating every corner of the spaceship. Nothing was hidden from them, and nothing could stop them from making their way into every last molecule of the Bud. It was the perfect synthesis of the technologies of two species that could hardly have been more different. It was the start of something new.

  In contrast to Kasfok’s group, Tolkut’s ships were accelerating at top speed. It was a tremendous gamble. The Shipmasters all knew that this would almost completely exhaust their ships’ energy reserves. If they failed to capture and defeat Kasfok, they wouldn’t even have enough energy left to keep their ships operational for more than just a few macropulses.

  But that didn’t matter. If Kasfok were to win the expected space battle, they’d be destroyed anyhow. There was only total victory or total defeat. If Tolkut and his allies were going to die, it wouldn’t be from failing life support systems and the gradual cold of space encroaching on their ships, but from railgun projectiles, energy weapons, or the space torpedoes’ nuclear fire.

  Followed by the Iks’ small flying machine on autopilot, the seven ships—Mild Breeze over Endless Forests, Solstice Bud, Gusty Wind Rends Every Web, Silken Thread of the Homeland, Red Skies by the Light of Dawn, Unity Alone Ensures Victory, and Balm of the Dense Morning Fog—were hurtling through space toward the orbit of the third planet. The on-board computers had calculated that they would just catch up with Kasfok as he was already approaching the asteroid ship. It was a race against time, the outcome of which would decide the fate of two species.

  56th of Frien, 298

  The world beneath him was beautiful. Latokotimo was lying on his back, gliding slowly over the surface of the asteroid and gazing at the water world the generation ship had approached on its way to the gas giant
s. He knew they’d soon be facing danger, but at the moment the threat seemed rather abstract. A colorful world that ostensibly nobody had ever set foot on lay beneath him. The universe really could be quite lavish with its resources.

  The planet was slightly larger than the home world. A considerable part of its surface was covered by water, and the landmass was concentrated into one vast continent, with gigantic mountains of clouds towering over it. Latokotimo felt a constant tingling in his skull, his magnetic sense. He suspected lightning was flashing from the clouds and producing magnetic fields that he was picking up. The cloud cover tore open repeatedly, revealing the landmass beneath.

  There were no signs of civilization, confirmed by the ship’s remote measurements as well. There were tall mountains piled up in the north of the continent, but the impression they gave was not imposing—they looked instead almost like hills because they were all rounded and grown over with green. It must have been warm down there, which was probably why there was so much energy in the atmosphere. The planet did not seem to be old, but rather right in its prime. There were no traces of ice, but the planet’s axis of rotation was tilted by 66.5 degrees in relation to its orbital plane, which should have led to distinct seasons.

  “Timo, status, please!”

  The call from the central station startled him. Almost everybody called him Timo. It had stopped bugging him long ago. The last two syllables of his name, which he’d gotten from his father, had become far too uncommon, after all.

  “I’m on my way to Quadrant 7C,” he replied.

  “Get going. The others are almost done.”

  He turned off the helmet radio and sighed. Twelve Conquerors, including himself, had the assignment of examining the guns on the surface of the asteroid from up close, just in case of a conflict. They’d never been deployed before, and the Supreme Conqueror didn’t trust the Supreme Protector, who was the one responsible for the defense weapons.