BairnGefa- The Akashic Expedition

by Ruairí Cinéad Ducantlin

  Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

  “What I want to know is, how it is you know?”

  NT’s question was shouted at breakfast on day three of the Jaguar’s transit to K’an. Corb’s reaction was measured.

  “NT, have you heard of something called the Akashic Record?”

  NT rolled his eyes and turned to Cass for help.

  “The concept of the Akashic Record, or Records, is a bunch of crap. But if Corb believes, then I will rethink my position. Basically, the Akashic Record is a theoretical collection of all events, thoughts, words, and emotions. All knowledge of all activity from the past, present, or future. The data, the Records, are supposed to be available to anyone. They are coded to exist in a non-physical etheric plane.

  “We know there are alternate planes of existence and reality, we travel in them all the time. We are in one now. What is one more magical doodad loaded with all the knowledge of the universe?”

  Turning from Cass to Corb, NT’s expression was serious.

  “Are you accessing the Akashic Record? Is that how you know? All the knowledge possible? How do you find anything?”

  “It is not like I am looking through a card index at the Library of Congress. Let’s back up.

  “When I altered my teleport and went to Earth instead of the Jaguar, I saw … strings. Long thin strands of light, or matter, or goo. What they are exactly doesn’t matter. I realized the strands were undulating, floating, growing, shrinking, changing density. I realized the process of examining the strands and thinking about the strands was affecting the strands I could observe.

  “I reached out and grabbed the closest strand. It faded into nothing, as if it was a dissipating light. Before it was completely gone, I realized I knew what the Akashic Records are and how to access the data.

  “The strands are the knowledge. They are created within the etheric plane by thoughts. I was thinking about how I knew what to do when we were at Zerain. Then I was thinking about how I knew how to alter course while teleporting. The strand appeared. When I touched it, I instantly knew how to access the Akashic Records.”

  Sipping his coffee, Corb realized the crew was mesmerized by his story.

  “Every time I teleport, I think about something and look for strands in the etheric plane. Eventually, I realized I wanted to know how to access the information without teleporting. A strand appeared and I learned how to access the information without teleporting.”

  “You can learn about anything?”

  “No, Lucinda, not anything. It is more like a grid search. The shorter, more concise the inquiry, the better the results. Sometimes it takes dozens of selections to collate and correlate the information.

  “There is one other thing. The information is not in English or any language I recognize. The information is … absorbed. That is the best description. The knowledge is absorbed when you touch the strand.”

  “What did you ask that led you to the conclusion?”

  “NT, I had a theory about the Overlords. I began to realize there were never any Overlords, not as we know the term. If they existed, they were not omniscient beings or demigods. I suspect they existed. I know they existed. They were powerful, but they were not gods or supreme beings.

  “I thought about, I asked myself, how did remote planets become connected? Who brought the leaps in technology and knowledge to the remote planets? I did not think in terms of searching for information on Overlords or supreme beings. I backdoored the information on the Overlords by thinking about how remote, technologically inferior planets could advance so quickly. I learned there was a group traveling the galaxy for two millennia. The group existed three to five millennia in the past.”

  “You know who they were?”

  “No, Cass, not exactly. I know they ran around the galaxy terrorizing any species who would not worship them as gods. Which is NT’s question. I have surmised the Ch’en people on K’an must know who they were. Also, the Plentari probably know.”

  Corb turned his head to look at Jirxena and Jirmina. Sitting across from each other, Jirxena nodded to Jirmina. The nod was permission for Jirmina to speak.

  “The Plentari legends tell of a people who were to the Plentari as humans are to rodents. They are known as the HelSkirra.”

  “Did you say HelSkirra and not HellaScary?”

  “Yes, Cass.”

  Cass recited from memory. “Hel is Old Norse. Hel was Loki’s daughter and the ruler of the underworld. Skirra is similar to scare in English. I think the Plentari viewed the HelSkirra as a group of people who were scary as hell.”

  “Why did you not tell us about this sooner?”

  “NT, have you told me all of Earth’s tales of legend and myth?”

  “Touché.”

  “Landry, what is touché?”

  “Jirmina, NT is saying your response was well said and you have a well-reasoned retort.”

  “The HelSkirra are myth and legend. We can request all the tales for review and analysis.”

  “Landry, work with Jirmina to create the request. When we arrive at K’an, use the FTL communications link to send the request. Ask for the data to be ready when we arrive at Plentari.”

  “Yes, Corb.”

  “We will get back to NT’s question and our plan in a moment. Jirmina, I believe you were a member of the honor guard. I also believe Jirxena was your superior in the honor guard. What I want to know is your real name.”

  “My name is BairnGefa.”

  Jirxena sat up, leaned forward, and barked at the junior Plentari officer.

  “Those words are not permitted. You will be punished for using the old language. You are confined to your quarters until we return. I will deliver you to the Madame Negotiator.”

  Corb interceded. “Lucinda is captain of this vessel. She will determine who is confined. No, Jirxena, she will not be punished. Jirmina, BairnGefa, what is your mother’s name?”

  “Gefa.”

  “BairnGefa, who is your mother?”

  “The Madame Negotiator is my mother.”

  “Cass, to what do bairn and gefa translate?”

  Looking up from her tile, her data and history search completed, Cass’s response was smooth.

  “Bairn is Old Norse for child. Gefa is Old Norse for give or giver. BairnGefa is ChildGiver.”

  Jirxena leaned back, waiting. Everyone stopped eating or sipping coffee. They waited. Nick broke the quiet with a poor Bostonian accent laced with British slang.

  “Damn, Corb. I knew you were wicked smart, but omniscient? You are one right cheeky bastard. NT is right. One minute we are thinking you are a townie down to Dunks, then you bang a left and get all growed up smart.”

  There were tilted heads and stares of confusion before Janish explained.

  “We spent a week in Boston. Nick was drunk most of the time, I am surprised he remembers anything. Those Southees know how to party. Corb, how do you know all this?”

  “I was not trollied the whole time.”

  “No, hon, you were not drunk the whole time, just when you were awake.”

  The group grunted at Janish’s barb before Corb continued.

  “I am not omniscient. No one is omniscient. Nevertheless, I can create and access the knowledge strands in the etheric plane.

  “Before we left Earth, Michelle insisted I research Plentari history. She didn’t tell me why or what to look for in my search. She just said I should understand the history of the Plentari.

  “Knowing the history of the Plentari was something you discussed with Michelle at Nona’s barbecue, correct, Jirmina?”

  “Yes, Michelle and I discussed many things that day.”

  “Jirxena, what is the population of Plentari?”

  “There are more than a billion Plentari.”

  “That is not true, although I believe you believe it to be true. Landry, what is the population of Plentari?”

  “The most recent official census calculated the total population at four hundred and fif
ty-seven thousand.”

  Jirxena remained unmoved, dumbfounded.

  “Landry, what percentage of the Plentari population is male?”

  “Sixteen percent of the Plentari population is male.”

  “That is about seventy-three thousand males. Landry, did the census track fertility in the male population?”

  “Yes, Corb.”

  “Landry, what percentage of the Plentari male population was recorded as fertile?”

  “Four percent of the males were confirmed to be fertile at the time of the census.”

  “That is just under three thousand males in a population of over four hundred and fifty-seven thousand people. Landry, what is the current rate of successful conception and what is the percentage of pregnancies reaching normal termination of gestation?”

  “The information you are requesting is not in the official census data.”

  “Landry, I know you accessed the Plentari grid. Do you have the data I requested?”

  “Yes, Corb.”

  “Landry, what is the rate of successful conception and what is the percentage of pregnancies reaching normal termination of the gestation?”

  “Conception is performed via manual insemination and is successful at a rate of forty-one percent. Full-term pregnancies achieve a thirty-nine percent success rate.”

  The galley felt cold and the crew’s mood turned morose.

  “Landry, of the successful pregnancies, those reaching full-term, how many births are male?”

  “None.”

  “Landry, what happened to the Plentari ability to reproduce?

  Jirmina intercepted the question. “Twenty-seven centuries ago, the matriarchy created a system to produce only females. Stronger, bigger, more intelligent females. Males who produced female offspring were selected and bred. Breeding males who produced male offspring were secluded from the reproductive processes. Centuries of selective breeding produced strong, powerful Plentari females.

  “Of course, the selection process was flawed. Genetic malformation was introduced. The Plentari do not permit inferior genetics to persist. The Plentari have been searching the galaxy for thirteen centuries for a way to correct the reproductive errors. We found a source.”

  Lucinda injected with a question. “Do not permit inferior genetics to persist?”

  “Only the healthy births were permitted to live beyond the initial examination.”

  Before a morality discussion erupted, Corb interrupted Jirmina. “Landry, of the fertile Plentari males, how many produce male children?”

  “Five.”

  Gasps of bewilderment followed Landry’s response.

  “Landry, five is a viable sample for gene diversity. Given the low rate of successful gestation, the standardized life table of the Plentari, and multigenerational breeding cycles, how long before the population recovers to a point where the possibility of extinction is averted? How long before the idealized population is achieved?”

  “The population could recover enough genetic diversity in nineteen generations. Extinction would be averted in approximately two hundred and twenty cycles of the planet Plentari.”

  “Landry, why did you use the word could?”

  “The gene pool is not genetically diverse enough to avoid mutation.”

  “Why is the gene pool not genetically diverse?”

  “The five males capable of producing viable male offspring are clones of their genetic donor. Their father.”

  Turning back to Jirmina, Corb continued in a soft tone.

  “Jirmina … BairnGefa, joining us was your plan to achieve the goal? The goals?”

  “No, Enlightened One, it was my mother’s plan. The Madame Negotiator you killed was of the old ways. She refused to see the end was near. She accepted the science but refused to accept the Plentari needed help. When you arrived, we understood the omens. The old Madame Negotiator refused to hear the truth. She was stuck in the old ways. We understood this was our only option.”

  “Do you think it will work?”

  “Yes, the tests have been successful.”

  “The breeding clones, they were created by the Xjaal and they failed?”

  “That is correct, Enlightened One.”

  “The clone failure in producing genetically viable breeders is the source of the Plentari hatred for the Xjaal and the Ajawlil?

  “That is correct, Enlightened One.”

  “The Xjaal expected the failure?”

  “That is correct, Enlightened One. The Xjaal expected the Plentari to cease to exist. The Xjaal anticipated they would claim and inhabit Plentari.”

  “The Xjaal doomed your people to extinction. They played the long game, expecting to take over your planet. Why did you aid us in saving the Xjaal and the Ajawlil?”

  “The sins of the past are not erased by sins of today.”

  “That is noble, but is it the only reason?”

  “No, Enlightened One.”

  “Have the preparations begun?”

  “Yes, Enlightened One.”

  “Corb, it seems as if we should be heading directly to Plentari. Why are we headed to K’an?”

  “Lucinda, I believe Tarunik conspired with Tarmenik. Centuries ago, I believe the Ch’en chartered Tarmenik to cut a deal with the Xjaal. The deal was to expand the Xjaal and Ch’en empires using indigenous populations. On Plentari, they manipulated the indigenous cultural desire for female purity to wipe out the population. On Earth, they manipulated friction amongst religious dogmas and geopolitical ideologies. They did not plan on Earth’s development of nuclear weaponry.

  “I think, however, Tarmenik betrayed the Ch’en and cut his own deal. I also think Tarunik is ashamed and embarrassed by their plan getting out of control.

  “There is one other thing …”

  Cass was the first to fully understand the implications of the conversation between Corb and Jirmina. Oblivious to the conversation, she interrupted Corb’s explanation. “Genetic diversity! The Plentari plan is to find a viable genetic pool to rebuild their population.”

  Embarrassed at the frowns and the realization she had missed Corb’s implied explanation, Cass physically shrank back into her chair. Corb continued.

  “Yes, Cass, that is correct. I was saying, there is one other thing. I know why the Ch’en refuse to allow computers widespread access to their grid.

  “Lucinda, we are going to K’an to confront Tarunik about their role in the Xjaal long game.”

  Time to Emergence at K’an: (1D) 01:18:04.

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  ᚴᚼᛅᛒᛏᛁᚱ•ᛏᚼᛁᚱᛏᚢ-ᛋᛁᚴᛋ

  “You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today.”

  Abraham Lincoln

  “Enlightened One, Tarmenik is no longer permitted to speak on behalf of the Ch’en. He understands his failings and the negative effects his actions have placed on the harmony.

  “Tell me, Enlightened One, why did you come alone?”

  Corb was meeting alone with Tarunik and Tarmish. Instead of using their normal facilities, they were meeting in the conference room in the tall tower where the first encounter between Corb, the Coterie, and the Ch’en had occurred four years earlier.

  “Your response, Chairman, does not address my question.”

  Chairman Tarunik mentally noted Corb’s use of the formal title but remained impassive.

  “Tarmenik was corrupted by the Xjaal and Admiral Jymind. The Ch’en regret the harm the Ch’en allowed him to inflict.”

  “Again, esteemed Chairman, that response is not relevant to my question.”

  “Enlightened One, it is impolite to interrogate the chairman. It violates the harmony and it is not done.”

  “Madame Examiner, I am not here to protect the harmony. I am here to gather information and to understand the history of the planning that manipulated me and my crew into service for the Ch’en.”

  Relenting, Chairman Tarunik told the tale with honesty.

  “Wh
o you call the Overlords were powerful and demanding. Under the command of the Overlords, the Xjaal used the Ajawlil ruthlessly. They eliminated two entire species before the others relented. The Ch’en, the Garune, the Plentari, and several others formed an alliance. We agreed to the demands of the Overlords and the Xjaal. We agreed to their demands to stay alive.

  “That agreement was also the beginning of the underground movement. A resistance was formed. Initially, the resistance was motived by hopes of freedom and wealth. Centuries passed with no progress in overturning the Xjaal’s control of this area of space and the other areas.

  “The alliance fractured. The resistance cells stopped communicating. Each culture sought to protect itself, the Ch’en included.

  “When the Overlords stopped appearing, the Xjaal become more oppressive. The Ajawlil raided and killed at the slightest provocation.

  “We sought to free ourselves from the oppression. We formed a plan to eliminate the Xjaal and the Ajawlil.”

  “You introduced the decay.”

  “That is correct. Doctor Tarmenik created the virus. When the Overlords stopped appearing, the Xjaal were the only threat to galactic harmony. With the decay, we could save the Ch’en and all of the other species in this area of space, including the human species.

  “When he realized you might be able to save the Xjaal and the Ajawlil, Tarmenik feared their return to power. He aligned with Admiral Jymind. Their plan was to destroy the Xjaal and rebuild the Ajawlil production facilities.

  “Because Tarmenik had created the decay virus, Admiral Jymind theorized Tarmenik also had a cure. Tarmenik did not disavow the theory even though the decay had morphed and was not curable with known technology.

  “Enlightened One, we knew of Tarmenik’s plan to eliminate the Xjaal. In human terms, it was for the greater good.

  “We did not know of his plans to let the Ajawlil expire so he could create his new world on Gowah, the place you call Zerain.

  “Did I know about the plans? Yes and no. Yes, we tried to save the Ch’en and everyone else from the Xjaal. No, I did not know Doctor Tarmenik had strayed from the path of harmony.

  “We used you and your crew, that is correct. We did not expect you to cure the decay and save the Xjaal and the Ajawlil. The galaxy is a better place for the effort. For that, I do not apologize.”