Retread Shop 1: First Contact

by T. Jackson King

  Lady Essene slowed and settled her bulk onto the sand. She possessed a headless, tubular body with short clawed legs at the rear, middle and forend. A fringe of manipulator tentacles hung from her belly plates. Her skin was a series of solid black, steel-hard plates that overlapped in a spiral pattern, while her mouth was a wide crescent slit located between the front legs. She could unhinge it to swallow prey almost as large as herself. Her ultraviolet sensitive eyes shone as four small black orbs located in the center of her backridge, supported by four squat cones of flesh. The cones could orient the eyes in almost any direction, thereby providing a full-circle field of view. Three black eyes focused on the Council group while one watched the Arrik flyers. Her mouth yawned open.

  “I’m hungry. Anyone have any food?” she asked in a metallic screech.

  T’Klose pointed a clawed hand at the swimming Ziks far out to sea. “Those crustaceans look good to eat. Once you get past the shell.”

  Sargon nearly choked. Alis looked intent. Swirling-Blue-Thoughts trembled with emotion-reception. Looseen’s perceptor stalks shrank nearly into her carapace. Mother Esay blinked.

  Lady Essene yawned again. “Animal! We Gosay do not eat sapient lifeforms.”

  T’Klose flapped his wings. “So sapients who can run almost as fast as you do not tempt you?”

  Sargon wondered—did Lady Essene ever feel tempted? Her species were accomplished carnivores used to hunting down live prey. Only Swirling-Blue-Thoughts would know for sure. And he was far too polite to speak.

  “Of course not!” Lady Essene said. “No matter whether the sapient is slow, or fast, we do not eat it. You Arrik are crude. Don’t you know any manners?”

  “Only for the Sept and for one’s mates,” T’Klose said matter-of-factly. “Is it not the same for other Compact species?”

  “Arrik—no courtesy—possess,” said Eeess from his crystal globe, shocking them all by speaking without prompting.

  Sargon covered his eyes, pretending to rub sand out of them. By all the lichen of Horem—these Arrik were crude! Then again, it had been just twenty years since the Arrik had attacked Hekar as it entered the Arrik home system, the only species to do so to date. The flyers had attacked until a few well-placed neutron antimatter beams destroyed their attacking ships and forced Arrik racial paranoia to adjust to the fact they were not the sole intelligent species in the galaxy. The Contact hung in the balance. Finally, after a massive social upheaval, the Arrik accepted Trade and eventually joined the Compact. But they remained what they had evolved to be—an aggressive, flying predator who showed caring only to the extended family of the Sept, as the species called itself internally.

  A clanking noise drew his attention away from the desultory comments of Council members on interspecies etiquette.

  A pressurized, refrigerated tracglobe rolled over a sand dune and came to a stop near the meeting rock. It held Algonesus, current Pod Leader and Prime Trickster of the Thix-Thet Confederation on Hekar. Sargon could barely see the brown silicon ball through the thick window of the tracglobe. Swirling methane and nitrogen vapors partly obscured the entity. Algonesus, like all Thix-Thet, was nearly incomprehensible to the other Compact aliens, with the possible exception of the Thoranian Group MIND. The functions of thinking, seeing, eating, excreting and communicating that occupied separate organs in most Compact species were somehow combined into the overlarge, interlinked, wheel-shaped cells that constituted the Thix-Thet body corpus. He had seen a Thix-Thet extrude pseudopods with eyes, ingestion cavities and speech bags that produced sounds by extremely fast compression of atmospheric gases. But the Thix-Thet didn’t breathe—they absorbed methane through direct cellular osmosis. It was, to Sargon, a very peculiar lifeform with a liking for practical jokes. But then, overly warm carbon-based organics and a green rock crystal that could think likely seemed equally strange to the Thix-Thet.

  “Greetings:Hail,” said Algonesus, attempting politeness and drawing the other Council members out of their disputation on manners to stare at something that lived at the temperature of liquid methane.

  The last member of the Compact Council had always been there. It would use the data processing and communications terminal built into the meeting rock as its output port. Hekar, the sentient Core computer who was the joint product of Thoranian mathematical algorithms and combined Horem-Strelka-Zik computer hardware and neural nets, was also the asteroid starship itself—except for the species Habitats. The computer extruded a sensor cone from the meeting rock’s titanium steel surface and began the conference.

  “Greetings, sapients, may the Hunt always be fruitful,” said Sargon’s comdisk, the All-Hailer buoy and other people’s own comdisks. “In accordance with custom and agreements, we are met in physical form to consider the recent action of Watch Commander Arix Sargon Arax in directing our venture toward newly discovered bipedal sapients.” Hekar paused as Looseen and Lady Essene drifted closer to the waterline and T’Klose hopped nearer to the gathered half-circle of sapients. “The new sapients orbit a G2V yellow star at 26.l9 Horem light years from our present position. The purpose of the meeting is discussion, analysis, reflection and a decision on whether to sustain this Command decision, to refute it, or to undertake an alternative course.” The bronze-colored cone glittered slightly as it rotated its sensor surface. “Horem Clan Coordinator Sotet Alis Sarex, please summarize your position.”

  Alis stood and moved to the center of the half-circle, yellow toga swirling as he stood beside Hekar’s rock with arms clasped behind his back. “Fellow Compact sapients, Torik the Zik detected audiovisual waveforms from the subject star. With the assistance of Hekar’s Core computer, the encryption patterns of these broadcasts were decoded. Imagery shows these new sapients are an air-breathing, ground-based bipedal race much like we Horem. They currently possess a modest technological society that has traveled to its nearby moon.” Sargon watched the group as it listened to Alis, but reading the body language of seven other alien species was impossible. “The home of this new species is a blue-white world with oceans, deserts, mountains, forests and ice caps. A large moon orbits the world, as documented by imagery taken from that moon by a bipedal exploration group.” Alis stepped over to the meeting rock and inserted Sargon’s data chip into a slot. “The deciphered imagery is now submitted for consideration. Basic power and communication levels for these sapients, along with a sociological analysis based on the imagery, is available through your comdisks under file code Violet 224.” Alis paused, turned and looked out seaward to Looseen and Mother Esay, then turned back to the shore group. “While these sapients are limited in their space-traveling abilities, I recommend contact with them. The purpose of Hekar, of our joint Compact, is Trade with other sapient lifeforms. Lacking better prospects in this area of space, we should visit these people.”

  Sargon blinked. Alis had supported him! Relief flooded through him, leaving weakness in its place. Now, maybe his father would see sense. But what of the other Compact species?

  “What is the fuel status of Hekar?” asked Lady Essene, one of her black eyes fixing on Sargon. “Will we have enough to reach another star if we can’t Trade for fuel with these sapients?”

  “Yes,” Alis said firmly. “Our recent encounter with the Arrik left us with nearly full interior tanks. We have fuel enough for 14 ship years of travel at ninety percent of lightspeed.” Sargon knew the fuel reserves of Hekar; he just wished their asteroid could hold more than the small sea of fusion isotopes it already held. “Since we are now cruising at that speed, we have enough fuel to decelerate, maneuver into the G2 system and visit any other stars within 14 light years of the target star.”

  T’Klose’s wings flapped strongly. Looseen’s perceptor stalks swayed slightly. Lady Essene yawned widely. Swirling-Blue-Thoughts hunkered down in his sand basin. They, like Sargon, knew l4 light years was not a wide hunting range. His decision would cut them closer on fuel reserves than they liked. Eeess’ crystal globe wobbled.

  “Pro
spects for technological Trade, your assessment,” the Thoranian succinctly asked Alis.

  “Encouraging, Compact Mate,” Alis said, looking sideways at Sargon. “They do have basic spaceflight capability. Which implies the presence of basic computers, radar, EMF sensors, orbital satellites and awareness of other stars and planets. Also, stationary neutrino emissions from this world indicate the presence of fission or fusion power reactors. Which means they may also possess atomic and thermonuclear bombs.” Sargon heard several Council members make untranslatable comments. He felt shock at Alis’ suggestion the new bipeds might possess thermonuclear weapons. “One imagery group documents armored weapons warfare, which raises the question of whether the bipeds possess a unified planetary society.” Alis’ headcrest flared in a sign of thoughtfulness. “However, our experience with you Thoranians has shown societal unification does not always parallel technological achievements. Your mathematical constructs, concepts and algorithms were and still are superior to those of any other Compact species, yet you had no spacecraft. Nor did we know of your unified society until we learned of the Group MIND.” Alis turned to his colleagues, headcrest flaring strongly. “My friends, it is possible these new sapients may have things more important to Trade than technological hardware. It is clear they occupy the entire planet. Their sociological adaptations may have yielded societal concepts that might compliment our current understanding of societal evolution.”

  The silicon ball of Algonesus writhed behind the window of its tracglobe, doing incomprehensible things. Swirling-Blue-Thoughts lifted himself fully upright, swaying with the flow of emotions. Eeess’ green crystals sparkled in the daytime sunlight as its globe bobbled on air currents. Sargon felt torn by the suspense—when would it be decided?

  T’Klose jumped forward suddenly, clawed feet scattering sand widely. “Old One—are these new sapients militarily or ideologically threatening to us?”

  “No,” Alis said calmly. “Even allowing for unusually rapid technological development over the 29 ship years it will take to arrive at the G2, it is unlikely they will achieve an interplanetary transit capability sufficient to endanger Hekar.” Sargon saw Lady Essene lumber upright, brown sand cascading off black skin plates; she seemed anxious. “This ship will be safe, particularly if we do not orbit above their home planet. While they possess simple lasers based on the imagery, and may possess nuclear weapons, there is no indication they possess antimatter weapons or fusion pulse spaceships.” The elderly Horem blinked slowly. “As to their societal ideologies, they are unknown. We have but one audiovisual broadcast that has shown modest technology, basic spaceflight abilities, a significant social structuring and probable hierarchy.” Alis looked away from T’Klose to the other Council members. “However, in accordance with standard procedure, we will perform regular monitoring of these signals by organics, in addition to the automatic archiving normally carried out by Hekar itself.”

  “When:if . . . signals:language . . . deciphered:understood,” asked Algonesus in a halting, atonal voice emitted by the annunciator plate attached to its tracglobe. Sargon felt surprise—the message was fairly understandable.

  Alis turned swiftly in a flutter of yellow robes, alert, solicitous. Why?

  “Honored emissary, Hekar estimates it will take 2.l to 4.2 ship years to isolate a primary language, associate it with specific visual cues/meanings/actions, accumulate a working vocabulary, detect idiosyncratic expression modes and achieve a ninety percent literal translation capability into Skeesh.” So long—Sargon wished he could understand these strange new people sooner, much sooner. “Be aware the biped-to-Skeesh translation may be lacking, depending on the ideational framework by which this species relates to external reality.” Alis paused, letting his answer sink in as the comdisks chittered, whistled and howled with translation; then he chuff-laughed. “Friends, since we’ve often had trouble understanding each other’s languages in the beginning, we’re lucky—these signals contain a significant visual element that can be parallel-patterned with the speech.”

  T’Klose hadn’t given up. The Arrik ruler stepped a little closer, his heavily muscled body carrying with it a sense of threat held in tight check. Only his scaled tail gave him away as it scattered sand in all directions.

  “What does the Military Compound say about these sapients?” T’Klose’s three eyes shone brightly. “Do we have a preliminary report?”

  Before Alis could reply, Hekar itself answered.

  “Sept Ruler T’Klose, the Military Compound reports that any aggressive action mounted by these sapients can be countered by the coherent energy and kinetic weapons which the Horem and Strelka developed nearly 340 years, shortly after leaving the Strelka home system.” Sargon felt better—those were the simplest weapons of Hekar. “The probability is almost nil that we would have to use the ship’s neutron antimatter primary weapons for defense. In addition, most Compact species have brought along short-range fighter craft with air and space capabilities. These craft can easily handle any small tactical threat.” Hekar paused briefly, its sensor cone whirring slightly. “Neither I nor the Military Compound see any viable military threat from these sapients even assuming the most rapid technological development. There is no need to be concerned.”

  “I disagree,” said T’Klose, flapping his broad wings and pushing air toward Sargon and Alis. “There is always a need to anticipate deadly danger. Change, especially change in military technology and tactics, is certain and one cannot guarantee security against the unknown. We Arrik will monitor these emissions closely. We will prepare tactical and strategic conflict scenarios so that Hekar will be prepared in case your statistical projections are confounded by reality. We will protect you from your own foolishness.” The sarcastic tone of the Arrik’s voice came through clearly, even in translation. Sargon wondered if a sapient computer could feel insulted.

  Looseen waved a manipulator palp their way.

  “Fellow Rulers, we Zik have a more pressing concern than preparing for hypothetical military encounters.” She angled her perceptor stalks toward the group. “As some of you are aware, Hekar has yet to encounter an uninhabited, sea-covered world of an M series star that we could colonize. Our prime objective in joining the Trek was to place the Zik race upon another planetary surface. We have patiently awaited such an opportunity. We put in Suspense several million eggs representing various cohort castes. Co-ruler Zikeen and I alternate time in Suspense in order to minimize our population growth. But this cannot continue without harming the life-support and Suspense needs of other Compact Mates.” Looseen paused; the quiet among the powerful Council members was broken only by the sound of the nearby surf that alternately lifted up, and lowered, Looseen and her colleague Mother Esay. “We request Council’s approval to dispatch probes to the two red dwarf stars which lie near our line of approach. A data chip with all relevant details on fuel quantities, sensors, launch vectors and communication modes has been prepared. It may be accessed through Hekar itself under Code Blue 12.” Looseen’s four perceptor stalks looked in four different directions simultaneously. “Any questions?”

  Alis looked up from beside Sargon. “Hekar, how much will our fuel reserves be reduced by providing frozen deut-li pellets to these probes?”

  “Clan Coordinator,” answered Hekar the AI, “our fuel reserves are 235,2l3 cubic Horempads of deut-li fuel, of which we spent twenty percent achieving ninety psol in departing the Arrik system. The probe fuel is far less than one percent of our reserves. Even with habitat power demands and basic Ship fusion reactor needs, fueling the probes will have no effect upon our maneuvering capabilities.”

  “Why waste time on a species too stupid to limit its population growth?” asked T’Klose, earning a spurt of water from Looseen.

  Mother Esay stirred her floating tentacles. “Sept Ruler T’Klose, you Arriks are in need of learning courtesy. And wisdom.” The All-Hailer buoy squealed with translated RNA packets fed to it by one of Esay’s tentacles. “The Compact d
oes not judge the ethics of any species—we Trade, we cooperate, and we stay out of each other’s personal affairs. Understood?”

  T’Klose flared his nostrils—in anger? “To speak common sense is not to be insulting. Any sapient should know better than to overpopulate its ecotonial niche.”

  Swirling-Blue-Thoughts uncoiled a bit from his sand basin. “Perhaps, Ruler T’Klose, but different species have different needs. We honor diversity in our group. You Arrik are still learning the principles of synergism.”

  All three eyes of T’Klose blinked sharply. “We Arrik learn what is needed. What is too alien to us, we reject.” Leathery wings flapped wildly. “Preparations for military encounters are not hypothetical. They are common sense. We know. You aliens attacked us once!”

  Sargon lay back on the warm sand, pretending to rest, while the Council argued the causes of the recent conflict with the Arrik. Looseen, he saw, waited patiently in the swelling blue waves. Mother Esay had drifted back out into the cove, perhaps to consult with her waiting daughter. Eeess’ quartz globe drifted over to the refrigerated tracglobe of Algonesus, trying to interpret the Thix-Thet’s labored comments into Skeesh. Lady Essene rolled over onto her side, exposing her belly fringe of manipulator tentacles. Alis, Swirling- Blue-Thoughts and T’Klose argued over military issues. Looseen’s voice interrupted them all.

  “Enough!” Her colleagues stopped their arguing. “So what if my plan requires a side trip by Hekar to the M4 star that lies six light years beyond the new sapients? We can refuel from the gas giant that is surely present in their system.” Looseen’s perceptor stalks wavered with exasperation. “But find a new home we must! Who will support us?”

  Alis made his move.

  “Compact Mates, I support the Zik request for probes to these two systems and favor support by the Compact in colonization efforts if a suitable planet can be found,” Alis growled low. “However, we should first make contact with these new sapients before undertaking an expeditionary side trip to an uninhabited system. I Call for the Council’s decision.”