The Silver Ships

by S. H. Jucha

  General Maria Gonzalez, head of Terran Security Forces, the Honorable Darryl Jaya, Minister of Technology, and the Honorable Clayton Downing XIV, District 12 Assemblyman, were already seated in the matching antique, brocade-covered, guriel chairs arrayed in front of the President’s desk.

  “Ah, Will, come in and have a seat,” the President greeted him, “We are all anxious to discuss Captain Racine and hear your thoughts.”

  “Good morning, Mr. President, Maria, Darryl, Mr. Downing,” he greeted the assembly then took a seat on one of the centuries-old, hand-carved chairs himself.

  From the moment Will Drake had received Alex’s latest set of messages, he’d been planning how best to present the situation to the President. He’d hoped for a private meeting, but the President had beaten him to the punch, announcing this meeting and his choice of participants.

  He’d wrestled with the quandary of how to make the most of Alex’s find from the moment he learned of it. Their relationship had become fractious during their protracted negotiations for Alex’s g-sling program, so he sought an edge in his dealings with the Captain. He had contacted the University Chancellor, who had first brought Alex to his attention years ago. The Chancellor had referred him to Dr. Amy Mallard, Alex’s advisor.

  The professor had been kind enough to visit him in his office. Her entrance was a pleasant memory that he’d replayed more than once. In his own university career, there hadn’t been any professors who looked and sounded like Dr. Mallard. But if the visuals were pleasantly stimulating, the discussion was anything but. The professor rebuffed his every attempt to gain advice on how to get what he wanted from the young man. He was told, time and time again, that he shouldn’t attempt to order or manipulate Alex. In the end, she’d become frustrated and taken charge of the discussion, delivering some strongly worded advice.

  “Minister Drake,” she had begun, “let me tell you about Alex. When he came to our university, he was a socially undeveloped person. His late teenage years were primarily limited to interactions with his father, mother, and younger sister, on his parent’s explorer-tug, the No Bounds. We had several discussions concerning his inability to form partnerships. It wasn’t that he was unattractive, quite the contrary. However, our young female undergraduates are accustomed to more socially adept young men. They offered quick dalliances with whispers of the exotic items available to our youth—mood enhancers, pleasure toys, and multiple partners. Most were surprised, some offended, by his polite refusals and, unfortunately, they often told him so.”

  “While he was at university, he earned both his ship operator’s and pilot’s licenses, recording the TSF’s highest scores for both written tests and operational field tests. If I would guess, I’d say he was probably competent in those areas before he left his parents’ ship.”

  “But that would be highly illegal…” Will had started to object.

  “That’s neither here nor there, Minister,” Professor Mallard had stated. “My point was to bring to your attention the incredible scores he earned for a young man his age. I’m telling you this, Minister, so that you understand Alex is a set of contradictions. But make no mistake, Sir, he’s one of the most brilliant students I’ve ever taught. And this isn’t just my opinion; ask any of his professors. We cherished him. He pursued interstellar navigation and applied gravitational forces with the passion and skills of a researcher twice his age.

  “He developed the mathematical algorithms that predicated his g-sling program while at university. We both know similar efforts had been attempted in the past, none of which had proved successful. Alex’s model was inventive and sophisticated compared to the crudity of the earlier versions.

  “In his second year, I introduced Alex to Mr. Sorensen, a CEO who was searching for a more efficient means of navigating his ships through shifting ocean currents. It was Alex’s first real-world application of his predictive mathematical models. The company supplied him with years of data on wind, currents, and ship locations, notated by date and time. In the first year of his model’s implementation, he realized the company a 3.2 percent fuel savings and a 2.8 percent reduction in delivery time. His first real-world job, a difficult one at that, and Alex was wildly successful. Do you realize the odds against that, Minister?”

  Since her question was clearly rhetorical, Drake had refrained from speaking. The professor seemed intent on having her say, and he thought it wiser to sit back and let her speak. Professor Mallard’s impassioned delivery was revealing the fierce mind beneath the waves of dark hair.

  “And, Mr. Sorensen was only Alex’s first client. Before he left us, Alex had fourteen more. He made money for every one of them…every one of them. When he completed his undergraduate work, the faculty did everything they could to entice Alex to stay for his post-graduate work, including a full scholarship and some perks,” and she’d smiled as she said perks.

  Will Drake had refused to ask what she meant, lest he place his very large shoes in his mouth.

  “Alex came to me one night wrestling with his decision,” she’d said, looking wistful as she recalled the evening. “He wanted to return to space, despite being intrigued by our offer. I asked him if he needed funds and he shared with me that he had over 788K creds in his account.”

  Drake had nearly choked on that piece of news. It was more than twice his annual ministerial salary.

  She had laughed at his expression. “Yes, Minister, that look you’re wearing is the same one I wore after he told me. But what convinced me that all of us were wasting our time was when Alex said two things. The first was that he wanted an opportunity to prove his mathematical model using a tug to project a passive body through our system to a target, and we both know how that turned out. He said the creds he’d make, if successful, would be used for his family. The second was that he missed the No Bounds and the beauty of space, cold and dark though it was.

  “What I’m trying to communicate to you, Minister Drake, is that you have on your hands a socially inexperienced genius with a proclivity for helping others. You do with that information what you will. But, I can tell you this, you should under no circumstances cajole or order him. He can be very stubborn when confronted, especially if the pressure comes from a position of authority or privilege. You’ll do better if you entice him or offer him something he can’t resist, a puzzle to solve or a cause to aid.”

  And he had ignored her advice, much to his detriment. She’d been very prophetic about what Alex would do if he attempted to dictate to him. Now his only recourse was to change his ways and fast.

  He’d copied Alex’s recent multi-part briefing to all of the meeting’s participants. His prior ill-managed communications with the Captain, he kept to himself. At this point, he could see no upside to sharing it.

  The senior Assemblyman, the Honorable Clayton Downing XIV, who represented one of the most financially affluent districts, chimed in first, “Damned ridiculous having our first alien contact managed by a child, prodigy or no prodigy.”

  “That child, as you put it,” shot back Maria Gonzalez, the head of the system’s police force, “attained 0.02c to catch that ship. No other ship of ours has ever reached that velocity. Without him risking his neck, we wouldn’t be talking about Méridiens or AIs.”

  “And you make my point, General Gonzalez,” the Assemblyman rejoined, “Reckless! Not what we need at this critical juncture.”

  “Assemblyman Downing,” Will Drake eased into their debate, “I know Captain Racine is young, but I don’t believe he’s reckless. According to his advisory professor, he’s a brilliant mathematician and navigator. When confronted with a challenge, he has the ability to examine the parameters involved and calculate the best course of action that will allow him to achieve remarkable results. The rest of us might consider these results to have been achieved by fortune simply because we can’t perceive the logic behind the decision-making process. To him, he’s simply following the numbers.” Drake knew he was dancing here, but he was quoting
Professor Mallard in the hopes the others would listen to reason where he had not. He’d edited her comments down and included them with Alex’s messages.

  “Fine, I’ll admit this rendezvous couldn’t have happened without him,” Downing relented, “But now we need a seasoned negotiator to communicate with these Méridiens. Who knows what they’re planning? What they’re capable of? Are they even safe to be near, diseases and all?”

  “Pardon me,” the President interrupted, drawing their attention to him, “the time for debate about Captain Racine as the appropriate representative is past. He’s there now, and it isn’t as if we have a simpleton standing in for us. Our Captain has an impressive record, if I read Professor Mallard’s synopsis of him correctly. What we must do now is make the best of it. What are our priorities?”

  Darryl Jaya, who was seated on Will’s left, spoke up quickly. “Look at what Alex said about their technology in his third message. It’s mind-boggling…grav-plates.” He looked around the room, adding, “Nano-technology repairs squirted from a bottle! We could jump our technology hundreds of years if they’re willing to share it.”

  Will looked over at Maria, who was lost in thought. He valued her opinion above the others. She truly cared for the people under her command and was passionate about the safeguarding of their planet from industrial plundering. One of the foremost instigators of the Niomedes Experiment, the habitats developed on the next planet outward of New Terra, she had recommended him to the President as the man who should fill the new position of Minister of Space Exploration. He looked up at the President and tilted his head toward Maria.

  Downing attempted to take control of the conversation again, but Arthur held up his hand and said, “Maria, you appear to have something on your mind.”

  She slowly looked up at him. “Mr. President, we do indeed have a singular opportunity. But it would appear that Captain Racine is already pointing the way for us.”

  “How so?” her President encouraged her.

  “Review the fourth message,” she explained. “He reminds us that these aren’t aliens but humans, technologically advanced, yes, but humans nonetheless. These are our cousins from Earth, descendants of a colony ship such as ours. He describes them as gracious and gentle. And he states that these Méridiens have had their ship severely damaged by an alien ship, a truly alien ship. So, I’d ask, what is our duty to fellow humans in trouble, humans who have been attacked by an alien ship that fired without any provocation?”

  “But these aren’t our people!” Downing nearly yelled into the quiet following Maria’s words, “You can’t ascribe our values to them!” His face reddened with outrage as he looked around for support.

  As the President leaned back in his great, carved chair, Downing knew that he had lost support for his position. He decided to engineer a quick and graceful exit. “Mr. President, perhaps after reviewing Captain Racine’s message in more detail, my industrial advisors will have recommendations for your office.”

  “Downing, that’s a marvelous idea,” said the President seizing the offer. “How soon could you have their feedback for me?”

  “I can get started right away, Mr. President,” Downing said, rising, “and I’ll keep you apprised of our progress.” Downing said his goodbyes and decorously exited the room as if he’d won a great concession.

  Minister Jaya said into the room’s quiet, “The consummate Assemblyman.”

  “Alright, people!” the President said, clapping his hands, “We have a pre-eminent and possibly one-time opportunity that has just been handed to us by our tug Captain. The three of you are now my Negotiations Team. Congratulations!”

  Focusing on Maria, he added, “What you said makes sense to me. They’re human and they were attacked. So our position will be that we are here to help them. Let’s see what they’re willing to offer us in exchange for our commitment to help them in whatever way we can.”

  “Will,” he said, “as Minister of Space Exploration, this is your area of responsibility. You’re team lead. And, as you have the most history with Captain Racine, your advice we will be invaluable here. If I understand you correctly, he already has a very favorable position with them.”

  “It would seem so, Mr. President,” agreed Drake.

  “And Darryl, you’re our technology expert. You’ll know best how to prioritize whatever technology we might be offered during negotiations. So what’s the timetable?” he asked looking earnestly at his newly formed team.

  “The refueling tanker,” Maria said, “will rendezvous with the Outward Bound in seventy-two hours. Thirteen hours afterwards, we should have nearly lag-free comms with Captain Racine and presumably with the Méridiens as well.”

  The President regarded his comm-band on his wrist. “So you can be communicating real-time with them in about three days?”

  “Yes, Mr. President,” Maria affirmed.

  * * *

  The Negotiations Team stood in a circle down the hall from the President’s office.

  “Well, fearless leader,” said Maria, addressing Will Drake, “what’s your plan for taking this singular, world-shattering, one-time opportunity and making the most of it so that the three of us don’t go down in history as three prime idiots?”

  Drake met her gaze without flinching, though it was the very question he’d been dreading. He had always depended on his intellect to win the day, but deep in his gut, he felt that it might not be enough…not today. Then a simple answer came to him. “I’m going to take the advice of a woman,” he said, then smiled at her and Jaya and set off down the corridor with a jaunty stride.

  -8-

  Ambassador, the word had echoed in Alex’s head ever since he’d played Minister Drake’s message. He wasn’t one for center stage, and, despite his famous reputation, he’d always envisioned himself as the man behind the curtain. But now, in the Minister’s words, he was the ambassador for his people. He wondered exactly what that meant. Did it mean promoting the interests of his people over those of the Méridiens?

  His Uncle Gerald often said that the best agreement was an honest contract that benefited both sides. “That way,” he’d said, “the two parties are earnest in their mutual participation because each sees the advantage to adhering to the contract.” He decided to take his uncle’s advice and broker a mutually honest agreement, but with one significant addition. The recovery of the Méridiens’ dead had left him with an intense distaste for their defenselessness. He vowed that under no circumstances would he allow them to go home without finding a way to give the Rêveur some teeth.

  Alex finished his morning meal and, after his EVA trip, found Claude waiting for him at the Rêveur’s airlock. They were scheduled to conduct repairs in Medical, where Alex had already sealed off the leaks, so he was able to free himself from his cumbersome EVA suit. In Medical, he and Claude helped the twins move equipment to provide access to interior walls. Conduits and comm lines had been sliced in two.

  As they worked, Terese educated him on Méridien bio-tech, explaining how deeply nanotechnology was embedded in the fabric of their society’s health system. Medical nanites were used for everything from making repairs at the cellular level to programming the DNA of eggs and sperm.

  Ah, thus all the beautiful people, Alex thought, noting again Terese’s luxuriant red hair, bright green eyes, and perfectly sculpted face and body. The thought that he could banish all of his people’s ills staggered him. All I need to do to bring Méridien technology to my people, Alex thought, is ensure that both sides get what they want.

  Terese was reconnecting a med-bay imaging station that Edouard had repaired when she asked, “Captain Racine, are you designed or are you a natural product of your parents?”

  Alex regarded her for a moment, pondering the ramifications of being designed, then responded, “I’m natural. My parents created me as do all our parents.” He blushed as he said this. “And my mother brought me to term,” he added to clarify his response.

  Terese star
ed at him, incredulous. “She carried you inside herself…no artificial womb?”

  “That’s correct,” replied Alex, smiling at Terese’s wide-eyed expression.

  Terese continued to stare at him, murmuring something Alex didn’t receive in translation. Then she moved on to help Claude reposition a medical rehab chamber.

  “Julien,” Alex commed, “I didn’t get Terese’s last comment. I think my comm failed.”

  “It was a Méridien expression that doesn’t translate well,” Julien temporized.

  * * *

  After the work in Medical and a mid-day meal, Alex found himself back in his EVA suit. The group proceeded aft to reclaim more spaces. They reclaimed a storage room that contained two-meter square repair plates, which were needed for the larger holes, as well as a stockpile of the Méridien equivalent of Alex’s welding torch, which was a good thing, because Alex’s torch fuel was nearly exhausted.

  They also located some Méridien lightweight, zero-G, environment suits for Étienne and Alain. These were particularly useful because Alex and Claude had found holes exceeding one meter in diameter and they needed help with the plates. It was Julian’s hypothesis that these larger holes had been burned through the ship when the Rêveur was closer to its silver nemesis. Alex filed that important piece of information away for later—wider when closer; narrower when further away—a point-focused beam.

  The same storage space contained small grav-lifters to transport the larger plates through the corridors and hoist them into position. Despite the weight-canceling capability of the grav-lifters, the bulky load of plates made them awkward to manage. Three of them guided the lifter, which in addition to the plates, carried their tools and spare tanks. The fourth went ahead, manually opening hatchways and accessing their temporary airlock.

  They continued to find the remains of Méridiens as they progressed through the inner spaces and cabins. Alex found he was managing his emotions better. The anguish he had felt when he discovered the first child had turned to sadness. Now, he found his sadness turning to anger.