by S. H. Jucha
Christie ended her flash with a brief vid of the warriors’ fight against the bots to take down the towers. It was a mesmerizing sequence.
The flight should have been a matter of minutes, but Alex signaled the cars to cut their speed, when they reached the edge of the city.
The Dischnya yipped and barked at the grav cars and flits that zoomed around them. Some vehicles came abreast and paced them. More were added, and they grew into a flotilla.
Alex dropped the elevation of his car, and the others followed. People had assembled on rooftops to wave and yell.
Without Alex’s intervention, his car rose at the approach of a tall building. He was surprised that it was the one that belonged to his sister’s enterprise.
On the street level, a significant crowd had formed in front of the building. Homsaff looked down, saw the throng, turned to Alex, and chortled.
“Always full of surprises, Dassata,” Homsaff said, and Alex was relieved that a social disaster was being averted with the help of his family and friends.
Christie met the grav cars as they landed on her building’s roof. She wasted no time leaping into her brother’s hearty embrace. When she extricated herself, Alex introduced her to Homsaff.
“Queen Homsaff, it’s an honor to greet you,” Christie said, extending her hand.
Homsaff grasped it, and her tail rose high. “Any Dischnya queen would welcome the meeting of Alex Racine’s litter mate,” Homsaff replied. She flashed her rows of sharp teeth, and Christie barely held her place.
Christie hugged the other Omnians and then led the group to an expansive lift. She thought to organize the party into two groups to comfortably manage its number. However, the Dischnya piled in, leaving plenty of space for their queen, Alex, and the others.
As they descended, Christie turned to Homsaff and asked, “Have you ever participated in an interview, Queen Homsaff?”
“Explain,” Homsaff requested.
Christie’s pulse quickened. She had an opportunity to be the first to interview an alien queen. She glanced at Alex and expected him to weigh in on the subject, but he appeared uninterested. In her opinion, this was probably far from the truth.
“You and I talk about many subjects,” Christie explained, “and our conversation is sent across Haraken. It would also be heard on other human worlds.”
“This is possible,” Homsaff replied, “but I choose the subjects.” She’d moved her muzzle close to Christie, as she spoke, and her eyes challenged Christie’s.
“As you wish … Queen Homsaff,” Christie replied, only stumbling briefly.
Christie heard Alex’s chuckle. He sent,
The interview was set for the following day, giving Christie’s marketing people time to announce it.
On the lobby floor, Christie said goodbye, and Alex and Homsaff led the entourage across the lobby and out the central doors.
They were met by a dense cluster of bodies and raucous cheering. Harakens reached out to touch every member of the group. It took the Omnians a while to get clear of the mass of people, especially when the warriors tended to wade into the crowd to reach other well-wishers.
Julien and Cordelia led the party toward the marketplace square. More people stopped to greet the Omnians wherever they went, which delighted the Dischnya.
At one point, Homsaff asked Alex, “The honors are welcome, but why are they being given?”
“Christie announced your arrival and broadcast a vid of your actions on Toral,” Alex explained.
“Ah, they’re cheering warriors,” Homsaff replied. “This can be corrected during my interview.”
Alex’s initial reaction to the suggestion of the interview had been to object. Then it occurred to him that this was another subject where he had no right to intervene. He knew Homsaff intended to make a case for Dischnya equality, and she was right to do so.
In the marketplace, the Dischnya coveted a plethora of goods they wanted to possess. Alex told them it would be his pleasure to purchase anything for them that they wanted, and the warriors took him at his word.
A pile of purchases grew until it would be cumbersome to carry them back to the transports. Alex located some Haraken SADEs and requested they fly the cars on Christie’s rooftop to a place near the shoppers.
When the shopping wound down, the Haraken SADEs helped carry the goods to the grav cars atop the building where they’d brought the grav cars.
As the party climbed into the transports, Alex paused to thank the SADEs. They were recent immigrants from the Confederation. Before Alex could speak, the SADEs placed their right hands on the left side of their chest and lowered their heads. It was a Leader’s salute.
The female of the trio sent,
The SADEs didn’t give Alex an opportunity to respond, as they quickly vacated the rooftop. Alex watched them disappear into a lift, and he flashed back to his time with Allora, who had started it all.
Haraken was doing that often to Alex. He was constantly being immersed in his past. In many ways, it was unsettling.
As Alex climbed behind the grav car’s console, it occurred to him what would be a fitting end to the day.
Their cars rose, and Julien confirmed that Terese was waiting for them.
Alex smiled to himself. It was appropriate for a president to meet a queen.
The introductory moments of Terese and Homsaff went as Alex expected. Terese regarded Homsaff’s erect and twitching tail and arched an eyebrow.
Homsaff regarded Terese’s flaming hair and remarked, “It’s a fine color, if only it covered your entire body.”
Terese fired back, “Without fur, it’s easier to dry off.”
Homsaff chortled and said to Alex, “She has the personality of a queen,” and he grinned.
The presidential staff had set an evening’s repast to host the Dischnya. While the guests were toured through the residence, Renée corrected the Dischnya’s table settings, substituting bowls for glasses and removing the utensils and adding cleansing bowls.
Alex warned Terese and Tomas, and the couple did a commendable job of curtailing their reactions, when the queen and her warriors dined in Dischnya fashion.
Afterwards, Alex saw the Dischnya to the traveler, which waited on the residence grounds.
“You did not comment on my interview tomorrow, Alex,” Homsaff said, after the warriors had hopped aboard, carrying their cache of purchases.
“It’s not my place,” Alex replied.
“No, it’s not,” Homsaff replied. She’d said it softly to ensure that Alex didn’t take it as a rebuke. Then to underline it, she curled her clawed hand and stroked Alex’s cheek with the back of her furred fingers.
“Thank you,” Homsaff said, before she turned and leapt through the hatch opening.
-35-
A Warning
Alex listened to Homsaff’s interview. It was stirring, and Alex had to give his sister credit. She’d become an adroit interviewer. The queen spoke for her race and its future. She made it clear that their r
eason for joining the fleet was to prove their worthiness to take their place beside humankind.
Homsaff’s broadcast, and his conversation with Terese, reminded Alex that he had his own story to tell. Human worlds deserved and needed to know what had transpired in the federacy. However, he reasoned an interview wouldn’t suffice. A presentation needed to be orchestrated. The necessary data had to be interspersed within his speech.
The pieces came together quickly for Alex. He requested Terese allow him to update the Haraken Assembly, which she did. He contacted Christie to record the presentation and ship copies to the Confederation Council, New Terra’s Assembly, and the planets’ media services.
Christie argued for broadcast rights. Alex countered with an offer to pay for her efforts to record and ship the presentation. That embarrassed Christie, and she volunteered to do it for free.
Next, Alex sat quietly for a couple of hours and composed his speech. Then he sent it to Cordelia to augment his words with imagery.
Came the day of the presentation, Alex had flashbacks, as he sat in a wing of the dais, waiting for Terese to complete the Assembly’s business. Afterwards, she introduced him without fanfare.
“I’m here today to help you understand who occupies the space not far from our worlds,” Alex said.
Images of the colony ship, New Terra, appeared on the Assembly’s multiple holo-vids.
“We discovered my birth world’s colony ship. It had been transported to a dead system by aliens. Human tissue was extracted and used to clone workers to toil in mines and aboard freighters.”
The assembly was abuzz with horrified exchanges.
“We confiscated operations, ended the cloning, and liberated the babies and children. They now live on Omnia. The older clones died soon after reaching their twenties. We couldn’t recover them after they’d been overtaken by an alien controller. We made the adults comfortable and waited for their passing.
“The alien controller was sentient and communications with it brought a Nua’ll comm sphere to the system. We received an invitation to visit the entity that populated our systems with probes and sent the great spheres of the Nua’ll to destroy our habitable worlds. Naturally, we accepted the invitation.”
Alex’s remarks generated subtle laughter in the Assembly and the crowded gallery, which needed an emotional release.
“The entity was an artificial intelligence called Artifice, and it controlled a vast amount of space, which included hundreds of races. It ruled by virtue of dominating every ship, station, dome, power plant, and major device with insidious and destructive codes. With the help of allies, we took Artifice’s home system away from it and truncated its ability to communicate.”
Cordelia augmented Alex’s words with a running display. After the external vids of the New Terra, she’d shown the emaciated, cloned children and the controlled adults, who evinced rundown conditions. Then she added later vids of the children playing aboard the Our People, and the adults being humanely treated.
Later, the vids displayed imagery of the federacy battleships. In one vid, a traveler approached a black-hulled Toralian battleship, which gave the audience an indication of the ship’s enormous size.
“Artifice’s rule has ended,” Alex continued. “The federacy’s races are free, and therein lies the problem. During Artifice’s cruel reign, it would order the fleet of one race to reduce a rebellious one. This happened over generations. Now some races are embracing their newfound freedom by choosing to live in peace. Others are seeking revenge against races for the destruction that was visited on them.
Cordelia played a variety of images to illustrate the various races Alex and the fleet had contacted. Alex elaborated on the images by saying, “Your neighbors come in many shapes.”
The audience saw Chistorlans, Toralians, and Gotlians. “By the way, these are peaceful races,” Alex added.
Scenes recorded by the Vivian’s Mirror were shown next.
“These are members of a technically advanced race, the Dutterites. They’re harvesting the carcasses of this world’s fauna and primitive sentients.”
Gasps and gagging issued from the audience, and several in the gallery ran for the facilities.
“What is happening will continue to happen,” Alex said. “Federacy races, with their powerful battleship fleets, will seek to expand their territories. Some, like the Gotlians, have selected a single water world. They were forced to abandon the only world they knew. The Sojourn explored this world. Here are the coordinates for that system.”
Cordelia displayed a wireframe model of human worlds, the federacy wall, and the approximate location of the water world system, with its coordinates.
“The Gotlians are constructing domes to inhabit this world,” Alex continued. “They’re a benign, aquatic race and should not be bothered. Understand, they’re under the protection of Omnia.”
That comment started another round of whispers and linking.
“As you can see, removing our mortal enemy, Artifice, created other unexpected problems. We can’t adopt a general attitude that federacy races are dangerous. Some are; some aren’t. What will need to be done is to make preparations to repel aggressors and welcome peaceful races.”
The last images Cordelia sent were of the Omnians working side-by-side with several races. Many of them were enlightening and several of them were humorous, such as the one of Miranda pulling a grav sled. Julien held a Chistorlan, and the Toralians were flying their wings.
“I thank you for your time,” Alex said, ending the presentation, and he walked from the dais. He wasn’t interested in taking questions. The events had happened over years, and it was too much to explain all that had transpired.
Afterwards, Alex met with Christie. It was their first private moment together.
“You’ve done well, Christie,” Alex said, after admiring her tastefully decorated top floor office suite. “I’m proud of you.”
Christie laughed hard, hugged her brother, and indicated a seat he should take.
“Big brother,” Christie said, “I built a media company. You’ve settled worlds. You lead a powerful fleet that has eliminated an enemy dangerous to our existence. By the way, do I understand that you pay the fleets’ personnel?”
“Actually, Omnia Ships does,” Alex replied.
“And aren’t you the majority stakeholder in the company?” Christie accused.
“That’s true,” Alex said, shrugging.
“How much are you worth?” Christie asked, suddenly becoming serious.
“Julien recently apprised me of our accounts. I admit I was surprised,” Alex replied.
Christie’s serious expression disappeared, and she laughed until she choked. When she calmed down and wiped her eyes, she shook her head at the irony.
“I know every credit this company earns and spends,” Christie said. “I know the value of its assets and the extent of its liabilities, while my brother builds empires and hasn’t a clue of his worth.”
“Credits are a means to help others,” Alex said. “Julien, Mickey, Emile, and others invent ways to accumulate them for me.”
“They do that because they believe in you and your lovely partner,” Christie pointed out. “Did they discover any wonderful technological advances, while you were out playing with the aliens … something that might enhance your income arsenal?”
Alex grinned, and Christie pointed a finger at him. “They did,” she accused.
“Yes, they did,” Alex admitted, “but it’s not ready for release yet.”
“I’ll make you a deal,” Christie said, excitement tingeing her words.
“A deal for what?” Alex asked.
“To package and distribute your presentation,” Christie replied.
“You’ve already offered to do it for free,” Alex reminded her.
“Then call it a favor … brother to sister,” Christie pleaded, giving Alex one of her patented teenage expressions, which made Alex chuckle.
“You want to make the announcement about our new find,” Alex surmised.
“Yes. Yes, I do,” Christie replied eagerly.
“That I can do,” Alex said.
“What’s it called?” Christie slyly pressed.
Alex wagged a finger at her, and said, “See you for evening meal.”
* * *
Adrianna stared at the uniforms in her wardrobe.
Defense Minister Reynard was hosting an evening meal for the Omnian fleet’s senior officers. Tatia had made a point of personally telling her that she was expected to be there.
The Guardian’s temporary captain had allowed Adrianna to contact her superior first and report the events at the water world and Talus. When she reached the part of the story about being temporarily assigned the role of vice admiral and, later, rear admiral under an Omnian vice admiral, her superior halted her.
That was why Adrianna was staring at her uniforms. An Omnian commodore’s dark blues hung next to a Haraken captain’s uniform.
Which do you want to be? Adrianna asked herself. She made her choice, dressed quickly, and hurried to catch the next traveler to the surface.
The evening’s invitees were scheduled to arrive at twenty-two hours, about dark. Adrianna had an appointment with the minister an hour before that.
The traveler dropped its passengers at the city center, and Adrianna caught a grav car to the minister’s residence. The front of the residence was festooned with flowerbeds. It was a strong indication of the minister’s home world, New Terra.
Adrianna signaled the transfer of credits to the driver and stepped out onto the walkway. She strolled slowly up the stone path, pausing to touch the flowers and sniff some of them.
“You walk any slower, Admiral, and your appointment time will be over before you make this porch,” Sheila called from the top of the steps.