by Doug Farren
“What did you do here?”
“I was a design engineer for a large construction firm. This is actually one of the bridges I helped design. What did you do before you were merged?”
“I was a computer security consultant. My job was to try to break into computer systems so the vulnerabilities could be pointed out.”
Pelgrish nodded his head and replied, “An interesting occupation. You will be pleased to know that our preparations are complete and we will be activating our data simulation network in a few hours.”
“That’s good news. Any luck in hacking into your supply chain?”
“We have secured a supply of metabolic nutrients for the ships which will be declared as destroyed.” Pelgrish turned and took a step toward the city. “Come. Let us walk. Why did you ask to speak with me?”
Cipher caught up to Pelgrish and together they walked toward the city. The walkway merged with a wide sidewalk. “I’ve been working with Blowfish on the assault ship problem and I believe we have an answer.”
Cipher noted that at the mention of Blowfish’s name the hair on Pelgrish’s neck stood up and he clenched his fists. The last thing Cipher wanted was to have any bad feelings persist between Evendi and human ships.
“Blowfish has asked me to apologize for his remarks the other day,” Cipher said. “We know little of each other’s culture and it is very easy to cause insult when none is intended. Both sides must realize this and be willing to overlook unintended cultural misunderstandings.”
Pelgrish made a noise that sounded like a series of short hisses – Evendi laughter. “You talk like a fiacha. Tell your friend he is forgiven. Right now, though I want you to tell me about how we are going to deal with the planetary assault ships.”
They had entered a part of the city dominated by small street shops. It looked very much like a human city except the inhabitants were Evendi. Cipher felt very strange walking among them but they seemed to see him as one of their own. Unlike the human V-world, the Evendi simulation included females.
Evendi females were taller and slimmer than the males. They did not have long hair or pronounced breasts like human women which should have made it more difficult to tell them apart from the males. But there was a definite difference between the two sexes making it easy for him to differentiate between the males and females.
“It’s not the assault ships themselves that are a problem,” Cipher explained. “It’s the attack modules. We can’t allow them to render Marblehead defenseless. If that happens, our military will order us to attack. They are planning on having several marine attack groups standing by to invade as soon as the battle stations guarding the planet are destroyed. But, if we work together, there is a way to prevent it.”
“I’m listening,” Pelgrish replied.
“The attack modules are designed to go up against a battle station. Their armor is very thick and the main laser is very well protected. They have limited maneuverability, relying instead on an orbital trajectory to access their targets. Their primary weakness lies in the inability to radiate excess heat.”
Cipher thought he could hear yelling in the distance but he didn’t want to stop his explanation to ask Pelgrish what might be going on. “Our plan is to keep you informed of the location of the assault ships as they make their approach to Marblehead. This will give you time to position yourselves to attack as soon as the ships exit hyperspace. The modules have an effective range of about 9,000 kilometers. If you stay outside this range, the lasers will spread out enough so they shouldn’t be able to penetrate your armor.”
The arguing had gotten louder and sounded as if it was about to erupt into physical violence. Cipher could now see the two individuals involved – a pair of young males standing less than a meter apart from one another. A female was very closely monitoring the argument from a distance. Everyone else was ignoring them.
“As soon as the assault ships exit hyperspace you should begin your attack. Our military will assume you have built a long-range warning system which enabled you to track us as we approached. Stay out of range but have as many ships as possible continuously fire at the attack modules. You won’t be doing any damage but you will be heating them up.”
They were now close enough to the arguing pair of Evendi for Cipher to overhear the conversation. It sounded as if they were arguing about who was a better parent. “You should also try to have your battle stations begin firing as soon as possible even if they are not within range. Even a diffuse laser will add heat.”
Pelgrish had so far ignored the arguing individuals and was about to walk by them without giving them as much as a glance. The V-world simulation software would not have included this scene unless it was a part of Evendi daily life. Cipher stopped to listen.
Pelgrish carried on a few steps before he realized Cipher was no longer next to him. He turned around and asked, “Is there something wrong?”
“Pardon my ignorance,” he began, “but the argument those two are having would never take place in human society. I’m just trying to understand the point they’re trying to make.”
Pelgrish looked at the two arguing men (if one could use such a term when referring to aliens) as if seeing them for the first time. “They are both fia,” he explained as if the term was common knowledge to Cipher. Since the computer did not provide a translation it meant it was a word unique to Evendi culture and had no direct translation into English.
“I’m afraid I don’t understand. What is a fia?”
Pelgrish eyed Cipher, a peculiar look showing on his face. “They are fia,” he replied then realized it was impossible to explain a concept by using the word for that concept. He paused a moment in thought then asked, “Do human males try to prove they would make a better mate when two or more are being courted by the same female?”
It took Cipher a moment to figure out why that statement didn’t make a lot of sense. “In our society, it is usually the male who courts the female. If a couple is serious about forming a relationship then it is considered inappropriate for either of them to court others.”
Believing he now understood, Pelgrish nodded his head. “I see why you would be confused. You are used to seeing your females compete for the privilege of mating with you.”
Cipher was now totally confused. They were both failing to discover the root cause behind their cultural differences. “Although there are some men who would be happy to see it happen, that’s not how it works in our society. For humans, a man and a woman spend time together, often for many months, getting to know each other. If they are compatible and they love each other, then the man will propose to the woman. If she feels the same way, she will accept his proposal. A short time later they will be married. They will live together and raise a family.”
Pelgrish had a blank look on his face as he tried to understand this alien concept. “How long do you remain mated?”
“Marriage is supposed to be for life – until death do us part,” Cipher explained. “It’s like a legal contract that can be broken by a court of law if either party decides to end the marriage. Since a divorce can be so expensive and dividing property is often such a hassle some human planets now allow a couple to enter into a five year marriage contract.”
Pelgrish turned and started to walk. Cipher quickly caught up but said nothing. They turned down a side street and it became apparent they were heading down to the park he had seen from the top of the bridge. Several minutes passed without either of them saying a word.
“I am still trying to understand,” Pelgrish finally said. “You select a single female whom you court for an extended period of time after which you enter into a legal contract forcing you to live together for the rest of your lives unless one of you takes the other to court to break the contract. I don’t understand the logic behind such an arrangement.”
“Perhaps it would help if you explain how such things work in your society.”
The road ended in a parking lot with several vehicles in
it. A dozen children were playing on swing sets and other recognizable playtime equipment. The rambunctious kids were being watched by both male and female adults.
Pelgrish sat down on an unoccupied bench. Cipher remained standing putting a foot on the bench so he could lean against his knee. “I think it would be more productive if I composed a detailed explanation for you to read later. I will write it with the assumption that you know nothing about our culture. Would this be sufficient?”
Cipher was very curious to learn about Evendi society but realized they had other, more important, things to discuss right now. “That’s an excellent idea,” he reluctantly replied. “I shall do the same.”
“Good. Now, there are some difficulties with your plan that I wish to discuss.
Cipher and Pelgrish, with periodic input from other ships, spent the next two hours ironing out the details of their plan. Part way through their discussion they were joined by Ronith, Cipher’s Evendi counterpart. One major issue was how to get the Marblehead battle stations to open fire on the human ships even when they were well beyond their optimal firing range. It was critical the stations do this, otherwise the attack modules might still be functional by the time they came in range.
Ronith pointed out that in order for the plan to succeed the Evendi would need to have foreknowledge of the attack modules and their weaknesses. Simply giving the Evendi military this information was, of course, out of the question. The solution was to allow a probe to penetrate deep into the Tiberian star system so it could transmit the necessary information.
Evendi scouts were allowed to operate without detailed guidance from their military command. One of these scouts was immediately sent to Tiberia. Since the ships of both sides were now cooperating, the probe was assured to get close enough to scan the partially completed planetary assault ships.
As they concluded their discussion, Cipher found he had developed a deep respect for both Pelgrish and Ronith. Although their cultures had vast differences between them, they had plenty in common. It bothered him that the two races had been at war for so long. If things would have been handled differently, Evendi and humans could have become close allies instead of bitter enemies. Hopefully, the ships would be able to change that.
Chapter 25
Pelgrish fulfilled his promise and delivered a detailed report of the relationship between Evendi males and females. Cipher also completed a similar report and a few hours after their meeting in the V-world, they exchanged files. Cipher immediately devoured the information.
On the surface, Evendi society appeared to be dominated by males. There are four times as many males as females and only males perform work unrelated to the raising of families. However, it is the females who hold the power.
Evendi males are very strongly influenced by the females especially when they are in the mood to mate. Females looking for a mate are known as fi. Through a combination of powerful pheromones and physical attention the female alters a courted male’s physical behavior causing him to become aggressive and possessive. Males susceptible to a fi are known as fia. It is always the female who chooses her companion. A male who is being courted by one female will ignore the courting attempts of other females.
Females will often court multiple males, creating situations where the men will become physically violent with one another to prove who is the most worthy of the two. The women enjoy this competition and often become highly aroused by it. Such competition for fi is common and accepted in Evendi society. While deaths are rare, they are not viewed as a crime unless others get injured.
While searching for a mate, the female cannot become pregnant. She will eventually select a single mate who will become the focus of her affections. This triggers a biological change and shortly thereafter she will become pregnant. The other males she was courting quickly lose interest in her as well as all other females for a period of several months.
Each pregnancy typically produces between two and four children. The pregnancy, followed by the nursing of the children, triggers another change once again preventing her from becoming pregnant. The family will remain together until the children are about ten years old. During this time, the female is known as enfi and the male as enfia. She will continue to hold the male’s loyalty through the use of pheromones as well as frequent mating. Both males and females are utterly devoted to their children, equally sharing in their care. During this family rearing period, the males do not respond to the advances of other females.
When the children reach the age of puberty at around ten, the female will become increasingly less interested in them and will eventually leave the family in search of another male. It is very rare for a female Evendi to remain with the same male for more than one mating cycle. Because of their wandering, it is illegal for females to hold ownership of anything other than close personal possessions. After the female leaves, the male will continue to care for the children until they are mature enough to live on their own.
When an Evendi gets to the age of 50 or so years old both males and females become sexually inactive. Females become ficha and males become fiacha. The pheromones released by the females now serve to bind one or more males to a single female forming a tightly knit, stable group referred to as a chanapa. Unattached males at this age rarely live more than a few years. Evendi in this age category are revered members of their society. They care for the abandoned children and the males hold positions as leaders of their culture.
Throughout their lives, it is the Evendi female who has the advantage. She selects whom she mates with and which males she will live with. Males are very careful to keep the females happy. If they fail to do so, she could reject the male. For fiacha this is the equivalent of a death sentence unless they can find another female to accept them.
Evendi society is highly structured. They are governed by a council of elders which is, in turn, ruled by a single individual. This person does not hold absolute power. An unpopular decision can be challenged by the council and overridden by a 75 percent majority. All council positions, as well as other high-level officials are elected to their post. Males, however, are not allowed to vote. Only females have this privilege. Loyalty to their superiors is absolute.
Cipher now understood how the argument he witnessed earlier could be viewed as completely ordinary. It actually was a deeply rooted part of Evendi society. It would be like seeing two people in love sitting close together on a park bench holding hands and kissing. Most humans would not give the couple another glance after noticing them. Arguing or even fighting in public was equally common in Evendi society.
The Evendi ships activated their misinformation network and performed a few tests. As far as they could determine, their military command was unaware of the fact that the information they had been given was completely fabricated. This event had worried Cipher because without the ability to send false information to their military, it would be impossible for the ships to continue to cooperate with each other. He felt as if a great weight was lifted from him the moment he received word of the successful test.
Several weeks went by before an Evendi stealth probe managed to get close enough to the Tiberian shipyards to scan the planetary assault ships being built there. The Evendi military engineers poured over the data believing they had been incredibly lucky to have gotten it. They teased out the details of the data, and with very little prompting from the ships, came to the conclusion that the miniature battle stations being loaded on the first nearly completed ship had a serious weakness. The stage was set for the first major challenge to the ship’s secret alliance.
Since he was officially dead, Cipher had to rely on the other human ships to supply him with information concerning major offensives. Since he really didn’t have much else to do, he spent a lot of his time in the rebel V-world. He was surfing off the coast of Australia when word of the start of the attack against Marblehead was received.
He had just finished riding a wave and was paddling his way back out to catch an
other when Fidget suddenly appeared next to him in a small skiff. For days, ships had been gathering in the Tiberian star system and Cipher knew the word would come soon. The moment Fidget appeared, he knew why he was there.
“The planetary assault ships along with their escorts have left Tiberia,” Fidget told him.
“How long before they reach Marblehead?” Cipher had stopped paddling and was holding onto the skiff with one arm.
“Just over four days,” Fidget replied. “They’re moving pretty slow so the marines can catch up to them. We’re keeping the cats in the loop – they’re ready.”
“I wish I could be there,” Cipher said.
“Don’t worry,” his friend tried to calm Cipher’s nerves. “I’m sure everything will work out. Besides, I think I can get you a front-row seat.”
“What?”
“The Evendi actually came up with the idea,” Fidget explained, a smile forming on his face. “Do you have any idea what the bandwidth is on a hypercom transceiver? It’s mind-boggling. The amount of data needed to make the V-world work is staggering but manageable. By using the rebel V-world, we can put you or any other ship for that matter, on any ship anywhere in the galaxy. You’ll be riding with Bulldog and Grasshopper will be hooked up with Birdman.”
“Whoever came up with that idea is a genius,” Cipher replied. “How did you guys keep it a secret from me?”
“We don’t always use public channels,” Fidget said. “Besides, you can’t monitor every hypercom channel out there. It’s simply not possible.”
“Please tell whoever it was they have my thanks.”
“I’ll do that,” Fidget gunned the skiff’s motor and turned back toward the shoreline.
Cipher was no longer able to concentrate on wave-riding. After wiping out four times in a row, he gave it up and exited the V-world. Four days was going to be a long time to wait.
Chapter 26