by S. H. Jucha
The president’s abrupt change in mood caused the young SADE’s algorithms to ascend and descend over one another in a moment of emotional unsteadiness.
Had Allora known Alex as did Julien and the other Haraken SADEs, she might have recognized a bluff when she heard one. Instead, the president’s words scared her. Without his assistance, she would have zero probability of winning her freedom.
But Tatia said it best.
Z commented drily, referring to his Cedric Broussard avatar, which was a massive New Terran design with extensive armament. Z meant to be prepared, if it came to taking on Alex physically.
Alex sent, mentally agreeing with his people’s concern. Allora was too much of an unknown.
Alex replied.
* * *
“Allora proposes we remain aboard this ship during the Council’s hearing, and Alex Racine agrees to that,” Emilio said, incredulous that the Haraken president would not insist on their release.
“Give Alex some credit,” Shannon said. “He averted a crisis. If Allora was freed, it would have started a revolution … one we couldn’t have managed, and Allora is returning us to Méridien.”
Katrina, for one, was surprised by Shannon’s support of Alex, which prompted her to choose to pay closer attention to the Brixton Leader’s opinions, in the future.
-5-
“We can’t save the SADEs one at a time,” Tatia declared to Alex.
Alex and his close advisors, who included the SADEs, had worked late into the evening and early morning hours, strategizing a means of defusing the impending confrontation of worlds fomented by Allora’s actions.
“Remember, we nearly created a massive conflict with the New Terrans over three humans,” Dane declared. Even the SADEs privately admonished Dane for that comment.
“Everyone needs to have a cool head or kernel, as the case might be,” Alex cautioned. “We need to stop looking at this as a win-or-lose situation for Allora.”
“You’re considering that this might represent a greater opportunity?” Julien asked.
“We’ve been speaking to the Council Leaders for more than a decade about transitioning the SADEs, and they’ve never listened to us. I think Allora has just delivered us a platform.”
“And what about her?” Cordelia asked.
“I’m not so sure what can be done for Allora,” Alex replied. “She took six Méridien Leaders hostage, including Gino Diamanté. The Council Leaders will not be easily persuaded to grant her terms. I expect their fears will probably rule them.”
“So what do you intend to do?” Elizabeth asked.
“Start Council negotiations based on Allora’s request, and see what happens from there,” Alex replied.
“I’ve heard human pilots fly best by the seat of their pants,” Julien said, smiling, an ancient aviator’s leather cap appearing on his head.
“Well, congratulations, Julien, you’ve been selected to sit copilot with me in front of the Council.”
The SADEs surrounding Julien smiled warmly at him, pleased that one of their own would have the opportunity to stand as an equal with humans before the Confederation’s august body. Suddenly, Julien wasn’t smiling anymore, and the aviator’s cap was a little askew.
* * *
The Rêveur launched from Haraken’s premier orbital station early in the morning, and although the Tanaka did not accompany the liner, six of Tatia’s best fighter pilots were aboard the liner to pilot the ship’s four travelers, tasked with the job of protecting Alex and company.
Allora collected the Resplendent’s four travelers before launch but was careful to seal the bays’ airlocks to prevent the liner’s crew from accessing the shuttles.
Julien linked with Allora and sent the Rêveur’s exit route and jump position. He stood on the bridge behind Captain Francis Lumley, who had been promoted two months ago. Captain José Cordova, nearing the end of his second century, had retired, admitting that his days of adventuring were over.
The trip was uneventful, and the two liners completed the jump to the Méridien system, exiting near Bevroren, the outermost planet. It was as the Rêveur passed the orbit of Delacroix, the next to the last planet outward, that their courses deviated. Julien immediately notified Alex and linked him with Allora.
The president’s question provided Allora with a small moment of humor, which lightened her mood. He didn’t speak as a leader, and his thoughts were colored in emotion, so unlike Méridiens.
Julien supplied.
-6-
It was fortunate for everyone involved in Allora’s stalemate that the semi-annual Council meeting was due to begin in two days. Leaders from across the Confederation would have already landed planetside or arrived in system, as the Resplendent took up station outside Delacroix’s gravity well and the Rêveur made for Méridien.
The Council’s scheduled meeting was why Gino had timed his trip to Haraken to take place before the Leaders convened. He wanted a personal tour of the Tanaka and an opportunity to test his close compatriots’ react
ions to the concept of purchasing warships before he presented the idea to the Council.
When the comm closed, Gino sat thinking in his chair. The Leaders trapped aboard the liner had formed the habit of meeting throughout much of the day in the owner’s salon. It allowed simpler communication, and it gave them comfort to be in one another’s company.
“You looked disturbed, Gino,” Katrina said.
“I asked Winston for his thoughts of what was transpiring, and he said he would rather not state an opinion and referred to me by my full title.”
“What do you think that means?” Devon asked.
“The formal address is your key,” Shannon replied. “A SADE relies on that in times of stress. It has been mentioned by this group multiple times that you had thought the SADEs were content. I propose to you that they’ve been biding their time, and now the Council has no opportunity to table this issue.”
* * *
Winston sent the announcement, as requested by Gino, that he would chair the meeting remotely, which was taken in stride by everyone. But Winston prepared a second announcement. He was gratified that Gino had only requested the information regarding Allora’s action be restricted from the Leaders. It was a technicality, but the SADE considered that it left him free to communicate the incident to the entire race of Confederation SADEs.
Winston’s message to the SADEs was lengthy and in two parts. The first contained a transcription of the event as it had transpired at Haraken, recordings courtesy of Julien; and the second called for every SADE to extend their voting proxy to a SADE on Méridien or in the planet’s orbit. Winston told them he required their proxies be held locally so that votes could be taken quickly on how to proceed while the negotiations between the Council and Alex Racine were monitored.
Prior to the attack of the Nua’ll, there wouldn’t have been time for Winston’s communication to travel to the colonies and return and guarantee a majority of the SADEs participated in the voting. However, the loss of many colonies to the alien sphere, especially the second most populous planet, Bellamonde, meant Méridien had greatly increased its importance as the Confederation’s hub.
At this moment, tens of thousands of ships plied the Méridien system or were no more than two days out. Winston achieved a significant majority of the SADEs’ responses, and the proxies were assigned to just four of their kind — Winston; Esther, the Diamanté House SADE; Didier, the Le Jardin Orbital Platform SADE; and, surprisingly, Hector, the Ganesh House SADE.
For the most part, the first three names had built strong relationships during their more than a century of service, and SADEs extended their voting rights to them primarily out of trust. For Hector, his name drew support partially from his time as a House SADE to the ex-Council Leader and partially due to the suffering he was currently enduring under Mahima.
After Mahima Ganesh lost a critical vote, advocating a position of passive noncommunication with the Earthers, she abdicated her Council Leader position, and since then, the woman had descended into a world of her own making. Many of her House duties were transferred to her eldest son, even though Mahima retained the title of Leader, and her son ordered the servants to isolate his mother from friends and visitors, lest they discover the extent of Mahima’s mental deterioration.
But the one entity Mahima could still reach, and whom no one thought to block her from reaching, was Hector. Mahima took every opportunity to take out her frustrations on him. She conjured images of the way in which she would provide his demise, and frequently Hector was forced to wake the servants to recover Mahima, when she escaped her private quarters. More often than not, Mahima was found drawing water in a pitcher and cackling to herself. Hector had no doubt as to what Mahima intended to do with the water. She had described the scenario many times to him.
So the four SADEs held the accumulated votes of their brothers and sisters. For what, they weren’t sure, but they were ready. Much depended on the inventiveness of Alex Racine — the only human to have freed their kind.
* * *
On the appointed day of the Council meeting, Alex, in the company of Renée; Julien; and the twin directors of security, Alain and Étienne de Long, landed at Lemuel Terminal, their pilot none other than Commander Franz Cohen. Tatia Tachenko was taking no chances with the president’s safety. In her mind, the situation was too volatile to count on Méridien passivity.
Tatia remained aboard the Rêveur, and she kept two pilots in the seats of their travelers at all times, rotating them out every two hours. She could see Alex thought to laugh at her militaristic preparations, but apparently he thought better of it when Z joined them on the bridge wearing his formidable Cedric suit.
Immediately after Franz landed at Lemuel Terminal and his passengers disembarked, he flew his traveler to take up station over Confederation Hall, where the Council would meet. There was no proscribed place to land the fighter-shuttle, but his orders from Tatia were clear.
Tatia’s words to Franz in the Rêveur’s bay before liftoff were, “In case of trouble, Commander, I don’t care where you set your ship down — on venerable buildings, in exquisitely manicured gardens, or on the heads of a few dense Leaders. In case of trouble, you get our people out of there as quickly as you can.”
“Why are we so concerned about the Méridiens, Admiral?” Franz asked.
“If you are referring to the Leaders, Commander, that’s not who I’m worried about. The Confederation is controlled by SADEs. What’s their reaction going to be if the Council does what it always does when confronted by a major issue involving change, which is nothing? Allora is looking at a sentence of permanent isolation, and I don’t think she’s going to accept that. And for eleven years, the Confederation SADEs have been eyeing models of digital cognizant beings enjoying mobile freedom.” Tatia had glanced over to Z, ensconced in his massive New Terran avatar, and added, “Well, maybe not him.”
“Admiral, you say the most charming things,” Z replied. Then he balanced on the toes of one foot with his arms over his head and delicately spun his massive body around twice. “I think I look quite pretty,” he said, as he rotated and added a wink for Tatia.
“Definitely, not him,” Tatia fired back.
Their laughter had been cut short by the arrival of Alex and his people in the bay. Moments afterwards, Franz had the traveler exiting the bay and heading planetside.
At Lemuel Terminal’s station doors, Alex was met by the aging director, Orso Quinlan, who had participated with Alex in deceiving the Earthers when they sought to force a conversation with the Council, although participate might not be the accurate term. Alex had controlle
d the frightened director’s movements and speech throughout the confrontation. Afterwards, the elderly grandfather realized he had experienced one of the most exciting days of his life and decided to delay his retirement as long as there was the possibility that Alex Racine might pass through his terminal doors once again.
“As always, a pleasure to greet you, President Racine,” Orso said with a brilliant smile. “An exciting day, is it not … you addressing the Council? What will be the topics this time?”
“Orso,” Alex replied, laughing. “I think you live for my visits.”
“It would be quite un-Méridien-like of me to encourage discordancy,” Orso replied, but he winked at Alex.
Renée laughed uproariously at Orso’s outrageous behavior and linked arms with the gentleman as they made their way to the ground transport level.
“Julien, Sers,” Orso added, nodding to the others. His broad smile revealed his delight at escorting the two people, who, at first, made his life unbearable and now were its spice. Orso chatted every step of the way, trying to pry out of Alex the reason for his visit. It wasn’t that Orso wanted the information to share with others. He just loved to be part of Alex’s inner circle.
As a private transport car arrived for the Harakens, Alex noted Orso’s hopeful expression. He glanced pointedly at Julien and then back at Orso, who failed to catch the hint. Alex repeated the gesture, and Julien turned to Orso, touching his fingers to a virtual hat that bloomed on his head.
Orso uttered an elongated “oh” when he caught their pantomime. Alex intended to discuss the Confederation’s SADEs, and Orso beamed his appreciation at joining the president’s circle. Little could he know the critical nature of the discussion that was to come.
The transport car delivered Alex’s group to Confederation Hall’s public terminal, located far below ground, and they took a lift to the first floor, entering the Hall by way of the wide and magnificently lit public corridor.
Renée wondered if she would see her brother, Albert de Guirnon, who headed the House last run by her father. The two siblings were still estranged and would remain so, as far as Renée was concerned, until Albert apologized. During the Nua’ll’s invasion, her brother attempted to usurp the Rêveur and strand the New Terrans, who had rescued her and her associates, on Méridien. The Confederation’s home planet was thought to be the next point of attack by the aliens after Bellamonde, which had succumbed years ago.