Allora (The Silver Ships Book 7)
Page 9
“Well, these troubles won’t fall on me for much longer. They’ll soon be someone else’s headaches,” Alex said, reminding his escort of the impending end to his presidency, “then you’ll be free of your burden of guarding me.”
It will never happen, Ser, Étienne thought. My promise to your mother was to always see to your safety.
* * *
It was such an odd request from Z that it surprised Alex, but he signaled his assent. When Alex arrived at the cabin, the door slid open and Z, in his Cedric suit, waved him to a chair at the small desk. The avatars of Miranda Leyton and Helmut, the Central Exchange director, lay on the two bunks.
“How might I help you, Z?” Alex asked.
“I have a suggestion for Allora, and I need your help, Ser,” Miranda’s avatar said, rising from the bed.
The avatar moved with Z’s mannerisms, his persona in control, and it was his voice that Alex heard. “Good trick, Z,” Alex said, taking a second look at the Cedric avatar. It hadn’t spoken. Its movements had been cursory, and Alex had no reason to ping the SADE — all items that allowed Z to disguise the location of his kernel.
“I’ve installed a simple controller in Cedric, so that I can invest it with basic mannerisms.”
“And the purpose of your efforts?” Alex asked.
“Before I answer, Ser, I would like to ask you some questions. What do you think of us, the SADEs? We’re so different from you. Why should you care about us, especially considering we might inherit the universe if and when humankind is gone?”
“Good questions, Z. I can’t say that I have the answers for you, but let me ask you this: How do you feel about the Swei Swee?”
“Feel?”
“Yes, feel. What is your emotional algorithmic response to them?”
“I enjoy the search with them. Swimming among them occupies my time in a most pleasurable manner.”
“So you like them.”
“Yes.”
“But they’re so unlike you. Why should you care about them?” Alex asked, throwing Z’s question back at him.
“I understand. This is not about logic. I like the Swei Swee; you like us. We enjoy each other’s company, regardless of our differences.”
“Just so, Z. Now tell me what this is really about.”
“How would you feel about creating a SADE, Ser?”
“Ah … you mean, how would I feel about securing Miranda her own kernel?’
“Intuitive, as always, Ser.”
“I would enjoy seeing Miranda as her own entity, as I imagine you would.”
“I thought your granting of my request to be mobile was all that I could ever ask of you, Ser, and yet, I find myself imploring you one more time for a deeply personal desire. The possibility of Miranda walking beside me has become a singular focus of my thoughts.”
“Z, my digital friend, don’t be concerned about asking for help. Independence is about growth and change, and friends are who you lean on when you face your greatest challenges. But let me remind you that there is the possibility that Miranda might go her own way once she has her own kernel. There’s no guarantee she would become your partner.”
Alex received several terabytes of files from Z, and he spent the next two hours scanning them. They were messages from Miranda to Z, during and after her adventures with Alex. What was evident was her emotional focus on Z and her desire to meet him. It was if the two entities had started some sort of long-distance relationship and were more than ready to meet. “I stand corrected,” said Alex when he finished watching the vids and reading the messages.
“Then you don’t believe I have misread her intentions?” Z asked.
“Z, I think you will have your hands full for centuries with that amount of femininity.”
“One hopes so,” Z said wistfully, and it was all Alex could do to keep from chuckling.
“So what’s your plan, Z?”
“I would use the controller in Cedric to disguise the avatar as a SADE. It would not stand up to the Leaders’ scrutiny for long, but I would be counting on your inimitable skills to get us past them in the briefest time. In this manner, I could board the Resplendent with two mobile avatars and only one kernel without the Leaders’ knowledge,” Z replied.
-12-
Alex’s heart felt like a solid weight in his chest. The more he spoke with the wild child, the more he liked her.
Alex could hear Allora laughing, but it was shaky, as if her young emotional algorithms were struggling with one another.
Julien identified the liner’s acceleration and potential vectors and signaled Alex.
Alex just made the Rêveur’s bridge when he received a comm from Gino.
Alex had another biting comment on his tongue, but he kept it to himself.
Wild child indeed, Alex thought.
Alex wanted to scream at Gino that being mentally poked and prodded by scientists was not an acceptable definition of contact by any sane sentient’s definition. The more Alex thought about it the more determined he was to help Allora avoid that inhumane sentence.
* * *
* * *
There were a great many objections to Alex taking only Franz as pilot and two SADEs for the trip to the Resplendent. But Alex quietly explained to his people that they weren’t dealing with an alien or human enemy. This was an upset young SADE, and he asked if any of them were capable of protecting him from her.
The odd part for the Rêveur’s crew was watching three avatars climb aboard, when every Haraken knew they had only two SADEs aboard. The keenest ones noted that Z’s Cedric suit was moving rather perfunctorily, but that didn’t seem too unusual for that avatar with its tremendous mass, and he was carrying a huge equipment pack.
Renée sent to Alex.
Captain Lumley had stationed the Rêveur a mere 10 kilometers from the Resplendent, making the shuttle flight extremely quick.
Julien contacted Allora, and the young SADE opened the port bay doors for the presidential traveler and promptly pressurized the bay after it landed aboard.
Franz remained aboard the traveler as Alex ordered. But he had additional directives from Tatia, who had stored environment suits onboard for Alex and him. The SADEs could handle vacuum for the short period of time necessary to reach the traveler from the airlock, but they would require new synth-skin afterwards.
If Allora defied Alex’s predictions as to her response, the SADEs were prepared to follow Tatia’s orders and bodily evacuate Alex, and Franz was ordered to blow a hole in the bay doors to gain access to space, if necessary.
Alex and the SADEs descended from the traveler and cycled through the bay’s airlock before being met by Gino and the other Leaders.
Via her sensors, Allora had detected the shuttle’s controller, two humans with implants, two SADEs, and a small controller, but her curiosity was piqued, as she watched Alex Racine cross the bay with three avatars.
“Proceed to the bridge, Sers,” Alex directed the SADEs, removing them from sight before the Leaders had an opportunity to ping them. Alex needn’t have worried. Z, residing in Miranda’s avatar, led the way. This was the Leaders’ first closeup view of the raven-haired and evocative avatar, and Z was doing his best to imitate her personal style. The Miranda avatar kept the Leaders’ attention, and the Cedric avatar with its enormous pack forced them to step back. Not to be outdone, Julien flipped his headgear a few times before he settled on a final choice, announcing it with “that’s the one.”
Despite some of the Leaders’ familiarity with Julien and Z, the entire procession gave them an idea of what waited for the Confederation when their SADEs became mobile.
Z controlled Cedric’s basic body motions via the controller software that Claude and he had hurriedly installed, and Julien, to keep up the illusion of the Cedric suit as a fully-functional SADE, added subtle facial moves to indicate awareness of the humans. Julien was also ready to handle voice responses, if necessary.
“We greatly appreciate your assistance, Alex,” Gino enthused, after the SADEs gained the lift and headed for the liner’s main deck. “How do you see this working out?”
“It would be simplest for all if Allora complied and returned us to Méridien’s orbit where my associates could remove her,” Shannon said. When every Leader eyed her in reproach, she added, “Apologies, President Racine, you were about to say.”
“Of the choices Allora perceives, the last one she would choose would be returning to Méridien and accepting the Council’s decree. She feels betrayed by the Council and wants nothing to do with Méridien,” Alex said. The Leaders managed to look uncomfortable on hearing Alex’s comments. “However, she might agree to us removing her from the bridge now.”
“But how would we manage my new ship?” Katrina blurted, before she considered her words.
Gino grimaced at Katrina’s comment. It was another indication that Alex was right. Many of the Leaders did see the SADEs as tools, undeserving of sentient status.
“After we’ve imprisoned your young SADE for you,” Alex said, while delivering a hard stare at Katrina, “we would install a starship controller and our SADEs would govern its return to Méridien to ensure your safety. But all of you should be aware that Allora has not made a final decision. That’s why I’m here. I hope to convince her to refrain from any drastic action, which might mar the new agreement.”
“Is there any action we should take to ensure our safety?” Bartosz asked.
“It’s not your lives that are at
risk,” Alex said, and walked off to take the lift. He wanted to be angry at the Leaders, but his heart wasn’t in it. The SADEs would be freed, and that, in itself, was a great victory. But just as he had strived to accomplish with the Libran elders, he wanted to save this one SADE too.
-13-
Alex found the SADEs waiting in front of the bridge accessway, the twin doors closed. To Alex’s questioning glance, Julien cocked an eyebrow.
The young SADE didn’t respond, but the accessway doors slid apart.
“What is he?” Allora asked over the bridge speakers when the Harakens stopped before the command chairs. Z’s Cedric suit was displayed in the holo-vid Allora projected.
“This would proceed a great deal faster if you let me speak, Allora,” Alex said firmly. He had no intention of letting the SADE drive the conversation.
“I’m listening, Ser.”
“The image you’re projecting is of the avatar that Z calls Cedric Broussard.”
“But Z isn’t occupying it. He inhabits her,” Allora said and Miranda’s image sprang onto the holo-vid.
“That’s correct, Allora. We have three avatars, but only two SADEs as you surely recognize.”
“You’ve brought an avatar for me,” Allora said, her voice rising in excitement. “Brilliant, President Racine.”
Alex took a deep breath and released it slowly.
In vids of Alex Racine that Allora had carefully reviewed many times, she had watched the president calm himself when his patience was tested. He was doing that now. “Apologies, Ser, perhaps I’ve anticipated your plan incorrectly.”
“If we were to do as you suggested, Allora, we would be required to replace you with a starship’s controller. Then for safety’s sake, our Haraken SADEs would remain present while this ship was sailed back to Méridien. How long do you think you could remain hidden during the voyage?”
“You’re correct, Ser, of course. Comm requests from the Leaders would identify me in a short time. Could you not find a reason to depart prematurely and take me with you?