Borne On Wings of Steel

by Tony Chandler

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  * * *

  Chapter Five

  THE TWO MEN approached the familiar manta-ray silhouette of the starship. The hull glowed with a purple sheen under the docking bay's harsh lights. Dozens of other starships stood in their own docking bays on either side, each starship's configuration different from the other—each an example of unique alien artisanship.

  The two young men walked up the ramp and inside as the door slid silently open.

  “Hello, boys. I hope your day has been one of enjoyment.” Mother's voice greeted them with a feminine tone from the nearest speaker.

  “It sure was. This is a very cool place,” Kyle answered.

  “We're hopeful their vast store of data will give us our first real lead on any human survivors,” Jaric said with gladness in his voice.

  “Yes, their massive store of data is indeed amazing. I hope I may be able to interface with it directly soon,” Mother said.

  “We asked about it when we left our Search-terminals today. The Mrad frown on it, afraid somebody might steal their data somehow. But, they said they'd at least consider it.” Jaric looked up at one of Mother's optical sensors.

  “Mother, I'm going to show Kyle some of my research. Please give us some privacy for a while. Okay?"

  “I will disable my sensors in the main library."

  Jaric and Kyle ran down the lighted corridors of Mother. Kyle could sense Jaric's excitement now and he found it wonderfully contagious.

  They stopped amid the huge room that housed the main source of entertainment in the ship. A huge display screen for old-fashioned two-dimensional programs dominated the center of the great oval room. On all the surrounding walls, holo-projectors were positioned for interactive programming. Audio speakers dotted the room everywhere, ready to fill it with sound.

  At one end, a stage rose above the main floor filled with various musical instruments—some of them the exotic instruments of the Kraaqi, Hrono and Mewiis.

  Minstrel's alien instrument dominated them all. Numerous pipes curled outward in all directions from its circular body while countless buttons, dials and keys covered the rest of its surface.

  It was here that everyone gathered to play music.

  Normally, Minstrel was not physically present playing on-stage, for a Minstrel's true instrument was its entire ship. For those concerts, the music of Minstrel was transmitted to the library to blend with the instruments of everyone else. But at times, Minstrel played on-stage with the others using this miniature version of its musical starship.

  “Okay, so what's this answer to our girl troubles?” Kyle asked sarcastically, not really believing his friend. “Must be something pretty fantastic, seeing our problem is that there aren't any girls left in the universe—except for you-know-who."

  Jaric looked around the empty room with a conspiratorial smile. “And that's our answer."

  Kyle looked at Jaric as if he'd lost his mind.

  Jaric's smile grew wider.

  “We could clone us some women!” Jaric shouted.

  Kyle's face grew deadly serious as he shook his head sadly. A long silence settled between them.

  “Have you completely flipped out, Jaric?"

  “No! Think about it. Our problem is that our source of DNA is so small that we can't possibly clone enough different strains to recreate a human population.” Jaric grabbed Kyle by the shoulders and held him fast. “But, I've determined that with some minor modifications we can create enough variety to clone a woman who wouldn't be...” Jaric's eyebrows bunched up questioningly.

  “Our sisters,” Kyle said for him, knowing the answer.

  “Yes!” Jaric's voice erupted with excitement. “We could marry ‘em!” A wolfish smile spread over his face. “And we can decide just what we want! Brunette, redhead or blonde. Short or tall. Dark complexion or light complexion. Think of it! Just like ordering out for the latest holovid!"

  Kyle's eyes grew wide.

  “I passed this by Jysar, of course—kind of theoretically.” Jaric's face became serious. “Jysar thinks it best we not have children with them, if we do decide to do this.” Again his face switched to excitement. “But they could be our companions, our wives! You see that Becky's clone is ... well, er, almost like Becky."

  “You mean our dear friend, Elise?” Kyle snorted sarcastically.

  “Yes, she seems, er...” Jaric coughed nervously, trying to force the word. “Human,” he finally sputtered.

  “Quacks like a duck, walks like a duck.” Kyle rolled his eyes.

  Jaric smiled sheepishly. “Yes, she's human enough. I think."

  Kyle became silent, an expression of intense concentration on his face. Long seconds passed as Kyle meditated about this alternative solution to their loneliness. His deep, slow breaths were the only sound audible in the room as he paced in circles while Jaric watched him intently.

  “There are some ethical issues we need to consider,” Kyle said with an air of wisdom.

  “Wow,” Jaric said, impressed. His mind whirled with thought. He had never anticipated Kyle answering like this. After all, the human race was only the two of them, and well, he was the usually the deep thinker of the two.

  It seemed ethically fine to him if there was a way to clone a few more humans.

  “Like what?” Jaric countered.

  Kyle pursed his lips tight. “I mean, what if they turn out to be ugly? What do we do then?"

  Jaric's mouth fell open in shock.

  “Great galaxies, I hadn't thought of that!"

  “See, we've got to think this thing through. We can't just go playing God here like it's a game. Creating another identical clone is one thing. But applying a few modifications here and there to get variety...” Kyle's voice trailed off as he nodded, pointing a finger at his temple for emphasis—to show his deep thoughts.

  Jaric whistled.

  The wisdom kept flowing from Kyle.

  “And, what if she complained all the time? Or she was too short? Or too tall?"

  Jaric's eyes widened.

  “And worse. Think about this, man. What if she has the face of an angel, the body of a swimsuit model, but she's like ... well, we can't stand her!” Kyle placed his hands on his hips. “I mean, what would we do then? Just drop them off at the next planet we landed at and try again?"

  A pained look came over Jaric's face.

  “And more important, remember why humanity outlawed cloning humans way back in the twenty-first century.” Kyle's face became hard as rock with the dreadful memories from their childhood history lessons. “Remember the ... accidents. Playing God is not without its consequences."

  Jaric's eyes grew distant. “But the Hrono seem to have perfected cloning, right?"

  “Cloning an exact copy."

  Now Kyle's eyes became far off with a more recent memory of Jysar bringing the Hrono present to Mother. His eyes narrowed as he pursed his mouth, remembering it like it was yesterday.

  “Remember when El...” Kyle stopped in mid-word, his expression going from reflection to anger and then to puzzlement. He shook his head. With a deep sigh, he continued. “Remember when Becky's clone first showed up? Remember how we felt? And those first three months after we left the Three Kingdoms?"

  “How could I ever forget?” A look of somber reflection swept across his face. After a few moments, Jaric looked at his friend with a newfound respect.

  “Man, you're deep, Big K!"

  Kyle rubbed the sides of his head as if he were trying to ease a throbbing migraine headache. “When it has to do with creating life, or cloning life, one has to think it through. Really think it through."

  Jaric walked over to a chair and fell down onto it with an air of resignation. He placed his head in his hands as he spoke. “I just feel so lonely sometimes—so terribly lonely, man. And I thought if we can't find any others, you know, any women survivors. And well...” His voice began to shake with emotion. For a long time Jaric sat frozen in his mel
ancholy pose.

  The silence stretched on to eternity.

  “Even if technology can give us the answer we want, is it the right thing to do? Do we have the right? Do we know right from wrong in the first place?” Kyle's voice rose with indignation. His eyes narrowed as more sparks of wisdom came to life inside his speeding mind. “I mean, what if we clone these women and decide we just don't like them! What do we do then? Just put ‘em out with the trash and start over?"

  The two men locked eyes, a stern look of sudden insight in each.

  Jaric slowly stood up. “You're right, Big K. This is wrong. I'd only thought of the biological and scientific side of it.” Jaric shook his head somberly. “And our selfish needs. I guess I'd better rethink this whole..."

  “What are you two bozo-boys up to now?"

  Jaric and Kyle turned suddenly, a surprised expression on their faces. Their surprise quickly changed to outright embarrassment as they realized who had just spoken as she entered the library.

  It was Elise.

  She looked from one to the other as she walked inside.

  “Looks like I just caught you in the middle of some kind of conspiracy.” She half-laughed. But her eyes were watchful as she waited for their reaction.

  Elise knew how the boys felt about her.

  “What are you doing here?” Kyle's tone was defensive and edged with anger.

  Elise scowled at Kyle as she walked silently to the nearest chair and sat down at a display and keyboard. She began to browse for something on the console while the two young men continued to stare.

  “It's a public place, right?” she said defensively. “And I have some research I need to do before dinner. After all, it is my first time playing in the band with you tonight.” She almost smiled with that happy thought, but the empty looks on the boy's faces washed her smile away before it could be fully born.

  The air grew tense between them.

  But it always did.

  * * * *

  MOTHER'S OPTICAL SENSOR had come to life unnoticed by any of them as Elise first entered the library. Inside her circuits, Mother felt a surge in her processing cycles as she contemplated whether she should intervene. Yet, no easy solution presented itself as she scanned her knowledgebase a second time. Indeed, in the arena of human feelings and human relationships, there never seemed to be an easy answer.

  And Mother doubted if there ever would be.

  Mother's thoughts and memories flowed throughout her circuits, recalling the recent past with exact electronic clarity.

  Those first three months after they left the Three Kingdoms were difficult for everyone.

  Mother, Jysar and Krinia worked diligently with Becky's clone almost every minute of every day in those first months—teaching her, helping her.

  The Hrono had created her to help ease Mother's dearest loss—the death of Becky in the final battle. The Hrono scientists also sped up the growth rate of the clone until it had reached the approximate age of Becky at her death—eighteen—before presenting her.

  Mother accepted the clone instantly and whole-heartedly.

  But not so the boys.

  Mother was forced to keep the clone away from them as much as possible due to their angry reactions. Neither Jaric nor Kyle could stand to be in the same room with her, much less be civil to her.

  All they saw in her was Becky. But the clone was not Becky, although physically she was her exact twin.

  And this caused their anger to erupt each time they saw her.

  Mother kept them separated those first months.

  Jysar and Mother concentrated on teaching the newborn clone, giving her a basic education as a foundation on which they could build in order to bring her mental capacity equal to her physical age.

  Her mind was like an empty sponge and the clone soaked up every bit of knowledge with eagerness, learning at an amazing pace. In fact, once she advanced past the very basics in math, science, history and literature, she begged Mother and Jysar to teach her faster, to double the sessions as the universe around her came alive with knowledge.

  Krinia also helped. But her teaching was even more important, because she not only taught the clone academic knowledge, but what it meant to be a female—what it meant to be a young woman.

  It was early in their first week together that Mother named her new daughter, after the clone had asked her the ultimate question.

  What is my name?

  Mother had pondered over this question from the first second that she saw her new daughter, stressing her CPU cycles at times while she ransacked her knowledgebase for the perfect name. A name she hoped her daughter would like. A name that was ... special. But as the long searches throughout her knowledgebase continued day after day, it seemed that this seemingly simple task was nothing of the kind. In fact, it was a paradox.

  A name—a designation. A title. An identifier.

  A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.

  Mother searched throughout the great literature inside her knowledgebase—poetry, prose and song—trying to pick a name that would be significant. A name beautiful and strong, a name that reflected heartfelt love and intelligence.

  A name that would fit a beautiful young woman full of the promise of life.

  A name with meaning.

  Mother burned hours of long utilization analyzing an unnumbered myriad of names.

  But in the end, she couldn't make a single decision based on her original query. And so she found the answer another way—a simpler way.

  She named her daughter after her favorite music—a short piano work by Beethoven.

  The piece was really just a joyous melody—so simple on the surface, and yet it glowed with a mysterious power. When that magical melody played there was a timelessness about it—and Mother played it time and time again. Indeed, it contained an internal energy that belied its flowing simplicity.

  Music of power was a trademark of Beethoven's compositions. But ‘Fur Elise’ must have been something special for this legend of orchestral thunder. It contained the essence of something very personal, something cherished.

  Something close to the heart.

  Because of this music and its wonderful, enchanting melody, Mother grew fond of the name.

  And so she named her new daughter—Elise.

  Mother remembered again how Elise's mind had recently blossomed. She remembered with a stirring throughout her systems how Elise finally became cognizant of the universe around her—aware of its vastness and beauty, and of her own potential.

  Elise realized that she now was a part of it all, a part of life.

  Elise took her first bold steps to inner maturity with this new awareness.

  After ten months of intense instruction and exclusive interaction with Krinia and Jysar, Mother consulted with them and it was agreed that for the sake of Mother's extended family, and for Elise's next steps emotionally, Elise needed more interaction with the others.

  That included the aloof boys, Kyle and Jaric.

  The boys purposely avoided her during that early time, always leaving when she entered a room they occupied. Elise had not fully understood their actions, but she sensed their rejection and it caused deep pain inside her heart.

  She began to avoid the boys as well.

  Although her mind soon functioned at the age of her physical body, inside her heart she remained a babe emotionally.

  And the boys were not kind to her.

  They resented her. They were harsh, even critical with her, during their infrequent encounters.

  Mother assumed Jaric and Kyle did this because of the strong emotions they still felt over the loss of Becky, and now here was an identical person with the exception that inside her mind, and yes, inside her heart, she was a blank canvass waiting for an artist to place the first brush strokes of life.

  Yes, every time they saw Elise, her likeness must remind them of the person they once loved so dearly—now gone.

  How hard it must be for such cr
eatures, their emotions filling them with grief and sadness, blinding them with love or hatred, joy or depression—warping their judgment and actions with a combination of them all.

  Elise was a person.

  But ... she was not Becky.

  Mother knew from the boys’ words and actions, especially when they tried to whisper so her audio sensors could not pick it up—though she did hear—how much anger they felt toward Elise. Mother could not fully comprehend how they confused their sorrow for Becky, replacing it with anger for Elise so that it caused even more pain—especially for innocent Elise.

  Mother watched carefully over Elise because of that as well as for another special reason—Mother realized Elise had come into this universe in much the same way as she—with the exception that Elise was human.

  Mother came into existence in an instant—sentient, fully formed and powerful. And yet, she had not understood the first thing about what it meant to be alive—to be a living entity.

  Elise was like that, except she did not even have the initial programming that guided Mother those first days and which she soon grew beyond.

  Mother felt a special relationship with Elise.

  Still, Jaric and Kyle were her sons too.

  It was a balancing act, a very difficult balancing act.

  Mother focused her sensors.

  Only three seconds had passed as she reviewed these memories of Elise.

  * * * *

  JARIC ROSE TO speak.

  “You know, a real person would've knocked or...” Jaric took a surprised step backward as Elise angrily jumped up from her chair.

  Elise stood before him staring daggers. Her breathing grew rapid and ragged like that of person just completing a marathon race.

  In that instant, it appeared Jaric realized what he had just said.

  “So!” Elise's voice choked with her boiling emotions, and her voice failed as tears streamed down her face. She looked away from him, her lips trembling.

  “Uh, wait a minute,” Jaric looked away with embarrassment. He shook his head as he rubbed his face nervously with his right hand. “You know, I didn't mean to say it like that..."

  “Yes, you did!"

  Elise's voice turned to rage. She uttered those words like weapons. And now her blue eyes glared at Jaric without tears, but her soft cheeks still glistened with her heartache.