Choice of the Gallant_Paradox Equation I

by Sharon L Reddy

  "They sued for peace. Sent an apology. Terrible misunderstanding. Terribly sorry. Hope you aren't angry we killed several thousand of your people. Oops."

  "Yeah, oops. Look, Laire, keep everyone away. We need a few minutes. Lane's riding the winds of change."

  She went back in the chamber and brought out the chief and two other bernisi lords. They each moved into a corridor. Laire stood over them. No one would disturb them. If the council had to spend the night in the chamber, they would. Dutch opened his eyes and smiled.

  "Can't be heaven. You're the most real woman I've met. Find us a room. This is going to take a while. Feel silly in the hall."

  Laire opened the first door along the central corridor and ordered the occupants out. It was the Assembly Chair's office. There was a small apartment behind it. Dutch walked. The bernisi carried Lane and Clete. They didn't ask what was happening, but Laire told them what Clete had said. Tar nodded.

  "They're the sons of the Fire Lord. We knew them when they came into the Hall. They serve all life. It's an honor to guard them. And to serve them."

  Laire was still thinking over all of what Tar had said when the Assembly Chair asked permission to enter his office. She granted it, then winced when she realized that was exactly how she'd put it as she walked from the comm to the door to open it for him.

  "Laire, it's rather embarrassing to have to ask to enter my own office."

  "Chair Firth, I'm sorry. They need time. Your office was closest."

  "Keep it as long as they need it. I just need some notes I made on my data pad this morning If you want me, I'll be sitting on the floor outside the door, hashing out a trade agreement with the chief lord."

  Laire was still laughing when he left. He was a very happy man. Her whole world was happy and she knew that the three in the apartment behind her were why. She looked up from the papers she was working on when they came out together.

  "You absolutely glow. What happened?"

  "You changed the future. Lane's been learning the new one. It's never been this rough before. Thanks for your help."

  "Dutch, Tar recognized you. He called you the 'Sons of the Fire Lord.' He said you serve all life."

  "Sounds like he's met Dad. Lane?"

  "Not necessarily Tar, Dutch. The bernisi are a unique species. They've evolved through the rise and fall of civilization on their planet dozens of times. Part of that evolution is a racial memory. If they met Dad or us in their past in some way that was significant to them, all of them would remember. I'm not thinking straight! Laire, you didn't hear that."

  "You can travel in time?!"

  "Not yet, but we will."

  "Oh... my. What happened? I know you 'remember' your future and get dizzy if something changes, but… Why did it flatten all three of you this time? Please tell me, Lane."

  "All right. Sit down on the couch with me. I'll tell you what you really did. Your little war wasn't destined to stay little. The Empire was on the verge of coming in. They would have chosen what they saw as the strongest side. The Federation would have rushed to the aid of Amarri. It would have spread. Neutral space would have become a war zone. Trillions would have died as world after world became a battleground. No one could have stayed out of it. Except, perhaps, the bernisi. Neutrality wouldn't have existed, but I don't think even the durcassins are foolish enough to attack them. I didn't see what would happen after a certain point."

  "Dutch! Calm down! It's changed."

  "Yeah, Clete. Lane…"

  "Dutch, all the explored galaxy would have been at war. I wouldn't have left the fleet. You two wouldn't have either. Laire, you stopped that. You ended the war and the Empire has no reason to come here. You are the savior of the known galaxy."

  "No, Clete is. And you and Dutch. But I'd be delighted to accept the title of helper. Yes. I like that. Gallant helper. It has a nice ring to it."

  "You helped a new branch of the family business. Starting small, but growing."

  "What do you mean by starting small, Dutch?"

  "All we've done is save one little piece of one galaxy. And evidently us. Dad saves universes. He usually saves his own, but he's saved this one once or twice as part of saving... everything. We know he's been here several times, though after what I think of as this time. I'm confusing you."

  "Yes, but keep going. I have illusions I'll sort it out."

  "The first visit was when Mom decided to have me. He said he didn't stand a chance once she'd made up her mind. She was the second Athena."

  "Family joke, Laire. Three different mothers with the same name. We're half-brothers. Only Dutch was actually born here. Lane and I come from Dad's universe."

  "How much of this is 'family business,' Clete?"

  "All of it. Your job as helper from now on is to not know anything you heard in this room."

  "I want to tell my husband. He should know."

  "WHAT?! What husband?!"

  "Relax, Clete, I haven't married him yet. I haven't even asked him yet. I guess I decided the minute I saw him. It just took awhile to realize it."

  "Just who is this you want to entrust our lives to?"

  "Tar a'Reth h'Mun, Dutch."

  "Chief Lord of Bernis."

  "That's him. I don't think he'll mind being second choice."

  "Second choice?"

  "Well, I don't think Clete would say yes and my previous reaction to rejection was a bit too extreme to ask on the off chance I'm wrong."

  Lane didn't tell Dutch and Clete all he'd seen when the future had changed. Dutch had pulled out while he was still following the path in his mind. He 'remembered' waiting until they reached the world where they would find much of what they needed to finish the ship. He went to the ship and Dutch and Clete started on locating things they'd need. He was deep in the control systems when Dutch arrived about two hours later.

  "They're expecting us, Lane."

  "Good. How much could you locate, Dutch?"

  "Parts, boards, raw materials, things we can adapt, maybe twenty percent. It will about use our fees from Amarri. Enough to establish a matrix. We're not going to be able to build most of it in this time, but probably enough to get to another."

  "Where's Clete?"

  "Rock hunting. I left him in the university library pulling every piece of planetary survey information they had stored. We need some extremely rare minerals besides the one isotope that's not just rare."

  "Was he having any luck?"

  "Yes, but not finding the minerals."

  "Explain the grin, Dutch, or I won't have remembered why it's funny."

  "He was sitting on the floor with some ancient hvorkin maps unrolled. They aren't delicate, but they aren't easy to keep flat either. There was a pretty student holding down each corner for him. You know Clete. He could feel they really wanted to help, so he gave them something useful to do. Most attractive paperweights I ever saw. He asked me to stay, but I told him I had something to do too."

  "That doesn't sound like you, Dutch."

  "Yeah, well, I couldn't resist. When I left, he was loosening his collar. He was getting real warm. I figured he should get himself out of this one. Besides, I've already got plans."

  "I thought so. I just couldn't see you leaving if there were several lovely ladies around."

  "I have plans for you too, Lane. You're going out to dinner."

  "Dutch, I've got a lot of work to do."

  "Nope. If you look, you'll see you go. I'd prefer you didn't search for the memory though. Everyone should get nice surprises. Three hours. Very casual."

  Lane realized he was running late. He'd gotten involved and the three hours had slipped away. He really didn't want to leave what he was doing, but Dutch had pulled the double promise from him. He would go to dinner and he wouldn't look into the evening's future. He wondered just how casual "very" was.

  "Let's go."

  "Just a minute, Dutch. Let me get shoes and a shirt. You're wearing a tux!"

  "You're fine. They're wait
ing."

  Dutch began pushing his protesting brother toward the hatch. Half the fun of the evening would be watching his staid brother just surrender to the silliness of the situation he was in. As soon as he got him through the hatch, the ladies helped with the pushing and they were in the transport and on their way before he got a chance to turn around and run. They helped hustle him into the restaurant too.

  "Dutch, I may strangle you. This is not what I would call 'very casual.' How could you do this to me? Why didn't I remember this?"

  "It was there. One of the first images I saw in the change. You weren't looking at anything in the near future. Your mind was on the war that wouldn't happen. Relax. Oh, oh. Clete may make things a bit warm out tonight."

  Lane started to laugh. He sat in the midst of a bevy of beautiful women in evening gowns, shirtless and barefoot, his only attire the pair of faded pants he wore when he worked on the ship. The women were enjoying it as much as Dutch was. They kept dragging him onto the dance floor. He tensed and took a deep breath. At least he wasn't cold. Clete was keeping things quite warm. He was beginning to wonder how Dutch could handle the heat in his tux. Laughter became giggles when Dutch answered the thought almost as soon as he had it.

  "That's it. I'm dying. Here hold this."

  Dutch handed his jacket to the pretty woman on his left and proceeded to strip to the waist. Soon, he was dressed, or undressed, to the same extent as Lane. Two of the bernisi came in shortly thereafter and the evening got strange and wild. No one in the club minded the dance floor being taken over. The friendly combat of the four beautiful warriors was the best show in town. They carried the wildness with them as they hit club after club.

  They ran into Clete in the early hours of the morning and laughed as the four young women with him reduced him to their state of dress. Two more bernisi joined them and they prowled the capital.

  The city became one wild celebration. The streets filled and the summer night rang with peeling bells. The war was over.

  ****

  Dutch did a fast lookover of physical facilities when they landed on a world that wasn't human. It had been the third Fed explorers had discovered with people that looked like them and definitely advanced enough they wouldn't damage the culture introducing themselves. The bernisi had pointed them that direction, the opposite side of Fed space, and told them there were interesting worlds there. Dutch was rather sure they wouldn't have if they didn't know they'd carefully make sure of it first.

  He smiled when he stepped into Lissa and headed for the bridge. He didn't need to yell or query the ship comp for his brothers' locations. He hadn't since Clete had freed them of their barriers. It was very nice not being the only one who needed to. He'd never been jealous that Clete could find them by their feel and Lane knew where they'd be, but it had been a wish he'd never expected to have granted and meant a great deal to him.

  "The facilities are the best I've seen outside the Federation. They can do the exterior modifications. We've got one problem. There's a source for the element we need, but it's held by some pretty nasty people."

  "We've got a solution to that, but he's not going to like it."

  "Not Clete again! Lane, he's going to get real difficult to live with. We're using him. I don't like it."

  "It's not quite the same situation. He'll need you. I won't be much help. In fact, none."

  "You're hiding something. Something bad. I like this less and less. You expect to be... Show me."

  "Yes, you need to know. It's going to happen soon. I'm ready for it. You need to be. Take my hand. I warn you, it's going to be bad."

  "NO! I want it changed! I want it stopped! I won't let you! You can't do it, Lane! Please, try to find--"

  "Dutch, it's the only way I could find. You know I looked. I get through it. We get what we need. We clean up a mess. Clete ends it. Dutch, I grow stronger for it. We need what we get from it. It's my choice. I choose not to change it. Clete's coming. You'll have to get yourself under control. Accept it. This is the way I want it."

  "I'm going to talk to Clete. We have to work this out between us. You may be overruled, Lane. This will be harder on us than you can imagine. The choice isn't only yours to make. Stay put. I'll talk to you later."

  He caught Clete before he got to the ship and told him they needed to talk. He led him to a place he could explode, a place wide open and empty. Lane would wait. He believed they would accept his decision.

  "I told him we had the right to choose too, Clete. He's sure it shouldn't be changed. Truly believes changing it would negate a lot of things we accomplish. He's positive he can take it. Question is, can we. Can you?"

  "Leave me. Get as far away from me as you can and do it fast. He'll know our decision. I can feel yours. Go."

  Dutch ran for the ship. He found Lane, shoved him into an empty cabin and locked him in. He got himself locked into another and destroyed the remote for the door. He waited. Clete couldn't contain it much longer.

  Fury. Blind, unreasoning, fury. Rage. Dutch had a fraction of a second to recognize it, then it washed thought away. He fed it. Gave it his power.

  The police didn't have enough men. Brawls broke out everywhere, even in the police stations. It passed quickly. There weren't any severe injuries. The physicians marveled there weren't. Clete let Lane and Dutch out, then they went out and got drunk. They had a lot of company.

  Psychologists began long papers about the racial memory that had caused thousands to suddenly go berserk and attack with their bare hands. Psychics spoke of the release of the anger within. Theists preached of the fury of gods.

  It happened four days later. Dutch screamed in anger when he felt Lane lose consciousness, but he was a long way away. He yelled for Clete to stay with the ship. He was working very hard when he got back to Lissa. There was no point in trying to hide the pain he felt. Clete knew it and he knew he hurt just as much. Dutch let the tears he'd been holding back flow, when he laid down the tools he was holding and pulled him into his arms.

  "They picked him up with a couple dozen others on the university grounds. We can't even go after him. The ship won't be ready for days. The planetary police chased them, but were afraid they'd kill the innocents. Clete, they stunned them. Loaded them like cordwood on grav carts. Carried one each as a shield. Kids mostly. Students. I got the story from a semi-hysterical secretary who saw it out a window. Slavers. They've never hit a population center before."

  "And they won't again. Let's get the ship ready. I'm empty where he belongs. Dutch, stay close. You keep me here. Something in me wants to... break free and join him."

  "Damn. There's a lot to this he didn't see. I feel stretched. Pulled. Like you describe. It didn't happen when we were in the fleet. We've developed some kind of bond. A gestalt. More than the sum of its parts. I could find him by the direction of the pull. I'll know when it begins. Four systems away and I'll know."

  "I'm going to be very angry before this is over."

  "So will I, Clete. So will I."

  Lane awoke cold and chained. He knew much more time had passed than if he'd just been stunned. The lack of a headache would have told him that if he hadn't known where he was. He was on display and being sold. He forced himself to relax. The casual handling would soon end. The unit clamped to his head would complete its scan and his price would go up, way up.

  He saw the blue-skinned anthropoid's eyes widen when he looked at the screen. He nearly laughed as the unit was replaced with another. When it displayed its results, the blue male ran toward the central auction area. He had just become the most valuable piece of property on the planet. It didn't take long for that person to return with another. The memory began when the technician who had run for his superior spoke.

  "A perfect specimen, physically and mentally. Bidding will be heavy. A unique item of unknown origin, not of any species we've encountered before. We believe it breedable with technological assistance."

  "Take a sample. I want the results before he's auc
tioned. Sale contingent upon signing a no-cloning clause. He is unique, therefore trebly valuable. Minimum to be the highest any single sale has ever brought. Curtain the area. Private showing only. Ascertain if viewers can afford him. Post test results on the central screen. I'd take him myself if he wasn't going to make the clan rich."

  Lane jerked against his chains when the obese male touched him. The male smiled. He followed his memory. It held a path to what they needed.

  "I will warn you. Do not touch me again."

  "I have decided to do the sampling myself. Call me when the curtains are in place. Have a physician standing by. He will receive his first lesson as a slave from me. He will need repair. I find I wish to see the color of his blood."

  Lane followed the memory which showed him how to distance his mind from his body. He found the link with his brothers and sheltered his mind in their caring. He returned to himself strengthened. The pain was not great. The physician was efficient. There would be no evidence of abuse when he was viewed. He was carefully cleaned. The last thing that was done was the removal of the gag. The slaver hadn't wanted his clientele to know he was selling used goods.

  He knew what was coming, but couldn't help fighting against the eye cover and mouthpiece. The screens before his eyes were blank. He tried to distance himself, but the disk on his forehead prevented it. He would have cried out, but the mouthpiece stopped him. He was twice branded. His owner had claimed him, and his progeny. He fainted.

  He awoke and his tasks began. The screens filled and his mind worked. He had no choice. He was the creative element, the intuitive circuit, of a vast machine intelligence. He felt when his body was used, but the work never ceased. Nutrients dripped into his veins. Wastes were removed by filtration of his blood. He neither slept nor rested.

  He was aware of all that was being done. Aware of hands and laughter. Aware of being moved and touched. Damaged and healed. Aware of what was being taken from his mind and body. He was not aware of the passage of time, his ostentatious display, nor of the price paid for each integration performed, each touch felt.