by F Stephan
“Why should we have any priority?” Azal’am didn’t seem to understand the question.
“As a courtesy?”
“Courtesy doesn’t feed anyone. They do.” Leandra heard the sudden roughness in her guide’s answer had a flash of realization with it. This may be the most stable planet in the Federation now, but it has known hunger in recent times. A generation ago, two at most.
“I will leave you here. Good luck, Madam Ambassador.” Azal’am had regained her composure.
A few minutes later, the boat was moored, and Leandra jumped out. The captain handed her bags over and pushed away with Azal’am still on board. Leandra turned to see a tall woman in her midforties. She wore a long white tunic, highlighting her short dark hair. She wore a single piece of jewelry, a silver necklace with a pattern Leandra had never seen before. Waiting on the wharf, she seemed to be ready at an instant’s notice either to run a few miles or go to a formal reception. She looked innocent, but her eyes spoke of experience. “Welcome, honored ambassador. I am Even Lel’plan, attaché to the Council for Diplomatic relations. My apologies for missing your arrival.” From what Don Mariano had told her before she left, the unpretentious woman was also in charge of all Federation spies and security as well.
Leandra bowed. “Thank you, Madam, for coming down to meet me here. I know how busy you are.”
“Yes, and thank you for coming to us on Alkath. The councillors will welcome Earth officially tomorrow. I’m pleased to meet you. Would you care to follow me? I could show you to your apartment and we’ll have some time to talk while walking."
Without waiting for her answer, she moved along the water toward the peak. Half a klick away, they reached the foot of the peak, between various houses. Around them, the city was bustling with evening activities. Boats were unloaded manually with porters or with small cranes. Small electric carriages whized goods in all directions. Cafés and restaurants slowly opened all around them and iodic odors assaulted her nostrils.
The attaché glanced around. “If you want to come back here, you’ll find the standard elevators at the cardinal points. Your apartment is on the north cliff, close to one of them. They’re a bit slow at this hour, with all the traffic. Today, we have the authorization to take the Ancient platforms. Follow me and don’t be afraid.”
She moved toward a straight wall at the end of an alley. It opened as she approached, and they crossed into a dark corridor. The wall closed behind them and the side began slowly to glow.
“Algae. It impregnates all the walls. Come. Their light won’t last long. Only enough to reach the platforms." Leandra hurried after her guide, hindered by her bag. The floor below her rose until light sprang around them. They entered a vertical shaft with a circular platform, two yards wide and without any handhold. When they stepped on, it began to move upward.
“We’ll be at your floor in less than a minute. Just keep your hands on your bag and stand still. The platform is very stable.” Even’s voice was cold but somehow reassuring.
“How does it work?” Leandra asked, more to keep the fear at bay than for any other reason. Their speed increased quickly, and Leandra could feel air rushing past her.
“Magnetism. We don’t know the details.”
“It isn’t strong enough." Physics weren’t her strong suit, but Leandra was sure of that.
“No, true enough. But our ancestors could make it work.” Even didn’t leave Leandra the option of answering. “Ah. There we are. You’ll tell me.” See for yourself. It seems the main motto around here.
The platform stopped and moved to the side to connect to a ledge of rock. Leandra stepped onto it tentatively, following the strange woman. A few meters away, a heavy double door opened into a more recent corridor.
“We’re on floor twenty-three. This is mostly a craftsmans’ floor, with a true community. All sorts of shops, nice places to eat, I do find it quite enjoyable to live here and it’s probably one of the best places to start in for a new ambassador. Better than the upper floors, for sure.”
They took the corridor, passing many people. The community was clearly thriving. Calls, shouts, and laughter was everywhere. Leandra immediately liked it; it reminded her of her village when she was a kid in Italy. Leandra caught the glimpse of many gardens on the side with a giant gulzari’s nest.
At this, the attaché stopped. “This section is also blessed by a new nest of gulzaris. Particularly good news for your arrival.”
Leandra didn’t understand how her arrival and the construction of a bird’s nest could be related, but she would take any positive signs she could. At last, they reached a small flat overlooking the sea. Even opened the door. “I hope you’ll be happy here.”
The flat welcomed them with a kitchen on the side, a chamber in the back, and an office close to the cliff. It was sparsely furnished and decorated, but it felt like home. Someone had taken the time to choose a few tasteful pieces of furniture.
“The ambassadors’ flats are furnished by their homeworlds over the years. Since you are the first representative from Earth to visit us, I took the liberty of providing a few commodities until you can improve upon them yourself."
“Thank you, Attaché.” Leandra was grateful. The few choices made felt right to her. The attaché had taken the time to really understand her culture.
“You’re welcome, Ambassador. You’ve had a long day, and there’s a new planet for you to discover. I’m sure you’ll meet the other ambassadors soon enough. For your information, I’ve sent the council the results from the expedition on Fizhert. You’ve already received the confirmation about your ship. I’m happy to inform you that the rogue AI has disappeared for good.”
“This is good news, I guess. Brian will sleep better.”
“Yes—please forward this information to him. The council has also approved an expedition to Lelet to study what happened.”
“Thank you, Madam, for letting me know.”
“It is we who must thank your planet for uncovering this plot. It has gained you favorable attention within the council and the assembly. For now, I’ll leave you to rest. We’ll have a longer meeting tomorrow with a formal review of our planet’s rules. Enjoy your evening.” With that, Even was gone in a quick stride, shutting the door behind her, isolating Leandra in her new flat.
Leandra sat in her office for an hour, watching the sea and getting a feel for the place. She activated her console and sent a quick message to Brian to inform him of the latest news and to Earth to summarize her findings. Then, she stood up and opened her bags to unpack and settle in. This was her chance to stand out back on Earth, her chance to save her own planet and leave her own mark on diplomacy. She would be damned if she didn’t take it.
Five floors below, a sailor moved back into his flat, noisy and close to the cascades. He activated a small number of nanites, and a secret compartment opened in the small kitchen. Someone with a detector would catch this hidden compartment at once—but no one with a sniffer would come through an area of such low importance. He took out a small dish, which he carried to the window, close to the waterfall. Water wouldn’t harm the dish and would protect it from prying eyes. He also took out an old telescope to adjust the orientation of the dish. Once done, he quickly typed a message and sent it off. A few minutes later, a beep announced a reply. Without waiting, he pulled the dish back inside, cleaned it, and stored it back in its compartment. Then, he loaded the message into his inner interface and began to read, a dark smile on his face.
Thirty klicks above, the satellite compiled all messages it had received during the day. It checked the information against its programmed parameters and, with all condition met, sent a tight beam to a small relay lost in space. Arrival of all targets confirmed. Plan implemented as requested. The message was added to the Core Data Sphere as a small note lost in the flow. Once its orders completed, the satellite powered down and waited for the next messages to wake it up.
Brian
Alkath, 2140 AD, September
&nb
sp; Three weeks later, all pilots of the east wing gathered in the star chamber. Brian welcomed the sight of the central 3-D star charts and all the lights in the artificial sky. The first weeks had been hard on him. The technical expertise required by the academy was extremely demanding, and he had lost some traction during the year he had spent in space.
“Hello, how are you today?” Alvam’s smooth voice was as usual beside him. Luckily for Brian, his current lack of results didn’t perturb the older student, as it did when it was the other pilots. He and Alvam had had a long discussion the night before, with Alvam telling him of his childhood in Ullem, free to roam his city under the remnants of the great elevator.
“Much better, thank you. And you?”
“Fine. I’ve always liked the star chamber.” The answer was sharp and clear, without any hesitation.
“Me too.” Brian wished his voice were steadier. But this was the best he could do at the moment.
“Okay, let’s go and have a look.”
For the next several hours, Brian lost himself in the different routes they had to build. He wanted to succeed in his favored discipline, but it was hard. Every time he activated his nanites, they slipped from him. He couldn’t keep his hold long enough to build coherent trajectories. Three hours later, he emerged distraught from the ordeal.
“How’s it going?” inquired Alvam. “You don’t seem well.”
“I need some more time to recover from what I’ve been through, that’s all,” Brian answered dismissively. He couldn’t tell Alvam how he felt really. This would be another exhausting day for him. He would fight and catch up. But until then, he would keep a low profile and work. He missed Emily, and Shanak, even Sonter. All the others were spread out in different wings, taking different courses, and he seldom saw them. Only Illoma was with him, and they were estranged.
Every evening, there was dinner and homework. Alvam often helped Brian through it, with other friends also keeping him company through the ordeal. He was grateful for their help and smiled at everyone. He had to keep on fighting if he was going to succeed.
Sonter
Alkath, 2140 AD, September
“Good evening. How are you?” That same evening, Sonter was watching the sun set over the sea when he heard a sweet voice behind him. He grunted, annoyed. He went alone every evening to a small garden of the west side with a nice stone bench overlooking the cliff. He had grown up mostly on Adheek, a planet too warm for any sane human beings, at least according to his uncle Lanakar, an engineer on theoldcow. Since his arrival, he had enjoyed the evenings’ cool temperatures and the sea breeze in this manner. He slowly turned to see Illoma behind him. Wordlessly, he motioned for her to sit beside him. He didn’t like Pelorans, but she had slowly gained his trust.
“Fine. And you?” He was still focused on the sun setting in the emerald-green sea. A passerby would have found them a stunning couple, gold and dark, a gray shadow in the red evening light.
“I’m getting hammered.” She laughed softly. “The students in my wings are big shots. I have the feeling the induction training is old news to all of them. Exams will be hard tomorrow."
“You are in the east wing with the big boys, Illoma. This is quite an honor. You’re right; most of them have been preparing for these evaluations for years. This is how they train." Sonter had been surprised when he had learned she had been sent to the same wing as Brian, a wing usually reserved for the elite from Alkath, Ullem, and the core planets, while Emily and he had gone to the less exclusive south wing. But he had to admit that, if Illoma was less brilliant than Emily, she had also been a very thorough student, with reliable results in all disciplines and with a good network. They must show that there is no discrimination between the core and outer planets. This is political. “Is Poulem helping you? She used to be a nice girl.” When he had learned where Illoma went, he had referred her to his old friend, hoping she could ease her way in. After all, she owed him a lot more than that.
“She still is. I really like her and wanted to thank you. Sometimes, I feel she’s the only honest person around here. How is it in your wing?” asked Illoma.
Why is she here? We’ve never been friends. At least until now. Kilet had taught his son a lot about Alkath, and Sonter was always on guard. Especially with beautiful women. “I’m doing okay. The competition in my wing is less fierce than what you face. But still hard. They tell us we've got a month of induction. But, in truth, we’re constantly evaluated to prepare for the day of the choosing. I hate it. And my dad prepared me for all of this.”
“For once, I understand you. Do you have news of the other?”
What do you want? Get to the point, Illoma. Sonter had always had difficulties dealing with Pelorans, and Illoma was no exception. She was sometimes so indirect he had difficulty staying patient long enough to hear her out. He liked her, maybe a bit more than that even, but he could never understand her.
“Yes. Shanak has average results but seems to be on a good path. Emily is beating everyone as usual. Everyone else is striving to stay afloat. And on your side—Brian?” He still didn’t like the dark-haired cadet from Earth, but with all they had faced together, he could at least keep tabs on him. He heard his father: Better to know what your enemies are doing.
“Poorly. Very poorly. I’m a bit anxious about him." Illoma’s voice was a murmur against the wind. Facing them, a group of gulzaris were flying to their nests on the top of the academy.
Insight cleared his mind. So, this is it. Brian is in deep trouble. Why me? You know I can’t stand him. Why didn’t you go to Miss Best in Class? They had had a thing together, Emily and he, for a while, when she had first arrived on Adheek, but he hadn’t been able to bear her successes. Then, in a moment of spite, he had sent her on a death run. Since then, he wasn’t proud of himself, and he’d be forever indebted to Brian for having saved her. “What’s happening to him?” The question didn’t commit him to anything.
“I don’t know. He has always had issues in training. This isn’t new. I have a weird feeling there’s something else though. I can’t explain it. But whenever he calls on his nanites for an exercise, the results are unpredictable. Sometimes he’ll exceed all expectations, at other times he’ll fail miserably." She twisted her hands.
“Can’t you help him?”
“No, we don’t talk anymore. I can’t do anything." Her voice was sad. Their relationship was truly over, he thought. She’s not there because she loves him still. The situation is so bad she’s got to do something.
“Why me? Why not Emily?”
“We don’t get along that well, she and I.” The words were simple and precise. Let me rephrase for you. You can’t stand each other.
“What do you want from me?” Caution, Sonter, caution.
“Go and talk to her. It’s the head that controls the nanites, and she’s a good influence on him. Warn her also. I don’t like Brian’s new friends. Especially this Alvam. He looks like a good guy, but I’m not sure he really is. Maybe you could talk to him, couldn’t you?”
She was openly pleading with him. “I know one thing. I hate Alvam. Even more than Brian. He has played tricks on me you can’t imagine.” He’d do anything to thwart his dirty mind games. “I’ll talk with Emily. You’ll owe me a favor, Illoma, and you’ll repay it one day. But for now, keep an eye on him.” His voice was firm and his resolve clear.
She nodded, tears in her eyes. He took her hand in his, watching in silence the stars rise in the coming night.
Later that night, Sonter knocked on Emily’s door. She called for him to come in, and he found her working side by side with Shanak on quantum mechanics.
“Welcome, Sonter.” Her voice was pure ice.
The warrior from Iliken looked bewildered and began to rise, but Emily caught his arm. Sonter smiled at him. “With what I have to say, it’s probably better you stay.” Then he squared his shoulder and looked his former girlfriend in the eyes. “I’m sorry for what I did. I already owe a lifelong
debt, but that’s between you and me. Now, we all have a problem, and I need your help.”
Emily had begun to redden with anger, but Sonter’s words brought her to a halt. Shanak was still confused, his eyes hesitating between the two. Emily answered slowly, exasperated. “Three weeks, barely three weeks, and he’s already in trouble. It’s Brian, isn’t it?”
Sonter nodded.
“How do you know? Do you have friends in the east wing?”
Sonter hadn’t answered, still watching her, when Shanak doubled over, laughing and poking Emily’s in the ribs. “There’s only one person who would call on Sonter to reach you. Only one person!”
With that, Sonter left the room. He had gotten his message across and he would need to ask someone else for help. He hoped it would work.
Brian
Alkath, 2140 AD, September
Later, in the east wing, Brian was working hard to prepare for his coming exams. He was laboring over the known equations about the singularities.
“We’re going to the harbor tonight. Are you joining us?” Alvam hadn’t knocked at the door before opening it. “Still on this damn theory? You know we won’t use it at all when we fly. This is the province of the engineers.” He leaned on the doorframe. “Crews are organized so that each has his own field of expertise. No, this theory won’t help you. This is just a way to sort us when they distribute ships.”
“Well, with these results, I’m going to rank low. Probably the worst ever in the east wing.” Brian sulked.
“You’ve got your own spaceship; you don’t need to succeed in there.” But, it’s not working. And I can’t tell. “Now, take a break. You haven’t had one since you got here. Come with us and you’ll feel better tomorrow.”
“Are all the pilots going?” Brian needed a break, he could feel it.
“Nope, only a select group of friends. The other ones are still practicing. They’re dumb, if you want to know. The Federation needs us to run their trade lines between the worlds. They will qualify us, whatever happens. Maybe to a slightly lesser ship. There aren’t so many of them anyway. So, why not let it be a bit easier for us?”