by S. H. Jucha
The plaid lines in Killian’s face distorted into tight curves and squiggles, as the SADE tried valiantly to understand Alex’s pronouncements about an analysis he never ran.
Alex’s laughter echoed through the SADEs’ comms.
Miranda said.
Within ticks, Alex had their agreement to study the proposal, and the directors sent their appreciation to Killian. When the comm closed, Killian said, “Why would you give me credit for something I never did, Dassata?”
“Won’t you correct my error the moment I leave?” Alex replied.
“Yes, Dassata, which is why I wonder why you’d bother with the deception.”
“And so too will the Omnian bank directors wonder.”
“I must believe that there is some underlying logic to your machinations, although I don’t perceive it.”
“That’s understandable, Killian. Let me know when you believe you have the answer,” Alex replied, and signaled Darius for his ride.
During the return flight, Alex took advantage of the on-board food dispensers to make a simple but plentiful meal. He’d offered to get Darius a tray, but discovered the pilot had eaten while waiting for Alex. The two men parted company outside the airlock, and Alex hadn’t covered 20 meters of the corridor when he received a signal from Killian.
Alex sent in reply.
Alex received a vid of piping, which originated from the orbital station and shot across space to the Freedom. The pipe was wrapped in plaid.
In the morning, a portion of the Haraken workers left to support Ben’s efforts in the orbit of the next planet outward. A refinery had been established on a cold, barren moon, and it and a second moon were being excavated for raw ore and valuable compounds. The increased output was destined for the Our People to buildout the assembly platforms in the city-ship’s bays, construct the travelers’ frames, and provide the ingredients for the shells. Once the city-ship’s needs were fulfilled, the platform would receive a generous boost in supplies.
* * *
After a long day, Alex had thoughts of a cup of thé with Renée, who hadn’t received much of his attention since his return from Sawa.
When Alex stepped through the doorway, Renée handed Alex his thé, kissed him on the cheek, and said, “I told Julien he has until you finish your drink to discuss whatever business he has, then after that you’re mine.”
Julien sent privately to Alex.
“Alex, I respect your request to keep the research on the temple stone a secret, but I wonder why we’re not using the analytical power of the SADEs?”
Renée intended to give Alex and Julien some privacy to discuss their business, but the subject intrigued her. Alex had settled into a chair, so she perched on its generous arm and leaned against Alex’s shoulder.
“What is it that you think we have, Julien?” Alex asked, reaching a free hand to rest on Renée’s thigh.
“When you ask it that way, I don’t know,” Julien replied. “Don’t you believe it’s some sort of guide or map?”
“That’s what I believe, but I have no idea. What I don’t want is for this nascent world to lose its focus on the projects we have before us, because we’ve discovered some key to help us locate the Nua’ll.”
“Don’t most individuals think you’re already searching for the Nua’ll, Alex?” Renée asked.
“Thinking I’m looking for answers and knowing I’ve discovered an important clue are two different things. At this moment, we have no concept of what the carving means, and I offer you Exhibit A,” Alex said, pointing his cup at Julien.
“What do you have to say for yourself, Exhibit A?” Renée said, in mock seriousness to Julien.
“I believe Alex is implying that one astute SADE, if I might say so, has failed to discern the meaning of the stone’s image. This implies that we might be missing a key or that there is some other piece of the puzzle located at the temple on Sawa. The same location we promised not to visit again, if we received translations of glyphs on a particular column.”
“You did?” Renée asked Alex.
“Circumstances required saying almost anything to gain the queen’s cooperation,” Alex replied. “She and her wasat were an extremely disagreeable pair.”
“Is that why Sissya returned with six new soma?”
“The sub-commander feared for his life,” Alex replied, “and after dealing with his queen, I can understand why.”
“Alex, if I can’t discover the mystery of the dots and you won’t allow other SADEs to help me, what’s your plan?” Julien inquired.
“Right now … none,” Alex said, setting aside his empty cup. “We have time, Julien. There’s yet much more to discover about this planet and Sawa. Besides, even if we did discover the key to these dots, what would they tell us?”
“At best, a vector and a date.”
“Precisely, and a date related to whose calendar?”
“Sawa’s,” Julien replied reluctantly.
“Oop
s,” Renée added. “Probably at the same temple, correct?”
“True,” Alex muttered. “However, my point was that, at best, we’d have a vector —”
“But we wouldn’t have a destination,” Julien supplied.
“Exactly, my friend. We’d need to conduct a search and that requires ships, which we don’t have to spare right now. And, more important, if we did discover the Nua’ll, I’d like to arrive in their system with more firepower than a city-ship and some travelers.”
“On those points, I agree,” Julien replied. “Well, Alex, your thé is finished, and I promised Ser. We’ll wait, as you’ve requested, until fortune visits us with the answer to our puzzle.”
When Julien left, Renée ran her fingers through Alex’s short hair. “What aren’t you telling Julien?” she asked.
Alex sighed and settled back into the chair, and Renée slid off the arm into his lap. “That I’m worried my obsession with the Nua’ll is overshadowing more important things.”
“Such as?”
“Like this world’s development; its relationship with Haraken, New Terra, and the Confederation; and whether developing warships is a smart use of the area’s resources.”
“Oh, those minor issues,” Renée replied, grinning at Alex, who wrapped his arms around her and buried his head in the hollow of her neck. “Do you know you’re tossing in your sleep?” Renée whispered in Alex’s ear.
“Sometimes,” Alex replied.
“And do you know your implants are transmitting your dream images to me?” Renée whispered again.
Alex’s head jerked upright, and he looked deeply into Renée’s eyes. She wasn’t teasing him. He started to apologize, but Renée placed a finger on his lips.
“Don’t bother to say it, my love,” Renée said.
“What images do you receive?” Alex asked, a little fearful of knowing.
“It doesn’t happen all the time, only when you’re most disturbed. But, the ones I do receive are flashes of the battle at Libre. The strongest ones are of the Nua’ll sphere.”
“Black space,” Alex muttered. “Bad enough that I feel I’m losing it, but I don’t need to drag you into my paranoia.”
“Does it feel like paranoia?” Renée asked, gently stroking the side of Alex’s face. “Or does it feel the same as when the Rêveur was being repaired? While my people were focused on the one ship that attacked us, you had dreams of many silver ships.”
“The same, but stronger,” Alex admitted.
“And there you have your answer, my love,” Renée concluded, rising from Alex’s lap. “Work must proceed on those subjects you itemized, including preparations to locate and meet the Nua’ll. Put your worries of paranoia aside. Now, come. The refresher awaits us both.”
-21-
We Have Guests
“We have guests,” Alex heard Julien say, just ticks before Cordelia signaled him of a ship’s entry into the system. To Alex, it confirmed that more than one SADE was monitoring the Freedom’s telemetry scans, which, as far as he was concerned, was a good thing. The last thing Alex wanted was to be responsible for the creation of a nascent world when a Nua’ll sphere descended on the system. He would have nothing more to throw at it than a few travelers.
Alex followed Cordelia’s link to the telemetry files. The ship’s ID confirmed it was a Haraken-made passenger liner, the NT Rover, registered to New Terra.
“Now who do you think is coming to visit?” Alex asked Julien rhetorically.
* * *
Several days later, Alex, Tatia, Julien, and Cordelia waited patiently in the airlock for the landing of the Rover’s traveler. Not so, Renée, who danced on her toes, waiting for Maria Gonzalez to disembark.
The traveler’s hatch dropped down at the same time the bay’s inner airlock hatch slid open, and Renée raced across the deck. Maria was the first to descend the hatch steps, and Renée flew into Maria’s arms. Everyone waited politely for the two to finish their greetings and wipe away their tears.
“Still carrying an admiral’s insignias, I see,” Maria said to Tatia before hugging her. “And Alex, what do I call you now … Lord of Omnia?” Maria asked, grinning.
Renée giggled and replied, “The Dischnya call him Dassata.”
“Which means what?” Maria asked.
“In the Dischnya language, it means peacemaker, Ser,” Julien replied.
“Good to see you again too, Julien,” Maria said. Then she caught sight of Cordelia’s uniform. “A fine captain for an incredible ship,” Maria acknowledged, which garnered a leader’s greeting from Cordelia.
“Peacemaker, huh,” Maria said, measuring Alex carefully. “That's probably the most appropriate address you've ever carried Alex.” Then she threw her arms around him and whispered, “I’m so pleased to find you’re still with us.”
When Maria released Alex, she had to wipe her eyes again. “Well, let me step aside so the others can disembark,” Maria said, and off the ship clambered, Darryl Jaya, which initiated another round of hugs and greetings. As opposed to Maria, Darryl, who still held the position of Minister of Space Exploration, threw his arms around Julien and then Cordelia. He was New Terra’s greatest admirer of SADEs and their incredible technological capabilities.
The last to disembark was a Confederation SADE, marked by his choice of synth-skin. It was a mosaic of secondary colors set against one another in geometric angles.
“Let me introduce Frederick, once House SADE for Leader Lemoyne. He’s one of eleven SADEs under government contract to the New Terran Assembly,” Maria said cheerfully, but her smile faded quickly when she noticed her announcement’s cool reception.
Alex stepped forward and extended his hand, which Frederick grasped. Then the two froze, both individuals fixed in a fugue state.
Maria glanced toward Renée, who signaled with her hand to wait.
Frederick sent politely in reply. Alex Racine continued to hold his hand, and the SADE chose not to release his pressure either, wondering what the significance of the gesture meant.
“Welcome aboard, Frederick,” Alex said verbally, and the SADE produced his imitation of a smile, which needed work and sent his shards of color moving in all directions. The effect was entirely disconcerting to the human eye.
The assembly relaxed on hearing Alex’s cordial greeting to Frederick. Cordelia and Julien had no fond memories of Leader Lemoyne but little knowledge of Frederick. However, if Alex accepted him, then they did too.
The group followed Alex to one of Freedom’s expansive conference rooms, and they passed through the city-ship’s magnificent central park.
“I forgot how huge this ship was,” Darryl said in awe, staring up at the trees.
“So, Alex, are you claiming Omnia for the Harakens, making it their f
irst colony?” Maria asked.
“Alex and I are no longer Harakens. We renounced our citizenship,” Renée replied. She was linked arm in arm with Maria.
“You’re claiming this world for yourself?” Maria asked, confused.
“No, Maria,” Alex said, stopping to face her. “This world belongs to some Independents rescued from a moon called Daelon, some ex-Confederation SADEs, the Dischnya, and some Swei Swee, who’ve been here for about two centuries, as far as we can tell.”
For an instant, Maria and Darryl couldn’t find words to reply. Even Frederick was busy processing the statement and generating a formidable list of questions, which he was tempted to send to Julien, but decided it was too soon for that level of informality.
“First question,” Maria said, holding up a finger. “Why would the Harakens lend you two city-ships if you’re no longer one of them?
Tatia and Renée broke into laughter, Julien and Cordelia smiled, and Alex wore his off-centered grin. Between bursts of Renée’s laughter, she grabbed Maria’s substantial upper arm in both hands and said, “Alex owns both of them.”
Darryl couldn’t help himself and joined the laughter, clapping his hands, and declaring, “This story just gets better and better.”
“Come, Maria, we’re adjourning to a conference room where we can bring you up to date on current events,” Alex said.
Inside the conference room, Alex briefly introduced Perrin, Ophelia, Trixie, and Captain Hector, and neither New Terran missed the fact that Alex had appointed SADEs to captain his immense city-ships. For Frederick, who had only recently received his emancipation, which had deeply angered Leader Lemoyne, it was a fascinating discovery of the opportunities for SADEs, especially those surrounding Alex Racine. Perhaps for New Terra also, Frederick thought, quickly postulating myriad future courses for himself.
“I would have invited Chona Nyslara to join us, but she’s about to have pups,” Alex commented and grinned, knowing his guests would have no idea what he was talking about. “Wave Skimmer too, but we’re not ready to host these Swei Swee yet.” Alex flipped on a holo-vid, and the image projected was from Julien’s viewpoint and showed Alex standing in front of a huge, dark-blue carapace Swei Swee with its massive claws raised. It was much larger than those Maria had witnessed on Haraken.