by S. H. Jucha
Killian was left behind, while Alex whistled and tweeted with young males and matrons. So the SADE walked to the edge of the water and enjoyed the view. He’d spent so much time aboard ship or the orbital that the impact of standing on a planet had lessened. The smells of the ocean and living creatures, the soft breeze, the sound of the waves, and the striking colors produced wonderful images to store. It was then that Killian recognized that he had similar memories, but the difference, this time, was his deep appreciation of the moment. Changes can occur so slowly that one is hardly aware of the cumulative effect, Killian thought.
Killian’s focus shifted to young Swei Swee frolicking at the waves’ edges. Alex seemed completely at ease with the six-legged, clawed aliens. A youngling rose on small legs in front of Alex, raised his claws, and tweeted. When Alex whistled a reply, the little Swei Swee lowered his abdomen to the sand and folded his legs close. Then Alex bent down, hoisted the youngling, and, with a tremendous twist of his torso, heaved the Swei Swee along the water’s edge, which elicited a high-pitched squeal from the little one, as he spun nearly 40 meters along the shoreline.
Suddenly other younglings clamored to be spun, and Alex good-naturedly obliged their requests. A matron approached Alex and when she whistled, Alex burst out laughing. The female wasn’t the size of the hive’s males, but even she stood as high as Alex’s shoulders. As best as Killian could discern, the matron had teased Alex that she wanted to be spun along the sand too. Alex’s response must have been humorous, because it sent the Swei Swee, within earshot, whistling and tweeting derisively.
As Killian watched Alex play with the Swei Swee, his thoughts wandered to the future. He could envision living on Omnia, watching Vivian live a full life, finding a partner, and perhaps raising children. After witnessing her star services, which he realized would distress him, he could close that chapter of his life and seek a new adventure. The future presented so many possibilities to the SADEs, now that they were free of their boxes.
Killian’s eyes focused on Alex, laughing at the antics of a youngling trying to manage a fish nearly his own length. Julien, I can’t imagine how you’ll feel when you attend Alex’s star services one day, Killian thought. His musings were interrupted by a tug on his trousers, and a matron rushed over to herd a newly hatched youngling away, scolding, “Not food.”
Alex walked across the sands to stand beside Killian. He looked over the Swei Swee and commented, “Incredibly gentle species and so protective of their young.” It was Alex’s first words to Killian, and they weren’t to be his last. The pair spent the day hopping from site to site, reviewing the project’s progress, and speaking of many inconsequential things.
Killian was forever waiting for what he would perceive as the start of the interview, which would focus on the challenges of the search, but it never came.
As twilight fell, Alex and Killian returned to the Freedom, and Alex wished Killian a good evening. He left the SADE standing in the bay, with orders to have the traveler pilot return him to the orbital.
Immediately upon exiting the city-ship’s bay, Killian was linked to the other thirty SADEs who would interview with Alex, and they bombarded Killian with questions.
The supposition of the majority of SADEs was that Killian’s interview was forthcoming.
Killian sent.
For a few SADEs, Killian’s answer was disconcerting. For the rest, it was a relief. For the latter group, expectations were eliminated, and they would welcome the opportunity to spend the day in Dassata’s company.>
* * *
Alex interspersed his SADE interviews, concerning potential scout ship riders, with his other obligations. One of the first of those was to acquaint his senior staff with their new projects and duties. Alex used one of the Freedom’s larger conference rooms to accommodate the assembled individuals. There were to be no comm or implant participants, he wanted to look his people in the eyes for this meeting.
“You’re welcome to contact me individually after this meeting for clarification of your new opportunities,” Alex said, opening the meeting and grinning broadly at his people.
Ophelia and Perrin glanced around the broad table to see if their concerns were reflected in the faces of others. They were.
“Emile,” Alex announced.
“Oh, I love going first,” Emile replied without enthusiasm, and his response produced sympathetic chuckles.
“I need a permanent scent solution for the Dischnya. The soma of various nests will be mixing in the company of queens. I think you can deliver the design in two stages. The first solution needs to be delivered soon and can be something refillable, worn outside the Dischnya’s body, and be specific to each nest. The second iteration should be a permanent, one-time, injectable solution, which should make an adjustment at the cellular level. There’s no hurry on the final solution. Whatever it will be, the queens will have to approve it. It will be a huge adjustment in their society, some of the repercussions of which they and we probably can’t even imagine.”
Alex regarded Emile, whose eyes had taken on a faraway stare. “Emile, this is when you nod or respond in some manner instead of starting work on the answer.”
The biochemist snapped out of his reverie, and the occupants at the table twittered. “Apologies, Alex, I’ll get on it. I think I’ll need more help.”
Alex looked over to Cordelia, who said, “Emile, I’ll review the Daelon Independents and see who has the necessary skills to help you.”
“A SADE would be helpful,” Emile added.
“Of course, we are,” Cordelia added, smiling, which produced some good-natured jeering from humans.
“Mickey, I’ve worked out a side agreement with New Terra. We’ll share production of travelers out of a dedicated terminal bay. We get five out of eight ships.”
“Only five out of eight?” Mickey asked abruptly.
“What Dassata did not have the opportunity to say, Ser Brandon, is that in exchange for the generous deal, New Terra will be providing the interior buildout of the first four scout ships, and doing so as a priority over the warships,” Killian said.
“Oh, that’s different,” the engineer grumped, and leaned back in his seat somewhat mollified.
“Hector, none of these new plans will interfere with shell production aboard the Our People. Continue the refit, as you’re able, but the shells for Haraken have priority. We need the flow of credits.”
When Hector tipped his head in understanding, Alex moved on. “Trixie, you have a new project. Make that four new construction projects planetside, but you’re not to take the lead on three of these projects, they’d take too much of your time to oversee. Assign someone to oversee the projects on the Dischnya continent. You can keep the one near the city center.”
“Understood, Dassata,” Trixie replied. “What are we building?”
“On the Dischnya continent, your assignee needs to work with Olawale and his associates to design and build a school or college or whatever they want.”
Trixie regarded Olawale across the table.
“I’d locate the college on the north side, near the center of the Dischnya stru
ctures,” Alex added.
“Any particular reason for that location, Dassata?” Trixie asked.
“That will become clear in a moment, Trixie,” Alex replied. “Near the city center, but not too close, we’ll need a military training academy. You can liaise with Admiral Tachenko on the details, and I believe the Freedom carries all three of our previous academy designs, personnel organizations, and training practices.”
“We do, Alex,” Cordelia replied, after first checking the Freedom’s massive data archives. On the one hand, she was surprised that Alex knew that, and, on the other hand, she wasn’t.
“Admiral, we have commanders and fighter pilots aplenty. What we don’t have are crew for our warships. Based on our construction schedules for the orbital station and the first warships to launch from the bays, I’m estimating …> Alex paused and consulted with Killian. The two went back and forth while Alex shifted some of Killian’s priorities, and the SADE tweaked the completion rates for various parts of the construction bays.
In the end, Alex shrugged to his audience and said, “My knowledgeable friend,” and he nodded toward Killian, “and I disagree on some of the finer points, but we estimate between one and three-quarter to two years before we launch the first warship. It’ll be a Trident-class ship.”
“Yes,” Reiko hissed, her small fist striking the air.
“I’m pleased to see some of my announcements are making people happy,” Alex quipped, and Reiko ducked her head momentarily by way of apology, but she was grinning.
“Trixie, returning to your Dischnya continent projects, we’ll need a transport system connecting the nests and the college. It needs to be something simple, something the Dischnya can easily catch, and it doesn’t have to stop. In fact, it’s better if it doesn’t. Touch base with Miriam. I understand she designed lifts, people movers, and the like for her Confederation projects.”
“Aren’t you concerned for the Dischnya’s safety, using such an elementary form of transportation, Dassata?” Trixie asked.
“There might be minor accidents, Trixie, but Olawale’s informed me that Boris Gorenko is expecting to treat Dischnya injuries with the aid of his medical students. In this regard, we might be inadvertently assisting the college’s training regiments.” Alex’s grin had more than one member of the staff working to parse his concept. It seemed in contrast to the Omnians’ intense focus on safety.
“You’ve mentioned three projects, Dassata,” Trixie reminded Alex.
“That’s because I’ve saved the best for last,” Alex replied. “Near the center of the southside nests will be the fourth project, and, of course, your transport system will have to circulate to this site as frequently as it does the college. And, Admiral, you’ll be an intrinsic part of this project.”
The hairs on the back of Tatia’s neck rose. She had expected the training academy, and its location on the city center continent was a good choice. In her mind, there was nothing that should concern her on the Dischnya continent.
“We’ll have warships, commanders, captains, and crew,” Alex said, enumerating them by lifting the fingers on his hand. “But what if we have to take the fight planetside? In that case, what if our preferred weapons aren’t stun guns but plasma rifles?”
Tatia had an idea where this was going, and she wasn’t sure she liked it. Her eyes narrowed, as she stared at Alex, and his eyes narrowed in return.
The audience glanced from one end of the table to the other, watching the mental struggle of wills.
“You want me to oversee the training of the Dischnya warriors to be a groundside attack force,” Tatia said, realizing Alex was waiting for her to speak first.
“Who better than an ex-Terran Security Forces major?” Alex replied.
“When you first mentioned this idea to me, Alex, I thought you were kidding. How do we know if the Dischnya want this type of training?” Tatia objected.
“Because they specifically requested it, Admiral,” Olawale replied. “We were planetside when two queens approached us and spoke for Pussiro and his warriors. It appears to be a common thought among the Dischnya that the lifetime warriors can’t conceive of doing anything else. You can imagine the complexity of bringing peace to these nests and teaching medical and technical skills to the hunters, the females, and the young. But what of the warriors? How do individuals who spent their lives fighting for their nests, suddenly become building or equipment technicians?”
“What Olawale isn’t mentioning is that one of the most ardent supporters of this military academy is Homsaff,” Alex said.
“Homsaff, the young queen?” Tatia asked, amazed.
“A most fierce young female,” Olawale admitted.
“Think captain instead of queen, Admiral, and you’ll have the picture,” Alex said. “Besides, I have the feeling that Homsaff won’t be the only queen to attend the academy. Expect an initial rush of attendees, but many warriors might fall out of training. In this regard, I have no idea of the potential graduation rate.”
Tatia was tempted to drop her head into her hands, but she refused to display her frustration in front of the rest of the staff.
Rather than dwell on her reaction to the announcement, Tatia’s mind kicked into gear. The Dischnya training academy would be a difficult challenge to anyone who took responsibility for its operation. She ran a quick check of present personnel, and none of them suited her ideal candidate. An image of a ground-pounder on New Terra came to mind, and she signaled Cordelia.
Alex excused himself from the meeting, and it broke into small groups to discuss their new assignments.
-30-
Three Years
The three years, following the rescue of the Sojourn’s survey team, slipped by quickly for the Omnians. The Sardi-Tallen Orbital Platform was completed in half the time.
During the terminal’s early days, Killian cleverly prioritized such structures as temporary transit bays to facilitate the direct offloading of modules from freighters into holding areas. Crew would offload the module’s crates in hours instead of days. A tug would deliver a module to the transit bay; crew would empty it; the tug would haul the empty back to the freighter and fetch another one.
Freighter crews were disappointed that they didn’t get the usual two to three days of downtime on the planet or aboard the Freedom. In less than a day, a freighter was unloaded, and the captain was headed out of system and back to New Terra.
As the construction phase of the platform ended, Maynard Scullers was appointed director to operate the facilities, and Glenn took over to manage the complex bay operations, which were turning out warships, scout ships, and travelers, in addition to handling passenger traffic.
Svetlana received the captaincy of the first warship launched from the terminal’s construction bays, a Trident-class ship named the OS Liberator. Observing Svetlana nearly walking on air for months, the crew unmercifully teased her. However, when the second Trident-class ship slipped out of its orbital bay, Reiko selected the Liberator as her flagship, and Svetlana’s time, as the senior officer aboard the warship, came to an end.
New Terra received the third warship of the same class, and Maria petitioned the new president to allow New Terra’s captain and crew to train under Commodore Shimada. As Maria phrased it, “Who else knows warship squadron tactics?” She needn’t have bothered trying to make her case. Harold Grumley, Drake’s replacement, was of the same opinion.
Eight Trident-class warships exited the orbital station’s construction bays. The Omnians had five and used OS to designate Omnia Ships, while the New Terrans applied the abbreviation NT. In addition to Svetlana, the commanders, Darius, Deirdre, Ellie, and Lucia, received captain’s commissions.
Every Omnian project that had been under Trixie’s umbrella was completed — the city center and t
he humans’ military academy, the nests’ new housing, and the Dischnya training college, academy, and transit system. Much of the nests’ housing maintenance was handed over to the Dischnya.
While food stocks were made available to the Dischnya, some habits were too ingrained in the mature soma. One of these was that hunters became farmers. Given the opportunity afforded by a plentiful water supply, the hunters returned to their favorite foraging sites and harvested tubers that the soma preferred. They planted the area around their buildings, and trade sprung up between the nests for seeds, which expanded to include textiles and other crafts.
The easy mixing of the soma was made possible by Emile’s capable biochemistry. As Alex had requested, Emile delivered the scent solution in two stages. The first consisted of a small satchel worn around the neck of each soma, who participated in the academy or college. Designed to be porous, the scent leached out of the tiny purse to waft delicately under the nose of the wearer and leach into their skin. Every thirty days, the pouch was refilled. Eventually, Emile, with the help of the SADEs, developed a nanites injection that targeted the Dischnya brain and freed the soma from their dependency on the queens’ scents. By then, the delineation among the nests was blurred and would fade with the new generation of soma.
To Trixie’s surprise, and mostly that of everyone else, the Dischnya tram was a huge hit. The SADEs built small grav cars programmed to circulate among the nests, college, and academy. The small cars, which could carry up to eight soma, were open. The base and roof of the cars were connected by a series of strong metal-alloy poles, which served as handholds.
The Dischnya loved their transit system. It became great sport, catching the constantly moving vehicles. Deliberately, warriors would wait until a car passed and would race at top speed to gain it, their great clawed feet throwing gouts of earth behind them and tongues flopping out the sides of their muzzles. With their strength fading, they would leap for a handhold, while their comrades howled and exhorted their efforts.
Needless to say, not every attempt was successful, but, so far, no Dischnya had been killed, and it was as Alex had predicted. The transit system created a steady supply of patients for the medical college, allowing the soma to practice their training on foolhardy warriors.