Greener Green II: The Balls Brigade

by Peter Sowatskey

  His unhurried voice was pleasant in contrast to the bustle I'd caused, "Of course."

  I hoped the anti-gravs didn't malfunction. The case handles weren't strong enough to lift one hundred pounds of gold in each of them. Solvent of the universe, I hoped.

  One hour before departure a request for direction/time came from the FO. I allowed we'd head inward toward the center of the Universe, in present (1848) time, at three quarter potential speed. He paused for clarification. Getting none, he said, "Very well."

  A half hour before departure we exited ARK IV and stood off about a mile away for final checks. Those done we gradually picked up speed and were joined by our second ship, the 'Dock', when we were beyond the Moon's orbit.

  I changed the heading fourteen times over the next three days, ever going toward, and near to some solar system. Satisfied that we weren't being followed I changed it one last time, and adjusted the time to correspond to when Torken and Melin had lifted off. Two more days would put us over Moneslak. Meanwhile the reports from the spy satellite I'd ordered placed there continued to arrive, those, thanks to our Phaeton guests were detectable by no one, so far, so good, nothing unusual.

  Late one night when Torken and I were alone in the living room he said, "I know now, you not know all things."

  He startled me as I was elsewhere in my thoughts. When I focused and really heard him I laughed heartily. When his face clouded I hastened to say, "I'm not laughing at your mind, Torken. I'm just laughing at myself for giving that impression. Of course I do not know all things, but I can understand all things. Consider a map, which shows the countryside. It doesn't show everything, but when you come to something which isn't on the map, you know where to place that thing."

  "I follow. Then you say I, Torken, know little, not enough to observe new things."

  How could I explain this?

  "Not exactly, if you will sit across the table from me and take my hands I will give you a map, into your mind."

  "Good. Mostly empty anyway. Give big map."

  I gave the biggest map I thought he would ever need, for many lifetimes. While I was there in his mind I observed he already had a road map he was only dimly aware of. I removed some blocks that were obstructing realization of that map. We'd see.

  The next day, I spent much time with Lieutenant Tilzer testing the communication equipment on his suit. I didn't need the damn stuff. I could shout halfway across the universe. It was just in case my shouting days were brought to as close. No sense in getting the whole command killed along with me. We covered all the 'what ifs' that I could think of.

  Show time! I'd taken Melin to the meat locker. We'd spent another quarter of beef to keep her sated.

  Under Invis, I directed our ship to hover at 50,000 feet over the target and sent a message on all of the ANNU KI frequencies we knew.

  "Hold your position. Do not power weapons or engines. If you do observe what will happen!"

  Five miles away from the target, into what I considered empty swamp, I had the Rail Gun Dock discharge a hundred yard circle of hell. Twenty feet down I ordered it cut off.

  The answer came back on a weak broadcast, "Impressive."

  I sent, "We can exchange information for gold, or."

  "I take gold. Come down on 'X' spot."

  "When you find hell, and the devil invites you in, it's a bit late to profess sainthood. We went down in a shuttle piloted by Curtis. One should be on first name basis among the ones they plan to die with.

  We landed in a space slightly bigger than the fifty feet across that we needed. The towering limbs of the huge trees seemed to make way for us, and then resumed their embrace above us. The surface of the whole complex wasn't three hundred yards across, wall to wall. Small doomed protrudences occupied essentially the entire surface. It dawned on me. I was back on Med-Deck, body tanks on display around me.

  We disembarked, Melin, Torken, and I, followed by Curtis in his Battle Suit. Blinking fluorescent X's on the surface/floor indicated where to go. We went. All around were swamp noises, and humid, dank, dark shadows hid who knows what. To Melin it was home, her starting point. Torken was sweeping with his mind and hadn't found anything he couldn't kill, so he was not bothered. I'd put personal shields on each of their belts without explanation. Curtis was in his suit and his own world. The two suitcases were on full anti-grav and on a tether behind him. What laired at the end of the X's?

  Nothing laired but a twenty foot square screen. Suddenly an ANNU KI appeared on the screen.

  "I'm Tgthr. My body doesn't function, so I can't stand before you. This will do. I see you have gold. Put a bar on the tray in front of you."

  Curtis was reacting slowly so Torken opened a suitcase and did as ordered. The tray slid back into the wall.

  After a long two minutes, Tgthr said, "Gold pure. Not like some you make, Betty. We play game. I answer one question for each one pound bar. Begin."

  "Why are you here and who is with you?"

  "Two questions. Another bar!"

  "Torken, put in twenty bars."

  Tgthr forehead eye glistened. "My other, Trkn, and I came to this planet almost two hundred thousand of this planets revolutions ago, mission to establish life forms to control. You see my part results in who you call, Melin. My other wanted to have those like Torken controlled with the headband. He and I disagreed more and more as to the way which gave best results. Finally I was attacked, a war, mentally, resulted. No planet damage was done. After fifty thousand years I saw I would lose. So I made many creations and placed parts of myself in them. Afterwards I ceased to be, mentally. Very much later, when the creations died, I disengaged and regrouped. The other went mad not having an opponent. The mentality of him is now only in the headbands. Before the last sentience was disbursed the message went to Command that microbes, not controllable, killed both and planet was useless. So I now am a failure also, as Melin, my best mentality, is not stable."

  "Another twenty bars, Torken. I have examined her, Tgthr. She can be altered to allow for stabilization. I can do that. What is that worth to you?"

  The figure on the screen brought a chair from behind him and sat.

  "If you can do that, all I have is yours. Can you open your mind to allow me to see that truth?"

  "Yes."

  I did so. His force wasn't much. I expect it would strengthen with gold being put in the equation. I let him view where he had gone wrong in the harmonics progression in not allowing for a welling reinforcement tied to the planets rotation. That way Melin would go dormant on a daily scheduled sequence. Result, normal amounts of food would suffice.

  The figure on the screen arose, walked around the chair, and resumed his seat and said, "Too close to the solution. Oh me oh my. What do you want?"

  "Not so fast. Were Melin to be paired, twelve hour offset, with another Melin, they could exist with less need for dormancy, and be more intelligent. Look at that possibility."

  He looked. "You are a brewer beyond me and mine. We will do that. But the result will still need guidance for some while."

  "True. But what else do you have to do. As to what I need. I need the totality of knowledge about an ANNU KI ship which would sit on a planet's South Pole and control the magnetic fluxes."

  "Can your mind expand enough?"

  "We'll just see. Send."

  He sent, in one flash. I sorted, examined, asked questions of the knowledge itself. Some I had surmised, or extrapolated. Some I hadn't been aware of at all. Conclusion, I had what we'd came for.

  "Torken, Put the rest of the gold in the tray in bits. Tgthr, where is your lab?"

  "Follow the Xs."

  A ramp appeared by the far wall and we marched downward into a vast cavern. It was well lit. There were vats and protoplasm spinners behind glowing force fields. This place wasn't designed for replacement bodies. It was designed for raw creation. Whatever you wanted to create here you could. I saw equipment I hadn't seen for millions and millions of years. What Lillian wouldn't gi
ve to be here in my place, and M.Verdai?

  A 3-D projection of ANNU KI walked toward us from a distance. It was scaled for our size. "If you want them here, create them, if you can. You have mental copies of them. I dare you."

  I almost rejected the idea, how stupidly naïve of me. You didn't win wars laboring over what weapons you didn't want to use. How damned stupid had I became?

  "First we will solve your problem. We will create two fresh copies of Melin. We will leave this Melin as she is for a control. Let's get on with it. You three find some place up against a wall and observe, or not."

  Tgthr and I began with the basic chemical mix. I learned from him and him from me. About a day later I put my attention on my three companions. Torken had made a bed on some tables and lay watching us. Curtis was slumped against a wall but he was alert. Melin was walking about hurriedly, feeding time again.

  Tgthr said, "Let her clean the excess protoplasm out of the tanks. Show her."

  I did. She got the picture. Problem solved.

  Three days later the mix had matured enough to put it in the spinners. Either a person was ejected from them, or one started over again with the mix part of the process. We planned two Melins. I didn't think we'd need another try. The zeros blurred when I thought about how many years of experience we two represented.

  Thirty hours later one spinner stopped its multi faceted light pulsing, then the second. The door opened and out stepped a Melin from each. I had changed my mind about blending them bodily to begin with. Let one watch when one was dormant. Then we, or he, after an observation could try the blend

  Tgthr led them to another lab for testing. I extended my awareness to observe.

  Then I set about creating Lillian and M.Verdai. I made them seven feet tall and three hundred pounds heavy. I gave one the ability to shift appendages, which the other had. Also I gave Lillian, M.Verdai's ability to go metallic which increased strength many times over. They would be beneath Torken's seven and a half feet, and fifty pounds lighter than him. In practice, the balanced mix should work out.

  Four and a half days later Lil and Mary, as I named them stepped out of the spinners. I had been programming them from the first bubble in the mixing vat. They stepped out and were ready to go with a plan they had cooked up telepathically on their own. Something along the lines of locating the other's lab, to solve the mystery of the head rings. They wanted to take Torken along. I didn't want to part with him. We went, the three of us, back to the vats.

  Luckily, or by his plan, Curtis had the endurance style Battle Suit around him. The designer swore that they captured all body odors, and of course eliminations. His face wasn't green yet, so, maybe they did. Melin had almost all the protoplasm tanks cleaned out. Torken had brought along 'Beast's' head ring in case we wanted to acquire transportation, so my latest creations and he were doing tests with his imbedded ring and it.

  Lil broke off and came over to me. "The three of us have decided to start with Torken's home tribe. He wants to go there and kill a few of them. That should make some pot boil over. They parked the other ship on the highest peak on the planet. I'd park my ship on top of a peak also if I were doing a broadcast control."

  "Good plan. You two are in charge of the planet. I ordered the 'Dock' commander to remain over this position and fry it down to bed rock if the power fluctuates more than five per cent. I told Tgthr that, again. But the rest of the ANNU KI assets the other ship, you can use as you wish. Tgthr and his Melins are busy creating males. Let him do what he wants to, here in his swamp. I trust his present intentions, but who knows what pre-conditioning may kick in, and when. When Torken 2 is done practicing, I have to leave. I'm going to count on you two, three, making this planet a possible fall back place. Use your discretion. You better get back to them, looks like they made some breakthrough."

  I knew what, the wavelengths operating through Multi Space, so much for us being the only ones, who knew about it. Or maybe the other ANNU KI had discovered it here on this planet?

  Three days later we parted company. Lil, Mary, and Torken 2, dropped us off on the Battleship, and then left on the shuttle for the Dock to get Battle Suits and other gear. I ordered homeward bound, delay, one day from when we left.

  When we were in our quarters, Curtis asked, "May I be dismissed? A shower would be nice."

  He wasn't grimacing yet. Maybe he could have held out another day. Get a grip on yourself Betty, not R, and D anymore.

  "Dismissed, and well done Curtis. We'll see you in three days."

  I sent a burst report to Paula, and Jane on ARK I. They'd dispense what I'd learned.

  Melin said, "I think I'll never hunger again."

  Torken smiled, "Oh happy day."

  "Showers everybody, we could scrub each others backs."

  We thoroughly did, and went down that road, to multiple ends.

  OPERATIONAL AREA ARK I EARTH - BETWEEN THE ICE AGES

  THELMA

  CHAPTER TWENTY THREE

  I looked into Rafe junior's eyes when I picked him up out of his crib and the dilemma struck me again. Whether to go, or stay, whether to risk the infant born in the middle of an interstellar war, or to cut and run to another universe,

  Sitting him on the soft floor of his room I sat also; and leaned back against a wall, to see what toy he would play with this time. It was the forms into recesses one again. He spilled the ten objects onto the floor and started putting them back into their recesses. There were never any tantrums when a piece wouldn't fit. With one try complete he dumped them out, stirred them around, and tried again. Aside from his squalls at birth, he never cried. Neither did Marilyn's daughter, nor Louise's son.

  I unfocused from the room; and thought about Ranger Erlo at his station in the Second Federation. I'd been talking to him a lot. Trying to dredge up any sliver of memory he had of his trip from another universe to this one. The concerns he recalled were mostly of logistics, getting up enough speed to get there before everyone starved. He'd made it. We probably would too. And if we found the ANNU KI already there, that would be the end of us as, individually, and as a race. Individual mentalities would go on as Essences, but I wasn't up to the responsibility of that state yet. I didn't know of any who were, other than the Essences themselves.

  I'd just received Paula's message that a way had been discovered to erase two of Earth's ANNU KI ships. I hadn't told her yet that the bait to solve the third ships existence had been taken. Operation Dunderhead appeared to be a success. From observations of the ever so minor fluctuations of the north/south magnetic waves the bait, the altered gold, was having its desired results. When a creature uses powderized gold to increase its bodily electrical capacity it doesn't function quite right if powderized lead, which looked and tested as gold, is substituted.

  The question was, 'did I have the right to make a call that had one shot at being correct?' But, on the other hand, if the Canadian and Australian ships weren't disposed of, the Mother Ship might allow personnel from them to enter. Then clean the atmosphere, and put us back to square one. Thank goodness the enemy was totally phobic about territorial possession.

  Junior evidently achieved his desired level of progress, this day, because he put the forms aside and crawled to the middle of his train set and started making up a train. The red locomotive went first. Then he worked his way through the color spectrum. When he completed the line-up he touched the power button and let it go around and around. Later he would stop it and rearrange the colored box cars.

  My mind went out beyond the limits of ARK 1 to the town south of its surface location. It had grown considerably with the Generals contributions. They weren't the only inhabitants. The Reverend's Church of the Open Door brought in converts from everywhere. I no longer greeted them personally. I had an Avatar for that which was programmed to answer generic questions. The message was the same, live in peace, or make the next jump back. A library of those who hadn't adjusted, and jumped back, had the records of their lives up until they were
killed. Even with blaster rifles that recharged from sunlight one could only kill so many wild beasts. The record of survival in that time was just over five months. Some didn't last five minutes. Material to start a Survival School should arrive at the 'five month' one's location today.

  Junior stopped the train and looked at me inquiringly. He didn't use telepathy yet, but I got the impression of hunger, and a distasteful overtone, which said, 'dirty diaper'. I stood and swept him up, to do as ordered.

  Later, burped and having a nap, I left him to the nurse's care and went to Central City. At the Café on the lake I called Erlo. His Three-D image appeared and he took a seat across from me.

  "If only this form allowed me to drink your coffee with you. But you'll want to know that your Nubian servant sent me some plants and I've been able to grow them here."

  "He'd be amused to know he was my servant. It may be the other way around. So far he's been able to hold onto his foothold in Africa. Who knows where that one will come to rest?"

  Erlo agreed, "Where indeed? So you've come to your crux point, haven't you?"

  "Yes. We have a chance to prevail. Something comes to mind. How are you doing with your personal Army?"

  He laughed, "Grand, I'm up to 27,000 plus recruits at last count. I'm only just getting started. You have no idea how many worlds will send you recruits, as long as you promise not to send them back. And they pay handsomely. But why do you ask? You don't appear to have any dearth of bodies."

  "Not here. But I could use some technologically trained people, for a one way mission. What's your gender mix?"

  I watched him calculate, "About two thirds male, one third female, and there's always some who can't make up their minds. They all have lots of time to reflect on sex, but not much time to do anything about it. They march half a day with heavy packs, set up camp, break camp, and march half a day again. Those that don't hold up we bury along the way. The essences go to Ranger Basic Training. There they come to understand they should have tried harder. As far as tech, most have too much knowledge, which got them in trouble to begin with. How many you want?"