Sidespace

by G. S. Jennsen

  And of course, the TLF wave led from the portal directly to here.

  Still, the tidal locking wasn’t the sole factor counting against the planet supporting life. Not only the system but the entire portal space overflowed with inorganic material—elemental silicon as well as quartz, aluminum, germanium, and a variety of silicate-heavy minerals could be found in abundance. What it lacked, in all but the smallest trace amounts, was carbon.

  No hint of non-carbon-based life, even microbial, had ever been found by humans. Yet here it was, and giving every indication of thriving. It was as if this universe had been tailor-made for inorganic life to arise. Alex put aside for later contemplation the uncomfortable possibility that this was in fact exactly what had happened.

  Caleb’s hand rested on her shoulder. “Let’s be careful. This species is certain to be very different from us and possibly more advanced. Also, chances are they’ve never seen anything like a human.”

  She nodded in marginal agreement. “They haven’t colonized any other worlds in the system, so they can’t be that advanced.”

  “Not necessarily true. They may have non-technological reasons for not venturing beyond their home planet.”

  “Don’t assume. Right.” She gave him a reassuring smile. His mood had improved somewhat in the days since they had departed Akeso, but it remained heavy on the brooding. She was hopeful a new mysterious alien species would distract him and create some emotional distance from his difficult encounter. “Valkyrie, are you making any progress on interpreting the signals we’re picking up?”

  ‘They are based on a quaternary numerical system. Translating the data into ternary is not difficult, but absent an interpreter this merely results in more numbers—numbers which do not correspond to anything meaningful in our language. However, I am attempting to build a dictionary by identifying patterns and repetitions.’

  “And how’s that going?”

  ‘I believe I have identified the strings for ‘up’ and ‘down.’ In my defense, we’ve only been recording the signals for twelve minutes.’

  “I know, Valkyrie. You’ll have us talking to the residents in no time.” She studied some of the other readings from the surface and atmosphere. “I’m not seeing any planetary defenses. They may use ground-based rockets, EMPs or the like, but there’s nothing in the outer atmosphere or in high orbit. The atmosphere is sulfur monoxide, chlorine and methane—needless to say, we won’t be breathing it.”

  Her fist came to rest at her chin. “All the active signals are coming from the dark side of the planet, but we’re picking up a low-level yet omnipresent EM field on the sun-facing side. Let’s swing around and see what’s going on over there.”

  Caleb shrugged in response. She generously interpreted it as agreement and adopted a trajectory that would allow them to reach the other side while maintaining a safe distance.

  The sun rose above the arc of the planet’s profile, a stark, icy blue which provided light but scant warmth. Beautiful but cold, in more than one sense of the word. She shifted the bow of the Siyane toward the surface—and was nearly blinded by the dazzling luminance.

  “What the…?” The filters over the viewport darkened as she blinked away halos.

  Caleb peered out the viewport beside her. His ocular implant was more advanced than hers, and he probably hadn’t even had to blink. “Solar cells, I think. The entire hemisphere is covered in them.”

  Valkyrie concurred. ‘Details of the objects’ makeup and structure cannot be determined from this distance, but I agree they are most likely a type of solar cell.’

  She squinted until the shapes of tens of thousands of individual cells began to come into focus; innumerably more faded into the horizon. “The residents are pulling power from the light side, presumably to fuel their technology—I know, I’m making another assumption. They’re collecting power and sending it elsewhere. But building and maintaining so many cells and the infrastructure for transmitting the power must have been a colossal task. Why didn’t they simply…move?”

  Caleb smirked, all too rare the last few days. “We’ll be sure to ask them.”

  “We will.” She squeezed his hand, eager to encourage the behavior, and turned away from the still too-bright glare to prop against the dash.

  “So once Valkyrie has deciphered their language and created a translator, we should send a probe down. If it isn’t immediately intercepted and destroyed, it can send back surface images and more detailed readings—and if it is intercepted and destroyed, we’ll know we’re dealing with another unfriendly species.

  “To increase the chances of it not getting shot down, we can rig it to broadcast a friendly message in their language—” her eyes twinkled playfully “—‘We come in peace’ or some such. Then…let’s see what happens with the probe before we make any decisions.”

  The Siyane cruised a kilometer above a vast expanse of smooth metal. Scans pegged it as a mineral similar to morion quartz, run through with fibers of monocrystalline silicon. Violet clouds permeated the air, blotting out what paltry light might have otherwise reached the surface. The environs appeared lifeless and inert, yet the opposite was true.

  Caleb cycled through the various wavelengths with his ocular implant. When he reached the microwave band, the world lit up. Constant, oscillating signals flowed in every direction across and in the metal below. Regions of greater activity were easily discerned; when viewed together they resembled hubs in an interconnected network.

  Their probe had not been attacked, even upon engaging in some fairly overt investigations. So here they were, getting ready to attempt contact with yet another drastically nonhuman sentient life form. Unlike Akeso, this species would differ from them at the most fundamental of levels: the atoms which comprised it. Whatever form such a genetic structure took, it would not be DNA.

  He was concerned about their safety, as he generally was on initial contact. The abundant, massive assemblies surrounding them could hide laser or rocket turrets or some unknown type of weapons. The residents could be hostile, powerful, or leading them into a trap—or worse, all three. He made it a habit to be ready for any eventuality. Unfortunately, the possible eventualities had exceeded his imagination more than once. But it wasn’t as if they could not investigate.

  Ahead of them the broad sheet of semi-translucent quartz began to rise into a pyramid-style structure; multiple spires jutted upward out of the slopes. The pyramid shone so thick with low frequency waves the signals became an undifferentiated blob. “We should set down outside the hub ahead—you see the energy concentration, Valkyrie?”

  ‘I do. Approaching region conducive to landing eighty meters from the start of the upward slope.’

  Alex was leaning into the dash to peer keenly out the viewport. “Temperature outside is -62° C. Going to be a little chilly.”

  The environment suits were designed foremost for use in space and could handle extreme cold. If a suit developed a tear, however, at such a low temperature they’d have a minute at most to get inside the ship before severe hypothermia set in and, rapidly thereafter, death occurred. Good thing the suits were almost impossible to tear using anything less than high-powered military weaponry.

  Alex allowed Valkyrie to handle the landing. She spent her time alternately reviewing the incoming readings and visually studying the area, absorbing everything they knew so far.

  The Siyane slowed as it descended and neared the edge of the pyramid. They were unstealthed, announcing their presence as openly as the probe had in the hope they wouldn’t get shot down either.

  The first sign of movement began as they settled to the surface of the silicon expanse—there was every reason to believe it was not the surface of the planet but rather an immense edifice built atop it. It was impossible to tell how far above the planet’s terrestrial surface they were.

  Caleb couldn’t make out any details, but a modular metal construct emerged from an opening at the base of the pyramid. “Just keep broadcasting that p
eace and harmony message, Valkyrie.”

  ‘Certainly. I’ve finished programming the portable bidirectional transmitters with the translator. Accept the connection in your eVis and they’ll work together.’

  “Yep.” Alex hurried over to the workbench to retrieve the transmitters while he stayed and kept a close eye on the exterior, not wanting to let the new arrival out of his sight until they were ready to go outside. He noted the sound of the supply cabinet opening then closing, and she reappeared at his side holding the transmitters and two wrist straps.

  She glanced out the viewport at the construct as she fastened the strap around the material of her environment suit. “That one of the locals?”

  He tilted his head with a slight shrug. It wasn’t much of an answer, but he didn’t have a better one. He might also still be a bit grumpy…he tried again to shake it off, to let go of the lingering shadow of the anguish he had caused another.

  ‘The form is a mobile unit constructed of the same material as the structure beneath us. It could be a representative of the species who built the structure, or it could merely be a service mech. Or it could be something else entirely.’

  “Understood.” Alex stared at him with notable intensity. “This is the first time we’ll be facing something clearly technologically advanced. Are we ready?”

  He forced himself fully into the present, checking her over then mentally checking himself. “Environment suits sealed up. Breather masks in hand. Daemons. Blades. Transmitters. Healthy respect for the adversary—you’ve got that, right?”

  One corner of her lips curled up. “Absolutely….”

  He chuckled and positioned the mask on his mouth, followed by a breath in and out to confirm functionality. “You need to work on your delivery if you expect anyone to believe you.”

  Next came the helmet. The masks delivered the air they needed, but both the temperature outside and the risk of attack meant they needed the protection of the helmets. He activated the control and made sure the helmet properly locked into the neck ring of the suit. She did the same, and they confirmed those seals as well.

  Alex’s chest rose as she took a deep breath. “Valkyrie, you pick up anything squirrelly, let us know immediately. Otherwise, feel free to chime in with any helpful suggestions.”

  ‘I always do.’

  “Good point.”

  Alex opened the hatch and extended the ramp. Caleb followed her down, his eyes finding the construct then proceeding to watch everywhere at once.

  “Milostivyy menya….”

  His hand was instantly on her shoulder. “What is it?”

  She looked up at him, irises ablaze. “What Valkyrie sees…light, everywhere. Before, to me this seemed a dead, silent world. Now, though, it’s bursting with life and energy. Can you see it?”

  “Some of it.” Her enthusiasm seeped into him despite his efforts to remain edgy and tense. He reigned it in—he had a responsibility to do so—and jerked his head forward. “Let’s not keep the emissary waiting too long.”

  They continued on, now side by side. The chill from the air seeped through the fabric of the suit into his bones. The structures pulsed with energy, but the setting still felt desolate. There might be ‘life’ here, but if so, it was the polar opposite of Akeso, no matter the measure.

  The pyramid loomed over them forebodingly, far larger up close than it had appeared on approach. It cast no visual shadow as there wasn’t sufficient light from the sky to create one, but the psychological shadow was tangible enough. To either side the harsh metal stretched into the darkness, and beneath their feet electrical current raced in every direction.

  As they neared, the entity that had emerged gained definition. A mech apparently designed for mobility and physical agility, it stood two and a half meters in height and was comprised of around two dozen modular pieces: four wheels which looked as if they became grippers when needed, four multi-jointed arms, a narrow, similarly jointed torso to connect them, and that was it. No head. No discernable mechanism for sight. Nevertheless, it knew they were there.

  When they were ten meters from it their transmitters lit up.

  You come from above. Why?

  Caleb motioned for her to stop while there was still distance between them and the entity, and Alex cleared her throat. Her eVi was prepped to translate her spoken words into the alien language and send it to the transmitter to be delivered.

  “Yes, we’re from another planet, far from this one. We’ve come in the hope we can learn from one another. We mean you no harm.”

  Good job, baby.

  You are small, yet you fly. How?

  The alien’s manner of speech was curt, succinct and absent all nuance. He let Alex continue to handle the interaction, giving him the opportunity to study the entity more closely.

  “You mean our ship? It contains a special engine—several, in fact—that enables it to fly.”

  You refer to it as if separate. Other. Is this ship not you?

  Alex muttered on their private comm. “Valkyrie, help me out here.”

  She didn’t have to give voice to the question at all, but she went out of her way to include him in any conversation with Valkyrie that impacted whatever they happened to be doing. He was sure she slipped on occasion, but the fact she made the continual effort meant a lot to him.

  ‘The question suggests we are dealing with a single life form, of which the mech is a mobile subset, like one of your fingers.’

  “No. We are each individuals. I—” she pointed at Caleb “—my companion, and our ship are each separate, self-contained life forms.” The Siyane wasn’t alive, but Valkyrie was, so arguably close enough.

  You are small, but you do not join together to grow. Why not?

  “We kind of…we work together while still maintaining our individuality.” Alex frowned in his direction, and he nodded encouragement.

  You’re doing fine.

  I do not understand. I will understand.

  “I’ll try to explain it better—perhaps if I understood your makeup? When you say ‘I’ do you mean…” she gestured to the pyramid and around the platform “…is all of this you?”

  For [no translation].

  “Valkyrie?”

  ‘It is providing a form of distance measurement, but I lack a reference point at present.’

  “Do you span the entire planet?” She switched to the private comm. “Because we’ve already seen that.”

  No. We divide the planet among [one less than four quad—equivalent to eleven] others.

  With this nugget of intel, by his estimation things became appreciably more interesting.

  “And what do you call yourself? What can we call you?”

  I am [One Quad Less One—equivalent to Three]. We are Ruda.

  “A pleasure to meet you. I’m Alex, this is Caleb, and the ship is…Valkyrie.”

  ‘You don’t need to—’

  “Hush. It’s easier this way.”

  Her response gave him pause. When he met Alex, her ship was the most important thing in her life. Much had changed since then, so should he not be surprised? As he’d noted, the Siyane was not and had never been alive, and Valkyrie clearly was. He filed it away for later consideration.

  Valkyrie is your Supreme. Your operator.

  “What makes you think that?”

  It is larger and stronger. It flies.

  “That’s not…size isn’t the primary measure of authority in our society.”

  Then Valkyrie is not your Supreme?

  “We don’t have a Supreme—a leader, I think you mean. Well, we do back home…too many of them…anyway, we’re here as equals.” He heard the growing frustration in her voice. Still, five minutes as a diplomat was a good showing on her part.

  There was a measurable delay in the response.

  Valkyrie asserts this is true, so I will not dispute it.

  ‘The entity—I propose we simply call it ‘Three’ among ourselves—transmitted a signal directly at me ask
ing for confirmation, so I confirmed it. I’m not certain any of us have convinced it, however.’

  “Right.” She gazed hesitantly at him, obviously at a loss. “So what now? I think I’m at the end of the ‘greeting’ speech.”

  He stepped forward to draw the mech’s attention. “We’d be interested to see more of your world and learn about your species. Will you show us something of how you live?”

  If I do so, Valkyrie must also see and learn.

  “Valkyrie will see everything I see.”

  The mech didn’t physically turn to Alex.

  You are Valkyrie’s mobile detachment.

  “Um…” Alex grumbled in annoyance “…you know what, fine. Let’s go with that.”

  Now I understand.

  Somehow I doubt it.

  Come.

  The mech pivoted and rolled toward a wide opening in the pyramid. An entrance of sorts, though there were no doors.

  He grasped Alex’s hand and held her back briefly.

  Keep some distance between us and the mech, so we’ll have a chance to react if anything unpleasant happens.

  She squeezed his hand in understanding, and they followed the mech inside.

  The interior was architecturally no different than the exterior—walls, floor and ceiling of the same metal, smooth and sculpted into ninety-degree angles. Signals streamed along every surface; pitch-black to the naked eye, on most other bands the energy turned the space brighter than daylight.

  The halls were four meters wide but nonetheless felt claustrophobic. Dangerous. Using the surroundings to his advantage would be difficult, and thus far he knew of only one exit.

  Alex touched his arm. “Hey, it’s getting warm in here. Think we can take our helmets off and just use the breather masks?”

  She was right. The enclosed space and the power flowing through it created a far warmer environment. “For now, but be ready to reactivate it. We don’t know when we’ll need them again.”

  Her helmet was barely off when their escort halted and rolled closer to them. One of its appendages jutted out toward Alex’s face.