by Saxon Andrew
“You don’t think they detected your blaster?”
“The planet is currently in daylight and it is facing the star. The Greng’s probes are on the nightside of the planet a long distance from here. They won’t detect it’s use here.”
The Arongin asked, “Who are you talking about?”
The Filament Maker turned to him, “The members of my tribe were attacked and most of them killed by an evil civilization. We were forced to flee and leave our ships to escape them. The small steeds we used are the ones you’ve been attacking. If we used them to leave, we would be killed.”
“And you intend to move them from our lands.”
The Filament Maker turned to Gregor, “I cannot allow you to try and do that.”
“Why not?” Gregor and the Arongin asked simultaneously.
“The attempt would be detected and the ones living on this planet would be placed in great peril.”
“We can defend ourselves.”
Gregor turned to the huge warrior, “Could you defend yourselves against the bright light that just burned the hill?”
The Arongin glanced at his second and then said, “Probably not.”
The Filament Maker turned to Gregor, “We thank you for your kindness, but you should leave and allow the Kligaters to continue their attacks.”
“You’ve missed something here,” Elena interrupted.
“What is that?”
“How did we come here and not be attacked by the Greng?”
The Filament Maker stared at her and then it’s eyes narrowed, “How did you know we were here?”
“We found a message you left for one of your ships. It was your image we saw in the message.” The Filament Maker stared at her and Elena continued, “The ship where we found the message was a derelict; it did not survive.”
The Maker lowered his head and sighed, “So much death.” He looked up, “Do you honestly think you can move us from here without endangering this world?”
Gregor nodded, “I do.”
The Arongin interrupted, “Is that challenge you’re making have to do with removing these intruders from our lands.”
“It does.”
“Why should I allow this?”
Gregor smiled and walked over to the piece of Jug’s shield laying on the ground. He picked it up and asked, “Is your sword made from the same metal as this shield?”
“It is.”
Gregor handed the shield to Elena, “Hold it steady.” She held it out in front of her and Gregor pulled his sword. He placed the blade on top of the shield and held the sword with his thumb and ring finger. He put his index finger on it lightly and the sword’s blade fell through the shield cutting it in half. The two-Kligaters watched and their eyes flew open. Gregor turned to the Arongin and said, “If you will give us six-seasons of peace to move them from your lands, “I will give you a sword like this one.”
The Arongin pulled his long sword and held it out in front of him, “Do you think your blade can damage mine?” Gregor reached out and slowly dropped his sword’s blade on the huge sword. The Arongin’s blade was sheared off in the middle.
He stared at the sheared off blade lying in the dirt and he looked up, “That would be a good trade. I will give you six-seasons of peace for a blade like yours.” Gregor smiled, and the two-huge-warriors walked away.
The Filament Maker looked at Gregor, “I won’t go with you if you’re intending to use my technology to build advanced weapons.”
“I don’t believe you have anything of value we would want.”
“And you expect me to believe that?”
“Believe what you want. However, I came here because I believe that saving you was an honorable thing to do. Your species have given us a means of traveling the universe and that has led to us being here now.”
“What do you intend to do with us?”
“Take you back to my home world and, if you choose to leave, we’ll provide you a means to go wherever you choose.”
“Why did you come here?”
“Honestly, we were looking for your species. We didn’t know if you were a danger and wanted to find out. I see now that you do not represent a danger and that mission has been completed.”
“What part hasn’t been completed?”
Gregor lowered his face and said through his eyebrows, “I believe the Greng need to be brought under control.”
The Filament Maker stared at Gregor and then smiled slightly with his oval shaped mouth, “I believe that is something we can get behind.”
“You’ll have your chance!” Gregor replied. “Why don’t you come with me and take a look at my ship.”
The Filament Maker touched the medallion, spoke a few words, and looked at Gregor, “Lead the way.”
Chapter Seventeen
Gregor started walking across the clearing and the Filament Maker said, “My name in Mackle.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. My name is Gregor, and this is Elena. The one doing the interpreting for us is Toren.”
Mackle looked around and said, “There are only two of you present.”
“I am an energy being, Mackle.”
Mackle’s face showed his surprise and he quickly asked, “Are you one of the beings that lives far off one of the filaments we made?”
“Yes, I am.”
“I’ve often wondered if your civilization was intelligent. We were never able to get you to respond to our transmissions.”
“We ignored them. We’re a solitary people by nature.”
“How did you end up here?”
“I’ll explain when we have enough time to discuss it.”
“Long story, huh?”
Toren laughed, “Yes, it is.”
Mackle turned to Gregor, “How far are we going to have to walk to get to your ship?”
Gregor stopped and smiled, “About ten-feet.”
Mackle looked around and suddenly saw a small port open in front of him. It appeared to be floating about three-feet off the ground directly in front of him and he chuckled, “You may be right about not needing our technology.”
“Let’s go on board and see what we can do about getting you off the planet.”
“Hey, why don’t you boys wait here and give me a few minutes to get out of this armor?” Gregor nodded, and Elena leaped through the port and disappeared.
“I can’t see your vessel.”
“We have advanced stealth technology to keep it hidden.”
Mackle looked around and said, “I can tell by the indentations in the ground that it’s not very large. You’ll never get all of us on board.”
“How many are on the shuttles?” Gregor asked.
“A little more than fourteen-hundred.”
“Do you know if any others survived.”
“No, Toren, I don’t. However, I rather doubt it. The Greng attacked us suddenly and we only managed to survive because we weren’t close to where their ships hit us initially. We received a destruct signals from our ships and none of them survived. I suspect we are the only ones that survived their attack.”
Elena stuck her head out of the port, “Ok, come on in.”
Gregor went in ahead of Mackle and headed to the small sleeping quarters to take off his armor. Elena pointed to a chair in front of the command chairs and smiled, “I had the computer put a chair in for you.”
“Thank you.” Mackle looked around and said, “This ship is smaller than I thought.”
“And Gregor and Elena were smaller than those Kligaters, but they could have taken them.”
Mackle looked around, “Who said that?”
Elena chuckled, “Our computer. He possesses a sharp wit.”
“Did you say computer?”
“She did! Do you have a problem with that?”
“No. I’ve just never heard a computer communicate like this.”
“I’m an acquired taste, Mackle.”
Mackle looked around and said, “I imagine you are.” He looked at the wall moni
tor and saw the clearing starting to darken. “You should cut down your power; we’ll soon be on the dark side of the planet and the Greng’s probe will be able to detect you.”
The computer instantly replied, “Mackle, we were two-miles in front of a Greng warship and it didn’t detect us through our stealth systems. I believe we’ll be safe.”
“You might want to close that port.”
“Oh, my burning transistors; you’re right!”
Mackle turned and saw a white cloud hovering behind his chair. He jumped up and Elena smiled, “Relax, Mackle, that’s Toren; he uses that cloud to allow us to see him on the ship.”
“I didn’t mean to startle you.”
Mackle sat back down, “Will wonders never cease.”
• • •
Gregor put his armor away and walked forward, “I see you’ve met our computer.”
“I have, and I am amazed by its communication skills.”
“Just look at me as another energy being.”
“Are you? An energy being?”
“No, but energy is what produces my thoughts.”
Mackle shrugged, “I suppose that’s true, but I’ve never seen a computer that can think in the complex patterns you exhibit.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
Gregor took his chair and said, “Computer, connect me with Gamgel’s filament communicator.”
“Gregor, he’s not available but will come as quickly as possible.” Gregor nodded.
“You’ve learned how to use the filaments to communicate?” Mackle asked.
“Yes, and that’s why we came out searching for you. We didn’t know if you could hear our communications and worried that you might be an aggressive civilization that might come and attack us for using your filament network.”
Mackle stared at Gregor in silence. “What’s wrong?” Elena asked him.
“First, the communications cannot be tracked; they only connect with the two-communicators being used. You should have been able to see that. Second; if you found a wide highway built on a planet and the ones that built it were no longer present, does it not make sense that you should use it?” Gregor looked at Mackle and kept his expression neutral. Mackle continued, “Does it not make better sense that the highway was built for those on the planet to use to improve their daily lives? The evidence is clear that the filaments were constructed to improve the quality of life for others. It allows civilizations to connect and come together.”
“It also allows aggressors to attack innocent civilizations as well,” Gregor responded.
Mackle snorted and looked around the small bridge, before saying, “What would your civilization look like if the filaments didn’t exist. Would life be better or worse?”
The computer answered before Gregor could respond, “It would be a solitary existence for all intelligent life.”
Mackle smiled, “And what happens when an aggressive civilization goes out and attempts to conquer all the others?”
“They are ultimately overwhelmed by those they would attack. They also discover, eventually, that conquest fails due to the economy of having to rule the planets conquered. Most of the ancient conquerors eventually gave it up and started trading with other civilizations.” The computer answered.
“Computer, you are far ahead of any machine I’ve ever encountered. But you are right. Conquest is a failing enterprise economically. There will be growing pains, as civilizations use the filaments, and some civilizations will be harmed; but the overall good they do far outweigh the damage. We built the filaments to improve life, not to harm it.”
“When your people have been attacked by some of those hostile civilizations, it’s difficult to paint any unknown civilization with a peaceful brush,” Gregor said softly. “The universe is not a peaceful place, and no one knew if you were building the filaments for your own use, and would punish any that used them, or built them and walked away.”
Mackle turned his attention to Gregor, “The Cartians knew.”
“WHAT? They said nothing to me about knowing anything about you.”
Mackle smiled, “You’re missing the obvious.”
“Oh?”
“Do you honestly think that one civilization could map the filaments in less than a million-years?” Gregor’s eyes narrowed.
“You’ve been sending them maps of what you’ve done!” the computer interrupted. Mackle smiled and nodded.
The bridge was silent, and Elena said softly, “I’ve wondered about that.” Everyone turned to her. “We had a red-letter warning on the Cartian Filament Map and you have to know they did not come that far out.”
The computer instantly replied, “You’re right! That area of space was not on the main filament map. Only the warning was in their data.”
Gregor turned to Mackle, “How did they get that warning?”
“We sent it to them, of course.”
“YOU’VE BEEN IN CONTACT WITH THEM!!”
“Certainly. How else do you think they could produce a map of the filaments.”
“They told me they went out and mapped the filaments!”
“They did, for a while. We wanted a map of the filaments to be done and shared with all civilizations, but we didn’t know how to do it. We found the Cartians and we made an agreement to send them the maps, as long as they controlled travel on the filaments in a peaceful manner. They agreed to do so.”
“But the Cartian Controller knew I was going out to search for you to see if you represented a threat and she made it clear she thought I should do it.”
“That’s because she was worried about us. We stopped communicating with them after the Greng destroyed our ships. I’m sure the Cartians wanted to know what happened. We always felt that they would one day show up and possibly save us.”
Gregor smiled slightly, “I suppose they did, in a manner of speaking. They gave me the data I needed to find you and sent me out without telling me I had nothing to fear from you.” Gregor shook his head, “I wondered why they had been studying me in such detail.”
Elena sighed, “I imagine they would refuse for anyone else to go searching; they determined it had to be you.”
“Actually, they decided it would be us. They also knew my fear for Bellingham would keep me searching.” Gregor added.
“So, the Cartians sent you?” Mackle asked.
“I was already planning to go. But they provided me the data needed to find your last known position.”
Mackle chuckled, “That figures.”
“Why do you say that?”
“We chose the Cartians because they are basically too lazy to go out and conquer anybody. They waited until someone else was going to find us, and offered assistance.”
Elena’s expression changed slightly, “You sound disappointed.”
“What would you have done if someone you depended on suddenly stopped communicating?”
“I would have gone and found out why?” Elena answered.
“We’ve been trapped here for hundreds-of-years and they did nothing. It took your search to get them involved.”
“What do you expect?! You knew what you were getting when you chose them in the first place.”
Mackle looked at the wall-speaker, “You don’t hold much back, do you, computer?”
“Ask, Gregor.”
Gregor tilted his head, “Welcome to the club, Mackle.”
The wall monitor, suddenly illuminated, and Gregor saw Gamgel on it, “Sorry, Gregor, I was at the factory. It took some time to arrive. Why are you contacting me? Didn’t we decide it was too dangerous to use the communicators outside our territory, except in emergency situations?”
“We determined that the filament communicators can’t be traced or heard, Gamgel.”
Gamgel’s eyes narrowed slightly, as he noticed the alien on the ship with Gregor, “Just how did you make that determination?
Gregor pointed to Mackle, “He told me.”
“A
nd just how would he know?”
“He’s one of the ones that built the filament network; he’s a Filament Maker.” Gamgel’s expression didn’t change and Gregor shook his head, “HOW DO YOU DO THAT?!”
Gamgel started, “Do what?”
“I tell you something that would shock any normal person and you don’t even react. I wish I could do that.’
“Oh, I’m shocked but my brain takes over at times like this, not my emotions. Are you telling me you found them?”
“This is Mackle, and he is a Filament Maker.”
“So, is it safe to assume they don’t pose a danger to us?”
“They don’t pose a danger to anyone; they created the filaments as a gift to all civilizations.”
“That’s really great news, Gregor. When are you coming home? Kaylee has really been worried.”
“Gamgel, the Filament Makers are not a threat, but the civilization that attacked and destroyed them, is. Mackle is a group of survivors that survived the attack and I need your assistance in getting them to safety.”
“Gregor, you need to update me on what’s going on.”
“I’ll have the computer send you a recording of everything that’s happened, and you can watch it at your leisure, however, I need you to follow my instructions.”
“You aren’t in a position to give orders Gregor.”
“Gamgel, I am one of the Supreme Leaders of the Alliance and I am assuming that role immediately, and I will be issuing orders. If you need to contact Ana to confirm it, then go ahead."
Gamgel stared at Gregor, “Is it that serious?”
“You know me, Gamgel. There is a time constraint and I wouldn’t do this otherwise. I hope you’ll understand why I am.”
“What do you need?”
“I need a sending box sent to me that will be large enough for Mackle to get in. If you could make it larger, that would-be a plus.”
“The supply box you have on board isn’t very large.”
“I know that. That’s why I need you to create what I need.”
“I’ll start working on it. Where do you want the receiver?”
“In the clearing on Bellingham.”
“Why there and not here?”
“Because I’ve promised Mackle that I will give him a vessel and he can leave and go wherever he chooses, if that’s his desire. I don’t believe he will be left alone on Romania to make that decision. I suspect you and your scientists would overwhelm them. Further, I’m going to have some accommodations for the survivors built, so they can take all the time they need to survive.”