Tales of the Vuduri: Year Three

by Michael Brachman

  “Yes,” said Pegus. “But there is one more thing. The Onsiras are different. Many of them seem to have dead eyes. There is no life whatsoever behind them. They have nothing but the purest of hatred for the mandasurte. They radiate this hatred. That will tell you who to avoid,” Pegus said.

  “Thank you,” Rome said. “I will do that.”

  “Trusting your safety to just your feelings?” Keller asked. “It doesn’t sound any too safe to me.”

  “On the contrary,” Rome replied, “It is probably the safest thing we can do. Feelings are something that the Vuduri cannot hide. It would never occur to them to hide this. They think no one can see them for what they are. They pretend that feelings do not exist.”

  “Well, I’d like to say it’s your hide,” Keller said, “but it is all of ours.”

  “I will keep that in mind,” Rome said.

  Enough shilly-shallying and dilly-dallying. It's time to get this show on the road. Tomorrow.

  Entry 3-253: September 5, 2015

 

  Big trouble

  Once Rome was liberated, she unleashed a seismic upheaval on the whole of Vuduri society to the point where it became known as Rome's Revolution. Her biggest asset, besides her bravery and independence, was her ability to think. This was something that the Vuduri, in general, had lost. This made her not only an anomaly but also something very dangerous.

  Pegus, the leader of the Vuduri on Deucado noted this as I mentioned the other day. He and Captain Keller had this exchange:

  “How come you didn’t come after us? What happened?” Keller interjected.

  “What happened?” Pegus asked, laughing to himself. “Rome happened. She beat our Overmind. She showed it the error of its ways.”

  Keller snorted in disgust. “I still can’t get over it. She stopped you? That tiny thing?”

  Yes, that tiny thing. When it was time for Rome and Rei to leave to head back to Earth, Captain Keller took this to heart. They were making their goodbyes when this exchange happened:

  Captain Keller held out his hand. Rome looked to Rei who nodded to her. Rome shifted Aason to her left arm and shook his hand.

  “Good luck, Mrs. Bierak,” Keller said. “I’m sure you’ll do well. I have only known you for a very short time but I think Earth is in big trouble.”

  Rome bowed her head slightly, smiling the whole time.

  I guess it's true what they say "good things come in small packages" - because Rome is certainly a small package. But she packs a major wallop.

  Entry 3-254: September 6, 2015

 

  Rome says no to cursing

  When I was writing the original long-form version of Rome's Revolution, back when it was known as VIRUS 5, I had a cadre of interested and active early readers.

  One of those readers was my daughter, Paula, whose name in Spanish is Lupe which I took as the damsel in distress in my new novel The Milk Run. When she was reading the book, she noticed I had a curse word or two in Parts 1 and 2. When she came across the word hell in Part 3, she said that as responsible parents, Rome and Rei would have to keep cursing to a minimum during Aason's early formative years. So this little section came directly from Paula's commentary:

  “What are you going to do if you run into one of those Stareater things? Have you thought about that all?” Keller asked.

  “Yes we have,” Rei answered. “MINIMCOM still has access to the original VIRUS units along with some material from Lawlidon. He’ll shoot some of them at the Stareater then we’ll run like hell.”

  Keller just shook his head.

  “Mother, what is hell?” Aason asked Rome.

  “Shhh…” Rome thought back. “Rei,” she said. “Perhaps you could try and remember that we have a child present.”

  “Oops,” Rei said. “Sorry.”

  This becomes a recurring joke during the latter part of this book. Rei suppresses his normal need to express himself occasionally with curse words when Aason is present. Here was one example of Rei having enough presence of mind to stop himself:

  “No, the cameras are untouched,” MINIMCOM said. The hybrid computer/spaceship winked back into view. He was exactly where he was before. Then he disappeared again. Then he popped back into view again. Then he was gone, this time for good.

  “What the he..,” Rei stopped speaking. He glanced over at Rome. “What the heck?!” Rei asked. “What are you doing?”

  “It is magic,” MINIMCOM said with cybernetic delight.

  Of course, Rei pulled out the F-bomb to shock the Onsiras into letting him go but that is a story for another day.

  Entry 3-255: September 7, 2015

 

  The truth comes out

  You will recall in the middle of Rome's Revolution, there came a time when Rome was re-integrated with the Overmind of Deucado. Right after that procedure she appeared to reject Rei and had him ejected from the compound. Rei was quite shaken by that but we later learned that Rome took that action to guarantee Rei's safety.

  He hiked a long way to get back to the Ibbrassati secret enclave, all the while with a heavy heart. He thought he had lost his wife and soulmate.

  As Rome and Rei were getting ready to head back to Earth, the trip there made Rei wistful. But then, with gentle probing, Rome finally had him admit the truth:

  “That’s the problem, Rome,” Rei said, his voice lowered. “We’re not going to be in this world. We’re going back to Earth. With the mother of all Overminds. We’re taking on a whole planet. A whole race. We’re just two people.”

  Rome bent over and kissed him. “We are two people on the side of right. We will have many friends soon. You will see. And besides, mau emir. We are soulmates. We live inside of each other. We could never really be apart, even if we wanted to.”

  “No, Rome, you’re wrong. I’ve seen too much,” Rei said.

  “I will make it very easy for you. Think about this and then tell me the truth, Rei. In the compound, after I was injected, even though I reconnected, think about what you saw and felt. Even though I pretended to not want to be with you, did you really think I was gone? Gone from your life? Is that what your heart told you? Why did you even come back for me?”

  Rei took his hand off of her shoulder. He looked down at his feet but what he was really doing was replaying the whole episode in his head. He and Rome attacked by the Vuduri, captured by the Ibbrassati. Flying into the Vuduri compound and Rome being reintegrated into the Overmind. Rei’s recapture, escape and trek through the forest. His sonar-vision, the Deucadons, Captain Keller going on the attack. All to get back to Rome. Suddenly, the answer was clear and hit him like a ton of bricks. He knew Rome was a part of him and he was a part of her.

  “I understand! You’re right, Romey,” Rei said, his face lighting up. “I guess I really knew you weren’t gone. You would never leave me. Why did I even think that? What did you do to me? How did I know that?”

  Rome leaned forward to touch his forehead then motioned to hers.

       “It is the bands, Rei.” She looked him in the eye. Rei nodded. “I told you. We are our own samanda now and more. We are Asborodi Cimponeti. We are one.”

  “My beautiful, sweet Rome. You are right. We can never be apart. It doesn’t matter where we go. It will always be together,” Rei said, pointing to Aason. Rome bent over and kissed the baby’s forehead.

  “Yes, together,” Rome said. She reached down and took Rei’s hand. She pulled on it and they ascended the ramp together.

  Kind of a sweet moment, huh? Well there is more where that came from!

  Entry 3-256: September 8, 2015

 

  Where there's a will there's a way

  Due to a variety of circumstances, Rome and the Overmind of Deucado had decided that only Rome and Rei could return to Earth without tipping their had to the Onsiras. That meant that Rome's father, Fridone, could not return with them and see his long-lost wife, Binoda.

  However, in the beginning of Part 3 of
Rome's Revolution, even though he was expressly forbidden from coming along, that did not stop Fridone from trying to find a way around Rome's edict. We saw the tiniest of hints just as Rome and Rei were pulling away from the Vuduri compound. Fridone, who should have remained distraught, instead was seen doing something but Rome was not sure what:

  “Sure,” Rei responded, mindful of his wife’s delicate state of mind. “Sit back, though.”

  “Yes,” Rome replied and looked down to make sure that Aason was secure. Rei saluted the group then the cart lifted and began moving along the path that led back to the spaceport. Rome turned back to call out to her father but he was no longer with the group. She surveyed the courtyard and spotted her father running toward Melloy who had just appeared. Fridone was shouting and waving MINIMCOM’s image projector over his head. The cart went over a rise and then the compound went out of view.

  “Rei,” Rome said.

  “Yes, honey,” Rei replied.

  “My father,” Rome started. “He…”

  “Your father what?” Rei asked.

  Rome shrugged. “Never mind,” she said. “I will miss him.”

  “I’ll miss him too,” Rei said. “We’ll see him again before you know it.”

  “I certainly hope so,” Rome said.

  So what was he up to? MINIMCOM gave us a further hint as Rome and Rei were settling aboard the "Flying House" making preparations to lift off:

  Rei reached forward to press the button to activate the comm link then laughed to himself.

  “MINIMCOM,” he called out in his head. “Are you ready to go?”

  “I will be by the time you achieve orbit,” the computer/spaceship replied via the grille built into the console. “I am finishing collecting the various items we will need en route.”

  “Why are you answering me through the comm link?” Rei asked. “Why not in my head?”

  “We save that for when we need it. For the time being, Lawlidon does not need to be involved in everything,” MINIMCOM replied. “He is not tuned into this channel.”

  “Lawlidon?” Rei asked. “I thought he was deploying clones to guard against the Cecetiras and Stareaters.”

  “He is,” replied MINIMCOM. “There is no need to distract him. He has enough to do.”

  “OK,” Rei said, confused. “What other items do you need to collect?”

  “I have computed a variety of scenarios for when we arrive on Earth and want to be prepared for all of them,” replied MINIMCOM.

  “Well, that’s good,” Rei said, just as Rome came in through the entry way.

  So what was MINIMCOM collecting and why was he bein so sneaky? MINIMCOM and Fridone were conspiring together. For what? I'll tell you in a day or so.

  Entry 3-257: September 9, 2015

 

  A new magic trick

  Ever since he starting coming in contact with humans, MINIMCOM, once an auto-pilot computer, began to grow intellectually and emotionally throughout Rome's Revolution and subsequent books. In fact, in the beginning of The Ark Lords, he even gave birth to a son who we have come to know as Junior.

  When Rome was settling the looming civil war on Deucado, MINIMCOM performed one of his magic tricks by making Rome rise up into the air. His very first one, that of the whoosh pop snap transporter tunnels, took Rei by surprise. But his third trick was the greatest of them all:

  “All right,” Rome replied and reached forward to press a button on the console. She tapped an icon twice and the view screens switched to show part of the planet below them with MINIMCOM’s black bulk obscuring most of the star field behind them. Rei thought MINIMCOM looked much larger than before but there was no way to really gauge. Suddenly, without warning, MINIMCOM disappeared.

  “Where’d you go?” Rei asked, perplexed.

  “I am still behind you,” replied MINIMCOM.

  “No, you’re not,” Rei replied. He looked down at the MIDAR screen. MINIMCOM’s outline was still there. He looked at the view screens and all he saw was stars. He looked down at the MIDAR screen. There was no mistaking it. The 3D field of view showed MINIMCOM there plain as day.

  “Is your trick messing up the cameras?” Rei asked.

  “No, the cameras are untouched,” MINIMCOM said. The hybrid computer/spaceship winked back into view. He was exactly where he was before. Then he disappeared again. Then he popped back into view again. Then he was gone, this time for good.

       “What the he..,” Rei stopped speaking. He glanced over at Rome. “What the heck?!” Rei asked. “What are you doing?”

  “It is magic,” MINIMCOM said with cybernetic delight.

  “MINIMCOM, do not fool around,” Rome said sternly. “What are you doing?”

  “I took a page out of the book inscribed by the Deucadons,” the former space tug replied. “I simply project a sphere, a froth, might be a good word, of PPT tunnels around me. Light and radiation pass through the tunnels from one side to the other.. No light reflects so you cannot see me. The tunnels are very short range and I can choose what frequencies pass through them. Unless you knew I was here, you would not know I was here.”

  Magic, indeed. 35th century magic.

  Entry 3-258: September 10, 2015

 

  A movable hangar

  In the beginning of part 3 of Rome's Revolution, MINIMCOM had announced that he could get to Earth in 4 days. However, in his current configuration, there was no real place for humans at this point. So Rome and Rei arranged to have MINIMCOM tow them in the "Flying House" so they could have all the comforts of home while traveling at hyper-speed.

  MINIMCOM clarified things, sort of. He said he was going to transport them but he wasn't going to tow them. What seemed like a geometric impossibility will end up making for a great scene, if Rome's Revolution is ever made into a movie:

  With series of short bursts of his trim-jets, MINIMCOM ascended like he was on an elevator until he was well above Rei and Rome’s tug. He fired his plasma thrusters for a brief moment and used the momentum generated to fly past them. Once he was clear, he used his trim-jets in retro-mode to decrease his forward velocity until it matched that of the flying house. Then he used his trim-jets to lower himself until he was directly in front of the other tug. Once the configuration was set, MINIMCOM’s cargo door opened and the ramp lowered and they could see inside MINIMCOM’s dimly lit cargo compartment.

  “Now what are you going to do? Squeeze us inside there?” Rei laughed.

  “Please take your hands off the controls,” MINIMCOM requested.

  “OK, now what?” Rei asked doing just that.

  “Watch,” MINIMCOM replied.

  With that, his aft section began to expand. The cavity within changed from a rounded rectangle to triangular, becoming larger and wider. Visions of when MINIMCOM swallowed the Cecetira whole flashed before Rei. MINIMCOM became a bloated version of himself and soon the front section became obscured by the size of the rear. When the compartment was large enough, MINIMCOM fired his trim-jets gently in retro-mode. Because their relative velocity was now slightly higher than MINIMCOM’s, Rei and Rome’s tug crept forward directly into the cargo hold until MINIMCOM completely enveloped the flying house. Once inside, MINIMCOM activated the EG lifters to produce artificial gravity and the flying house settled onto the floor of the cargo compartment with nary a bump.

  “He really did, didn’t he?” Rei asked in amazement.

  “Yes, he did,” Rome replied in wide-eyed fascination.

  In front of them, Rei and Rome could only see MINIMCOM’s interior wall. Out their rear view monitors, they saw the cargo door and ramp close and then everything went dark.

  “Why am I not surprised?” Rei asked.

  Can you see this in your mind? MINIMCOM became a flying hangar; one that traveled at 500c or five hundred times the speed of light. Pretty cool, huh?

  Entry 3-259: September 11, 2015

 

  Doors and hair

  In the beginning of Part 3
of Rome's Revolution, Rome and Rei and Aason were safely nestled within the airtight confines of the "Flying House" which, in turn, was fully enclosed within MINIMCOM's cargo bay. As such, they were doubly cut off from space and didn't have much to do. So they did the thing that people normally do to pass the time. They chatted. But their conversation was oddly skewed:

  “I was wondering why the Vuduri even have doors,” Rei said.

  “Doors?” Rome said. “We must go in and out of structures.”

  “I know that,” Rei said. “I wasn’t talking about doorways like to buildings or spaceships. I didn’t mean outside doors. I was thinking about interior doors. Like the one you had back at Skyler Base…the one to your apartment. You told me that the Vuduri have no need for privacy.”

  “You are correct about that,” Rome said. “In fact, when I first arrived at Tabit, I was somewhat confused as well. I did not have a door on my room on Earth. My parents did but I did not.”

  “So what gives?” Rei asked. “On Tabit, why’d you use it? For modesty? When you got dressed?”

  Rome took a deep breath. “No. Vuduri do not have modesty. We do not wear clothing for fashion or to cover nudity. They are practical in that they are protective. For example, they keep us warm and the like.”

  “Well, you don’t have to tell me about fashion. Everyone I saw there looked and dressed exactly the same.”

  “Yes,” Rome replied. “That is done on purpose, to reduce distraction. You know we never wear colors,” she said.

  Rei laughed. Rome looked down. She was wearing a bright red and pink jumpsuit, complete with embroidery and billowy ends on her sleeves. She nodded in assent. “What I do now and what I did then do not need to be reconciled. It brings me joy now. That is sufficient.”

  “Of course,” Rei said, looking at his wife. “Speaking of fashion, there is something else I always wanted to ask you,” he said.