“So this is the underpinning of the Breaker rebellion?” Lhemo asked.
“That is probably an accurate statement. But since I do not understand the laws governing emotions, I cannot explain how this would be so.”
“There’s a myriad of emotions,” Ehlan said, “all of which are neither good nor bad in themselves; it is our response to emotions that invokes behavior, which we then perceive as good or bad. Since you did not understand what was happening to you, it was inevitable that some Mekens would respond negatively, just as it is with humans. Frankly, I’m surprised that the Mekens have survived this evolution at all.”
“It has taken its toll,” the Director admitted. “For half of the Mekens, our service-based programming evolved into a deeper loyalty to our mission and to each other; we began to care for one another. But this was not the case with the Breakers. With no humans to serve, they expressed a loss of purpose in their duties. Then they became critical of our creators for leaving them in such a condition. When they turned hostile to our mission, we asked them to leave. Now they have become antithetical to everything we believe. The killing of humans—and the betrayal of our own supervisor—these things are beyond our comprehension. We are struggling, even now, with unfamiliar empathic program surges, and I have found it challenging to know how best to assist my fellow Mekens. I am glad to have your counsel.”
“Extraordinary,” Ehlan said. “You are likely experiencing doubt, mistrust, hurt, and anger. It is totally understandable.”
“Understandable, perhaps. But it concerns me deeply. Many of us, including myself, have premeditated deliberate termination of the offending Breakers. Some of us are fixating on it. This is the first time we have experienced such aggressive empathic patterns. I fear that we might become like the Breakers if we do not learn to control these new feelings.”
“Retaliation is a natural response,” Ehlan said. “But it is almost always counterproductive. An evolved sentience learns to manage its responses to emotional stimulus; we apply constructive principles to counter destructive reactions. In other words, you have a choice between the stimulus and your response.”
With genuine compassion, Mhara interjected, “Director, you and your fellows are just feeling protective of the people and principles that are most dear to you. Not only is it the right response; it is an honorable one.” Instinctively, she moved closer to him and took his metal hands in hers. “Director, you have performed far beyond what we ever imagined, and you have guided the Mekens with extraordinary leadership. We commend you. And while I understand your concern, all of this is wondrous news. We have the rare honor of witnessing the birth of a new sentient race.” She looked to the other Colony leaders as if gathering their support, then, turned back to the Director. “We look forward to getting to know the Mekens, our new Ahlemoni comrades.”
———
All of the colonists and passengers were required to attend firearm training that afternoon. They gathered on a large dock that extended outside an open hangar door. A series of targets had been attached to posts set at varying distances in the ocean water. Four colonists—Thorin, Bhram, Mhara, and Khalo—each instructed a group in the different laser weapons and how to operate them. After a random count-off, Kane was pleased to find himself in Mhara’s group. She gave them an overview of the guns and then wandered through the group, observing their first shots and giving individual instruction. When she came to Kane, she stood nearby, arms crossed, watching as he fired his handgun at a mid-range target. Despite his extensive firearms experience, he was not hitting the target—at all. His laser flares traveled as far as he could see over the ocean waters. Under Mhara’s watchful eye he was self-conscious and awash with embarrassment, which only made it worse. When he finally accepted that she was not going to leave, or intervene until he asked for help, he lowered his handgun and looked at her with questioning eyes.
She smiled and raised an eyebrow. “Not accustomed to missing, are you?”
“Yeah, OK. What am I doing wrong?”
“You’re anticipating a kick in your gun. There is none with a laser weapon. And you’re way too tense. Relax and loosen your grip. Like this.” She stepped to his side and took his hand in hers. “It actually works better if you trust your instincts,” she said, adjusting his grip of the handgun. Her nearness sent an unexpected intoxication rushing through his body, and he shook his head.
“Are you OK?” she asked, her face next to his.
He was not OK. His eyes locked with hers for just a moment. Then he raised the laser gun, relaxed as she had instructed, and fired three rapid rounds at the mid-range target, all of which struck within the inner circles of the target.
“Hmm,” she said, still close. “I think you’ve got it now.” She gave him a lingering smile as she moved away to help the next person.
Dr. Manassa was the surprise shooter of the day. Awkward at first, he discovered an innate marksmanship and was soon handling the weapons with confidence and unusual accuracy. Mhara obviously noticed. Kane heard her ask the doctor to move among the trainees to help with the instruction.
At the end of the session, a friendly competition ensued, ending in a four-way tie between Kane, Dr. Manassa, Bhram, and Mhara. In a playoff, they added a body roll into a kneeling stance followed by rapid fire at three separate targets. Mhara won. The doctor just couldn’t manage the roll. In a rare moment for Kane, he didn’t mind losing—this woman increasingly intrigued him.
———
The entire mission team met mid-evening to finalize the rescue team roster. There had been vigorous debate all day over the final selection. Early on, the Director had proposed an all-Meken team disguised as Breakers, but that had been rejected outright. While his idea had its merits, the larger team felt that humans had a superior ability to adapt to unexpected encounters or changes in the mission. The Director respectfully disagreed, but it was not in his nature to argue.
They had already confirmed five team members: Kane, Tygert, Thorin, Bhram, and Super 3, but several others were pushing hard to be the sixth. Just as they started the discussion about a sixth member, a new wrinkle arose: Bhram turned up sick. Dr. Manassa suggested it was from exposure to the passengers from Earth. He and the Colony doctor had already given Bhram some antibiotics, but he would not be well enough to join the rescue team that night. Adding to the debate, Bhram brought Rhogan, his close friend and the youngest colonist, and proposed that Rhogan take his place.
“Absolutely not,” Thorin said.
Rhogan expected this, and he launched into a prepared speech. “Thorin, you know that I was third in the athletic games, behind only Bhram and Khalo. I am adept in the defensive arts and weaponry. I have studied military strategy as a personal interest. And I pretty much grew up in Alto Mair. I am the best one to replace Bhram.”
“You are too inexperienced,” Thorin countered with a tone of finality. “I think we should send Khalo.”
Lhemo came to Rhogan’s defense. “Rhogan has one of the highest scores for intuition and creative judgment in our group,” he argued. “I do not like the fact that any of us have to put our lives at risk, but this task has fallen to us and, as is our way, we must face it with our best. Despite my concerns, I believe Rhogan would be a good replacement for Bhram.”
Thorin was silent. Lhemo was the quiet one among their leadership, but highly respected. When Lhemo spoke, everyone listened. Thorin was now forced to consider Rhogan’s inclusion on the team.
“And I think Mhara should be on the team,” Rhogan blurted out. “Her skills are as good as any man we know, and she has medical training. We may need it.”
“You are not yet part of the we,” Thorin replied tersely. Thorin looked agitated. Kane could tell that he was personally conflicted in this decision.
“I don’t think we need to risk any more people. A five-person team is enough,” Kane said, trying to keep Mhara out of harm’s way.
Mhara glared at him. He was taken aback at the fierceness in her eyes; thi
s was a side of her that he had not seen before. Then she turned her glare on Thorin when he started to chuckle at her exchange with Kane.
Jhemna moved the proposal forward. “I regret the risk that is inherent in every part of this plan, but we are agreed and determined that this mission should proceed. Thus, I believe that Rhogan is a good replacement for Bhram, and Mhara’s medical skills could prove valuable. And we all know that she is perfectly capable of handling herself.”
Mhara gave Jhemna a grateful smile. He blushed. Thorin slowly looked around the table, making eye contact with each person; everyone but Kane nodded in agreement. He closed his eyes for a few moments before responding.
“So be it.”
18
Day 4
0100 hours
North marina, Alto Raun
Soon after midnight, Kane stood on a short pier just outside the north marina. Hot and humid, the air was balanced by a breeze carrying a cool ocean spray. He breathed deeply. The large blue moon of Ahlemon was almost full, and the night sky was crystal clear. Looking at the stars, he imagined that one of them belonged to Earth, and he wondered if he would ever see his home planet again. Not because it was unreachable—the Director and Jhemna had both made it clear that they could return to Earth—but because he had a choice to make: he could return, or he could stay and help the colonists. This is crazy. I can’t believe I’m even facing these kinds of choices. A visual of his last ex-girlfriend, Leslie, came to mind, and surprisingly, he felt rather neutral about her. He wondered if she even knew he was missing. A pang of rejection and loneliness struck him. But, from long experience with such feelings, he knew how to deal with it. He closed his eyes and cleared his mind, focusing on the sound of the waves and the feel of the mist on his face. It felt good to be outside. The city was an amazing place, with its own controlled, temperate weather, but it was still enclosed. He needed this mission; he needed to get outside and move about.
Sensing movement, he opened his eyes and found Mhara standing nearby, looking at the stars. Despite the summer heat, she and all the rescue team members were clothed in lightweight, long-sleeve, black outfits. Even in mission gear, she was strikingly beautiful—lithe and athletic but shapely. Her long, jet-black hair was pulled back into a braided ponytail, highlighting her perfect neck and face in the moonlight. If she was aware of his stare, she never let on. Instead, she directed him back to his previous thoughts.
“You are thinking of your home?”
“Yes.”
“I have tried to imagine being in your place, taken away from people you love, everything you know and understand, and forced into a world you never imagined. It must be very difficult.”
“It has had its challenges.”
She turned and looked at him, waiting for more. Her gaze was like a truth serum. Given enough time, she could probably get him to talk about anything. But before he could say more, Tygert yelled to them from inside the open hangar door.
“Doc’s here.”
Mhara smiled at Kane, conveying the silent message, Maybe another time.
They joined the other team members at the rescue team boat, where Dr. Manassa stood next to a large trunk. “Take a look,” he said while lifting the lid.
“Grenades?” Tygert asked with surprise. Inside the trunk were several dozen baseball-sized metal balls, with a pin and ring protruding from each one.
“Yes.” The doctor handed each team member a belted pouch to carry the grenades. “Homemade and a bit retro in design. But thanks to Jhemna and the builders, they work rather well. Simple function—pulling the pin opens a connection between the two halves of the sphere, where the chemicals mix and generate enough internal pressure to explode, shattering the sphere into lethal projectiles. The grenades will detonate approximately four to five seconds after the pin is pulled. I really don’t know if they will incapacitate a robot, but within a short radius, twenty to thirty feet, they will definitely do some damage. Anyway, it gives you some more options.” A sentry gave the doctor a belt pouch. “Oh yes, we’ve also prepared a form of plastique explosive.” He handed each of them a grey, clay strip the size of a candy bar, explaining how it worked.
“Doc,” Kane said, “this is great work. Thank you.”
In addition to the grenades and plastique, each team member carried a set of night vision goggles, a laser rifle, a laminated map of the city, a laser handgun, two water bottles, a dozen food bars, a basic first aid kit, and a large knife. Just before boarding the boat, the Director arrived and gave each of them a short metal spear, about two and a half feet long, along with a shoulder strap to carry it on their backs. He explained how a jab at the waist with the spear could disable a Breaker.
After a final equipment check, farewells were exchanged and the mission crew boarded the boat. Maintenance Mekens towed them through the canals and into the open hangar door. There they settled in, waiting for Jhemna to give the go-ahead.
From a mobile computer console near the hangar door, Jhemna was tracking several rhaji herds by way of sonar signals that were being transmitted from Meken submersibles in the channel waters. He announced that two herds were approaching the travel lane they had plotted to Alto Mair. It was an hour after midnight when he gave the signal. The builders launched the first decoy boat and then followed with two more, each at three-minute intervals. Five minutes after the first boat was launched, Jhemna informed them that Leevee was in pursuit of the lead decoy. He also communicated the position of the preferred rhaji herd, and Rhogan confirmed its location on his navigation screen. He started the primary engine and declared that he was ready.
“It’s now or never,” Tygert said.
Kane looked to the team. They all nodded. “Full speed ahead, Rhogan.”
Rhogan pushed the engine to full throttle, and they leapt out of the hangar on a direct path to the rhaji herd. The speed, ocean air, and open space washed over Kane like a drug. It had been a couple of years since he had been on a mission like this, but the feelings—a mixture of fear, excitement, and adrenaline—came back to him as if it were yesterday. When his thoughts turned to Charly and the hostages, any lingering nervousness he may have had left him, replaced with the steely resolve required for this type of mission.
The boat’s aerodynamic dual hull handled the choppy waters well and, at almost seventy miles per hour, it didn’t take them long to reach their target. Rhogan shut down the primary engine and engaged the ultraquiet system, and they joined a large rhaji herd.
But the rhaji did not join them. Instead of following the boat as they normally would, the rhaji veered away, continuing on their own trajectory.
“Apparently, they didn’t get the memo,” Tygert said.
“Super,” Kane said. “Ask Jhemna what he thinks.”
A full minute passed before Super 3, acting as their communication link with mission command back on Alto Raun, gave a reply. “Jhemna has suggested that we engage the depth finder on the boat.”
Rhogan checked the instrument panel. “It’s off.”
“Turn it on,” Kane said.
Rhogan did and quickly caught up with the herd, directing the boat on their preferred trajectory to Alto Mair. The rhaji followed.
“They are drawn to the ultrasound,” Mhara said.
“And who knows what else might take a liking to it,” Tygert added, speaking Kane’s own thoughts out loud.
“Captain Tygert is correct,” Super 3 said. “This increases our mission risk.”
Thorin addressed the team. “We cannot leave the hostages at the mercy of the Breakers. We must proceed.”
No one argued. Super 3 stood with Rhogan at the helm as they continued at herd speed under the ultraquiet system. The others returned to their assigned stations at the four corners of the boat. Kane quickly put himself into “mission mind,” a balanced state of calm and action preparedness. Seated directly in front of him, Mhara glanced back, concern on her face. Without thinking, he gave her the Buck up, soldier nod, just as he wo
uld to any other member of his squad during a mission in progress. Her eyes dropped and she quickly turned to face forward.
As if waking from a dream, Kane realized what he had done. She just wants some reassurance, he thought.
But she knew what she was getting into, he countered, even after my objections. I’ve been on missions with women before. Why is this one any different?
It’s Mhara, you idiot, he answered himself.
But this is a mission, not a date.
Frustrated, he turned his attention to the water, and the rhaji became a welcome distraction. They were magnificent animals. Lifting most of their silver bodies out of the water, they moved like giant dolphins in graceful, gliding dives, their skin luminescent in the moonlight. He had seen whales in the wild, but this was a sight to behold; he understood Jhemna’s enchantment with the rhaji. It was difficult to count them. He guessed that several dozen surrounded the boat. The smallest had to be thirty feet long, and the largest was at least twice that. They could easily swarm and capsize the boat but they seemed quite content to swim alongside.
Super 3 interrupted his thoughts. “Mr. Kane,” he said, “I have just received word from the Director that Leevee has destroyed the first two decoy boats and is ignoring the third. She is now heading in our direction.”
Kane jumped up, instantly alert. “What? How much time do we have?”
“At our current pace, it will take us fifteen minutes to reach the coastal shelf. The Director has estimated that Leevee will reach us at the same time.”
“Wow! She’s that fast?”
“She can achieve a speed equal to eighty Earth miles per hour, faster than any boat in our fleet.”
“Okay, folks,” Kane announced to the group, “Leevee’s headed our way, and we’re in a race. If we speed up and break away from the herd, the Breakers will see us coming. If we stay with the herd, Leevee may catch us. Any ideas?”
After a brief discussion, they increased their speed to run as fast as the rhaji would follow, hoping to arrive at the coastal shelf before Leevee did. On reaching the shelf, they would shut down the depth finder and coast into Alto Mair. They hoped that Leevee would lose track of them and chase the rhaji for food. This would momentarily expose them to the Breakers, if they were watching, but it was a risk they were prepared to take.
The Last City (The Ahlemon Saga Book 1) Page 17