by S. H. Jucha
Renée stepped to Alex’s side, pulling on his arm.
Alex cut his implant stream and Mahima’s relief was evident as she sagged forward on the table. “Never speak to one of my people in that manner again, woman,” Alex ground out through clenched jaws. “And that goes for any of you and your people. I don’t care what you think of us. You will show each and every one of us the same courtesy you would extend to a fellow House Leader.” Alex eyed the members slowly, daring anyone to contradict his challenge.
“Now,” Alex said, turning to Tomas and indicating the audience, “Ser Monti, please continue with what you wanted to say to these good people.”
Tomas glanced between Alex and the rows of Leaders he faced. When Alex smiled at him, he grinned back, straightened his shoulders, and took a couple of steps forward.
“Thank you, Admiral,” Tomas said, nodding toward Alex. “Your graciousness is appreciated.” Turning to his audience, Tomas continued. “Sers, I was about to say that the Admiral is telling you the truth. I hold two silver ships in one of the Freedom’s bays. Already, teams of our engineers have been poring over these two specimens and are convinced that we can replicate them. It is only a matter of time before we understand the technology and can produce variations for vessels other than shuttles.”
Not wishing to miss his chance to speak his own mind to the Confederation’s much-vaunted Council, Eric stepped forward as well. “As another Director of House Alexander,” he said, nodding to Tomas, who quite genially returned the pleasantry, “I would go so far as to say that those of you who are interested in purchasing or trading for shuttles that cost little to operate, are noiseless, and can launch and travel the system without using reaction mass, should contact the Admiral’s friend aboard the Rêveur.”
“Your pardon, Director Stroheim,” Gino Diamanté asked politely. “Who is this friend we should address if we are interested in this technology?
“Why, Leader Diamanté,” Eric replied, relishing the moment, “that would be the Rêveur’s SADE, Julien.”
It took Gino Diamanté only a few moments process Eric’s response. He was well-known among the Council members for his quick mind, and he rapidly assimilated what he had just learned—the Admiral was a leader who demanded courtesy for every one of his people, a people who possessed exciting new technology, and he was a man who called his SADE “friend.”
“Thank you, Director Stroheim,” Diamanté replied, dipping his head and applying hand to heart.
Eric recognized the gesture for what it was and replied in kind, Leader to Leader. He stepped back with Tomas to stand behind Alex.
“Council Members,” Alex said, “I have one more item to impart before we leave. Our new colony will be open to any individuals and their families whom you declare as Independents. There will be no need to isolate them. They will always be welcome with us.”
Tomas could barely contain himself. He grinned as he finally understood the true concept of Terese’s medicinal application. If they weren’t in Council Chambers, Tomas would have hugged the Admiral with all the strength he could muster.
More than one Council member seemed incensed over Alex’s proposal, but they drew on their Méridien training to maintain their composure, not least because they had no desire to insult the huge New Terran and share in whatever punishment Leader Ganesh had already received.
“In the future,” Alex continued, “we will arrange for their transportation to our colony; you need only indicate who and where they are. We will communicate with them to ensure they wish to join us and make arrangements for their retrieval, if they so desire.”
“Council Leaders,” Tomas said, “I have a message for you from our people … specifically all those you branded as Independents. It is this: We are no longer your outcasts. We are free, free to do as we will, to make our way in this universe. Give us your respect and you can share in our society—do not and that will be your loss, not ours.”
Tomas turned to walk back in line and paused to give Alex a Leader’s greeting, which Alex returned.
“Sers,” Alex said to the members, delivering a graceful nod of his head, “I wish you a fortunate day.”
Alex turned and strode from the meeting, and his people fell in behind him.
On their way out, Eric sent a private comm to Tomas:
Tomas gave Eric a wry smile.
-32-
Alex intended to get off the planet as soon as possible, but Renée had another idea. When the group gained the transport level beneath Confederation Hall, Renée sent an address to Eric for the transport’s controller and informed Alex that a slight detour was in order. In turn, Alex signaled Julien, Sheila, and the Outward Bound’s security team of the delay. He asked Renée where they were going, but she replied that it was a surprise.
Their transport journey lasted nearly a quarter-hour, and as the groups took lifts back to the surface, Alex was surprised to discover they had covered a distance of 316 kilometers … 1,231 kilometers per hour, his app calculated. And that achieved by way of personal transport, Alex thought.
Near the surface, Renée stopped at a private lift and signaled for access, but the lift failed to respond. She shook her head in disgust and turned toward a public lift to the surface. They exited into bright sunlight, and the New Terrans found themselves in a surreal place. To their left was a megalopolis. Sky-towers stretched up into the clouds, and buildings covered every meter of the surface. There was no space for a pedestrian to walk.
In sharp contrast to the wall of structures, a huge private residence, from a much earlier period in Méridien’s history, stretched out along their right. Renée led them to a gated entrance, where she signaled the gates to open—only to fail again. She grabbed the ornate gates, dejectedly laying her head on her hands.
Alex eyed the more than two-meter-high wall protecting the grounds of the residence and, recalling the Méridiens’ penchant for ensuring the safety of their citizens, decided a frontal approach was a safe maneuver.
“People, stay put. Ser and I will be just a few moments.” Then Alex walked over to the wall, reached up to the top, and vaulted on to its meter-wide cap. “Captain Tachenko, if you will,” Alex said, nodding to Renée, who had followed him over to the wall and stood looking up at him.
Before Renée could puzzle out Alex’s meaning, she felt the powerful hands of Tatia enclose her waist and launch her up to Alex, who caught her and lowered her to the ground on the other side.
Alex, jumping down beside Renée, discovered he had stepped back into a centuries’ old period. Where the outer edge of the wall bordered a continuous coating of artificial, surface material, Alex’s boots were thirty centimeters deep in lush, colorful grasses. Small trees and shrubs dotted the landscaping, and a walkway led from the gates to the imposing three-story home that was sited over 300 meters away. Alex thought it ironic that the walkway led to gates that no longer had purpose. He ran after Renée, who had begun walking purposefully along the walkway toward the residence. Alex had several questions for Renée, but she didn’t appear to be in a talkative move. The cancellation of her access to her ancestral home seemed to have ended her relationship with her home world.
The walkway curved gracefully toward the residence, and as they rounded a gen
tle curve lined with what appeared to be fruit trees, Renée came to a sudden halt and planted her hands on her hips. Alex, who had been enjoying the landscaping, stopped hard to prevent running over Renée. He found her staring at a larger-than-life-sized statue of an Earth colonist atop a carved stone base. The man was posed simply, gazing toward the horizon, but his face and stance suggested confidence, capable of overcoming all obstacles.
“This is House de Guirnon,” Renée said. “And he,” she said, pointing to the statue, “was my Ancient for my entire life until my fateful voyage to the Cetus Colony.”
Alex recalled their initial meeting on the Rêveur’s bridge … his first face-to-face view of his Méridien cousins. Renée had called him an “Ancient,” and Julien had explained that Renée had not meant “old.”
“Quite the personage to live up to,” Alex said, gazing up at the statue.
“Ah, no, my love,” Renée replied and took Alex’s arm. “While this man must have been an intrepid Earther to leave his home and captain a colony ship to the stars, we have already begun a journey as difficult, if not more so, than his. Besides,” she said, turning to face Alex and pressing her chest to his, “he is made of metal alloy, and I much prefer this one of flesh and blood.” She kissed Alex with all the passion she felt for the man, who had redirected her life in a manner she could have never imagined, yet suited her as if it had been laser-measured.
Alex held Renée while the two gazed at the statue of the Ancient, House de Guirnon, and the expansive grounds until he felt her draw a deep breath and release it in a sigh. It was time to go. At the wall, Alex signaled Tatia, who easily vaulted to the top. Unfortunately Alex did not have Tatia’s vast experience managing the weight of opponents when he threw Renée up to Tatia. His excessive efforts led to Tatia snatching a squealing Renée as she sailed a good meter above Tatia’s head.
Oops, Alex thought.
After Tatia lowered Renée down on the other side of the wall, she turned a baleful instructor’s eye on Alex, who offered her an apologetic shrug.
* * *
Eric led the way back down to the transport tunnels and called a car. A half-hour later, the group was entering the terminal’s main lobby. The Terminal Manager was standing defiantly in front of the exit to the landing ways, with his arms crossed firmly across his chest and a scowl on his face. Alex stopped short of the man to allow him his moment to vent.
“Your behavior has been outrageous, Admiral. I don’t care whether you are New Terran or Méridien. This is conduct unbecoming any human. I will not tolerate this!” the upset manager spouted.
A slow grin spread across Alex’s face. “Well, Ser, if that’s the way you feel about it, I will take my shuttle and my Daggers and leave.”
As the indignant Méridien stepped aside, he delivered a final note, saying, “That is the least that you can do, Ser, and next time, follow the established protocols!”
In a short time, the armed shuttle was hurtling spaceward with the Daggers as escorts. Its first stop was the Freedom, where Alex, Tomas, and Eric exited before the shuttle returned to the Rêveur. Alex signaled Cordelia for an update on Mickey’s location, since the city-ship’s size prevented him from finding the engineer’s implant.
Mickey is making parts for a silver ship? Alex thought, incredulous at his engineer’s construction pace. Then another idea occurred to Alex to explain Mickey’s energetic surge. After the defeat of the Nua’ll, Pia had asked permission to transfer to the Freedom. His approval had earned him a hug, which lasted so long as to have Renée clearing her throat. Pia had responded that her transfer would take her out of the Admiral’s orbit for the near future, so she was stocking up on a healthy supply of Terese’s recommended medicinal remedy. To which Renée had replied that Pia had her own supply of New Terran medication. Pia had laughed, hugged Renée, and left to join Mickey and her family aboard the Freedom.
So, Mickey, you’re receiving a generous supply of Méridien medication, Alex thought.
Cordelia’s response was an intimate whisper in his ear.
Alex smiled to himself. Cordelia was getting good, very good, at her intimate touches. Her whisper had raised the hairs on his neck and elicited a visceral response a great deal lower than his neck. Cordelia had been fascinated by the personal interaction of Alex and Renée. Since she had had little basis for developing her art on this subject, Alex’s casual invitation to Cordelia to speak with Renée on the subject of human intimacy had thrown open the door for her. Renée had no qualms about discussing the subject at length, often emphasizing a point by playing a recording of her and Alex. Over time, Cordelia refined her algorithms, using Alex’s biometric feedback to measure the efficacy of her experiments to imitate intimate human contact, and she took every opportunity to practice her art on Alex, who had acceded to be her test subject.
When Alex, Tomas, and Eric entered the production bay, they were close enough to track Mickey, but still had to work to get to him. The bay was crowded with GEN machines and work stations. Engineers pored over vid displays of parts, circuits, and crystals, and techs scurried from one location to another, transporting raw material and finished parts. The entire bay’s conglomeration of stations and machines surrounded a frame about the size of a silver ship, and Mickey was at the center of it all.
“I think you have been inordinately busy, Mickey,” Alex said, walking close to the frame to examine its inner structure.
“After watching your performance in front of the Council, Admiral, it’s probably a good thing,” Mickey replied. “You keep promising everyone we will be successful soon.”
“That’s because I have so much confidence in you, Mickey,” Alex said, clamping a hand on the engineer’s shoulder. “Show me what you have.”
“We’ve determined, Admiral, that the Nua’ll technology and the Swei Swee shell are not dependent on the makeup of the frame, which allows us to build a traveler frame with standard Méridien bulkhead alloy. We’ve analyzed every circuit and part in our silver ships, and we’re duplicating what parts we can with our GEN machines. But we’ll need a planet-based facility to fabricate the grav-drives, energy crystals, and crystal circuits, which will still leave the Swei Swee shell,” Mickey said, staring expectantly at Alex.
“I know, Mickey,” Alex replied. “The shell is my responsibility, but I’m not ready to implement my plan until I know we’re closer to completing the internal structure. Keep at it, Mickey. You’ll have a planetside facility very soon.”
As Alex and the Directors left Mickey to his work, Tomas asked, “Am I to understand, Admiral, that our Chief Engineer believes he cannot reproduce the shells?”
&n
bsp; “That appears to be the consensus, Ser,” Alex replied. “Julien and Mickey spent a great deal of time analyzing our first shell. When Julien compared the measurements of that ship with these two new ones, he discovered subtle differences, and he concluded that the shells are one-off creations. We are left to believe that the Swei Swee test a shell as they build it.”
“What would they be testing, Admiral?” Eric asked.
“Julien shared the dimensions of all three silver ships with the other SADEs. Cordelia modeled each ship, and the SADEs ran hypothetical tests on them, passing various wavelengths of energy through the shells. They discovered that the energy passing through each shell created harmonics, but not necessarily at the same frequencies.”
“So you think the Swei Swee females ensure the shell resonates while they build it,” Tomas reasoned.
“But that would confirm, Admiral, that Ser Brandon is correct. Only the Swei Swee can create a shell,” Eric said.
“You would be absolutely correct, Director,” Alex declared as he entered a lift to return to the Rêveur, leaving two puzzled associates in his wake.
“Why do I feel another adventure coming soon, Ser?” Eric asked Tomas after the lift doors had closed on Alex.
* * *
Cordelia signaled Julien that Alex was aboard a shuttle, exiting a bay for the Rêveur.
In response to his request, Alex heard Leader Gino Diamanté’s voice say, <“Honored friend of the Admiral, I’m responding to the Admiral’s invitation to learn more of this amazing technology that your people possess….>