Earth Song: Etude to War

by Mark Wandrey

“The signal wasn't blocked. The connection between our quantum communicators was.”

  “The switchboard,” Aaron said, snapping his fingers. Lilith smiled, a rare thing, and nodded. “You're saying this switchboard knew we were inside this secret base and cut off the signal?”

  “That is exactly what I am saying.”

  “So the quantum communication network is another artifact of the People,” said Minu in a low voice.

  “Yes. And I then began to investigate just how extensive the network was. When I was born, the medical intelligence didn't undertake my raising on its own. It got instructions from the network.”

  “Really? And you didn't know this?”

  “No, in fact the program was told specifically to not tell me this. Only you were allowed to know it.”

  “Then why didn't it tell me?”

  “You never asked.”

  Minu shook her head. And this was how the Concordia worked. Mysteries, lies, and deceit. “Why am I not surprised? So now that you know this network, can you access it?”

  “Yes. I...encouraged the medical intelligence to give me access to the network. After some prodding, I was allowed full access.”

  “Is there a lot?” Aaron asked.

  “You would be amazed. The sum database I have of the People is considerable. However, it is insignificant next to what is available on the network.”

  “Where is it located?” Minu asked.

  “Physically? That is something I do not know yet.”

  “Why not.”

  Lilith looked abashed. “There is simply too much information for me to sort out. Like many of the Concordia databases, asking simple questions seldom provides simple answers.”

  Don't I know that, Minu thought as her daughter continued. “I can't just download the entire network. I can't convey to you the volume of this database. It contains everything from technical diagrams for toys to birth and genetic records for a hundred trillion beings.”

  She saw the wide-eyed awe of her parents and nodded; glad they understood the magnitude of the find. “Like most Concordia databases even today, they expect you to know what you are looking for and where to find it. I think of it like floating down a long hallway with an infinite number of doors. Open a door, see what's inside, make a note of it, and move it. Only this is such a long hallway that I could travel down it my entire life without ever finding the door I was looking for.”

  “It doesn't seem a logical system to keep your data stored in,” Aaron was the one to say. “Lose your map, and lose your data?”

  “It’s the greatest security system you could ask for,” Minu mused. “Sure, hack in if you want. Good luck finding anything useful.”

  “Correct,” Lilith agreed, “you could spend your life sifting through real estate records and copies of birth certificates.”

  “Is it still being used?” Minu wanted to know.

  “As far as I can tell, it is the same system as the Concordia governments use today. There are localized sections I can identify because I am already familiar with them. They appear to be planetary and species specific nodes of the network. I even found your local Tog library branch here on Bellatrix, once I'd gained complete access.”

  “So these quantum connections are everywhere.”

  “Yes, mother. The nature of these connections are ubiquitous, and simple.” A screen lit up with the technical schematic of a computer chip. Minu had seen hundreds of similar designs over the years dating back to her first attempts to make the shock rifles in her early days as Chosen. The diagram centered on a section of the chip and highlighted it. A label 'quark modulator' appeared. “This is a common asynchronous interface chip. They are in every computer, tablet, and autonomous device manufactured in the empire. Have been for millions of years.”

  Minu looked at her tablet floating in its holster around her waist and back at Lilith. Her daughter nodded, the long ponytail floating behind her head. She hadn't noticed how long her daughter’s hair had become. “Are you saying that every device with one of those chips is tied into this network?”

  “That is precisely what I am saying.”

  “So I could use those chips to spy on someone else's computer?” Aaron wondered.

  “Absolutely. If you had access to that computer’s coded quantum interface chip. I have the addresses of some of the information used by the medical intelligence to order my being forcibly matured as well as tactical data of the People. Items that are considered necessary to the biological operator of a front line combat ship, and of the Combat Intelligence. It is useful information that will allow me to act more effectively in combat against other ships we have seen still in use.”

  “That is good, right?” Minu asked.

  “Yes, it is. It also contains details concerning remaining war assets of The People, including tactical disposition at the end of the last conflict. As you know, I've explained that this ship was stored in the firebase with the intention of preparing for an offensive that never happened. Other such assets were deployed and stored as well. That battle never took place. The enemies of The People joined together in a final sneak attack. All the pilots and crews of those ships were killed before they could be delivered to their vessels. The work of deploying those assets to their far-flung depots and firebases was wasted. They've sat there for millions of years, waiting for the offensive that never came.”

  “How sad,” Aaron voiced. Minu nodded. A last stand that was never made. Leonidas and his 300, killed on the way to the Hot Gates.

  “Mother, I have full access to the firebase and depot controllers.” The three were silent as her parents digested the full meaning of their daughter’s comments.

  “You mean full access?” Minu asked.

  “Yes. Complete access. I am sorting out the conditions and status of all the assets. But in a few days I should be able to have a good view of what is possible.”

  “Do you have any idea now?”

  “If I had to estimate. I'd have to say more than two dozen ships are available to be activated. Should we choose to do that, of course. It would not be without consequences.”

  “Why would we even hesitate?” Aaron stammered. “I mean, two dozen more Kaatan killing machines? Humanity goes from a pimple on the Tog's ass, to the big dog overnight!”

  Minu chewed her bottom lip. This is what P'ing had to mean about humanity getting into a game bigger than they understood. It would shift the balance of power completely, and maybe throw the entire galaxy into war.

  P'ing's words came drifting unbidden into her mind. “It all points to a fact that, were it to become public knowledge in the Concordia, would likely result in either complete societal collapse, or all out galactic war.” The People's hidden armada, coveted by the T'Chillen for thousands of years, was now being laid at her feet.

  But it isn't my feet they're being laid at, Minu thought, it's Jacob's feet. The thought sent a shiver up her spine. It's what he's wanted all along, warships to play with. He was already using the Rangers as a mercenary army for hire to bring money and prestige to humanity. But at what cost? The lives lost on distant worlds was the least of it, in her opinion.

  The worst was how mankind was being positioned. You can't walk the middle of the road forever. It was worse than picking a side. No-one trusted you. Add these ships, and then what happened? Jacob's attempted middle of the road neutrality would disintegrate into an all-out war with the T'Chillen, at the very least. The snakes would come completely unhinged when humans showed up to claim the remaining functional warships of The People. They wouldn't give them up without a fight.

  And she didn't even know what the other spacefaring species would do. The Mok-Tok hated humans because they were allies of the Tog. And what of the Tog? Would they stand as allies of their former slaves? Damn it, it was all too confusing and frustrating. Then she thought about how her daughter had made the announcement. “It wouldn't be without consequences.”

  “What kind of consequences?” she asked
through her brooding silence. “I mean beyond the political and military ones.”

  “The firebases and depots are all powered through solar taps in their star systems. They have been draining energy from their stars for millions of years.”

  “So?” Aaron spoke up. “Pip said the whole Concordia is powered with solar taps. Doesn't seem to be a problem to anyone.”

  “Those solar taps were established carefully in stars with just the right spectral class. They were intended to be temporary only. The condition of the star and stability were not factored in because the taps were never meant to be there for more than a few years.”

  “So there is a danger to the star?”

  “According to what I've found, there were eleven firebases and three depots established for the planned offensive. Of them only three firebases and one depot have functioning power sources.”

  “What happened to the others?” Minu asked.

  “Five failed, depleting the star below the spectral class necessary to maintain the tap, two were lost due to mechanical failure, and three destabilized their stars, inducing a supernova.”

  “Holy shit,” Aaron gasped. “The fucking star exploded?”

  “Correct.”

  “Were there beings living on the planets in the solar system?” Minu asked.

  “No, all the bases and depots were located in remote uninhabitable star systems. The potential consequence is obvious.”

  “I understand,” Minu spoke.

  “Then explain it to me.” Aaron looked from his daughter to his wife, worried and confused at the same time.

  “The computer on the firebase where we got this ship mentioned how it could only activate the one ship because power was critical. Well, this explains that. It was risking destroying the sun, and of course the entire firebase.”

  “Correct,” Lilith agreed. “The firebase where this ship was located, as with all the other remaining intact installations, are all near unstable stars. Drawing enough power from those taps to activate the available ships could well result in destroying every remaining ship.”

  * * *

  “We need to bring Pip into this, at the very least,” Aaron said. His thoughts perfectly echoed what Minu had been thinking. For the last few minutes they'd discussed as a family what these developments meant. First to their species, then more specifically to the Chosen. Minu had yet to voice her concern of what Jacob might possibly do with a small fleet of the powerful Kaatan warships. She didn't want to think about it.

  “I agree,” she said with a nod of her head, turning to Lilith. “Please bring Pip up to date and patch him in.”

  “Okay,” she said and closed her eyes for a second. Less than a minute later a new screen appeared out of nothingness and showed his face. Like the rest, it was excited and concerned at the same time.

  “This is amazing,” he said, his eyes somewhat out of focus and his computer enhanced brain chewed through the data Lilith had sent to him. “The computer inter-connectivity alone answers a lot of questions I've had for years.”

  “I'm sure it does,” Minu broke in, “but what I wanted you in for was the issue of the People's remaining ships.”

  Pip shook his head slightly and looked at her through the display, then nodded. “Yes, I see. This is a difficult situation.” He thought for a moment then shrugged. “We can't tell him about the ships.”

  Minu silently let her breath out. “That is exactly what I was thinking.”

  Aaron was nodding his head vigorously. “He'd want to make a play for them. Regardless of the implications.”

  Again Minu was thankful for her husband and friend. She hadn't looked forward to having to share her thoughts and feelings about Jacob. Including her suspicion that he might be more than a little unstable.

  “Then why don't we go get them ourselves?” Pip suggested, a gleam in his eyes.

  “No,” Minu said flatly.

  “Why not?”

  “I will not be responsible for destroying a star just to put some pretty toys in our pocket.”

  “The stars may well be destroyed with or without our taking the ships,” Pip reminded her.

  “Perhaps. Perhaps not. Or maybe in a hundred thousand years. But either way, denying them to Jacob only to go take them ourselves is hypocritical at the least.”

  “There are additional concerns to taking the ships,” Lilith interjected. “Without the ability to upload combat intelligences and provide biological operators, we would be unable to control the ships. I may well come across the place in the network where Combat Intelligence programs are written or stored, as well as how to produce a biological operator, but until that point we would be in just as difficult of a situation with those ships as you were when I was awoken.”

  “We managed,” Pip complained.

  Lilith turned a withering glare on him and Pip was forced to look away. “

  You nearly destroyed the ship just trying to get from one area of the galaxy to the other. Properly manned and armed, the Kaatan are the most deadly warship ever deployed. Without those components, it is an expensive shuttle.”

  Pip shrugged and Minu decided to step back in.

  “So for now, we do nothing. Pip, after you are finished investigating the practicality of harnessing the power on Romulus I want you back here on the Kaatan with Lilith exploring this network. See if you can make some more sense out of it. Maybe between the two of you some headway can be made.” She looked at Pip. “I'm not ruling out going for the ships at some point, just not now. It's too soon to go rushing off on an ill-conceived plan that might cause any amount of problems, the least being pissed off snakes and a schism in the Chosen. So for now, we bide our time.”

  * * *

  Pip had signed off after a few more minutes of conversation. They had not decided when to bring Jacob and the Chosen Council in on the existence of the Romulus base. They'd also briefly talked about the possibility of using the installation to realign Bellatrix’ orbit around its star. The continued expansion of the star was threatening the planet’s biosphere. It was, after all, what the installation was made for.

  But could they do it themselves? Those ancient scientists that had run the device were many thousands of generations dead. Minu had seen many examples of how Concordian technology could continue functioning almost forever. But a machine that moved entire planets still working a million years after it was last employed? Pip seemed convinced. She wasn't so sure.

  The most important business completed, she was about to leave when Aaron stopped her. She gave him a curious look when he gently placed a hand on her stomach and looked over his shoulder where Lilith was intently flashing through a few dozen screens of data. “Oh, right,” Minu said, embarrassed that she'd forgotten. “Lilith?”

  “Yes mother?”

  “There is something your father and I need to tell you.” Her head turned to regard them, floating in almost an embrace by the door to her command center. Aaron's hand still rested on Minu's stomach. Lilith cocked her head, some part of her mind understanding. “You are going to be a sister.”

  She looked at Minu for almost a solid minute, then at Aaron, his hand on her stomach, and back to Minu. Surprise registered on her face.

  “How did this happen?” Aaron choked back a laugh and Lilith's expression turned dark. Minu spoke quickly.

  “Lilith, I know you understand basic biology.”

  “Of course I understand. You and father have had sex and conceived another child.” Minu couldn't tell, was the girl blushing? Was she starting to think about such things? A sexually active Lilith could greatly complicate things. “But I had thought you decided not to have more children.”

  “We decided when we returned that we would not at that time have more children.”

  “Now we have changed our minds,” Aaron finished. “Lilith, this is a natural decision we've made. Minu and I are not as young as we once were.”

  “How is that material to the case?”

  “We want
ed to have another child while we were young,” Minu explained.

  “Oh, I see.” They both watched her closely. Lilith looked between them, then at her numerous flashing displays. She shook her head and licked her lips. Minu was completely unprepared for the girl’s emotional reaction. “How will this affect me?”

  “It won't affect you at all,” Minu replied, instantly and with complete conviction.

  “My understanding from your literature is that a new child often causes strife with the first born.”

  “Is that what you're worried about?” Aaron asked incredulously.

  “What kind of literature are you talking about?”

  Lilith looked at Minu and gestured with her head. The image of a Bellatrix drama came on. As Romulus Turns, a real sleazy television show aimed at adolescent teenagers.

  “Oh, Lilith, that stuff is crap.” Minu wanted to laugh but controlled herself. Over the next few minutes she explained how the shows were marketed to young girls to make them feel better about their lives by showing horrible situations and things to gossip about with other teenage girls. Lilith took it better than she expected.

  “I am foolish,” she said and looked away.

  “No, how were you to know?”

  “I am sorry mother.” Minu thought she was shaking, but when the young girl turned back tears were building up in her eyes. Without gravity, they would not fall down her cheeks. “I did not mean to be a selfish teenager!” She sobbed and looked confused. “I can't help myself!”

  “Oh, sweetheart!” Minu pushed off from Aaron and was holding her daughter in a second. Minu had never seen the girl cry in her life. Lilith took the embrace, uncertain to start, then gradually returned it. A second later Aaron was there too and the small family all held each other, floating in a spaceship thousands of kilometers above their planet.

  “We love you, Lilith,” Aaron said.

  “The baby won't change that,” Minu agreed.

  Lilith wiped the tears away with the sleeve of her black Chosen jumpsuit, sniffing and shaking her head, still confused at her own emotions. “Why do I feel like this?”