Prophet and the Blood March (Prophet of ConFree)

by Marshall S. Thomas

  "But we don't even know where this happened, or when, or what it was all about."

  "We know the UMC is involved in whatever it is, because of the Pterosaur aircar, and it appears they are targeting the Legion. That's very troubling. It may indicate that this event is happening somewhere in UMC vac. Maybe. We need more details. But there's more. Those reeds, for example. Weren't they strange?"

  "I guess. What about them?"

  "An initial query on reed species revealed nothing like them. But we've got a whole inhabited galaxy of reed species to research. If we can find that species, we may find where this strange action was taking place."

  "But the dream doesn't tell us anything."

  "It goes in the files, Prophet. DX Prophet Year 384, episode 001. The first of many, I promise. And soon it will make sense. You'll see."

  "Well, I hope you're right, Professor."

  Δ

  "Help me. Help me. Any thinking being, help me. That's the message," Bees said, yanking off her headphones. "That's the message! Any thinking being! Listen to it, Prophet." She handed me the earphones and I slipped them on.

  A cold infinity of space, rushing past, forever. A hopeless chasm. I tried hard but could not make out anything. Only faint flickers of… something.

  "Are you sure about this, Bees?"

  "Positive! You know how DX thoughts work. They're not words, but they represent words. They think in their language but our brains receive the thoughts and interpret them in our language. Of course these headphones don't magnify sound but they magnify neural energy. We hear only the thoughts, not the words, but those thoughts are clear and our brain tells us what the thoughts are."

  "I can't hear either thoughts or words."

  "It's a call for help. To any thinking being."

  "Any hint who it's from?"'

  "Only that it's someone with a DX brain."

  "How do we know this isn't millions of years old?" I asked.

  "Doc Dimension says these DX brain waves bypass the speed of light. DX exists in another plane, he said. And the waves travel in DX, the dimension."

  "Any way to determine where these thoughts came from?"

  "Not so far."

  "Then you'd better keep monitoring that freq to pick up more info."

  "I'll do that."

  Δ

  As I was breakfasting with Honeyhair in the Delta Diner I noted a message from the Prof to all Deltas on my comset. Honeyhair hates it when I read at the table but makes an exception for breakfast because we are supposed to fam ourselves with the galactic news before reporting to work.

  The communication read: All Deltas: Please read today's lead story in the Legion Tacmap. Important. Prof.

  "Honey, get me the Legion Tacmap," I ordered my tacmod. The edition appeared.

  UMC, PPDD TO MERGE

  UMC EXPANSION TROUBLING FOR INNERS

  Spartos, PPDD, 384/04/13 – from IGNS. With editorial comments from the Legion Tacmap.

  The conclusion of the UMC-PPDD Pol-Or Ministers meeting today resulted in unanimous agreement that the United Mocain Coalition and the People's Progressive Democratic Distributive are to be merged under one progressive people's government, effective immediately. Steps are already underway to establish the new governmental structure which will assure economic stability in face of the troubling situation in the PPDD. The UMC is seen as a strong and stable neighbor that will not only resolve the PPDD's economic problems but will also stand as a bulwark against the war-hungry CrimCon's bloody Triple Alliance. The PPDD will join the United Mocain Coalition and will enjoy all benefits of UMC member states.

  The Legion Tacmap's translation of the above Inter-Galactic News Service announcement into Inter reveals the following: The UMC has absorbed the PPDD, which is no more. The new state will be known as – wait for it – the UMC. The UMC has successfully doubled its size, terrifying the PPDD into submission. The PPDD had no choice as they were facing world-wide rioting from a population demanding free money from an empty treasury. The UMC will resolve the problem by killing the rioters and imposing their own economic system which is marginally better than the PPDD's, although it does not involve free money. This is a good move for the UMC which has been looking for an affordable way to expand its space in the Inners without risking its military power. This will give the Mocains a new border with the Pherdan Federation which will not be pleased to find an aggressive UMC as its new neighbor. Hint for the Pherdans: If you want to retain your independence you might want to consider cozying up to the CrimCon, which has a very good record of protecting its friends. Oh that's right, you're not friends with ConFree. Well, it was just a thought.

  Not mentioned in the IGNS article was that the UMC expansion now gives it new borders adjoining the Pleiades Association and the Dark Cloud Alliance in the Inners and the Gassies Coalition which straddles the Inners and the Gassies. The PPDD was a weak state and never a threat to its neighbors. The UMC is the neighborhood bully and a threat to any weaker states. The Legion Tacmap will continue to monitor this important development.

  I was amused by the Legion Tacmap's smartass editorializing. They were hard-core ex-Legion troopers; all of them had been wounded seriously in battle. I loved their stuff. The reference to the CrimCon was Systie talk for "Criminal Conspiracy" by which they meant ConFree. The System was gone, but their vocabulary lingered on.

  It was certainly important news. The UMC had presumably gotten their affairs in order after the breakup of the United System Alliance, and now were ready to expand. All right – we'd keep it in mind.

  Δ

  Any thinking being. A plea. What could it mean? Floating, almost inaudible, through the DX mystery, right into her brain, amplified by the DX receiver and the earphones. Bees kept listening. And more thoughts slowly formed, emerging from the darkness like fuzzy ghosts. Long days monitoring, for just a few precious words. Abandoned.... Alone.... Lost.... Lost in the Other.... Coming.... The Dead are coming. Thoughtless dead.... Fear. Any thinking being.... Dying alone, fear, dying alone.... Lost in the Other.

  What did it mean? Bees was furious. She must find out what this was, what it meant. Who was at the other end of these DX thoughts? Who? The DX receiver was only a receiver. It was not two-way. She wanted to telepath back to them, ask them what was the problem, where they were. But she could not. She could only listen, hear the terror. Was she going to listen to them die?

  Ice listened, too. She was getting better. She heard it clearly.

  "Why don't they send us something useful?" Bees asked. "Like location, description of the problem, something. Dying alone, great. How can we help if that's all they can tell us?"

  "It's certainly frustrating," Ice replied. "But Doctor D has no solution. And the Prof says the galaxy is full of tragedy and horror. And we can't possible address it all. Remember?"

  "I remember."

  "But he says everything we hear is important. So record it all."

  "I'll keep listening."

  Δ

  To those of us who knew them well, it was clear that Ice had been getting increasingly cranky and Saka was becoming increasingly restless. We solved those problems simultaneously in Quaba City Starport one fine grey morning. I drove the Prof, Ice and Saka to the port and accompanied them into the terminal building which was a spectacular architectural tribute to ConFree's prosperity, a glittering glassite and cenite creation, open and spacious with grand spires reaching to the sky. We only had eyes for the arrival gate.

  Lan Hwa and Kwan appeared with a group of passengers who had just disembarked a shuttle from the Assidic starship Renaissance. They were both clad in Assidic forest green dress uniforms. Lan Hwa was Saka's wife and Kwan was Ice's husband. Ice and Saka ran for them and seized them greedily. It was embarrassing watching such a display of raw emotion right on the main terminal floor. The Prof was smiling ear to ear. As usual, it was the Prof who had arranged it. Both Lan Hwa and Kwan were Assidic nationals and volunteers in the Assidic armed forces. Kwan wa
s an information officer. Both marriages had taken place on Pandaravos, but neither Kwan nor Lan Hwa was authorized to break their contract with the Assidic military, or to leave the AC. It had taken the Prof quite awhile to satisfy both the Assidics and Galactic Information. Now both Lan Hwa and Kwan were once again official AC liaison officers with Delta Research, and fully authorized to keep the A's updated on our progress. After all, we didn’t have many secrets from them. The A's had saved our asses in the war with the D's.

  After we drove them back in the aircar to Delta Research and gave the newcomers a short tour of the facilities and showed them their quarters, both couples disappeared for several hours. It was really mysterious. I was starting to get worried when they finally reappeared, joining us on the sun terrace. It was an offday and most of Delta was there, sipping dox and enjoying the fresh air under a cloudy sky. The reunited couples were beaming and appeared very, very relaxed.

  "Please join us," the Prof said. Arie and I were sitting with Blondie and Honeyhair at the Prof's large table. Other Deltas were scattered around the terrace at smaller tables. They had all greeted the newcomers joyfully when they arrived.

  "It’s so wonderful to be here at last," Kwan said. He was a young, handsome Assidic with black hair and slightly slanted Assidic eyes. He had fallen in love with Ice and asked to marry her the first day he had seen her. Ice had turned him down at first but he was persistent and with a little help from me, Ice had changed her mind.

  "It's going to be wonderful," Ice said, "and I'd like to apologize to everyone if I've been a little, um, short-tempered of late. I was so worried about Kwan! But I'll be a good girl from now on, I promise."

  "I can assure you that Ice will be a good girl, and will be polite to everyone," Kwan said. It was sometimes hard to tell when the A's were being serious or joking. They were good people.

  "It is wonderful to be here," Lan Hwa said. "My deepest dreams have come true. Now I will help my husband to accomplish his mission, and will help Delta Research as best I can." Lan Hwa was a stunningly beautiful, fragile Assidic honey, who had been focused on Saka from the moment he had appeared with us on Pandaravos. She had competed with several other Assidic girls for his favors, and had won the prize. Saka was lucky to have her – and he certainly knew it. Assidic wives were not just good companions. They were fanatically devoted to their husbands and would die for them if necessary.

  Kwan was now the official Assidic rep to Delta Research, and Lan Hwa was his assistant. But Lan Hwa was also Saka's wife, and as Saka was one of Delta's prophets, the A's were going to get a close-up view of our progress against the DX target. That was all right. Everyone had signed off on it.

  Kwan was our good buddy from Pandaravos. Everybody liked him. And everybody liked Lan Hwa, too. We were glad to see them back with us.

  "Tonight is girls' night out," Blondie announced. "We're heading out at 1800. Join us, Lan Hwa."

  "I cannot leave my husband," Lan Hwa said, clutching Saka's arm defensively.

  "It's only for the evening," Blondie said. "And we promise you won't get in trouble. We're just going out on the town."

  "I cannot."

  "That's all right, Lan Hwa," Honeyhair said. "Maybe next time. It's a bit too early for her, Trina. Let her enjoy her husband a bit."

  Blondie smiled. "All right. It's an open invitation. When you get bored with Saka, join us."

  "I will never get bored with my husband." Lan Hwa looked startled and confused.

  "You'd better shut down, Trina," Honeyhair said.

  "I'm sorry, Lan Hwa," Blondie said. "I didn't mean that. I meant when you want to get to know us better, please come to us. We can show you around Quaba City, and you can bring Saka, too."

  "Oh yes!" Lan Hwa cheered up. "Thank you. You are very kind."

  "I'm glad we got that cleared up," Arie said.

  "Professor, my profound thanks," Kwan said. "From both of us. You have worked a miracle. Ice and I are so happy to be reunited. I promise in the fullness of my heart I will be loyal both to the Assid Confederation and to Delta Research. I swear it on the blood of my ancestors, on all the Gods of my people, and on the holy bones of Saka the Invincible." That's the way the A's were.

  "That's quite all right, Kwan. I have only done my small part to ensure my friends are content." And that was the way the Professor was.

  It was a good team.

  Δ

  Any thinking being.... Lost in the Others.... Dead coming.... Anyone hear.... Just barely distinguishable from the cosmic static, the mental roar from thick forests of brain neurons. Alone. Alone. Alone.... Dying alone.... Any being hear.... Any being care.... Good soul. Good soul.

  Bees kept listening. Alone herself, into the night, hunched over the freescanner, closing her eyes to concentrate, only that faint faint whisper, from a long long distance.

  Alien dead.... Lost. Lost.... Lost in the Others.... Need.... Help.

  She's alone, Bees thought. Somehow she had come to believe it was a female. Good Soul, Bees had named her. Good Soul, in distress. But where? And when? Nobody knew exactly how these DX brain waves worked – not yet. Were they instantaneous, like Q-links, defying the light years, or did they mosey along in Dimension X taking their time, traveling for thousands of years? Nobody knew.

  It's getting late, Bees thought. She knew Scout was patiently awaiting her. She was so lucky, unlike Good Soul. Yes – enough for tonight. Just a little more.

  Any thinking being.... Disaster.... Running from death.... They come closer. Closer.... Tired. So tired.... Any thinking being.... Need help.... Good soul.... Others. Planet six six one two.... Dying alone.

  Planet 6612! Bees was electrified. What the hell was that? "Planet 6612," she shouted into the Refmaster. It responded with a depressingly long list of planets associated with 6612, 661, 66, and 6612 with other numerals tacked on. Hold it! Bees realized she did not have any idea where the DX thoughts were coming from. Was this a planet in Mid Haven, or U1? And who had named the planet? The D? The B? Or us?

  "Ref," she asked. "Give me a list of any planet or star sourced to the Demon starmap with 6612 in the name. Both Mid Haven and U1." The D starmap covered both Mid Haven and U1. The primary stars of interest were numbered, and planets of interest had a dash and an additional number designating the orbit.

  Another long list spewed forth from the Refmaster. Nonsense, Bees realized. Would the Demon star designations be the same as the Bright versions? Probably not. Somehow Bees did not think she was dealing with a Demon. Maybe a Bright. Or maybe someone from a species they had not yet met – with a DX brain. Bees' comset buzzed.

  "Yes," she answered.

  "Are you coming home yet?" It was Scout.

  "Yes. Yes. I'm not ready yet."

  "Not ready. Fine, I'll be here."

  "Go to sleep. I'll be there soon."

  "Soon. All right. See you then."

  Maybe Good Soul meant Star 661, Planet 2. She'd try that first. In Mid Haven. Then in U1. Good Soul, I hear you!

  Δ

  "This is absolutely beautiful, Prof," I said, grasping the ice-encrusted balcony railing as I looked up at a white sky full of falling snow. It had been snowing steadily for hours now, heavy snow drifting almost straight down, just a few light breezes blowing the snow here and there. The two of us were tasting the morning from a balcony at Delta Research in between lecture sessions. We had a spectacular view of Quaba City, which was now transformed into a magical fantasyland of snow and ice. It was so quiet and hushed that I did not dare raise my voice. I could see my breath in the air.

  "Tomorrow is the first day of Spring, Prophet," the Prof said. "And this wasn't predicted. Nobody can fugure out the weather on Quaba. Yes, I agree – it's beautiful. Perhaps it’s a sign that we should all pause, reflect, and give thanks to the gods."

  "Absolutely, Prof. Now what were you saying earlier about resolving that kidnap case?"

  "Well, Galactic Info tells us it was not really that difficult to trace the actual pa
rticipants. The DNA recovered from the ashes of the first attacker identified him just fine – a mercenary for hire from Galgos in the Gassies Coalition. That's a wild place in the best of times. And now we have two more private guns for hire showing up strapped into two steel coffins and the two men burst into flames soon after arriving at their destination, a top of the line Galgos night club. And their DNA remains ID'd them, too – mercs with good reps on Galgos. Or bad reps, depending on your point of view. It is clear that they were alive when put into the coffins. And the internal conflagration began in their brains, erasing any chance of a post mortem brainscan."

  "It doesn't seem to be a very quiet, or clandestine, way to settle one's differences."

  "Yes. I believe it was a very public warning – to the criminal community, to anyone else who might fail when entrusted with a do-not-fail mission."

  "So those two were part of the group that attacked you?"

  "I believe so."

  "Well why send the coffins to this night club?"

  "The night club is a regular hangout for the Galgos criminal community. It's their place. A good way to send a message."

  "And who sent it?"

  "Galactic Info doesn't know that yet. The legal entity that sent the shipment was evidently formed entirely for the purpose of sending this particular shipment, and closed down after doing so. All involved were using false documentation. The shipment originated in Marcos City, on Galgos, but GI suspects the senders were from off-planet."

  "And who do you suspect, Prof? The Gassies Coalition?"

  "No, Prophet. This internal human combustion, starting in the brain – and the utterly merciless practice of shipping human prisoners alive in steel coffins, and then triggering the combustion: this is not crime, it's terrorism. And it's inhuman. GI couldn't pin down the origin of those steel coffins, but steel is used extensively in the undeveloped worlds of the Gulf. No, I don't suspect the Gassies Coalition. I don't think they have the science to do the internal combustion, or the motivation to launch a dangerous snatch job on a ConFree world."