I placed a claw on the head of the Snow Dawkins. “I think we have much to learn from you, Shifted One.”
The matron arrived in that moment, as I locked the interface collar around Snow’s neck, the ship sensors advising me it had tapped into her nerve data cable. The matron performed a similar connection with Lieutenant Commander Stevens. An amber light blinked, showing that their connection was stable but in standby.
“Yes, it is a risk,” the matron replied, sensing my feelings in the Link. “How long will his data remain?” she asked.
“It is an unknown factor,” I replied. “Their neural structure has similarities to our own. It is possible this could be permanent, or he may be but a passing phantom to her neural systems. Either way, it is our best chance to bring her back.”
“We could work on repairing his damaged systems and restarting his pump cavity organ. It has never been tried with them, and it could have consequences,” she suggested. “Or we could make a new receptacle for his data?”
“We need a greater understanding of their systems and their cultural conceptions before that could even be an option. We must move with respect towards their perceptions of death,” I replied.
“Yet we are doing this? Possibly creating him within his bonded one?” the Matron countered, challenging me.
“Yes, it concerns me too,” I admitted. “Still, the greater good must be served. This neural connection shows all signs of being temporary; the data will travel across her system and our simulators suggest it will manifest as a rest state hallucination. This option strikes the best balance between respect for their culture and successfully restoring this Shifted One to proper cognition.”
“True, and there is always time. With future’s march comes greater understanding. May it unite our two cultures,” the matron said, bowing.
“Indeed. Initiating transfer in seven microcycles. Data systems are within tolerance. Error correction protocols stable,” I said. Then all lights showed purple and I initiated the transfer.
The Lieutenant Commander Steven’s eyes opened briefly and then shut again. Snow twitched, and a high- pitched whine emerged from her limited vocal system. Her muzzle scrunched as if feeling great pain, yet there were no indications of physical damage present in her systems. It puzzled me, but then she found her peace. She heaved a heavy sigh and an alarm sounded, indicating that her higher functions were activating, along with the portion of her data processing center that dealt with nighttime hallucinatory function.
“A good sign indeed, mendia,” came the response of the matron through the Link.
“It is my hope it will be enough.”
We let the systems do their work, but still I felt the drive to process the information of the last few cycles. The Matron continued to monitor the systems, but it was routine now. All that really remained was to monitor and wait.
“I think it is time to begin restoring the place of Detraxia. Long has your house wandered in exile, the debt heavy on you and the future generations of your house, but, with your help, matron, we have avoided a second atrocity,” I said and felt a surge of emotions within the Link.
“That path is a long one, Mendia,” she replied. “Long has our house dwelt in the wilderness, without honor, or voice.”
“Still, your trial has taught you much. I feel that while the journey is long, while the Cataclysm still weighs on the pump chambers of many, these events of the last few cycles prove that we have much to learn from you and that you deserve a place among the council.”
“As the mendia commands, as the council directs, shall our movements be guided,” she said, bowing once more.
The ship’s systems spun down as the purple lights faded to amber, illustrating standby.
“Ah, it is complete. What remains?” she asked.
“Now all we can do is show patience in the face of the unknown,” I replied.
“Is that what you expect of the humans?” the Matron probed through the Link.
“Explain, matron. How have we done anything but help them?” I asked, defensive.
“Councilperson Nizbit has spoken of this, how they feel we ask too much in trust of the humans. Remember how our race was in the early millennia of our travels? Need I remind you of the former disaster?” she said, eloquently leading me down her path.
“Still, if we do not give them reasons to trust, all the while meaning no harm, how can they ever grow out of their fearful state?” I demanded. “Nizbit relies too much on whispers. To listen to them could put the entire plan in jeopardy! They must take what they call leaps of faith or they can never grow! They were already striking out, farther than any race had ever gone without contact.”
“How cruel it is to ask one to fly when walking is just now becoming mastered,” the matron noted.
“This can work. It has worked!” I reaffirmed, weakly, feeling an unfamiliar fear creep into my words. “They can choose not to fear. Besides, the entire council has approved this plan.”
“I remind you mendia that from space everything looks smaller, easier to comprehend. And we have been in space for quite a long time,” she said.
“You do not understand, because you have never known. The Path of the Other brings salvation. It is the walking of different paths, of other perspectives that leads to deep understanding. A way of embracing the evolution of thought!”
“That may take time for them to see, honored mendia. Their path is a thorny one, and we must be careful they are not snared in it. When Snow wakes, seek her counsel, as one who walks your path from their perspective. Her wisdom is invaluable,” the matron responded.
“Still, if the humans refuse to walk this path, if the ultimate end of this is ruin, how can we ever truly meet with them, in deep understanding?” I sighed, grasping for greater illumination.
Chapter 30
// DATA TRANSFER COMPLETE //
// INITIATING PROCESSING //
I dreamed.
“Snow! Snow! Where are you?” Charlie called, I had to go to him.
I ran past a huge oak tree. Charlie had called from this direction, I had to get there.
The forest I was running in gave way to a large clearing. Charlie was standing in the middle.
“Hey there, Li’l Hare,” Charlie said.
I leaped into his arms. Charlie was here! He was alive!
“You have to come back Snow. You have to come out of it,” Charlie said.
Somewhere inside of me a light dawned, an ember of awareness. My consciousness twitched.
“No... Bad! Safe... in here... no pain.” The strange words felt oddly familiar as they flowed through me.
“Come, Snow. Follow me. We have to go.” Charlie turned and started walking away from the forest.
“No! Don't go! Don't leave!” I hesitated; then followed him.
“That's right, Li'l Hare. Right this way.” He continued to move down a trail away from the clearing.
Just ahead. There was a strange shape. On the side were symbols, shaped like LRRC Omega-621
“We have to go now, Snow; the mission isn't over,” Charlie said.
“No… Bad... failed?” I asked. The words were coming easier; my consciousness fought but was slowly rising towards the surface.
“Yes Snow, if you don’t come back, my death will mean nothing.” Charlie began to fade.
“No Charlie! Don't leave me!” I cried out, the words moving from a trickle back towards their normal flow.
“Don’t worry, L’il Hare. You haven't seen the last of me. Now wake up!” He faded away.
“No, Charlie! Don't leave me! Don't leave me again!” My eyes snapped open. I was in some kind of large cage with soft bedding. Darnack was there. Hearing me scream he moved towards the cage.
“Snow. Are you awake?” Darnack asked.
Suddenly the memories started to flood into me, everything that had happened weighing deeply on me. “Ye... ye... yes,” I replied, squealing quietly from the pain.
“How… long…
been gone… this time...?” I asked.
“Four of your days. Much has happened. Much must be done. For now, rest,” Darnack said.
“Is it real? Is he really... gone?” I asked, fearing the answer.
Darnack paused; he seemed speechless. He slithered towards me and patted my head. It was awkward but heartfelt. Quietly he spoke in the Link. “Do not fear. He will always be with you. Honor him. But for now, friend, rest.”
Chapter 31
There was so much to do.
It had been a week since I had regained full awareness, and still I wasn't ready to return to Earth. Negotiations and an investigation into the events that had caused the near tragedy aboard House Lethine were taking up much of my time. I had spent days aboard the LRRC with Darnack trying to determine what had gone on.
When I wasn’t investigating I was talking to Central Command on Earth. I had informed them of Charlie’s death and the pending investigation. In light of the tenseness of the situation, they sanctioned full cooperation. I had the viewer on Space News, the reports were constant about both the coup, and the Mendian incursion into Earth space, something they were colloquially calling Apocalypse Day.
A special report tonight, two weeks after Apocalypse Day the government reports that a full multi-agency investigation is underway. Protests continue at the Hague, and UEA Central sectors in both Beijing and Denver, with many calling the Mendian disabling and seizing of communications a unilateral act of war. Chancellor Rusch was quick to downplay such reactions, identifying them as inflammatory, and calling Apocalypse Day an unfortunate event that almost ended in tragedy. He called for patience as the crises that have seized the government recently are still being investigated.
The Hague announced today that Ambassador Snow Dawkins is leading the investigation aboard the Mendian Ship, House Lethine. She is expected to return to Earth at the end of the week. As always, we will be live and on the scene with late breaking coverage.
In other news, the gate network, which had suffered some technical difficulty following Apocalypse Day is now reportedly fully operational again. Today the second fleet returned home from Alpha Psi gate with Cruiser Group Charlie Epsilion in tow. Viewers will recall that the defection of Cruiser Group Charlie Epsilon touched off the coup that was routed by UEA Command.
I switched off the news and sighed. In a few weeks my self-imposed exile would end and after eight years I would return to Earth.
Darnack had been able to decrypt the LRRC's computer with terrifying ease, but considering the level of technology the Mendian's possessed I was not terribly surprised. It was within the encrypted section of the drive that I hit a gold mine of information. I took a deep breath and accessed Charlie’s official mission orders.
Scanning through them my eyes went wide. Charlie was referred to as a Fleet Intelligence Officer. His mission was to accompany me to the Mendian ship and then, using some type of specially made computer device, attempt to access information on the working of their Leap drives.
Suddenly things were making sense -- his ability in electronics warfare, and his busyness in the last days leading up to his death. It was Charlie's mission not just to protect me but to try to glean technological secrets from the Mendians.
“Interesting. So he was seeking information on our Leap systems?” Darnack asked. He had snuck up on me again, which caused me to almost leap into a bulkhead.
“That is at least part of it,” I replied.
“You do not even understand the physics of such a thing as our drive yet. You still perceive space as something you can move through. Even if he had succeeded, it would not be useful to you.”
“What effect will this have on our relations?” I asked.
“There are some within our government who feel we should isolate ourselves from the humans. That we have given too much, taken too great a risk. I however, feel that we should seek a closer relationship. Greater understanding routs fear. I have much influence, but time will tell which way things will go. In the meantime, we wish you to stay with us. Stay on as our ambassador, assist us in finding a way forward for all houses,” Darnack said.
“I would be honored, mendia, to continue representing the House of Earth.”
“Thank you, Shifted One. Thank you, friend,” Darnack replied.
“Still, the path will be long for both of our peoples. Earth is having a difficult time coming to trust your people. I am convinced that you mean us no harm, but not everyone shares that view,” I said.
"That does appear to be the case and it causes me pain at the very depths of my pump cavity, Shifted One. Normally we do not reveal ourselves to a race so young, but the circumstances forced our hand," Darnack replied, sounding almost unsure.
"There are others, then?" I asked.
"Oh, many, many others, Shifted One. This galaxy is teeming with life. You have both the fortune and the disadvantage to be located far from other advanced races. It has prevented your species from meeting others and caused you to develop on your own. Still, even after all this time, you have much growing left to do," Darnack said.
"We need to know these things, Darnack. We need a greater understanding. On our world, understanding inspires trust. The humans whom you ask me to represent are a suspicious and proud people. It has only been in the last forty years that we have come to a peace amongst ourselves and it is still fragile at best. First contact was an answer to a question as old as man, but the Treaty of Gates asked much of mankind."
"Still, through the first steps of trust, many good foundations are laid. We asked you to embrace the Path of the Other not out of conquest but out of the desire to share what saved us. We are not so different, you and I. My people, too, are ambitious, and in the past we were too often war-like. In fact, your loss of the Charlie Stevens has only shown us how much farther we have to go. Why can the humans not see that we mean no harm? Why cannot all be unified in these first steps of trust?" Darnack asked, desperate to know.
"Because we are broken by our own choice,” I answered, thinking the problem over. “It is easier to live in an island of suspicion than it is to sail the boat into the unknown. It is a paradox of our existence that we seek to know, yet fear the answer. Men with evil intent have used this fear to further terrible evil in our past. Many among us are eager explorers, ever ready to bring a light to the darkness of our ignorance, but for every one of these there are among us the ones who would flee from that light, who flee from knowledge to dwell in the comfort of their own set-in-stone beliefs, however ignorant." I felt a new confidence that I had never possessed before, which touched my speech, even my way of being.
Darnack nodded, and seemed almost sad. "Normally we do not involve ourselves in a race as young as yours,” he explained again. “That is not meant as an offense but, you see, space travel at this level is the mark of an elder race, though it was not always this way. When my kind first took to the stars as the Nasarians, we were explorers, yes, but we also had much learning to do. We made many mistakes in those days, and there are cycles when I wonder if those mistakes may come back one day to haunt us."
"There is time, honored mendia, for both of our peoples. We have learned much on this mission, and it will take time before my people are ready to hear the whole story. Still, there are steps we can take, things that can be done to help heal the bridge between our cultures. While you know us from a distance, I think it is time for a greater communication between our species. If we are ever to grow, then the light must come from somewhere. Help us Darnack, mentor us as we strike out into the universe, and maybe we can survive to be an elder race one day," I said.
He rubbed his claw-like hands together and looked down, seemingly contemplating. "This Shifted One of Earth shows great wisdom. Let us begin work on a new treaty. Let this incident be not a close but a point of growth for both of our peoples. I have much to do, Snow Dawkins of Earth. We must work together to forge a new treaty, a Treaty of Light," he said, nodding excitedly.
I di
pped my muzzle low and felt a faint hope stir in the depths of my chest. "I am honored, and look forward to meeting with you again, mendia."
Chapter 32
I stood beside a flag-draped coffin as the LRRC slowly descended to the Hague space port. There was a slight jolt as the ship touched down. Slowly the ramp descended and a cadre of officers saluted me. I gave a ceremonial bow and straightened the harness Charlie had given me. I could hear the herd of reporters outside waiting for a story, or for a touching picture. They were going to have to wait until the press conference for a statement.
I escorted the body of my friend slowly down the ramp. The soldiers carried the coffin with practiced solemnity. They slid it into a hearse, as I broke formation and made my way for the black diplomatic car with the heavily tinted windows. An aide opened the door and I hopped in. I was surprised to find Chancellor Rusch sitting across from me.
“Welcome home, ambassador,” Chancellor Rusch said, with practiced formality.
“Thank you chancellor. We have much to discuss.”
“Indeed we do. You will make your statement to the press, be briefed by Central Command and then be deactivated. You will be free to return home,” he said with finality. His tone carried the weight of a man accustomed to giving orders.
“Actually, I believe I will be retaining my post as Ambassador,” I replied, not giving an inch.
“Oh?” He looked shocked for a moment; then years of protocol and training reasserted itself. “You will? And what makes you think that will be allowed?” he asked sneeringly.
“I have the orders from your office detailing Commander Steven’s mission, and so do the Mendians. Given the fragile state of our relationship, and the amount of damage such orders would cause should they be released to the press, one would think you would be in the mood to be extraordinarily cooperative.” I pushed the point home. This time, I wasn't going to run. This time it was going to be different.
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