by S. H. Jucha
“In other words, an entity exhibited a will contrary to your directives that enabled it to survive many encounters instead of the usual single interaction,” Alex said.
The tech croaked his agreement, when he heard the translation.
“I will think on this,” Tittra allowed, and the meeting broke up.
Miranda loaded the Chistorlans on another pallet, whose compressed air tank was full, and she sped off down the tunnel.
* * *
What should have been well-planned, smooth-paced, final days before launch from the cave became a near rout. Tittra and his department worked tirelessly to complete the planned pairings and produce the entity called Herrick. When the conflicts were completed, they cloned Herrick twice. Chistorlan techs prepared two more sets of auxiliary equipment for the grav pallets.
During this period, Tittra held a critical meeting with his programmers, three of whom would accompany the digital entities to Toral.
To open the meeting, Tittra laid out Alex’s proposal and then requested opinions. Unfortunately, the programmers were uncertain. They’d performed the same tasks their entire lives. They’d reviewed interaction data and introduced new parameters meant to improve response time, flexibility, and aggressiveness.
“What Alex is asking is this: Do we know if Herrick could be improved by allowing it to win against one or both challenges?” Tittra repeated.
“We have two opportunities, Tittra,” the senior programmer replied. “If the first trial allows Herrick to defeat the opponent, we can study the interaction.”
“More important,” a second programmer volunteered, “we can compare Herrick’s final challenge here with the later one. Improvements in speed and technique should be identifiable.”
“If there are positive results,” the third programmer said, “we can repeat the process. If there aren’t, we can prepare the final adversary as we normally do.”
“But aren’t we wasting an opportunity to produce two new generations, as has been our habit?” Tittra asked.
“Perhaps, Administrator,” the senior programmer allowed, “but we’ve never done it, as the alien leader suggested. We’ve no data on it. Therefore, we’ve no way of predicting the outcome. Whatever method we choose, we must be grateful that the Omnians relented and allowed us the means to deliver a final entity to the surface within the expected engagement time.”
While the Chistorlans worked to produce the final three digital entities, Cordelia and the engineering SADEs managed an efficiency project. Humans stayed out of the SADEs’ way. Keeping clear of the SADEs’ efforts wasn’t done for convenience; it was done for safety. The Freedom was making for the system’s periphery. Every moment of delay meant the travelers had farther to sail to return to the Chistorlan world.
Within an engineering bay that was devoid of humans, the SADEs coordinated their efforts at lightning speeds, often tossing a piece of equipment from one to another rather than walking it over. This happened even with objects weighing as much as fifty kilos. Hours after receiving Mickey’s request, the travelers were loaded with the specialized pallets. Crews climbed aboard, the pilots launched their ships, and they sped inward.
In the cave, Alex’s attention was caught by the arrival of Miranda, driving her pallet out of the tunnel. Aboard were Lipsit and Miftra, whom he hadn’t seen much of lately. He spoke to the pair, trying to imitate a greeting croak. By their reactions, he was wide of the mark.
A Chistorlan stool was brought for Lipsit, and Miftra climbed into her lap to have a level view.
“How can I help you?” Alex asked.
“I wish to go with you,” Miftra announced.
Alex blinked and regarded Miranda, with a perplexed expression.
Alex had expected some kind of sound, indicating Miranda’s amusement, but he received none. She was serious. He turned his attention to Miftra, and asked, “Do you play a role in the delivery of the digital entities, of which I’m unaware?”
“No,” Miftra replied, “But I have the monarch’s permission to travel with you for the sake of observing your technology.”
There it was, Alex realized. The ultimate card had been played. Gramab had given her permission.
“You do realize that our fleet will be fighting to eliminate Artifice. It will be our fleet against the many battleship fleets that surround the Talus system. There is a good chance that you’ll be killed,” Alex explained.
Alex watched the diminutive Chistorlan gulp in trepidation, but then he drew on his courage and curiosity, sat upright, and declared, “I’ve permission to travel with you, and I wish to go.”
“Then you’re welcome,” Alex said, and he heard a croak of pleasure. Focusing on Lipsit, he asked, “Were you here as an observer?”
“Would that was so,” Lipsit said, adding a melancholy croak. “You’re taking an entirely male population of Chistorlans with you, Alex. You aren’t familiar enough with our race to understand what that means. You’ll be keeping the males away from a female for tens and tens of cycles.”
“What will happen to them?” Alex asked. He was sensing a problem where there hadn’t been one before.
“We don’t do well without females present,” Miftra answered for Lipsit. “It starts slowly. We begin to lose focus. We become anxious and eventually disoriented.”
“How soon does this begin?” Miranda asked.
“Within seven to eight cycles,” Lipsit replied. “That’s why the monarch has requested I accompany you.”
“I see,” Alex said. He sat back in his chair and considered the ramifications of what he’d learned. “Lipsit, from what you’re saying, you’ll also have to accompany Tittra and his individuals to Toral’s surface. We’ll be there for many cycles.”
“That would be correct, Alex,” Lipsit replied. “This is a visual thing. Males are comforted when they’re in the presence of a female.
Alex eyed Miftra, sitting at ease in Lipsit’s lap. For a moment, he thought it was an odd thing to observe until he considered the internal relationships of the other alien races he’d met. Who’s to say what’s normal or right in this universe? he thought.
“Well, welcome aboard, you two,” Alex said graciously, extending his arms wide.
Miftra croaked in pleasure, and Lipsit sighed.
Alex returned to organizing the team’s departure. Mickey, Miriam, Julien, and Miranda worked with the Chistorlans to organize the equipment that would be needed for the cases. Omnian power cells were anchored to the pallet and connected to Herrick. The Chistorlans supplied the liquid tank and oxygen for circulation of the conductive solution within the case.
After Herrick had supplied two clones, the entity’s case along with the ancillary equipment was carefully transported through the tunnels. It was loaded onto the cargo shuttle that sat in the cave. The first Chistorlan team arrived in their small cars and trooped aboard. Afterwards, the pilot exited the cave, and floated a hundred meters over the cave.
Before the day was over, the second and third shuttles arrived from the Freedom. One sat down in the cave and the other on the river wash. Alex allowed both pilots and crews to take some time and enjoy the view along the river. It wasn’t long before clothes were doffed, and splashing could be heard within the cave.
While the new arrivals played, Miranda unloaded the pallet from the traveler that was inside the cave. It wasn’t a self-propelled version. Dutifully, she set off into the tunnels. In the development cavern, she found Omnians and Chistorlans ready to transfer clone-one.
When Miranda returned to the cave, Alex signaled the traveler pilots and crews. They hastily dress
ed and ran to their ships. Clone-one was loaded and the Chistorlans boarded.
The vessel at the river wash rose up to take station next to the first traveler. Then the one from the cave exited and took up a similar position. Finally, the third ship entered the cave, and Miranda repeated her exercise.
In the meantime, the Omnians broke camp, packing their gear aboard the first two shuttles, which took turns landing at the river wash. By the time, Miranda reappeared with clone-two, the cave was clear of equipment except for Mickey’s specialized transport pallets. They’d be shut down and left behind, hopefully to be retrieved when the Omnians returned.
Clone-two was loaded. The remaining Omnians and Chistorlans boarded, the ramp was closed, and the traveler launched.
When the squadron was formed, the pilots accelerated at maximum. They pushed their ships’ capabilities, draining the grav engines’ power crystals to reach the Freedom as soon as possible.
Unable to sense any movement in the ship, Tittra considered the delay to launch unconscionable, and he finally lost his patience. He’d chosen to fly with Alex rather than board the first traveler that carried Herrick. However, he had made sure that a senior programmer was with each entity and the consoles were able to monitor the entities’ activities.
“Why were we required to hurry, when all that we’ve done is sit here in the cave?” Tittra inquired. He stood next to Alex’s seat and attempted to appear imperious.
Always the teaching moments, Alex thought.
Julien activated the portable unit and selected a wide view from the traveler’s aft sensors. “We’re looking astern of this vessel,” Julien explained.
The Chistorlans gathered around, and Julien kneeled to accommodate them. Several, including Tittra, looked aghast at their shrinking home world, and the Omnians heard Lipsit’s comforting croaks.
When Julien returned to his seat, he found an excited Miftra standing on the seat bottom. Julien smiled, scooped up the male, sat down, and placed him in his lap. The little Chistorlan immediately began manipulating the holo-vid, examining their system from an entirely new perspective.
The shuttles left the system and shot into the dark. They reached the fleet, with grav engine power cells at less than fifteen percent charge. They’d shaved a half day off the expected four days of travel time.
Before the shuttles could be unloaded, the fleet transited. The day of reckoning with Artifice fast approached.
-23-
Transit to Talus
The cargo shuttles, transporting the Chistorlans, had landed in the same city-ship bay. After equalization, the rear ramps descended.
Alex detected Renée’s bio ID exiting the airlock and running toward his ship. He offered excuses to others, as he edged around them and the specialized pallet, which dominated the shuttle’s aft end. He hurried down the ramp and met Renée at the bottom.
Renée ran at Alex and threw herself into his arms. She wrapped her legs around his waist and held on tight.
Observing the alien leader’s interaction with a female, Tittra asked Julien, “Are they mating?”
Julien curtailed his tendency to laugh, and replied, “It’s a greeting of life partners, albeit an enthusiastic one.”
Renée quipped.
Alex set her down, as Julien ushered Tittra, Lipsit, and Miftra down the ramp.
Julien made the introductions for the Toralians, and it was Lipsit who detected the deference Julien paid the female called Renée de Guirnon.
Several SADEs stood politely inside the bayside airlock hatch, waiting for the guests they would usher around. The Toralians were led that way, but Tittra objected. He didn’t want Herrick and the two clones out of his sight. After some discussion, crews unloaded the pallets and followed the SADEs and Toralians toward their dedicated quarters.
Believing the Omnians’ guests had been accommodated, Alex was surprised to see Miftra standing beside Julien.
“I promised to demonstrate the bridge holo-vid to Miftra,” Julien said. Then he expressed a few croaks, reached down, picked up Miftra, settled him into the crook of an arm, and strode toward the airlock.
“You have a way of collecting the strangest guests, my love,” Renée whispered quietly, while watching the train of Chistorlans, SADEs, humans, and digital entities on pallets vacate the bay.
“Let’s hope there’s never a day when we confront a new race and run away screaming,” Alex commented.
Renée regarded her partner, searching the face she loved, and said, with authority, “Oh, I’m sure that day will come, but I expect it will be everyone else who’ll vacate the area. We’ll look back in terror and see you gesturing to some monstrous entity, who’ll be momentarily perplexed by your antics, before it eats you.”
Alex laughed and swept Renée into his arms. He walked to the airlock with her wrapped around him.
Communications to Alex were held in abeyance for the remainder of the day — Renée’s directive — while the fleet transited the deep dark toward the Toralian system.
There was an opportunity for the couple to enjoy an evening meal with comrades. Despite the fleet’s destination, communications were light-hearted. It was a moment to celebrate being survivors and to believe that they might have discovered the strategy that would neutralize Artifice.
After the meal, Alex and Renée wandered through the city-ship’s grand park. They heard splashing and yipping, and Alex decided to investigate.
In the largest stream sat the Chistorlans, swimming, playing, and splashing. Their favorite targets were the Dischnya, who leapt away from the spray, which only emboldened the Chistorlans, who couldn’t understand the race’s aversion to water.
Alex heard SADEs croaking at the males. They were remonstrating the Chistorlans for their actions.
Lipsit, who’d been relaxing in a quiet pool by herself, saw Alex, and she croaked loudly at the males. Immediately the splashing ceased, and the males returned to swimming and behaving.
Julien responded instead. He sent,
Queen Homsaff stepped beside Alex. Her long tongue lolled from the side of her muzzle. She was laughing at the antics of the Chistorlans and the snarls of her Dischnya.
“I’d have thought after using our refreshers for so long, the warriors would be accustomed to water,” Alex said.
“There is the warm mist of the refreshers, which you choose to accept, and cold water thrown at you, which you do not,” Homsaff replied. “Besides, this is a game of dominance for the rights to the nest.”
Alex glanced at Homsaff, and she held her
arms wide, by which he interpreted the queen was indicating the entire city-ship.
“Dassata, how many more races will you conquer with your strange ways?” Homsaff asked.
“The stars have an endless supply,” Renée quipped. “I believe Alex intends to recruit them all.”
Homsaff chortled at the idea. She hoisted her tail high and skirted the play between her warriors and the green strangers, as she made her way around the park.
“It’s amazing how comfortable Homsaff and the Dischnya have become with us and the other races they meet,” Renée said. “You do have a way of merging all of us, my love. It’s your charm,” she added, linking her arm in his.
The couple had no sooner turned a corner in the path than they heard more splashing and barking. Alex smiled as they walked on. At a small eatery that bordered the enormous park, they ordered drinks. Comfortable in chairs that faced flowering shrubbery on the other side of the walkway, they watched throngs of humans, SADEs, and aliens walk past.
If the stars will only give me a little more time, Alex thought, as he considered what Renée had said.
* * *
The fleet exited their transit ninety degrees to the Talus ecliptic. They were in line with the star and sat stationary far out into the dark. Alex, his staff, and the SADEs were under no illusion that they were safe from the probes. Eventually, they would be detected. Then it was only a matter of time before they were brought to Artifice’s attention.
It didn’t surprise Alex that the Vivian’s Mirror was the first to detect their presence. The other scout ships, Chandra’s traveler, and Captain Thornton’s Trident would have been focused on the activity around and within the system. But Killian, Bethley, and Trium would also have paid attention to signals from the dark, expecting the arrival of the fleet — and Alex.