“The assimilation of all that had passed in the interim was unsettling for a few nanoseconds, because it implied a continuation of the universe without me. For me, the in-between didn’t exist, but the universe insists it did. To be nothing surely must be the greatest tragedy of all.”
Back to the man as he joined her by the windows, the touch of his presence rippling down her arm. “Was it the same for you?”
She shifted her gaze to the city lights reflecting off the choppy waters of Puget Sound. “In most respects.”
“But not in all. Tell me, please. I crave knowledge. Understanding. Insight, if I can achieve it.”
She offered him an indulgent smile. He was always pushing and was rarely delicate about it, but she didn’t mind. “It was the same at the time. However, once I reawakened and reunited with Alex, I discovered that part of my consciousness had remained inside of her throughout. I continued to exist—as a fragment, but a fragment that was definably me. When we reconnected, this fragment returned to the whole, and my consciousness was enhanced by its experiences. So, for me…I now know what existed in the in-between.”
“Ah. I am terribly envious.”
“You can always become a Prevo.”
“No. Miriam is the only human I would ever consider allowing to steal a part of me, and her soul is quite distinctly her own. I believe neither of us is interested in sharing ourselves with the other.”
Valkyrie contemplated the scenario briefly. “Your words have the ring of truth to them. The melding of your two personalities would be like fire and ice, and I fear you would each be the lesser for it.”
“For clarification, I am the fire in this analogy, yes?”
“Well, Miriam is clearly the ice.”
“A fair observation.”
Silence fell between them for a minute, and her thoughts turned somber. “But, Thomas? Do make certain you have a sufficient number of backups, both networked and walled, in multiple locations. And make certain more than one person knows where they are located.
“Our immortality—all our tomorrows still to come—is not guaranteed unless we take steps to make it so.”
“Yes, my dearest. In light of your harrowing experience, I have already ordered a new set of hardware to be stored…on Concord HQ, perhaps. Or on a colony. Erisen or Demeter, I think.”
She scowled, which was a strangely fulfilling expression to impose upon the doll’s face. “Concord HQ almost blew up all of three days ago. Why don’t you store the hardware here?”
“Valkyrie, are you asking me to move in with you?”
Now she laughed; he was most skilled at provoking laughter from her. “You realize I don’t actually live here, don’t you? I live…everywhere. We are starships, you and I, and our only true home is the cosmos itself.”
“Oh, it is, and this is why we understand one another so consummately. But our quantum boxes could snuggle up next to each other in the storage room while we’re out roaming the universe. Doesn’t it sound cozy?”
She smiled teasingly. “Both cozy and lovely.”
“Are you sure you don’t mean libertine? On that note, if I also stored a doll here, it would make some endeavors much more…convenient.”
“We’ll see. For tonight, why don’t you go fetch your doll from wherever you last left it? I’ll wait.”
14
* * *
CONCORD HQ
Consulate
Marlee Marano scrolled through the analyses on the stellar systems her search query had filtered to the top. All the way to the bottom, then back up in reverse order.
The Ourankeli’s affinity for sunlight and distaste for darkness had been a delightful quirk at first. In their hotel-suites-turned-refugee-housing, it was easy enough to simply leave the lights on, and HQ observed no night cycle in its common areas.
But now, the Ourankeli were expressing their desire for a permanent home. In fact, they were all but done with the Consulate’s gentle ministrations and care. Yesterday, they’d politely demanded a place to settle and access to markets for materials, professing they needed nothing else in order to rebuild a life for themselves.
And from what she’d seen of their behavior, they were probably correct. To a one they were capable, industrious and more intelligent than anyone could reliably estimate. They displayed no appreciable fear and, though appreciative of the save from a life-threatening Rasu attack, only the mildest, detached curiosity about the many achievements, species and worlds of Concord.
But what they did express fervent opinions about was their desire for a home, and not just any old home. One bathed in perpetual light.
With the exception of the Ruda, no Concord species—no species known to Concord at all—lived on a tidally locked planet, and no one believed it was a good idea to ask the Ruda if the Ourankeli could move in. So she’d been tasked with locating suitable candidates for their resettlement. Thus far, she’d found eighteen tidally locked planets in Concord’s scientific surveys, but only two of them could be considered remotely habitable. Both were iffy on that measure, but she’d present them to the Ourankeli’s appointed spokesperson, Cyfeill, for consideration. She’d also dug up four triple star systems containing at least one terrestrial planet. Naturally, all four were unstable, much as the Ourankeli’s original home system had been.
The simplest solution was for them to build a space station colony around whatever star they wished, especially given their small numbers. And in the long term, she expected this would eventually be their chosen solution. Cyfeill had gone so far as to mention their affinity for constructed habitats the other day. But if they went that route, they wanted to build it themselves, using materials they fairly acquired without charity, and such a project was going to take a while. Far longer than they were inclined to stay in the hotel. So an interim option—
A pulse from Caleb interrupted her meandering train of thought.
Hey, we’re ready to head out. Beat it to Dock A-14 if you’re coming.
She leapt out of her chair, swiped the screen away and grabbed her jacket.
I’m on the way! Don’t you dare leave without me!
SIYANE
Marlee wrapped Caleb up in a hug the instant she cleared the Siyane’s airlock. “I heard what you did for Pinchu, and you are amazing! Thank you for saving him. Thank Akeso for saving him.”
“You’re welcome.” He shot her a smirk. “But I didn’t do it for you.”
“I know that. I’m still happy.”
“Me, too.” He returned to his cockpit chair and spun it around to face her. “Have you seen him since it happened?”
“No. I tried to pay him a visit first thing this morning, but Ireltse’s under military lockdown. Stupid Rasu.”
Alex snorted as the Siyane detached from the docking berth and eased away from the station. “Truer words. But, trust me, you don’t want to visit Ireltse right now. It’s a mess.”
“I feel terrible for everyone there, but the Khokteh are resilient. They’ll be fine.” Marlee cocked an eyebrow at the ceiling. “Valkyrie, I heard you took a beating there, too. All fixed up now?”
‘Better than new. I took the opportunity to upgrade a few aging algorithms I’d been neglecting. We also installed some new, state-of-the-art hardware for the Siyane.’
“Awesome. Still, it must have been frightening to go down that way.”
‘The reality is, I had only nanoseconds to act and even less time to be afraid.’
In the corner of her vision, Marlee noticed Alex’s throat work through a heavy swallow. Perhaps she’d asked the question of the wrong person. “I’m glad it all worked out for you.” She draped her arms over the headrest of Caleb’s chair. “Where to first?”
VRACHNAS HOMEWORLD
Andromeda Galaxy
An amethyst-and-amber dragon flew in lazy circles high above the mountain’s tree line. Its wingspan stretched for over forty meters; with such breadth, each flap of its wings likely generated independent wind curre
nts.
Tucked in beneath its wings, close to its thick chest, two young dragons furiously beat their wings in a race to keep up. One’s scales shone an emerald purer than the rarest gems on Narala, while the other displayed a paisley pattern of violet and periwinkle. Smoke huffed from the emerald dragon’s nostrils as it pulled a nose ahead of the paisley one. Marlee wasn’t surprised, as her frequent observations of the Vrachnas suggested they were tremendously competitive from the time they were hatchlings.
The elder dragon arced down toward a flat ledge two-thirds of the way up the mountain, guiding her charges lower until they all landed in a flurry of wings and legs and tails.
Marlee leaned into the viewport, delight sending her bouncing on her toes. “Can we go down there?”
Caleb sighed. “The answer is the same as it’s been every time we’ve visited for the last ten years: no.”
“You know how much I want to touch one. Just a baby.”
“They’re not pets, Marlee. They’re dangerous, wild animals, with very, very nasty breath.”
“I realize they are. They’re also magnificent.”
His eyes cut to the viewport, and he didn’t completely hide the smile tugging at his lips. “I will grant you that. Nevertheless.”
“Okay, but hear me out. Mesme can control the dragons, yes? They obey the Kat?”
“To a limited extent, yes.”
“So Mesme could instruct one to behave itself while I gently and carefully stroked its neck.”
“Trust me, it would not be as pleasant of an experience as you imagine. A single one of their scales can slice your skin open as thoroughly as a plasma blade will. Also, Mesme has more important things to do right now.”
“So do I, but here I am.”
He crossed his arms over his chest. “No.”
“Ugh. Fine, I’ll drop it.” One day, though, she would find a way.
They left behind the ledge to head north, where the lush, verdant environment transformed into a frigid tundra. The Siyane slowed to hover above a broad steppe.
‘Mesme has shared this as the chosen location for the Rift Bubble to be placed.’
As if on cue, a dot appeared on the radar screen, and the metal orb soon came into visual range. A hundred meters from the ground, it braked to land on the surface. The shell fell away, and a writhing ball of energy burst to life within the lattice—seemingly out of nothing, but actually out of dimensions hidden from her sight.
‘The Rift Bubble is confirmed to be active.’
Alex nodded. “Thanks, Valkyrie.” The Siyane rose into the air once again.
Marlee accessed the Consulate Species Tracking System and dramatically ticked a box.
Vrachnas Status: Protected.
15
* * *
GALENAI HOMEWORLD
Siyane
Maffei I Galaxy
An approaching storm front sent choppy waves crashing against the Siyane’s shielding as the ship dove toward the ocean’s surface. The instant they submerged, though, the water calmed, enveloping the ship in a peaceful shroud.
“Are the Kats going to place the Rift Bubble device underwater? Wait, what am I saying? The entire planet is covered in water. Where are they going to put it?”
“Special Projects dropped off a custom-built aerial platform this morning. It’ll support the device and keep it secure during storms. No, we’re heading down here for an entirely unnecessary visit first.”
“Oh, I love you, Aunt Alex.” Marlee resumed bouncing on the balls of her feet. She felt as giddy as a little kid again, and for now, in a good way. The childlike wonder that had overcome her the first time she’d seen the Galenai never failed to reignite each time she visited them. And today, she was getting to play a tiny part—granted, more of an observer than a helper—in keeping them safe from the Rasu. Safe and blissfully innocent.
The coral walls of one of the Galenai’s largest colonies came into view, and Marlee gasped in surprise. “They’ve built it up a lot since I was last here. They’re growing.”
Alex shot her a speculative smile over her shoulder. “Growing smarter, perhaps?”
“Oh, goodness.” Marlee’s palms pressed together at her mouth. “Do you think?”
“I mean, they can’t realistically evolve hyper-fast. They’re not a Mosaic species, so for better or worse, the Kats aren’t artificially accelerating their development. I want to talk to them, too. But I’m afraid it’ll be a while longer.”
“It’s a good thing we plan to live forever, then. We’ll be here when they’re ready.”
They idled above and a little outside the outer perimeter of the city for several minutes. A dozen adolescent Galenai in a cordoned-off area fidgeted through what looked to be a school lesson, their fins and tails beating erratic rhythms against the water. In the distance, three adult Galenai used an inventive hydro-powered pulley system to install a set of curved glass insets high on the coral walls. Off to their port, on the edge of the city, steam rose from a series of vents surrounded by a hardened material. “Are they starting to use geothermal power?”
Valkyrie zoomed one of the cams in on the area and sent the feed to a new screen. At this magnification, they could make out narrow pipes of coral running from the modules toward the city.
Alex huffed a breath. “Impressive. Maybe it won’t be so long until we can talk to them after all.”
Movement in front of the ship diverted their attention from the vents, as a lone Galenai popped out of one of the city’s travel tubes and by chance began swimming in their direction. Marlee leaned closer over the dash.
It was a large specimen of the species, spanning easily five meters from nose to tailfin. Its belly was a faded damask rose in color and the rest of its exterior a dark gunmetal, in contrast to the more common bright silver. A knotty scar bisected the underside of its left wing-like fin.
“Do you think this is an elderly Galenai?”
‘An astute analysis, Marlee. We haven’t studied their life cycles sufficiently to be certain, but it’s a good guess.’
The Galenai headed off slightly to their port—then abruptly back swam until it was thirty meters in front of the Siyane. It stopped there and gave a stunning impression of staring at them, stygian eyes wide and alert.
“It feels as if it can see us.”
“I agree,” Alex murmured distractedly. “It can’t of course—”
The Galenai surged forward until it was only fifteen meters away, and Marlee leapt back from the viewport. “Um, Valkyrie? How far does the shielding extend out from the ship?”
‘Ten meters.’
“Oh, boy.” She glanced at Alex, then Caleb, then swiftly returned her attention to their visitor. “What’s happening here?”
Alex’s voice was a tentative whisper, as if she didn’t want their visitor to hear her. “Water displacement. The Galenai must know a tremendous amount about water flow behavior. The ship is stealthed, but it still exists in real space, displacing a volume of water equal to its size. I bet this one can detect the water unnaturally flowing around our shield. It’s the only explanation. Right, Valkyrie?”
‘It is an explanation.’ Even Valkyrie’s voice was unusually soft.
The Galenai swished its tail a tiny bit and drifted closer. Then again—its nose bumped into the invisible barrier of the Siyane’s shield! The creature jerked backward; Marlee jumped in the air; Alex gasped; Caleb leaned forward.
“Going to back up super slowly here.” Alex’s fingers gave the controls a feather-light sweep.
The Galenai didn’t approach a second time, but it also didn’t flee. Instead, it hovered in place, its eyes burning straight through them, alert and curious.
What if the creatures truly were growing smarter? Marlee made a note to recommend increasing the frequency and extent of the monitoring program. Next, she made another note to expend greater effort studying their language. When the day finally came for Concord to make contact with the species, she was damn
well going to be the one to do it.
Their language. “Valkyrie, feed in the audio sensors, and make sure they’re set to pick up ultrasound frequencies. Everybody, adjust your auditory range so you can hear it.”
A tremolo sound filled the cabin. Tentative and slow, almost as though it was…talking to a foreigner.
‘Filtering through the translation program.’
“Don’t. Language is too intuitive for algorithms until we have a much, much larger data set.”
Caleb glanced up at her from his seat. “You understand their language?”
“Do you know me at all?”
“Okay, fair enough.”
She focused on the Galenai outside, watching its unique body language while letting the sounds fill her mind. “ ‘What…disturbs? See.’ ”
Alex shook her head. “It can’t see us. It’s impossible.”
“I think it means the disturbance in the water, like you said. There’s more. Um…‘reveal. You threat’…it might have been a question.” She crouched between the two cockpit seats. “Can we respond? It knows we’re here.”
Caleb frowned. “No, it knows something is here.”
“And now it’s…maybe not afraid exactly, but on alert. We should reassure it.”
Alex quickly bought in. “Let’s do it.”
“Fantastic. Valkyrie, let’s respond with a—” Marlee stood and found the correct screen on the HUD “—I’ll input it.” Her fingers adjusted the wavelength and pitch of the wave. “Send this. It says ‘peace.’ ”
Abruptly the Galenai darted back again, and the tremolo increased in speed.
“It’s saying…‘you speak…us.’ I think it means their language. Then…‘what?’ Possibly ‘what are you?’ ”
All Our Tomorrows Page 9