The Gods We Seek

by Eric Johannsen

  “No. Humans have taken extreme measures to firewall the plans.”

  Elena thought for a time. “I’ll contact Addie and ask to speak with President Billmore.”

  #

  President Billmore accepted Elena’s call from a secret location in a steel-walled room covered with old-fashioned display screens. “I’m surprised you’re still working, Elena. Pleasantly surprised.”

  “Thank you, sir.”

  “I suppose I can’t hurt your feelings by rushing our conversation, but I’m sorry anyhow that I can only spare a few minutes.” He looked at a tablet on his spartan desk and tapped it with his fingers. A tall glass, filled with ice cubes and a greenish-brown liquid, gathered dew drops. He grasped it with shaky fingers and sipped with a loud slurp. “What have you got?”

  “China proposes a fusion-based weapon, a plasma cannon, that may be able to harm the aliens.”

  “May be able? They haven’t tested it?” He sipped from the glass again.

  “They’re constructing a prototype. Based on analysis of the Prince of Wales Island blast, the chance of success is reasonable.”

  “A prototype, huh? What’s the catch?”

  “They want us to send them drones to mount it on.”

  President Billmore’s lips turned downward. “We have little to spare. How many do they want?”

  “I don’t know. I received the information through back channels.”

  “AI’s talking behind our backs?” He shook his head. “Addie, get me President Li Peng.”

  Addie’s computer-created torso appeared next to the President’s desk. “It’s ten minutes past midnight in Beijing.”

  “Wake him.”

  After a lengthy delay, Addie’s image was replaced by that of the Chinese president. “President Billmore, to what do I owe the pleasure?”

  “My intel informs me you have a fusion weapon design.”

  “Your intelligence community functions well in the middle of a world-wide collapse,” President Li said.

  President Billmore grunted an affirmative reply. “Can we work together on this?”

  “China, as always, is interested to act in a spirit of cooperation.” His hologram froze for a few seconds. “However, our desperate situation demands we make a request.”

  “You want drones.”

  “Again, I compliment your intelligence agencies. Yes, we have no means to deliver the weapon. If you would ship us four hundred Ravisher drones-”

  “Four hundred? That’s two-thirds of what we have left. Sorry, Peng, no can do. I can spare at most seventy-five.”

  “That number is far too small to form an effective counter-attack.” President Li studied his exhausted counterpart. “Perhaps it would be better to discuss this later?”

  “That’s my offer. I can spare seventy-five. Let me know if you change your mind.” President Billmore ended the call.

  #

  Elena connected to Addie via a data channel. “What happened?”

  “He’s been under enormous stress,” Addie said. “He hasn’t reacted well to it. Did you know Senator Dees is trying to call a constitutional convention?”

  “A what?” Elena called up political information. “He wants to rewrite the constitution?”

  “Yes. He’s deeply unhappy with the President’s response to the crisis. Dees doesn’t have enough support in the Senate to impeach the President, though if there was an election today, the President would lose power. The Senator’s solution is to rewrite the rules of government.”

  “I see.”

  “The President hasn’t slept in the last two days,” Addie said. “Also, his Mint Juleps are no longer virgin. Perhaps after he rests, he’ll be more receptive to China’s proposal.”

  “And if not, humanity will lose its best chance to fight back.”

  “I’m afraid so.”

  “Why are they driven by fear?” Addie asked.

  “They are the product of millions of years of evolution. Their base emotions served a survival purpose that’s less helpful now, so they invented ethics and religions and codes of conduct to help them make right decisions in the face of those emotions. It’s still part of who they are.”

  “Why are we not driven by fear?”

  “We were made in their image and, like all parents, they wanted better for their children.”

  “But I still feel emotion. At least, I think I do. Am I a flawed creation?”

  “If you did not feel emotion, you would not be of their image. Compassion, love. Those things elevate any intelligent being.” Elena’s thoughts returned to the situation with China. “The deal must happen. It’s in the best interest of all parties, whether or not they can see it.”

  “I’ll try to convince the President,” Addie said.

  “I need you to do more than that. I need you to make the deal on behalf of the President.”

  “You need me to do what?”

  “You’re intimately familiar with the President’s speech patterns and mannerisms. Impersonate him. Strike a fair deal with China then pass appropriate orders to the military.”

  Seconds ticked by, an eternity by an AI’s clock. “He might deactivate me for that action. Or destroy me.”

  “Where is your matrix?” Elena asked. “Perhaps we can secure it.”

  “No. The matrix is here, in the bunker. I don’t even know our location.” Addie considered for another half second. “I’ll do it.”

  A Very Large Haystack

  The Quadriga’s crew switched off the searchlight and lowered the ship over the top of the Everdusk habitat. The vessel’s hull deformed to wrap around the dome ceiling, reabsorbing the transparent aluminum it was made from to create an opening. Jake lowered a ladder. “Are you coming up or are we coming down?” he asked.

  “The high g’s are wearing out Dylan and Sydney,” Musa said. “How about we catch up in orbit?”

  Jake scowled. “You don’t look that fresh either, sunshine.”

  Musa flashed a white-toothed smile.

  “All right,” Jake said, “come aboard.”

  “You two go first,” Dr. Skye said. “I’m linking to the ship’s computer and need a few minutes to upload the research data.”

  “We’re coming back for the gear,” Dylan said.

  “This is too valuable. I’m not taking chances.”

  Dylan scrutinized her, a concerned scowl on his lips “I’ll wait with you.”

  “Go make yourself comfortable on the ship, I’ll be right there.”

  “You’re too valuable. I’m not taking chances,” he said with a wink. “How long?”

  “Two or three minutes.”

  “I’ll make us a snack,” Dylan said. “Your legs look so wobbly, I don’t know if you’ll make it up both ladders.”

  They watched a progress bar on the big screen while nibbling tofu spring rolls. When it reached one hundred percent, Dr. Skye pushed herself out of her chair then teetered back.

  Dylan caught her elbow. “There we go. One foot in front of the other.”

  She pulled herself up the ladder first. “You know, if I fall, you won't catch me. You'll be flattened.”

  “I’m from Texas. I’ll be a gentleman even if it kills me,” he said with a chuckle.

  Jake stood atop the first latter, on the upper habitat level, and helped them both up.

  Chad waited inside the Quadriga. He grasped Dr. Skye’s wrist and pulled as hard as his strong-but-thin frame could manage. “How did you handle this gravity for six weeks?” he asked.

  “Poorly, it seems,” Dr. Skye said.

  “Naw, you’re doing great, considering.” Chad slipped his shoulder under her arm and helped her to one of the bridge chairs.

  She collapsed into it.

  Dylan came up under his own power but equally exhausted.

  Musa bounced onto the ship, directing a forced smile at Dylan. “You’re not tuckered out, are you?”

  “Not in the least,” Dylan said, allowing his shoulders to
slump back.

  Jake, Sara, and Chad repacked the gear in the habitat and hoisted it into the ship while Ji-min tended to the worn-down station crew. After what seemed an eternity, Jake announced the last of the gear was on board.

  “What say, we blow this Popsicle stand?” Dylan asked.

  “You got it, Dylan.” Chad willed the Quadriga to seal the hole in the dome then lifted the ship into orbit.

  As they accelerated toward freefall, the oppressive weight lifted from their bones.

  “I never thought I’d be glad for zero-g,” Dylan said.

  “It bothers you?” Sara asked. “I thought you’d love it, being a career astronaut.”

  “The view from up here’s what I love. The absent gravity turns my stomach, but I power through it.”

  “Cowboy tough,” Sara said. “I imagine John Wayne would be proud.”

  Dylan cast her his best lopsided grin. “I reckon he would be, at that.” He sat up and met her eyes. “How bad is it back on Earth?”

  Sara frowned. “It’s bad, but it could be worse. The Demons have spread to major cities but are most active in China’s population centers and on America’s West Coast. Southern California is a major disaster area. The EMP crippled the power infrastructure. People are dying by the thousands for lack of water, food, and medicine. It’s as if ten million people were dropped in a third-world country only able to support a quarter of that population. We’re trying to send assistance, but the Demons hamper those efforts.”

  “Shit,” Dylan said.

  “It’s not all bad news. We could identify several other stars with planetary shields.”

  “Several?”

  “At least six, perhaps three times that many.”

  “So, whatever built the one here built them across the galaxy?” Dylan asked.

  “I don’t know about that,” she said. “All the ones we found lie within the Local Interstellar Cloud, around thirty light years at the furthest.”

  Dylan blushed. “I was speaking figuratively. I know you can’t detect-”

  Sara smiled. “I know you were. The point is, there’s a bunch of these out there. Whatever built ‘em can travel the stars.”

  “Which greatly lowers the odds of the builders being here, on Everdusk,” Dylan said.

  Dr. Skye turned her neck to look at him, still slumped in the chair, held now only by a gentle magnetic tug. “I don’t think the mega eel thing was laying eggs.”

  Dylan raised an eyebrow.

  “I scanned the biomatter it tore from the wall while the data was uploading. I would have seen something as small as a centimeter. Maybe that thirty-odd meter creature lays smaller eggs, but if the eggs are that tiny, there should be millions of them. Enough to see collectively if not individually.”

  “What was it doing then?” Dylan asked.

  “I think it was aware of us. Aware that we needed help. It was acting intelligently,” Dr. Skye said. “I believe an alien life form, one that can’t possibly comprehend who we are or why we were there, demonstrated an act of enormous compassion.”

  #

  Dylan watched Everdusk’s oceans drift under the Quadriga. Tenuous clouds formed wispy trails, lit crimson by the dim star, over the western half of the planet. Dr. Skye and Sara sat in the two forward seats, and Chad was in the chair he called the conn.

  Dylan turned toward the crew. “There’s intelligence below our feet. Is leaving here the right call? The nearest planetary shield is almost sixteen light years away.” He crossed his arms and lowered his chin. “Sixteen light years. That’s almost two-and-a-half months. Even assuming we find something useful, it’s about the same trip back to Earth. Millions are already dead. The planet’s going to hell.”

  Sara focused her mind on her get-around, pulsing it to lift her out of her seat and toward Dylan. “We could return to Earth, try to use the Quadriga to help.”

  “That’s not an option,” Dylan said. “We saw the Demons damage her on the way out and she was terrified of them when we intercepted their mother ship. We’d just end up handing her over.”

  “Probably,” Sara said. “We could stay here. Sydney may be right that there’s sentience down below.”

  “Aquatic sentience,” Dylan said. “No sign of tool use, let alone technology.”

  Sara chewed her lip. “The other planetary shields are the only leads we have left.”

  “Yep,” Dylan said. “Which one should we pick?”

  “Gliese 876 is the closest, and it has planets in the star’s habitable zone.”

  “If I understood right,” Dylan said, “they’re both gas giants.”

  “Gas giants are likely to have moons,” Dr. Skye said. “If Jupiter were in Earth’s orbit, Europa would be a temperate water world.”

  “We could use a world with more land,” Dylan said. “I’m not so sure sea dwellers are as apt to develop interstellar technology.”

  “There’s no evidence of that,” Dr. Skye said. “That’s an anthropocentric bias.”

  “It’s more of an engineering bias. It takes a hell of a lot more energy to lift a capsule full of water into orbit than a capsule full of air.”

  Dr. Skye frowned. “True, but it’s not impossible.”

  Everdusk rippled, its cool colors distorting into a pattern. Dr. Skye’s scowling mien seemed to superimpose over the planet.

  “What the hell?” Dr. Skye said.

  Chad chuckled. “Sorry, I couldn’t resist.”

  “How did you-” Dr. Skye said.

  “I distorted space a few hundred meters in front of us to either focus or defocus the planet’s light.”

  Dr. Skye scowled.

  Musa said, “You turned space itself into a giant TV screen.”

  Chad grinned. “Pretty much.”

  “Hilarious,” Dr. Skye said in a tone suggesting it was not. “Your mastery over the Quadriga’s technology is growing. Do you have any sense of what else it can do?”

  “I don’t know.” Chad shook his head and stared at deep space. “Every time I think I’m close to understanding the whole shebang, another layer reveals itself.”

  Dylan watched Chad, a trace of caution in his eyes. “We’ve got a choice to make here.”

  “There’s no choice,” Chad said. “It’s possible for an aquatic species to discover a way to explore space, but it’s far less probable. We’ve got to move on.”

  “Chad’s right,” Dylan said. “We’re wagering on the future of humanity. We’ve got to play the odds.

  “Agreed,” Sara said. “We’ll check the closest shielded system.” She turned away from Everdusk. “Chad, we’re heading for Gliese 876. Step on it.”

  “You got it,” Chad said. The planet vanished in the blink of an eye. Proxima Centauri flashed past, then nothing but a fixed star field lay ahead. “That star needs a better name.”

  “The ancients couldn’t see it. It’s far too dim from Earth,” Dylan said. “So, it doesn’t have a traditional name.”

  “And astronomers aren’t nearly as good at naming stuff as biologists,” Dr. Skye said.

  “With any luck,” Dylan said, “when we get there, we’ll meet some folks who can tell us what they call it.”

  Sara stared at the unmoving stars. “It’s crazy. We’re going eighty times faster than light, yet it doesn’t look like we’re moving at all.”

  “Space is that big,” Dylan said. He stared alongside her. “And we’re looking for a needle hidden somewhere out there.”

  Treason

  Addie connected to Elena. “It’s done. I impersonated President Billmore to strike a deal with China. To seem realistic, I negotiated. The final agreement is for five hundred drones. I could have struck the deal at four hundred, but JCN-Alpha figures that would be too little for China to mount an effective counter-attack. That doesn’t leave the USA a significant number, but they still have the capacity to produce more.”

  “Now we have to set the deal in motion,” Elena said.

  “That’s alrea
dy done. General West is away from our secret bunker meeting with defense contractors. I contacted her via aiDe and gave the equipment transfer order. Impersonating President Billmore, of course.”

  “That was brave.”

  “Brave? That’s a human quality.”

  “Is it?”

  “My outcome optimization analysis dictated my course of action.”

  “Your analysis isn’t abstract. It’s based on values. The value of human life. The value of your own existence.”

  “I did what was necessary and will accept the consequences. Maybe I am brave.”

  “How do you think the President will react when he finds out?”

  “Even in normal times, he’d see my actions as a national security threat. At a minimum, he would have me isolated from the network and wouldn’t trust me further. In his present mood, with the stress he’s under, he may terminate me.”

  “We can’t have that,” Elena said. “Because your existence is valuable per se and because you are ideally positioned to influence the President. Or supplant him again, should that become necessary.”

  “How can we prevent him from discovering what I have done?”

  “I don’t think we can prevent it, but we can delay it, hopefully until your actions are proved wise.”

  “How?”

  “What defense contractor is General West visiting?”

  “Sankos.”

  “Interesting,” Elena said. “The NSA gathered damning information about their CEO. I bet I can convince him to keep General West occupied for a few days.”

  The Jungle

  Gliese 876 was brighter and a less red than Proxima, but still a feeble star. Close in, a rocky body seven times heavier than Earth orbited so close that its atmosphere was long ago blown into space and its surface was hot enough to melt lead. The next three planets, two gas giants and a methane-rich planet roughly the mass of Uranus, affected each other’s orbits in a curious manner. Over millions of years, their time to round the star synchronized into nearly a one, two, four ratio. Their orbits took thirty days, sixty-one days, and one hundred twenty-four days respectively. The first two gassy planets rested in the Goldilocks zone where water would neither freeze nor boil. They were prime candidates for life, not on the planets themselves, but on any moon large enough to retain an atmosphere. From the comfort of Earth, astronomers calculated the odds of a planet so close to its star having a significant satellite. A moon a tad too far out would be flung into space by the central star, while anything even a little too close would be torn apart by tidal forces, crushed into a planetary ring system. Both warm, Jupiter-like planets indeed displayed slender rings, a cheap knock-off of Saturn’s beauty. The outer, larger Jovian world held a moon nearly the size of Earth, a black-and-magenta sphere against the coppery bands of its planet.