“The female lays eggs and the male fertilizes them. Why?”
“Not really sure yet, but something tells me it might be important. They one on one or do you know something different?”
She looked at me and finally said, “Not sure. I think they don’t much care who fertilizes what.”
“Okay, thank you. If anything comes to me I’ll let you know.” There was something in that place I call a brain that wanted out but I still couldn’t see it.
As I headed back to the mess hall I found Myla staring at the caged MKs. She was learning our language but she was only a little girl. I asked Lucy to come by. Myla smiled and went back to staring at the two MKs.
Lucy arrived a few minutes later and saw what I saw. “Hmmm. Very interesting. Isn’t that what she does when she seems to be reading you?”
I nodded. Lucy called Tally and asked her to bring an earpiece. Soon Lucy had one clipped to Myla and she was talking to her in both English and I guess her own language.
“She is still too young to grasp any complicated ideas, I think, but she sees the one MK is agitated because he can’t do something or other.
“She isn’t sure what it is. Probably talking to the others. She says they think strange and are hungry,” Lucy said.
Parts of it I picked up on my earpiece but she said the child’s lack of enunciation skills caused the computer to lose a lot of it.
The next day at Officers’ Call El announced that the people of the swamp planet had a small skirmish with some of the indigenous people, won, and set free those they captured after ensuring they were properly fed and that they saw some of our tech advances. Also a vote among them gave the planet the name, Olgreender II. Our cold planet was going to call themselves Niketu, which meant Ice Fields in our old tongue.
She ordered a week off for non-essential staff, which included Loka and me. Since I had not seen what they had done on our cold planet I decided we’d go there. El sent a crew with a chopper to each for transport but we had to be careful. In the end we had eighteen functional and three for parts from the crashes in our attempt to clear Olgreender, but we also had no spares, and other than Earth’s warehouse equipment, little to make things with. The loss of Lord P’s manufacturing plants and his highly organized supply line would be sorely missed.
The doorway to Niketu was in a cold valley less than a mile from where we had started building our town. It was summer so all the snow was melted in a wide band that averaged one-hundred miles wide at this planet’s equator. Our Geologists’ quick study indicated the place was coming out of an ice age so that was good news. Lucy confirmed some of her instruments showed large deposits of many minerals and there was no sign of it ever being inhabited by sentient beings.
I was led by Myla and Loka to a simple A-Frame home with a door in the front, two windows built into the roof/sides with strong shutters, and a small window in the back that looked over a garden growing well, but over-run with weeds. Loka admitted they planted it and had to return to Honor Central soon after.
Over the next week we met neighbors, collected some food, wild berries, and a fruit that was sweet and round and grew locally. It had been tested and was safe to eat. I put in a general call to Lucy on the third day and it was another before she heard of it back inside the gate.
“Yes Eldon?” she asked over the earpiece at about three in the morning.
“Lucy, we have an A-Frame house, meets survival needs and is designed to take the harsh winters we suspect they have. Loka did a wonderful job but I was wondering, since we both spend more time at Honor Central than here, and everyone that actually lives here are scrambling to try to survive and develop a viable planet, um, do you have a robot that can be programmed for domestic duties like cleaning and gardening, and canning? I have about two acres of food grown but no people to pick or can it,” I said.
“Hmm, well, guard ‘bots are out. Heavy ones won’t work in the soft ground. Won’t be anything soon but let me see what we can do. I suspect you aren’t the only one and I should have already thought of it. Olgreender II needs some along that line too for land clearing and lumbering operations,” she said. “Got to admit, the loss of Lord P’s expertise hurts.”
On our last day there a neighbor offered to take Myla in and care for her while we worked at Honor Central. I liked the idea but both Myla and Loka made it quite clear that was not an option. Loka had even slipped a few times and called her our daughter. I know Myla felt the same, at least about Loka.
I thanked them but declined and told them if they knew anyone needed the food they were welcome to pick and can it. He thanked us and said he’d handle it. Turns out he was one of the small group of amateur climbers that tried to get the job when we found Honor Central. He and several others were exploring and had established several mines already. Lucy promised them a powered smelter to allow quicker production, and six of Lord P’s best manufacturing gurus had decided to come here—all told, two-hundred came.
“If we can help, relay a message to the gate guards, we’ll get it,” I told him.
~~~
Our week was up, it had been tiring and fun as we set up the basics needed for a home and headed back to Honor Central.
As soon as we were inside El contacted me—Officers call at 6AM for all available staff. Rumor was we were getting more recruits from the swamp and El thought she found a replacement for Tici.
The morning seemed to come earlier than I remembered, maybe it was just getting soft from the vacation.
“Listen up people. This young man here is Captain Korklile. He is my new Second as part of my HQ group. Also trained by Lord P in counter intelligence and assigned by him to us as his last official act before we sealed the gate. I think he will be a help to our efforts.
He was definitely young. If she had him for other reasons I think he’d do okay, but what I didn’t like was he was pretty soft. Tici was hard as stone physically as well as mentally.
“Oh, Lord Lansill left Olgreender at the last second—he resides with the Olgreender II crowd and is trying to win election to their new Council. At this time he no longer holds any say over anything, though I am sure he’ll try somehow. This brings up a point we need to address. With Lord P gone and Olgreender gone we no longer represent anyone. Olgreender II is still organizing, as is Niketu.
Hadn’t dawned on me, but leave it to a general to realize we were basically rudderless. Leave it to Loka to have already thought of it months ago.
“El, permission?” Loka asked.
“Of course.”
“Lord P gave me three sticks when it looked like Seacodent wanted to kill them. I gave them to Lucy for keeping. Lucy said she’d get them and be right back.”
El said, “While she’s gone, here are some figures. Three gates are now down for the duration as far as general movement is concerned. Myla’s planet, Olgreender and Earth. Earth because it goes no place and still has a lot of dangerous items. The other two because of the MKs.
“As soon as Olgreender II gets a bit more stable I have been assured they will have a standing army ready of around a million men, many ordered there by Lord P who knew it was pretty hopeless to stand and fight,” she said.
Lucy came in and gave El the three sticks. El read the attached notes and called us back to order.
“Well, the first is if he’s assassinated, who gets his holdings. Doesn’t apply here. The second says ‘If the MKs over run Honor Central’ what to do. Also doesn’t apply. The third says E.E.O. Not sure but I think it means Emergency Evacuation Order. Lucy, play this one please?” El asked, and handed her a stick.
Lord P came on the holographic screen. “I am doing all this in a hurry since Eldon leaves in the morning. If you are seeing this, the unthinkable has happened or you’re being nosy. I will assume the first. We are under attack and we have to evacuate.
“Item one is Edict #5 from Council. As most of you should remember from school an Edict suspends all of the individuals’ rights during in
surrections, riots, or invasions and puts everyone, even us Council, under a unified command designated by this Council until the crisis is over.” He held up a paper, very clear, Edict #5, and signed by all the Council members.
“All these are scanned in as attachments by the way. Anyway, if Olgreender has come under attack by the MKs the E.E.O. goes into effect immediately but doesn’t involve you really. Council has set up certain mandatory evacuations to Gods-Cut as we feel is necessary to allow our culture to continue. I already have a staff uploading everything we have in our Council library on our planet as fast as we can. Lucy is filing it for us.”
At this Lucy nodded her head.
“The lists are at the end as well, but we have preplanned 150 of each of the finest minds in the fields listed. These people are aware and will be on standby, just in case.
“Again, not a major concern to you. What is, after talking to Council, Cullves, and all others involved, it has been decided that Lucy is now an officially recognized sentient being and is given full citizenship with full rights and privileges awarded there-to.”
I saw Lucy jump and go strange. I think she would have cried if she could.
“This edict only applies from a time of disassociation with the mother planet, being us, and only until that association is re-established. If it is enforced then she is further designated as Head of Council in Exile until relieved by due process.” That was a shock to everyone.
“Edict #5 further lists El, Eldon, Loka, and Tici, as Council members and another two as decided by you.” He seemed to pause, thinking, as what he said started sinking in.
“Sub-Council shall still be elected as required to have one per fifty million citizens.
“For Lucy, this places her in charge, but still with no power. Like me, she can suggest and wrangle and threaten, but it is the Council and Sub-Council that make the rules all will abide by.” He appeared to stare around the room.
“One more thing. All of Council has agreed we will stay here and fight for our homes, not evacuate, so if any do turn up after this is in force they have no powers at all and should be reminded of their cowardice. A copy of that document is also attached.
“People, I wish all my heartfelt best and know in my heart, regardless of the outcome, all have tried. I have to close now or I won’t get it to them before they leave,” he said to someone and I saw his wife come in view for a second as the vid shut down.
“Um, wow. Never figured that,” El said.
“Told Eldon and will tell you all, Lord P was a very smart man, a lot smarter than many gave him credit for,” Loka said.
Once again El took the lead. “Tici is dead so we need three for Council to form, then have a meeting and install Lucy as official head. After that I suggest we have one sub from Niketu and the rest from Olgreender II elected as practicable. Might I start with suggesting Garth, and I honestly think Nebulis would make a great councilman as well.”
Nebulis I agreed with, but another military bothered me a bit. I ran it by them and we argued. “My position is that only Loka and I marginally represent the people, and we have been absorbed into the military as well. At least one should be a true civilian to keep reminding us it isn’t all about the MKs—people will live or die on two planets based on our decisions.”
I actually won my first political battle. It was set up that a council member would be elected based on both planets’ wishes.
Lucy said, “El reopened the desert for sand training for all the new recruits and Captain Korklile will train them for two week periods. Then to Niketu for cold training, then repeat. If we get enough they will start on both and alternate.” I knew if it didn’t kill him the Captain wouldn’t stay skinny very long.
~~~
I was coming back from the mess hall after breakfast and again found Myla sitting and staring at the MKs. One was dying and El said both might soon—we had run out of live food to feed them. Fish from the swamp didn’t seem to help much. She saw me and I had the distinct impression that once again I wanted to find out about egg fertilization. It had some fear, some dread, but Myla either couldn’t understand it or she couldn’t get me to.
I called on the earpiece, “El, can I get one or two of Myla’s older people that have learned English to meet me in the mess hall in, say, two hours? It may be important.”
“Sure Eldon, I’ll have a couple rounded up in no time,” she sent back.
Myla smiled and took my hand. She pulled me back to the mess hall and she had some toast and juice from the machine and waited. Meanwhile I told Lucy what I was doing—she wanted to be there as well.
Loka found us and as she picked up some coffee I filled her in. “The MK is afraid of something, something to do with the fertilization of the female eggs. I see what looks like a male MK pissing on the eggs, then screams and holds his tool as it turns to powder or something. That is all she shows me, over and over. I don’t feel she understands what she is seeing.”
It took less than two hours. El showed up with a young man and girl and Lucy was right behind her. El said, “This young man we now call Thomas and the girl Reta, they are brother and sister. He is the younger by a year, she is almost fifteen.”
Lucy gave them earpieces and spoke to them in their language then the girl turned to me and said, “Yes, General Eldon, we speak English now. How may we help you?”
“I’m not a…oh, never mind, I am. Forgot. We are doing our best to find out what Myla is trying to tell us—she is trying to learn English but hasn’t done well, but she can read the MKs minds, those are the bugs that killed your people. Anyway, can you two see if you can find out what the bugs are afraid of? It has something to do with their eggs, which is about all I get from her.”
“Okay, we will if it will help,” the boy said.
I had them sit and we gave them some juice as well. They stared at Myla and she back at them for what seemed like hours.
The girl spoke first. “You are aware, of course, how we humans mate. When the boy releases in the girl the sperm find her egg if one is present.”
“Yes,” Loka said. “And?”
“The MK male has his orgasm the same way, when he sprays the sperm on the stack of eggs. A grand feeling of euphoria I guess, not being male I can’t say. Well, that is what it fears, something that stops that feeling.”
Her brother took over. “They ate something, something they now think was bad for them, at least the ones who attacked our planet, but Myla doesn’t recognize what it is so I will guess it is not from our planet.”
“Whatever it is they fear it,” Reta said. “May I ask an honest question about this basic subject?”
Loka said, “Sure.”
“I know you used to mate for life and it is now different but among our people we had several mothers for each father. Will this be permitted under your domination of us? It is our way and we have been afraid to ask. We mate starting at fifteen yet they said you wait until you’re almost twenty—seems like a waste of a lot of productive years to us.”
Hmm, this wasn’t even thought of. I was going to say something but El asked the same idea I had, “So you don’t have love, the guy just uses the women to make babies?”
Thomas looked at us funny, then Myla, then to Reta, and she said, “No, we love each other. Remember, we use mind speak, we know who we want almost at puberty. The male keeps us happy and provides for us and we in turn produce children for him, to help run the farm until they leave to mate. It has always been thus. I have found my mate, it is Herieum, or Henry to you, on the cold planet. Will we be able to continue our culture or are we doomed to follow yours?”
I finally got a word in, “The male is how old?”
“We must be able to provide and have land to sow. Most wait until they are at least sixteen. I have land already but no home built, so I will probably be late fifteen or early sixteen as well. I have located one mate, but the others didn’t get out so I will need to find two more.”
They looked a
t Myla and both laughed. Lucy asked what was funny.
“Myla volunteered to be his mate,” Reta said.
“Oh, Myla, wait awhile. Mr. Right will be along in time,” Loka said.
Lucy said, “Reta, I am more or less in charge. I am aware of your mating habits, having talked to most of you already. As a machine I more or less know what you mean, but I ask you to give us a little more time to get organized and figure out if we can even survive before we start having new children to have to try and raise. I don’t think I would want to bring a child into the world at this time, knowing it might wind up being a snack to an MK, would you?”
All three looked toward each other a while, and the boy said, “We have ways to stop the birth of children among us, if that is your only concern. What we don’t have is permission from our current Lords and Ladies to continue with our practices, or even our religious worships for that matter.”
Lucy filled us in, “They believe in one God, a good and kind one who made them and told them to multiply and be happy. They also had a basic fiefdom type lifestyle. Kings parceled out the land among themselves and then taxed the normal citizens for the right to grow crops and raise families. It was to raise income to support themselves and provide security. Overall I saw no overt abuses, probably because they could read minds and identify any problems with the people early on.”
El was next. “I think this caught us all off guard. We are deep in a destructive war and seriously hadn’t contemplated such problems. We have established a Council and as soon as a couple more are elected I promise we will address it at the first official meeting. It is a big deviation from our norm but I think we all are willing to adjust even our own norms of late. I will ask you two and others to speak at that meeting so all will understand and a ruling be made. By the way, with us you have no lords or masters, at all, you are as free as we all are.”
“You forget, we read some of your peoples’ minds as well, but we will wait and see,” Reta said. “Now, back to our enemies. Myla wants to study them some more, neither Thomas or I have seen them, maybe one of us can see something as well. Is this permissible or not?”
A Planet's Search For History Page 15