by Trevor Gregg
“It may be as you speak, but it does not change the reality of our ways. We have always been subservient to the Yal, and we shall always be so.”
He led them on, down wide causeways, past more stone buildings, some several stories tall. He noted how the stone appeared to be fused together, fitting like puzzle pieces, no obvious mortar. A gentle breeze blew in, carrying the scent of the sea. Benjam’s nostrils flared as he took in the salty air.
“So how about cities? Is this the only one or are there more?” Benjam questioned further.
“Oh, this is not a city, honored guest. This is the Eivolon, Leicara’s familial home. There are many cities scattered across the world, Terakesh being the nearest. Perhaps Leicara will take you to visit. It is beautiful, I have heard.”
“You’ve never been?” Benjam asked, surprised.
“I’ve never left the Eivolon. My family and I have been here all our lives, we’ve never been sent beyond the compound,” he replied sheepishly.
They approached a plain stone building that stood two stories tall. Next to the entrance was a small holopanel. The attendant began to tap in commands. Moments later the door slid aside, revealing the dimly lit interior. Heston stepped through the doorway and motioned for them to follow.
As Benjam entered he quickly scanned around, taking in the large room. The room occupied the entirety of the building, spanning twenty yards by twenty yards, vaulted ceiling dimly lit by softly glowing orbs hanging down on wires. There were control stations dotting the exterior of the walls, enough for more than a dozen occupants. In the center stood a pedestal with several controls.
“Come, let me show you how to operate the computer,” Heston said, making for the central pedestal.
Benjam followed, watching intently as he began to manipulate the controls on the pedestal. A holopanel sprang to life in front of them, shimmering in the air. Heston began to key in commands, and the room was bathed in light.
Only it wasn’t the ceiling lights that had illuminated everything, but a giant cylindrical holoscreen that ringed the large space. Benjam was impressed with the interface, now he just wondered about the processing power. How much capacity would they have. He reached out to the controls, tentatively waiting for Heston’s approval.
“Yes, go ahead,” Heston said, bowing slightly and stepping out of the way.
Benjam began to examine the panel, keying in commands experimentally. Soon enough he felt he had the grasp of the programming methodology and tried some simple calculations. The results were displayed instantly.
He continued increasing the difficulty of the calculations, but could not get the computer to hesitate. Yes, this system likely had tremendous processing power. It would do, at least for now.
“Do you wish me to remain?” Heston asked meekly.
“I think we can take it from here, Heston,” Benjam said, placing a tentacle on the Azorian’s shoulder. “Thank you for your help.”
“My honor to serve you today, revered guests,” he said, bowing and backing out the door.
“Well he sounded a little repressed. Never left the compound? What is he, a slave?” Alis asked, anger creeping into her voice.
“It would seem they perhaps have some odd ways,” Benjam concurred. “But slave I think is not accurate. They seem to be somewhat feudal. I would assume Heston is of the peasant caste, whereas Leicara is the ruling class.”
“Well, I don’t care what class, slavery sucks either way,” she remarked hotly.
“Let’s just see what we can do about this computer, let’s see what we can learn, shall we?” he suggested, hoping to change the topic.
Benjam turned back to the panel and programmed in some more calculations. “Let me see if I can build the time-bomb model.”
He went to work, programming in the equations and the necessary data. Alis began to fiddle with one of the auxiliary control stations. He noticed she had converted her wrench to data reader and was attempting to interface with the alien systems. Benjam had seen her relief when their possessions had been returned to them, he knew how much she valued her wrench. Diverting his attention back to the time-bomb model, he continued with his programming.
More than an hour later, Leicara entered the building, Kyren following after.
“Benjam, I’m glad to see you are at work. I hope our computing resources are adequate for your purposes,” Leicara called out.
“Yes, indeed they are sufficient. Your system seems to have many nettrons of processing power, it should be more than enough for our purposes,” he acknowledged.
“Alis, Benjam, we need to talk. Leicara knows of the Kirugi too. And it seems it may be on its way here, as well,” Kyren said, his voice grave.
He spent a few minutes and relayed the conversation between himself and Leicara, explaining that she too had seen the Kirugi, like Elarra had. He explained how their society was on the brink of civil war, divided cleanly into two opposing factions. Benjam understood that there were threats on all sides, even if it seemed peaceful in the here and now.
“I shall leave you to your work,” Leicara said as Kyren explained.
29
Fighting Bot
Kyren rubbed his eyes and stretched in his seat, “We’ve been at this for two days now, I’m going googly-eyed.”
“Yeah, me too,” Alis concurred, ears wilting.
They had spent all of their waking hours researching what Leicara had provided them with. They discovered a vast network of documents and media, categorized by some archaic sorting system lost on Kyren. It seemed like a ton of junk, and it seemed they just had to wade in and start picking things apart.
Hours upon end of watching vids, reading documents, and panning through holo albums, while taxing, had also been revealing. They had learned that Azorian society was primarily agrarian. There were huge farms scattered across the land, lying between the great cities. Kyren had also gleaned that they possessed advanced weaponry, but found little evidence of its use anywhere, outside of some historical records of minor alien conflicts.
“Hey Benjam,” Kyren called across the room. “Have you made any progress?”
“I’d hate to bias my final results, but the preliminary conclusion is… well…” he began, but stammered. “Well, it is frighteningly coincidental.”
“Okay, out with it, then!” Alis grunted.
“So how long ago did Skotty at the station say he met you, Kyren? Seventeen thousand something, right? And how far back did the Traveler say we were being sent? Seventeen thousand something, right?”
“Okay, so we’ve gone back in time seventeen thousand and something years. I thought that was likely anyway,” Kyren responded.
“Yes, I’m not disputing it. It’s just something else seems to be coming out to seventeen thousand and something years. My simulations on the effects of the time bomb have been running for some time now. I am finding a saddle point in the sigma-surface. Still far from exact. But yes, seventeen thousand years.”
Kyren took a moment to digest what that meant, but only got indigestion of the brain.
“That’s significant but what’s the point?” Kyren admitted to his lack of understanding.
“The time bomb synced up with the computer’s time core. When it detonated, it took the Epsilon Computer with it. But it wasn’t just removed from its physical location, it was removed from the timeline entirely. But the time bomb’s power was, it would seem, finite. It only had a short-range reach.”
“So if we’re here farther back than seventeen thousand and something years, then there’s a chance that the time bomb hasn’t taken effect yet,” Alis finished for Benjam.
“Which means there’s a chance the Epsilon Computer still exists! Tharox’s all-knowing future-calculating computer could still be out there. Do you know what that means?” Kyren said, unable to hide his excitement. “You know what we can use it for?”
“There are a tremendous number of things one could ask a prescient computer. I have already beg
un to compile a list of preliminary control questions. I…” Benjam tried to continue but Kyren held up his hand.
“Benjam, we can ask the computer about the single most important thing. Where is the Kirugi heading?” Kyren said victoriously.
“Hello all, I hope you are well. Have my people taken good care of you?” Leicara called, striding into the vid-itorium, as Kyren had begun to call it.
“Yeah, they’re really good to us,” Kyren responded.
“They’ve done an outstanding job, pity they don’t know anything more than a life of servitude,” Alis interjected, glaring at Leicara.
“We live as we do, because it has always been our way. Happiness and health abound, my people want for naught,” she replied placatingly.
Kyren could see by the backward cant of her ears Alis was not impressed with her answer but thankfully she let it drop.
“Well, as to the reason I’m here,” Leicara began, clearing her throat slightly. “I would like to invite you to come to Terakesh with myself and my court. We have business to attend to and I think you might find it interesting. But we must leave post haste.”
“Benjam, you going to come, or keep working?” Kyren inquired.
“I’ll stay behind and tune my simulation some more,” he squeaked back.
Kyren and Alis followed Leicara out of the vid-itorium, where a long sleek aerocar was waiting. They climbed aboard after Leicara. The car’s spacious interior was already occupied by Elcidaria and several other Azorians, dressed in finery similar to Leicara’s. They chatted casually in low tones, dull conversation filling the car.
Until Kyren and Alis entered, that was, and the conversation abruptly ceased. Kyren felt every eye in the vehicle on he and Alis. The scrutiny of the purple alien eyes was discomforting.
“Welcome, Kyren and Alis. Please, sit beside me and we shall speak,” a slender Azorian woman called, motioning to the seats next to hers.
Kyren sat next to her and Alis sat alongside him.
“You know our names, so what’s yours?” Kyren asked suspiciously.
“I’m Kiana, Leicara’s cousin,” she replied with a slight giggle. “Sorry, I forget you don’t know our people’s ways. I’m third in succession to the queen.”
Kyren and Alis both stared back, blankly, so Leicara spoke playfully, “That means she is third-in-charge.”
“Yes, you always remind me of your primacy, cousin,” Kiana said, feigning great insult. “So Kyren, where you are from, are you considered Yal?”
“I’ve heard that term once before, but I don’t think I understand,” he replied honestly.
“Leicara and I, and the rest of the passengers of the car, are all Yal. We shepherd the Dras, they need our guidance. In return for their service, we provide them with a prosperous society.”
“They’re slaves, though. Doesn’t that register to any of you people?” Alis asked, incredulous.
“But they need our guidance. Our traditions keep our society functioning. In return for stability and prosperity, we require our people to work. They are simply building their own future by contributing to the whole,” Kiana defended.
“Yes, but you live like royalty, while the others work. What gives you the right?” Alis shot back.
“Well, we have superior judgment and intellect, you see. The Dras are just simply incapable of taking charge of themselves without disastrous results.”
“Yeah, okay. Time to check out of this conversation,” Alis said, turning to look out the window as the car lifted off and began to fly, just above the buildings and treetops, streaking for the edge of the compound.
Kiana blushed and awkwardly turned back to her companions. Kyren spent the next several minutes in uncomfortable silence. The car finally touched down on the outskirts of the compound, a massive shuttlecraft parked on a landing pad next to them. Dozens of Azorians, the lowly Dras clad in rough-spun tan robes, scurried around, loading crates and performing other menial tasks.
As Kyren followed Alis out of the vehicle, he spotted something that made his heart race. Stalking toward the shuttle’s open cargo bay door was a large bot, standing nearly seven feet tall. Broad shoulders were padded by heavy armor plates, the torso equivalently armored. The head was narrow and bore two antennae and a single large lens for an eye.
He spotted the controller several paces behind, working with two control gloves and a holopanel hovering in the air before her. The bot disappeared into the shuttle’s hold.
“Yes, that was our bot, known as Omega,” Leicara informed him. “Come, let’s board the shuttle and I’ll introduce you.”
They boarded the shuttle, which was full of passengers. All appeared to be of the Yal class, dressed in finery and being attended to by those in rough-spun clothing. Leicara led them deeper into the shuttle, past the passenger compartments and into the cargo hold, where the bot stood against one wall, harnessed to several support trusses.
A handful of Azorians dressed in golden tunics scurried around the bot, working on the hardware. The controller stood to the side and worked her holopanel with great speed. Images and constructs flew by as she programmed her bot.
“This is Ovia, my champion bot-fighter. Ovia, this is Kyren and Alis, our honored guests,” Leicara introduced them.
“So I see you’ve got some attack constructs there, and a defensive matrix. What can this bot do?” Kyren asked enthusiastically.
“Watch,” Ovia said with a lopsided grin, and hit a button next to the support trusses.
The restraints retracted and the bot stepped away from the wall. Ovia touched a button on the control gloves she was wearing and the holopanel disappeared. She reached out to shake Kyren’s hand, and the bot’s hand extended. She made a fist, it made a fist. She jumped into a fighting stance and threw some kicks and punches, and the bot mirrored her exactly. Touching the button again, the bot returned to its previous passive state, and the holopanel returned.
“Nice, looks like you’ve got both programmed routines and direct control,” Kyren noted.
“Indeed. And haptic feedback, as well,” Ovia informed.
“Come, let’s go to my chambers, you’ll really appreciate the view,” Leicara suggested.
Kyren turned away reluctantly and followed.
30
Bot-Fight!
Kyren stood at the balcony before the great window and watched as the landscape rolled on beneath them, fields of various crops checkering the land below. They flew inland, leaving the ocean behind. The flight lasted nearly thirty minutes, he assumed, but had no judge of how fast they had been traveling, so any sense of distance was lost to him.
On the horizon was a dark splotch upon the gently rolling hills. As they neared it grew larger and Kyren could make out buildings, multi-storied gray stone structures with simple square windows. The city sprawled out before them as they approached, the shuttle bearing for a massive complex at the center of the city.
A long courtyard extended below them, a multitude of shuttles, all appearing to be of unique design, were parked within. The shuttle was descending, bearing for an empty piece of ground. They touched down and everyone began to offload.
Leicara led them through the soft sunshine of the late afternoon. As they traversed the massive complex, her huge entourage in tow. Kyren noted several things. First, there were equal numbers of Yal nobles and Dras commoners, it seemed.
Second, the construction here was opulent in comparison with Leicara’s compound. There were actually columns, carved facades, and other details absent elsewhere. This place definitely held some significance for her and her people, he surmised.
Lastly, he noted that there appeared to be no guards, no police, no authority. If this was truly a free-for-all, what exactly was keeping them in line? Tradition? Culture? If Leicara was truly in danger as she had professed, why not have armed guards?
Kyren wished that he had the time to don his battle armor and grab his rifle, he felt quite defenseless without them. Unfortunately, he wo
uld just have to hope they didn’t run into trouble. Yeah right, who was he kidding? Hoping not to run into trouble was like pissing in the wind and hoping not to get wet. He chuckled to himself.
“What’s so funny?” Alis prompted.
“Nothing, actually. I was just thinking how strange it is there are no guards, no police. Nobody is armed. If Leicara is truly in danger, this is a terribly risky move. Keep your wrench handy, okay? I have a bad feeling about all of this,” he warned.
She nodded, her ears swiveling back and forth as she panned the crowd, looking for the hidden danger they knew had to be out there.
“Leicara,” Kyren called out, approaching her. “You said before you were in danger. Where are your guards, your warriors?”
“Yes danger is around every corner, it would seem. But fear not, I am protected. My people are not completely defenseless,” she answered confidently.
“Anyone who is that confident about the unknown is bound to be surprised sooner or later. I just don’t want to see it happen to you, Leicara,” Kyren admitted.
“Thank you for your concern, but I am safe. This is the way our people resolve conflict, we don’t risk our lives needlessly, we abide by the way of the ring,” she explained.
After several minutes of walking they reached the exterior of what appeared to be a huge amphitheater. Two massive holoscreens displayed a separate bot on each. Omega on one, another bot of similar design but with a red and blue color scheme on the other.
Leicara’s entourage pared down to only a handful of Yal and Dras. They entered a private booth overlooking an arena. Comfortable seats ringed the railing and there were chairs and low tables in the rear of the compartment. Piled up on the tables were trays of foodstuffs and pitchers of beverages.
Leicara indicated for them to take their seats. The crowd began to fill in the empty seats, and soon the entire arena was occupied. The hum of low conversation filled the arena, but it abruptly ceased when a giant holopanel flickered to life above the arena floor.