“Yes, Ximon. I will send you periodic updates.”
He kissed her cheek and headed for the bridge.
Silas stuck his head out of his cabin just after Ximon passed. “Ximon, what’s going on?”
“Not entirely sure. Heading to the bridge to find out. Join us when you can.”
“Okay, sure.” He pulled back into his room.
Ximon dropped into his seat on the bridge. “Mantis, show me the system. What do we have?”
Mantis displayed a view of the system on the main screen. “Captain, I have determined that we are not in the Ozu system as intended. We are in the Sewhir system. The nearby planet is Sewhir-3 – one of the destinations we were directed to.”
“… and we came out of jump days early?”
“Yes, it would appear that the Representative brought us out of jump in hours versus days and several dozen light years away from our intended destination.”
Shao and Silas arrived together, and each took a seat.
Ximon looked up at them and nodded. “We came out of jump early and not where we intended. Looks like that creature sent us to one of the planets he mentioned. Shao, start conducting planetary scans. We also need to study the instructions for this system.”
He paused but then went on, “How’s Io?”
“He appears okay, but he’s still doing diagnostics.”
Elsbeth came in wearing a flight suit, her hair a tangled wreck. “What the hell, Ximon?”
“That thing pulled us out of jump at a different place. We’re near one of those planets.”
“So much for his ‘do them in any order you want’ speech. What a jerk!”
Shao noted. “It did definitely send us here, but this is the farthest of the systems mentioned, so they may have saved us some travel time.”
“Oh, thank goodness for small favors. What’s our status?”
Ximon said, “That’s what we need to figure out. Mantis, what did you find in system diagnostics?”
Mantis said, “I completed diagnostics while you were resting. I had some corrupted secondary systems but was able to correct them from backups. My computer system seems to be 100%. The ship has a variety of malfunctioning components, presumably damaged by the EMP pulses. The primary maneuver, navigation, and sensor systems do not appear to be affected. I am still working with Raiza, Peter, and Euclidia on restoring their corrupted data.”
She then projected a schematic of the ship on the screen. It indicated malfunctions in multiple areas.
Elsbeth sighed. “Great. It looks like I’ve got my work cut out for me and I don’t have my hot sidekick. I’ll go get looking at this stuff.” She turned to leave the bridge.
Before she could, Ximon called out, “Hold up Elsbeth. We’ve got everyone here. Let’s discuss this plan. Silas, what do we need to do here?”
Silas had the directions up on his screen and had Mantis put a map of the planet up on the other screen. “This is weird and there’s kind of two parts to it. First, we’ll be a crop duster. We’ve got some little machine that I assume we’ll put by the open cargo door. We’re supposed to fly around in specific areas—” He pointed to a few highlighted bodies of water and one highlighted valley, “and spray stuff from this machine. I’m not quite clear on what the point is. Second, we go to a specific cliff on a large island, set up another device, and let it do its thing. As far as I can tell, it’s projecting something.”
Ximon looked a bit puzzled.
Mantis chimed in, “Silas, if I may interject. In the first task, it would appear we’re seeding the areas with some kind of biological precursors or accelerants. This is presumably to accelerate or modify the evolution or mutation of life in these areas.”
Shao had a strange expression on her face. “So, we’re playing God then?”
Ximon said, “It looks more like we’re being God’s sidekick. In any case, we’re mucking around with developing life.”
Elsbeth said, “I don’t care if these things grow three heads, three tails, or three boobs, as long as they don’t grow up and decide to kill us in our sleep.”
Mantis said, “I don’t believe there’s any immediate concern. This tends toward evolution over centuries or millennia.”
Elsbeth just shrugged. “In any case, we’ll try to mount that thing in the cargo hatch somehow. I recommend we land somewhere to do that. Otherwise, it might mess us up on landing.”
Mantis went on, “On the second task, it would appear we will be projecting some kind of video so it can be seen by the local inhabitants. There’s no record of advanced life there, so I assume the intent is to spur or channel the development of intelligence. You’ll note that the directions also specify that we fly certain routes and specific altitudes. These flights would likely be very visible, so I presume that’s the intent.”
Ximon said, “Okay, sounds like an interesting plan. We’ll enter orbit shortly and stay there and scan for a few hours. Then we’ll land on some isolated spot to mount that thing and go from there.”
Elsbeth said, “Great, after I fix a few of the issues on the ship, I’ll look at what it’ll take to mount it.” She turned to leave.
Ximon called out, “Before you go, I need to make sure everyone’s on board with this whole multi-system plan. I don’t see a choice, because, aside from the vague threats to ‘hunt us down,’ we would apparently be putting several hundred lives at risk if we don’t do this stuff. But I need to know.”
Elsbeth stopped, still facing the door. “Ximon, I don’t see a lot of bus stops that I could be dropped off at if I didn’t want to go, especially since we’re now at … wherever the hell we’re at.” She turned around. “But it seems like you’re sometimes pretty cavalier about signing up for danger.”
“As the captain, sometimes I have to make the call. But I think I coordinate with this crew far more than most captains do and I always check with you before I take on work that might be outside your contract. You may not like where we wind up, but you’ve always agreed to take the mission.”
“Agreeing to remain on contract isn’t the same as agreeing to dangerous decisions along the way.”
“Okay, fine, but let’s just assume that remaining on contract on a ship like this means that sometimes, in the course of a mission, I’m going to have to make decisions that may not always be completely safe. We’re not a damn luxury liner on an established run. We’re a small ship taking the jobs we find, many of them very similar to missions we might have been handed in the KSF, Navy, or whatever. Sometimes risk is part of our business.”
“Sure thing, Captain Bligh.” She left the bridge.
Ximon yelled after her, “Let’s just get this crap over with.”
He glared at Shao and Silas. “Anyone else?”
They both focused on their screens.
“Great, then let’s go.”
Ximon entered orbit and Shao conducted detailed planetary scans.
Silas left the bridge during the process, mumbling that he needed to work with Elsbeth on mounting the device.
In a couple hours, Raiza and Euclidia joined them on the bridge.
Ximon was glad to see his wife. “How are you, my dear?”
“I am well, Ximon. Most data and processes were recovered. However, a few training routines are degraded and will need to be reloaded at TrueForm Service Robots. Additionally, a small amount of sensory data was lost. I may need your assistance at some point in recreating those memories.”
“Of course. Anything you need.”
He turned to Euclidia. “… and, how are you?”
“I am well, Captain, though Mantis or Raiza will need to assist me in fine-tuning my motive responses at some point as they were substantially disrupted.”
“I’m glad to hear you’re well.”
“Thank you, Captain. I came to report and also to see if you would like dinner at the regular time.”
“If you’re up for it, Euclidia. We’ve just been snacking all day.”
Eu
clidia left and Ximon asked Raiza to sit next to him. “I’ve missed you, Raiza.”
He then concentrated on landing Mantis on a desolate plain of reddish clay surrounded by rust-colored rock formations. The area was hot and humid.
Everyone went out to join Elsbeth and Silas. Rather than being back by the cargo hatch, they were working under the center of the ship.
Elsbeth looked up as Ximon approached. “After we looked at the machine, we determined we could mount it on Mantis’ belly and control it remotely. The spraying will be much more precise from here and we won’t need to fly around with the cargo hatch open. I guess that creature wasn’t completely stupid after all.”
“I’m sure it, er they, would be very glad of your high opinion.”
“Probably not, but they dang sure should be. We should be ready in about ten minutes. I’ve got Peter up top watching for any approaching monsters.”
Everyone else walked about, stretched their legs, and kept an eye out for anything strange.
Ten minutes later they took off, heading for the first spray area. Silas sat in the co-pilot seat, controlling the device. Shao continued low-level scans from her seat and Raiza and Elsbeth stood behind, monitoring things.
The first area was a brackish, marshy area with fern-like trees throughout and larger trees on the edges. Ximon carefully followed the designated pattern and Silas diligently controlled the spray. It took about twenty minutes to cover the area.
The next area was a larger, clearer lake with rocky shores. Shao reported some small snake-like creatures moving along the edge of the water, but it was otherwise quiet.
The final body of water looked like the bay of some moderately-sized sea. Substantial waves beat slowly on the shore. Spraying the bay took about forty minutes, after which Ximon skimmed for fuel in a smaller bay a few kilometers away.
Then they hit the valley. The cliff races were sheer and black, but the valley, about thirty kilometers long and two or three wide, was filled with lush vegetation of competing green and reddish hues. Ximon noted substantial gusts of wind so exercised caution in covering the valley.
Afterward, Elsbeth said, “Well, we’re done seeding. What’s next?”
Silas put coordinates up on the screen and said, “Now we go put on a show for who knows what.”
It took about an hour at reasonable speed. During the flight, Euclidia brought Ximon and Shao dinner while the other humans left to eat. Raiza again sat down when Silas left. Ximon studied the flight path and placement directions provided by the Representative. The crew had to get two projection devices in place within three hours as they had to activate it right at dark. Their designated positions were on the top of a small, sheer mesa a couple of kilometers away from two sheer cliffs. Ximon flew an approved route, sprayed the area as directed, and landed smoothly on the mesa.
Ximon had Mantis scanning for anything approaching. Elsbeth and Peter removed the spray device and brought it back inside. Silas, Shao, and Ximon emplaced the projectors and Silas ensured they were aimed and configured as in the directions. All that done, Peter and Raiza brought out some chairs, sleeping pads, several sets of binoculars and some drinks. They sat or laid down on the mesa to study the valley, relax, and wait. Io and Mantis’ telebot took 360-degree videos.
They soon noted strange creatures moving about around the valley. They appeared to be one to two meters tall, with a body plan similar to an octopus, but with more rigidity so their legs carried them semi-upright across the ground. Their color varied but reddish gray seemed dominant. They moved about singly or in small groups and there were several interactions that could have been fights for dominance or some kind of strange mating. The creatures sometimes put tree limbs or bushes between themselves and others but didn’t seem to really use them as tools.
Elsbeth dubbed them “walktopus.”
Silas grinned, “Walktopi it is.”
The crew watched intently as darkness fell. As it did, faint lights came on atop the projectors and they could see traces of light going across the valley on both cliff faces. On the cliffs, large and surprisingly clear images appeared. The images, some thirty meters high, were primarily of creatures like those in the valley. The devices also fired some kind of small rockets toward the cliff faces which made a substantial thunderous sound. The walktopi in the valley grew agitated but seemed to watch the images with rapt attention.
The images showed the walktopi walking about much as those below did. However, subsequent images showed them tearing leaves off branches to use the sticks as tools. They then showed walktopi making clothes and huts from leaves. The images then switched to show a large, slow-moving creature. Several walktopi appeared and worked together to attack the larger creature with sticks and clubs. Some were injured, but they downed the beast. This hunting scene played again, but this time the walktopi threw projectiles, rocks and spears, and then used bows to bring the creature down more safely.
Once this series of images was complete, the entire series played through twice more, more slowly each time.
Elsbeth quipped, “Sucks to be them – first movie they ever see, and they get reruns.”
Euclidia pointed out, “I suspect the intent of this projection is to plant ideas in the walktopi mind of different forms of progression – tool making, controlling the environment, hunting as a group, and using projectile weapons. Each form implies different advances in the brain. The creatures of Shebatha are trying to encourage or guide the evolution of the walktopi. Further, I suspect the chemical we sprayed here were some kind of mind-altering drug to help them understand and retain the ideas in the images.”
“Well, they still got reruns.”
After an hour, the projectors shut off.
Silas said somewhat quietly, “Now we pack these things up, wait an hour, and then fly on a designated route with engines and lights blazing. They will know the gods have spoken to them tonight!”
They packed up and quietly boarded the ship. Most of the crew waited on the bridge.
“Okay, so we’ve got one task down,” said Ximon. “I think the next step is obviously the ‘great filter’ survey on Truvoco-4.”
Shao said, “Okay, I’ll bite. What’s a ‘great filter’ event?”
Mantis said, “Captain, if I may. In the evolution of life on various planets, a great filter is any event which acts to reduce the likelihood of the development of life, intelligent life, or a technological civilization. These events can be natural, such as meteor strikes, solar activity, volcanic activity, or the like; or they can be events caused by the intelligent life itself as it develops technology in a misguided way, typically nuclear, climatic, or biological disasters. The data we have is very sparse, but presumably Truvoco-4 has recently undergone some form of catastrophe.”
Elsbeth laughed. “Great. Sounds like a regular garden spot to visit. Nothing but the best for us.”
Ximon concluded, “In any case, I’m going to rashly assume that we’ll be in jump for a normal period of time, so we’ll have time to rest, continue repairs, and plan further steps.”
The crew waited on the bridge until Ximon slowly lifted Mantis off, turned on every external light, and then blazed a path across the night sky and up into the heavens. Ximon was sure the walktopi would never forget this night and their insights wouldn’t just be limited to a few.
When they broke into space, Ximon headed for a jump point and suggested everyone else get some sleep. Mantis continued scanning when Shao left. Raiza came in and sat on Ximon’s lap. She had a trick of locking her muscles so only a fraction of her weight actually rested on him. He sat quite comfortably and occasionally kissed her neck.
Then they smoothly entered jump. Ximon took Raiza’s hand and led her to bed. As they entered their cabin, she whispered, “I would appreciate it if you would help refresh my memory of a few, specific tactile, taste, and smell sensations right now.”
Ximon patted her bottom. “Oh, don’t worry love. I’ve got you covered.”
> Thankfully, the jump was quiet. They all rested, repaired some minor items around the ship and repaired the lingering effects on the robots.
Ximon laid out his thoughts on the plan so far. “At Truvoco, we’ll scan the whole system because we don’t know what happened, then we’ll scan Truvoco-4 well. We’ll get a lay of the land and then look around and assess the situation.”
Silas added, “The directions say we are to carefully survey enough of the planet to ensure we fully understand the global impact. So, depending on what we’ve got, that could be four, six, or ten or more spots.”
“Right. We’ll play that by ear. Again, everything depends on what happened. The Rep didn’t give us much to go on.”
Elsbeth nodded. “Yeah, it wasn’t too helpful.”
Ximon continued. “True. Then after Truvoco, we’ll head to Suva, emplace what we need to, head to Rco and then down into the ADX Sector. There, we’ll hit Labeveri and see about this breeding trio, then we’ll need a few jumps to get back to Kaqarbius.”
Silas noted, “I’m not sure about you, but I think that task at Kaqarbius may be one of the most troublesome. Those guys aren’t going to uproot everything they’ve got just because we say so.”
Shao said, “Don’t you think they’ll go when we tell them meteors are heading for them?”
“No, love, I don’t. They won’t believe us, they’ll minimize the risk, or they’ll vacillate. It’s real hard to convince people to give up something they value. That one’s going to take some thought.”
Ximon nodded vigorously. “You’re right. I’m worried about that one too, but we’ll just have to play it by ear. We’ve got over a month before we get there to think of something.”
Within in a few days, they emerged at Truvoco.
Chapter Seven: Truvoco
All was quiet when they emerged from jump. They were right where they were supposed to be, and nothing was on a collision course.
As soon as she had validated their location, Mantis summarized the system. “Captain, the system has eight planets including two gas giants, a small asteroid belt and 29 known dwarf planets. There is no record of settlement or activity in the system. Life had previously been noted on Truvoco-4, but no formal contact is referenced. Planets six and eight are gas giants.”
Vast Mantis Page 10