Redemption Song

by Henry A. Burns

  One Alsoo warbled back, “Too close/near home/burrow you.”

  Kasumi nodded and took a couple steps back. “I came to talk,” she repeated.

  The Alsoo who spoke before moved forward. “First-Son-First-Born speaker me,” he warbled. “Speaker home/burrow me.”

  Kasumi briefly covered her eyes. “I am Kasumi,” she said in introduction. “Speaker for Rynn and humans.”

  The Alsoo warbled. “Big split-tail Hen’riks and mate Coo’Evn’Brees speak Kasumi/you name.” The creature slithered closer and grounded his stick. “Speak/say speaker you. Speak/say great warrior you. Speak/say Eaters enemy you.”

  Kasumi nodded. “Eaters are my enemy,” she agreed. “They ate many Rynn. I have sworn to fight them,” she said. “The humans, the big split-tails, will fight them. They are our allies, our friends.”

  “Truth question,” warbled the Alsoo leader.

  “Truth,” confirmed Kasumi.

  “Want/desire/need fight/struggle we,” the Alsoo leader warbled. “Small we truth. Warriors we truth.” He waved a stubby hand at the structure. “Females protect pledge/oath you. Warrior kill Eaters we.” He slapped himself on his chest. “Pledge/oath.”

  And so my vision is true again, Kasumi thought. She covered her eyes briefly. “I will protect the females. Pledge/oath,” she said. “We—Rynn, human, and Alsoo—will fight the Eaters together,” she said. “Pledge/oath.” She slapped her chest.

  “Pledge/oath,” replied the Alsoo leader and slapped his chest.

  Joseph Franklin opened his eyes and saw nothing. “What?” He croaked. “Dark.”

  “Your vision will return in time,” said a calm voice. “Welcome back, Mr. Franklin.”

  Franklin felt someone take his hand and, based on the feeling, take his pulse. “Human?”

  “Dr. Edwards,” the voice said. “Now I want you to try to stay calm. There are some things you need to know.”

  Franklin nodded.

  “Good,” the doctor said. “The good news is that you should make an almost complete recovery.”

  “Almost?” Franklin asked in a quiet voice.

  “Omiset is an amazing drug, but it has its limitations,” Dr. Edwards said. “One limitation is that it cannot restore anything that is … no longer there.” Franklin could hear the doctor sigh. “The piece of shrapnel that struck you damaged part of the medulla oblongata. That’s …”

  “The brain stem,” Franklin supplied.

  “Exactly,” Dr. Edwards said. “Fortunately, the part of the medulla that controls autonomic functions—your breathing, swallowing, etc.—was undamaged,” he said. “The damage was confined to the sensory and motor functions. That is why you are currently unable to see.”

  Franklin was silent for a while as he digested the information. “Walk?” he asked finally.

  “Unlikely, Mr. Franklin,” Dr. Edwards replied. “Not on your own, anyway.” He cleared his throat. “You also might have some difficulty with fine motor control in your hands,” he said. “To put it simply, your hands will shake.”

  “Shake,” Franklin repeated. “A lot?”

  “We don’t know,” Dr. Edwards replied.

  Franklin licked dry lips. “Thank you for being honest,” he forced out through a dry throat. “My core? Do they know?”

  “Yes, Mr. Franklin,” Dr. Edwards replied.

  Franklin nodded. “I’d like to … I guess see is not accurate, is it?” He chuckled. “My vision will return?”

  “Probably within the next day or two,” Dr. Edwards replied confidently.

  Franklin nodded again. “Can my core visit?” he asked.

  “Your core is waiting outside,” Dr. Edwards said. “They can stay as long as they want.”

  37

  MAKER

  Captain Kasumi sat at the head of the conference table. This was her senior staff meeting, and in attendance were Mel, Morning Mist, David Eisenstadt, and Sergeant Major Stilson. “Morning Mist, any new information on the Polig-Grug?”

  “Yes.” Morning Mist’s crest flared. “How those … monsters became space farers, I don’t think we’ll ever know,” she said. “By all that I’ve learned, they shouldn’t have been able to build a wall, let alone a starship.” She chirped to her Torque, and an image formed. “This is just a segment of the code I vacuumed out of their computers,” she chirped in annoyed tones. “Ninety percent of the code is junk. I swear, it only works because there is so much of it.”

  “An infinite number of monkeys typing into an infinite number of computers,” Mel mused. “Just by chance alone, they’d create something usable.”

  “Something like that,” Morning Mist agreed. “And I think that’s basically what might have happened.” She chirped and the image changed. “Based on what I have been able to interpret, the Polig-Grug are ancient and attained their present form something close to fifty million years ago.” She chirped again. This time the image was of the queen surrounded by a number of drones. “There is an orifice at the base of the cranium of every drone.” A circle appeared to mark the location. “The queen does not have the orifice, but she does have these.” A circle appeared at the base of the queen’s skull outlining a ropy mass. “This appears to be a nerve bundle.”

  “You’re going to tell me that the queen plugs into the drones?” Eisenstadt opined.

  “Oh, more than that,” said Morning Mist. “Two queen tentacles can fit into a drone port.” She frowned. “At least two.”

  “Multiple queens can create a serial connection to … what?” Mel pursed her lips. “Hundreds, thousands of drones?”

  “Each one adding a slight increment to the Polig-Grugs’ processing, or rather intellectual, capability,” Morning Mist nodded. “Get enough linked, and you’ll have … something insanely intelligent.”

  “On the other hand, any individual Polig-Grug is not going to be all that bright,” Kasumi decided.

  “Actually, pretty damn stupid,” Mel commented. “But how would they … oh, I get it.” Mel leaned forward. “When the queen connects with the drones, they form basically a single entity that can pilot their spacecraft, devise strategy, etc … but when they disconnect, they retain their latest … programming?”

  “That seems to be the case,” Morning Mist agreed. “If we can disrupt that connection …” She smiled as everyone at the table started nodding. “I’ve already formed a research team.”

  “Excellent work, Morning Mist,” Kasumi said in unfeigned approval. She briefly covered her eyes.

  “Next on the agenda: the Alsoo,” Mel said. “I know you have a lot on your plate, Morning Mist, but have you found their home world?”

  Morning Mist shook her head. “Polig-Grug star maps are even more obscure than their software,” she said. “I think we’d be better off just following one of their ships and see where it goes.”

  “I hate to state the obvious, but has anyone asked the Alsoo?” Eisenstadt asked. “At the very least, they can tell us the color of their sun, describe constellations. Something is better than nothing.”

  “I’ll have Hendriks and Breeze do that,” Stilson said.

  “Have them see if the Alsoo can be trained to use modern weapons,” Kasumi stated firmly. “I promised them that they could join the fight against the Polig-Grug, and I mean to deliver on that promise.”

  Joseph Franklin grunted in suppressed pain as he pulled himself off his bed and onto his mobility unit. It was superficially a wheelchair, except it had no wheels, and his position was more upright than seated. Instead of wheels, it floated in midair. It was less antigravity than a modification of the Rynn force shield.

  “Unbelievable,” Black Rocks said in admiration. “We’ve had the force shield for nearly fifty years, and never had anyone considered using it this way.”

  “It just needed some fresh eyes to look at it,” Franklin retort
ed. He rubbed his own eyes. While his vision had returned, he would get frequent headaches and pains from eyestrain. He reached for the controls and stopped when his hands began to shake. He frowned in annoyance. “This is not going to work,” he muttered. “At least not like this,” he added. “Hmmm.”

  Black Rocks smiled to himself. “I have a few things I need to do,” he said. “I’ll be back in a couple ticks.” Franklin nodded absentmindedly.

  Black Rocks left the suite he and his core lived in and headed toward the main bay. This was his destination for two reasons. One was that Frozen River and Light of Three Moons were there and he wanted to give them an update on Joseph’s progress. The other was one shared by nearly the entire crew: the Alsoo.

  There wasn’t a single Rynn or human who was not fascinated by the Alsoo. So far, they were the smallest sapient creature discovered and the very first Naga-form. This was a term coined by a human that described a being with a human torso and a snake’s body.

  The Alsoo were sapient, but just barely. As far as anyone could determine, their language consisted of approximately six hundred words, with a syntax that was understandable if fractured. They had mastered fire, stone-carving and chipping, wood-shaping, and the rudiments of weaving—things that humans and Rynn had also mastered even before they had evolved into their modern versions.

  Black Rocks entered the bay and immediately headed toward where the Shrikes were docked. He could see Frozen River inside the blister. He looked for Light of Three Moons, and it wasn’t until he was nearly at the ship that he saw her. She was half inside an access port. A bittersweet smile appeared on his face. That should be Joseph in there, he thought. “Greetings, Core Brother and Sister,” he called out.

  “Greetings, Core Brother,” Frozen River returned. “What news?”

  Black Rocks laughed. “I fear Core Brother Joseph is becoming fixated again.”

  “Spirits be praised,” Frozen River replied. He shared a chittering laugh with Black Rocks.

  “Has anyone seen Red Clouds Paint the Sky?” Black Rocks asked.

  “He’s where everyone who isn’t doing something else is,” Frozen River replied with a chitter. “Making friends with the Alsoo.” His crest fluttered. “I’d go myself, but Light of Three Moons insisted we finish repairing the Shrike.” He chittered. “She also insisted that Red Clouds Paint the Sky not help.”

  Black Rocks chittered and walked over to the access port. He knelt down and stuck his head inside. “Core Brother Joseph is much better this morning,” he said quietly. “But he gets frustrated easily.”

  Light of Three Moons looked at Black Rocks. “Headaches?” she asked. Black Rocks nodded. “I can …” A warbling interrupted her. “What?” Before she or Black Rocks could react, a snakelike figure crawled into the access port. “An Alsoo!” she exclaimed.

  The Naga-form crawled over to Light of Three Moons. It warbled, “Chore/work you question,” came the translation. The creature picked up a tool with a stubby hand. “Chore/work help me you question.”

  “I don’t …” Light of Three Moons broke off. She looked at the creature’s hands. “I wonder …” she said in musing tones. “Hello, my name is Light of Three Moons,” she said. “What is your name?”

  “Greeting ‘Li-three-Moo’/you. Second-Daughter-Fifth-Born me,” warbled the Alsoo. “Chore/work help me you question,” she repeated. She lifted the tool. “Strong me.”

  “Yes, you are,” agreed Light of Three Moons. “Come with me.” She crawled out of the access port. The Alsoo followed. Light of Three Moons leaned down and extended a hand. The Alsoo clasped the hand and then crawled up the arm to end up on Light of Three Moons’ shoulder. The creature’s tail wrapped loosely around her neck, and one hand took a light hold of her crest. Light of Three Moons was surprised at how light the Alsoo was. She started walking.

  “Where are you going?” asked Black Rocks.

  “I think the spirits are trying to tell me something,” Light of Three Moons replied quietly. “I’ll see if I’m right when I speak to Joseph.” With the Alsoo on her shoulder, she started walking to the suite she shared with her core. “I’m surprised to see you. I thought females were kept safe.”

  “Truth,” replied Second-Daughter-Fifth-Born. “Neuter me,” she warbled. “Daughter born yes, many eggs, no eggs, neuter be.”

  Light of Three Moons blinked as she tried to decipher what the Alsoo was saying. “Alsoo females lay eggs,” she said slowly. “And when they can no longer lay eggs, they become … neuter?”

  “Truth,” replied Second-Daughter-Fifth-Born. “Many eggs me, three daughters live/they, two sons live/they. Proud me.” She leaned around to look into Light of Three Moons’ eyes. “Daughters hide me, daughters/they. Safe know not daughters/they, hope me,” she said.

  “I hope they’re safe too,” Light of Three Moons replied. She thought about the conversation as she headed toward the suite. It wasn’t long before she entered and called out, “Joseph?”

  “Hang on,” came Joseph Franklin’s voice. A moment later, he floated in. “Hey Light, what’s … oh my god,” he exclaimed. “Is that an Alsoo?”

  “Alsoo me truth,” said Second-Daughter-Fifth-Born. “Split-tail fly.”

  “Only Joseph,” Light of Three Moons said to the Alsoo. “Joseph is very smart, very creative,” she said. “He makes things. Useful things.”

  “Hands shake/he,” observed the Alsoo. “How Joseph/he split-tail maker/he be/he, hands shake/he question.”

  “That is indeed the question,” agreed Franklin.

  “Maker/he need hands,” the Alsoo asked. “Second-Daughter-Fifth-Born hands strong.”

  Light of Three Moons had to force herself to not shake in an almost atavistic fear. The spirits truly are speaking to me, she thought in awe. “I …” She swallowed. “I had hoped that Second-Daughter-Fifth-Born could help,” she said nervously. She walked over and extended her arm. The Alsoo left its perch and crawled down her arm and onto Franklin’s extended arm. Soon the Alsoo was wrapped around Franklin’s neck.

  “I need to … do something,” Light of Three Moons said. “Why don’t you see if Second-Daughter-Fifth-Born can …” She trailed off. “You know.”

  Franklin turned to Light of Three Moons with an expression she hadn’t seen on the human’s face for some time. He was smiling. “And maybe Second-Daughter-Fifth-Born can stay … for dinner,” she said.

  “What are we having?” asked Franklin. His hand stroked the Alsoo’s feathered back. “Light makes this wonderful dish with fruit and grains,” he said to the Naga-form.

  Light of Three Moons chittered. “I guess I’m making fellel-chrr,” she said. “Be back soon,” she promised and left the suite. She hurried down the passageway and entered another room. It was small and bare of any furnishings. It was basically a closet that had once contained spare parts but was now used when Rynn needed some privacy.

  Light of Three Moons knelt on the floor and clapped her hands together twice. “Spirits and ancestors,” she said. “I don’t know which of you sent the Alsoo to me, but thank you,” she said. “Joseph smiled, and it was as if the sun greeted the day.”

  Light of Three Moons sang quietly as she cooked. She had learned that the Alsoo were omnivores but that too much meat could cause digestive problems. She had decided to make fellel-chrr as Joseph had requested, plus an Earth dish that the Rynn had come to love: mac and cheese. “I wonder if Alsoo like salads,” Light of Three Moons said to herself.

  A noise caught her attention, and she turned. “Speaking of Alsoo,” she said. “Greetings, Second-Daughter-Fifth-Born.”

  The Alsoo warbled, “Greeting ‘Li-three-Moo’/you.” She sidewinded to the cooking section. “Help/assist/work me you question.”

  “Not really,” replied Light of Three Moons. “But I wouldn’t mind the company.” Her crest fluttered as the Alsoo climbed the side of the
cooking bench and curled up on the counter. “I could have picked you up,” she said.

  “Split-tail strong truth, Alsoo want/need split-tail see/know Alsoo strong truth,” Second-Daughter-Fifth-Born declared. “Truth weak split-tail strong much/much Alsoo.” She slithered over to the cutting board and sampled a cut vegetable. “Good.”

  Light of Three Moons tried to decipher what the Alsoo had just said. “Do you mean that the weakest Rynn is stronger than an Alsoo?”

  “Truth,” agreed Second-Daughter-Fifth-Born. “Big truth Alsoo weak/prey,” she said. “Split-tail not Alsoo prey/food make. Truth question.” Her thin shoulders rolled. “Alsoo dizzy/think. Alsoo like/good but dizzy/think Alsoo we/me be.”

  “Dizzy think?” Light of Three Moons repeated. “Dizzy think. Hmmm. Oh, confused.” Her crest waggled. “Yeah, I suppose when everything keeps trying to eat you, running across something that could eat you and chooses not to would be confusing,” she said.

  “Big truth,” agreed Second-Daughter-Fifth-Born.

  “Once, Rynn thought like the Alsoo,” Light of Three Moons said. “We ran. We hid.” She looked down for a moment. “Then we met the humans.” She smiled. “Big truth,” she said. “Humans made the Rynn brave.”

  “Dizzy/think big truth,” the Alsoo replied.

  Light of Three Moons chittered. “Big dizzy/think big truth.”

  “Second-Daughter-Fifth-Born want/need stay here/this place,” the Alsoo said. “Think/want human Alsoo brave make.” She looked at Light of Three Moons. “Room/space make me you question,” she said. “Work/chore hard do me,” she slapped her chest. “Pledge/oath.”

  “You made Joseph smile,” Light of Three Moons said softly. “For that alone you can stay.”

  “Pledge/oath question,” replied Second-Daughter-Fifth-Born. She slapped her chest.

  “Pledge/oath,” agreed Light of Three Moons. She slapped her chest.