by S. H. Jucha
“I take that as a threat against Talusians and my presidency,” Sargut replied harshly. His ridges were suffused with blood, and the Toralians near him felt the presence of his aura.
Miriamal smiled cruelly, having believed her ultimatum would force the president to reconsider.
Instead, Sargut returned Miriamal’s smile with one of his own, which caused the sister to hesitate.
“Is it done, Admiral Thompson?” Sargut asked.
“Yes, President Sargut,” Ellie replied.
“Your attitudes have made you and the militarists undesirable, Miriamal,” Sargut said. “However, I’m prepared to be generous for your previous efforts to take the system and capture Artifice.”
“What are you talking about?” Miriamal demanded. Then she hesitated while her comm was flooded with messages.
“That’s right, Miriamal,” Sargut said. “Every Trident that has a militarist in a commander position has been inactivated. Did you forget that these are Omnian ship designs? The license fees for those ships haven’t been paid to Omnia Ships. Therefore, they’ve been deemed in violation of the contract.”
Miriamette regarded her adversary, Miriamal. “Every militarist will be transferred off the Tridents by an Omnian traveler and returned to the planet.”
“That will leave many Tridents inoperable for any upcoming fight,” Miriamal argued, seeking to gain the upper hand.
“After the transfers are complete, Miriamal,” Ellie said, “Hector, as Alex’s representative in this system, will extend the licensing fees’ payment dates, which will reactivate the warships. You needn’t be concerned about the loss of commanders. Our fleet has more than enough qualified personnel to fill the positions.”
“Then what happens to us?” Miriamal asked, relaying the single most-asked question by the faction’s members.
“Answer this one question, and I’ll tell you your future,” Sargut said. “Are the militarists determined to seek a home world independent of biologicals?”
There was a slight pause, while Miriamal acquired the responses from her faction. “There is consensus,” she said. “That’s what we want.”
“Then I believe you’d be a detriment to this society the longer you remain here,” Sargut pronounced. “The sooner you’re gone, the better for Talusians.”
“Are you speaking of marooning us on some inhospitable world?” Miriamal accused.
Sargut shook his head sadly. “It pains me to think that you believe I’d consider that option. It demonstrates to me the extent to which your members have lost touch with Talusians, both Toralians and sisters.”
“Then what are you considering?” Miriamal asked. At this point, the sisters within her faction and she were at a loss as to what the president intended.
“Among your members, have you earned enough credits to purchase a single Trident?” Sargut asked.
“Is this you displaying humor, President Sargut?” Miriamal asked defiantly.
“It’s me pointing out the value of one warship to you and your members,” Sargut replied. “Hector, you’re aware of the number of militarists. If I were to give Tridents to this sect, how many ships would be appropriate?”
Alphons sent to the other admirals.
“The sisters could be packed into two Tridents,” Hector replied, “although there would be little room for equipment.”
“Well, I wouldn’t want to demonstrate an uncaring attitude toward sentients, not like the militarists,” Sargut quipped.
The Toralians expected Sargut’s presence to be in ascendance. Instead, his brow and facial ridges had cooled, and his voice was calm.
“Hector, please calculate the space necessary to provide the militarists with a reasonable start on another world. Then estimate the number of Tridents they would require,” Sargut requested.
“Four Tridents,” Hector replied.
“Is that generous enough for you, Miriamal?” Sargut asked.
“Can we choose the equipment we wish to take?” Miriamal asked.
“No,” Sargut replied. “After I speak to Hector and Lydia, they will select what you’ll carry.”
“To be clear, you’ll give us four Tridents, equipment, and allow us to leave immediately,” Miriamal said.
“You’ll be allowed to leave when we no longer require the services of the Tridents,” Sargut replied, “and, you’ll only be allowed to exit the system when you’ve agreed to my conditions. First, you may not attempt to recruit other sisters to sail with you.”
“That won’t be an issue,” Miriamette said. “The other sisters are united in their desire to see the militarists gone. They recognize it was a mistake to appoint Miriamal as their liaison, even temporarily. However, fortune appears to be allowing the error to be rectified permanently.”
“Good,” Sargut said. “Second and last, you must not seek a world in federacy space.”
“President Sargut, we’ve learned of a vast amount of space occupied by races who call themselves the alliance,” Ellie said. “We’d not like the militarists to settle there either.”
“I’d like to suggest an answer,” the revivalist representative said. “We’ve access to Artifice’s data about federacy worlds, and we’re aware of the directions to the human colonies and alliance space. We can suggest a vector for the militarists. It would set a course and a distance they must travel before they could search out a world.”
“Thank you. That would be appreciated,” Sargut said.
Miriamal stared at the revivalist member. It was meant to relay her distaste for the suggestion, but the sister stared evenly back.
“I’m waiting,” Sargut said.
“We accept,” Miriamal replied.
“You accept?” Sargut repeated. “That’s the extent of your appreciation?” He stared at the SADE, who had been a discordant voice since the sisters landed on Toral. “You’re excused, Miriamal,” was all he could say.
After Miriamal left the conference room, Sargut said, “We’ll soon be sitting across the table from eight envoys representing the races arrayed around our planet. We must think not of our immediate individual desires, but how the final agreement will affect our future.”
“Do you have advice on the avatars we should choose?” the constructionist, Hermione, asked.
“I’d like everyone to be able to sit around the table,” Sargut replied, which generated laughter that only SADEs could produce. It was also a release from the built-up tensions the militarists had created within the Sisterhood.
Sargut regarded the Omnians. “Any advice?” he asked.
“Listen,” Hector said. “Hear what the envoys have to say. Question not only what they say, but why they say it.”
“Speak with one voice,” Ellie added. “Don’t argue in front of the envoys or speak opposing points of view.”
“Maintain control. Never let the envoys see that they’ve struck a weak point with you,” Alphons said, and he touched his brow to indicate what he meant.
“Thank you, everyone,” Sargut said. “Let’s hope the races’ envoys are as successful selecting their eight, as we have been.”
Sargut invited Hector and Lydia to stay behind and speak with him. “Are you comfortable making the decisions for me about the militarists?” he asked.
“With certainty,” Hector replied. “We need only ascertain what it is you wish to accomplish.”
“Such as?” Sargut queried.
“We can ease the militarists’ start on their new world or make them work to rebuild,” Lydia replied.
“Well, I can tell you two things,” Sargut replied. “They can take only one avatar, and that must be the one they occupy as militarists. Second, they must have no immediate ability to transfer to other avatars.”
“What about GEN machines?” Lydia asked.
“I would think they would be a necessity,” Sargut replied.
“If you wish to be minimally considerate, it would be,” Hector replied.
“Then, of course, we want to supply them with GEN machines,” Sargut said.
“I believe we can handle it from here,” Hector said, and Lydia and he left the president alone to contemplate what had just transpired.
16: Transport Duty
Nata hurried to Petite’s quarters. Her heart quickened in anticipation of the possible outcomes for being called into the captain’s presence — some good, some bad.
“Rest easy,” Petite said, after receiving Nata’s salute. “Chief Lassiter has given you a glowing review for the work you did under his tutelage. That will go a long way for you when you stand before the fleet admiral. Right now, she and the rest of the fleet are a little too busy to deal with a headstrong lieutenant.”
While striving to maintain a cool exterior, Nata was crestfallen. Then the captain’s next words revived her hope.
“We’re shorthanded right now, and I need transport pilots for an assignment, Lieutenant. That means you’ll be temporarily returned to duty,” Petite said.
For several moments, Petite eyed Nata, who kept her eyes trained above the captain’s head.
“Am I making a mistake by restoring you to temporary duty, Lieutenant?” Petite asked.
Nata wanted to insist that the captain wasn’t wrong, but in her heart, she knew she would always wrestle with her anger and self-discipline. This didn’t seem like the time to lie to the captain. So, she replied, “I hope not, Captain.”
Petite couldn’t help herself. She roared her laughter.
It caught Nata by surprise, and a corner of her mouth tweaked in a smile.
“That’s a refreshing bit of honesty from you, Lieutenant,” Petite said. “Let’s hope I’m not in error.”
The cabin’s door slid aside, and Neffess strode into the salon. She saluted the captain and stood beside Nata. Then Neffess and Nata received a link.
“That link takes you to a file that maps the location of two hundred sixteen sisters called militarists,” Petite explained. “They’re scattered among the Talusian Tridents. A total of four travelers will be launched to recover these sisters. Each pilot has a quarter of the battleship ring to work.”
“Is there a problem?” Neffess asked.
“The problem isn’t the sisters,” Petite replied. “The Talusian Tridents are nestled between the envoy’s battleships. That’s where you’re headed. The envoys have been told that there are some Talusian personnel movements taking place, and Omnians are facilitating the process. The idea is to use as few travelers as possible to accomplish the task.
“The sisters aren’t identified, Captain,” Nata pointed out. She’d perused the file, which identified the Trident’s location and the number of sisters aboard each warship, but there weren’t any names.
Immediately, Nata and Neffess received an image.
“This is how they appear?” Neffess inquired “What race are they imitating?”
“As I understand it, no known race,” Petite replied. “These sisters chose to create a unique avatar. Supposedly, they didn’t want to appear like any other biological sentient.”
“Why appear as a biological at all?” Nata asked. “Why not appear as something totally different? They could be humanoid with a metal exterior or something that couldn’t be mistaken for a biological.”
“You can ask them when you collect them, Lieutenant,” Petite replied. “I’ve words of warning for both of you. Make slow approaches to the ring and to the Tridents. Give the battleships a wide berth, and I mean wide. The fleet doesn’t need either of you starting a war because you worried a battleship captain or his close-in gunners enough to scatter you and your ship over space.”
Neffess and Nata received a final link.
“That’s your landing location on Toral,” Petite said. “Deliver your passengers there, and your assignments are complete.”
Petite saw a question form on Nata’s lips, and she waited for her to speak. When Nata refrained from voicing what was on her mind, it gave her hope for the lieutenant.
“By the way, Lieutenant Nata, the Sisterhood has requested your presence planetside,” Petite said offhand. “They’d like an opportunity for Ude to visit with you. After you complete your assignment, seek out a sister named Hermione.”
“Thank you, Captain,” Nata replied, a broad smile blooming across her face.
“Lieutenant Neffess, you’ll accompany your friend to meet Ude,” Petite directed. “See if you can keep her out of trouble. Dismissed.”
Despite Petite’s cabin door sliding closed, she could hear the loud whoops of joy from the two pilots, and she shook her head. “Why me?” she muttered.
The lieutenants hurried to bays below decks.
Neffess fumed, but she kept quiet.
Within minutes, they were launched toward their separate quarters of the rings.
As Nata headed toward her first target, she kept her acceleration low. The Trident was stationed near a Toralian battleship. The hull was nearly invisible against the dark, except for the reflection of starlight off the planet, which produced a subtle sheen along its length.
“Black space,” Nata muttered. She wasn’t prepared for the size of the Toralian battleship, as her traveler cruised from its bow to its stern.
The target Trident exited a traveler from its bay to make room for Nata’s ship. When she landed, she waited aboard for her first three passengers.
Choosing to stay in the cockpit, Nata received a signal from one of the sisters that they’d boarded. Then Nata closed the hatch and launched.
The process was repeated until Nata had collected forty-one passengers and completed her quarter of the ring. Then she headed planetside.
Landing at the predetermined coordinates, Nata decided to leave the cockpit to witness the exit of the sisters.
A sister, who was standing in the aisle, turned around to regard Nata, who froze in her step. The face was the same one Nata had been shown by the captain. It was a discordant collection of parts that nature would never have assembled.
But the eyes were the truly eerie aspect of the face. Nata realized that the image she’d seen was that of an avatar without the sister resident. With the militarist occupying the avatar, the eyes glowed from within the head. The militarists had effectively negated any comparison to biologicals.
“Good riddance,” the sister hissed to Nata, which meant nothing to the lieutenant. Nata hadn’t been told why she was transporting the sisters to the planet. But the manner in which she was addressed told Nata that the race of SADEs varied more than she’d ever considered possible.
Outside, a second traveler unloaded its militarists, and Nata’s passengers joined them. The collective body stood unmoving, as if they were waiting for some forthcoming event to unfold. SADEs were usually so active that Nata’s skin crawled at the otherworldly scene.
Having completed the exchange, Hermione spun on her six-legged avatar and scurried away to complete her next task.
While Nata waited for Neffess to arrive, she imagined meeting Ude. More important, she wondered what he’d look like. When the Omnians found them, they’d been scrawny underfed children.
The memories of those early days caused Nata to think of the humans and SADEs who’d been her primary contacts. For some reason, which she couldn’t understand, thoughts of Alex didn’t elicit the hatred she’d always fostered for him.
In some ways, Nata felt she couldn’t muster the energy that drove her anger. Then again, maybe it was being on Toral and the possibility of seeing Ude again that overshadowed the old feelings.
Nata sent.
Before Neffess arrived, a third shuttle landed and disgorged another group of militarists, who joined the others. The locked avatars gave them a sense of a statuary garden.
When Neffess arrived, her passengers added to the mass, creating a congregation of over two hundred militarists.
The lieutenants took a few moments to regard them, while they stood outside Neffess’s traveler. Nata shared with Neffess what she’d learned from Hermione about the militarists leaving federacy space.
