“It reaffirms my belief you are a heartless automaton,” Traemuña interjects. “I say we give him what he wants. He has not been a disruptive force on Earth, just with the galanen.”
“I would not wish to see him destroyed,” says Zaleria.
“The more he helps us prepare, the less influence he will have on Earth.” Jevelle assesses. “The more he acts against this evil, the less he'll be able to use his knowledge of galanen technology to advance humanity prematurely. Although his past actions suggest he is aware that mankind needs to evolve morally before they get to the crisis point. I don't see a compelling need to remove him or his influence at this time.”
“Beltare? Do you have an opinion?” Toshi asks.
“No. I will defer to the collective wisdom,” Beltare replies. There is silence for a while after that.
“Any other thoughts?” asks Toshi. “No? Then I think we are in agreement. We will agree to his conditions to secure his aid removing the shell. Please extend to him and Clive an invitation to visit us on Juruele.”
“As you wish,” Fandtha confirms. He stands up and looks at Beltare, who is beginning to regain some semblance of composure. “I'll go find them,” he shares.
“I'll come with you. It's alright,” she adds when he looks at her. They walk a way down the trail, trying to find Clive and Achi. After they've gone about 75 meters, they hear a soft whistle and turn to see them standing there, Clive's rifle held across his chest pointing down at the ground in a safe direction. They'd walked past them without sensing either of them.
“What do the galanen say?” asks Achi.
“They agree to your conditions and asked me to extend an invitation for you and Clive to visit with us on Juruele. At your convenience.”
Achi nods. “I have a few matters to attend to before I can do that. It'll take me about a month. I'll contact you to arrange transport. You might want to start flying regular missions with waveriders around the Earth. Stopping, letting people off, picking people up. Maybe deploying some equipment. Anything to create an unpredictable screen of activity that you can use to hide important movements. The enemy is small and can't respond to every mission. You have an advantage in resources; use it to blind the enemy by giving him too much to see and react to. Would you like another beer before you go?” They turn to head back to the makeshift camp.
Fandtha laughs a bit. “Sure, one more can't hurt.”
Achi looks over at Beltare. “Would you like some water?”
“Yes, thank you.”
Achi is worried. She doesn't look too good. He wanted to push her, but not break her. He hopes he didn't push too hard. “Beltare, have you ever played poker?”
“No.” She reaches out to the collective, to learn about the game. “I don't think that would be practical for galanen. We share too much.”
“Yes, I know. But if you want to face the shell, I think you all need to learn how to play the game. It'd be fun and teach you skills that you'll find useful.” She remains silent.
They get back to camp; Clive grabs three beers and passes them around. Achi grabs a bottle of water and provides it to Beltare. “Have you wondered how it is I have found myself linked to three members of Gravis' offspring, assuming Cheryn and Clive count?”
She doesn't say anything for a while, perhaps thinking, or just hoping he'd go away and die a horrible death someplace further away. He's sure he pushed her too far. Finally she responds. “I have not. The odds are nearly astronomical, especially given the time between when you first met Zaleria and when you met Clive.”
“Yeah. Zaleria met me by chance, but she was not on Earth by chance, and what happened to her was not by chance. Traemuña had a hand in that, as did Gravis' shell. My presence was happenstance. The fact I didn't get killed by the kel'taite was pure skill. For about 15 seconds. The rest was pure luck.”
“Are you going somewhere with this?” Beltare asks in a weary voice.
“Yes, Zaleria was chance. Clive was somewhat chance. Our meeting could have been arranged, but my taking him in as my son could not have been predicted, not with any accuracy. But Cheryn being sent to kill Zaleria, while under Clive's protection, was absolutely arranged by Gravis' shell. Absolutely.”
Beltare stirs a bit out of her stupor. “I had not considered that. It, it is…”
“Utterly evil,” Achi says. “If we're going to face this evil, you have got to be better prepared.” Achi reaches out with his mind, “I hide my symbiots from you by installing multiple layers of encryption using complex passphrases that only I know. I can implement it at will. I also discovered how to use my symbiots to listen to you interact with yours. After a while, I was able to emulate your mind reaching out to your symbiots. I didn't 'hack' your symbiots, I 'hacked' you. In this way, I was able to induce them into anesthetizing you when you held your pistol on me. I can listen, but I can also inject commands. If you add extra layers of passphrases, then only those people you give them to will be able to share with you, and it'll prevent people like me, or Gravis' shell, from using your own symbiots to take control of your body. Please understand I do not enjoy putting people in pain. I do not like what I have done to you, and for what it is worth, I apologize.”
Beltare sits there, staring off into space, slowly rocking back and forth, agitated, and unsure of what she really feels. Finally, she stops and looks at him. “You said a lot of things to try and provoke me. I became angry because much of what you said was true, and I did not want to face it. I need to process those feelings and mend a few relationships. I am not ready to deal with you right now. Perhaps later. And for what it is worth, I am sorry I tried to remove you from Earth. It is not your fault, all that has happened to you. I find it ironic that if I'd done my job properly the first time we met, you would have died a long time ago, as you should have, and we'd now be helpless fighting an enemy we don't understand. I honestly don't know how I should feel about that…”
“When I met Zaleria, and all our memories commingled, I confirmed for the first time in 10,000 years that my entire life was just one huge cosmic accident. I'd always hoped there was some meaning to it. Nope, just a huge mistake, and honestly, I don't know how I should feel about that either.”
Chapter Fifteen
Arete
The month dragged by. Achi and Clive quietly settled affairs and made arrangements for what they both expected would be an extended absence. They spoke with Cheryn, and she seemed to be doing well. She wished them luck with whatever they were going to be doing but didn't want the details. She was focused on getting a sociology degree, which Achi said was probably a really good fit for what she wants to do. They decided to just leave it that way and wished her continued success until they got back. Her new identity seems to be holding up well, and she has made a few friends that appeared normal and well adjusted. Both Achi and Clive tested her identity, and neither could break it. She should be safe.
When all was ready, they packed what they felt they would need into trunks and went out to set up the satellite antenna. They arranged a time and place for a pickup in two days. It would take them that long to drive there, so they hit the road the following morning. They got to the rendezvous point, a large remote field in western Nebraska, with plenty of time to spare and secured the area. But there was no need; they'd kept their adversary off their tail. The plan seemed to be working, at least so far.
A waverider lands, and Beltare and another galan he doesn't recognize get out. She must be new, and so not in Zaleria's memories. This one has curly red hair, a freckly face, and dark hazel green eyes. “Hello Beltare. How are you doing?”
“I am well, thank you. Please let me introduce to you Elder Jevelle.”
“It is a pleasure to meet you. This is Clive, my son and associate. We look forward to sharing with you.”
“It is nice to finally meet you. I think it will be interesting to learn from each other. Do you have all that you think you will need?”
Achi and Clive drag out
several trunks and a couple fully loaded backpacks. “What's the weight limit on these things?”
“Well, I'm sure you know if you have Zaleria's memories,” Jevelle quips, with a sly smile, “But if you feel the need for small talk, you're not stretching the limit.” She glances at Beltare. “We can always jettison non-essential personnel if we need to.”
Achi and Clive look at each other and laugh. “This should be an interesting trip,” Clive says. They load their gear and get inside. Clive is pretty excited but is immediately disappointed when the door closes, and he can't see outside. “I was hoping there would be a window or something, so I could look out.”
“Sorry,” Beltare says, “Waveriders are short range, and very utilitarian. If you had symbiots, you could link in and see everything around the ship.”
“Well, I hope everything isn't going to be like this to us 'symbiotically challenged' members of the group,” Clive mutters.
“I'm sorry. We don't normally entertain guests such as you,” Beltare sympathizes. “It'll be better when we get to Juruele. Zaleria has a well thought out home; I think you'll find it to your liking.”
The waverider goes out to a D-ship holding at the L2 point behind the moon. After they dock, they head up to the bridge, where Fandtha waits. “Fandtha, it is good to see you again,” Achi says.
“As it is you and Clive. I am glad you can both share with us. We'll be initiating dimensional travel soon. When we do, uh, be prepared to meet the gatekeepers. We are known to them, but you two are not. They will ask you questions about who you are and, ah, where you are going. They just want to make sure we're not kidnapping sentients. Dimensional travel is a boon for advanced races, but it is, eh, solely at the gatekeepers’ discretion. Their job is to keep things like Gravis' shell out of the next dimension. They are, uh, incredibly powerful beings, so please treat them with the respect they deserve.”
They don't feel any sensation of movement, but they feel something change. It is hard to describe what, exactly. Everything seems to become more vivid, colors appear brighter and richer, with greater depth, and if possible, there appear to be more colors than they knew existed. And time seems to have no meaning. It's hard to describe as their minds aren't able to process all the sensations. They feel more alive than at any point in their past, but they also feel…disconnected. Stuck between the ticks of a clock, constantly waiting for the pendulum to complete its swing, but it never does.
Two beings appear. They seem roughly human, but easily 2.5 meters tall. They are radiant, with a yellow-white light emanating from their bodies, which appear almost ethereal. It is difficult to determine features such as eye or skin color because of the light they radiate. They regard Achi and Clive.
“You are not known to us but travel with those who are. Who are you, and to where do you travel?”
“I am Achi, a human. I am traveling with friends to the planet Juruele.”
“I am Clive Robinson, also a human, likewise traveling with friends to Juruele.”
“Thank you. You are known to us Hunter. Your Prey is aware of you, so we wish you well on your journey. Remember what the Light tells you, so all is well.”
Achi is puzzled by their comments. He looks around the ship and sees what appear to be the same two beings talking with all the souls onboard. But he also notices that he is seeing all of the ship at the same time, extending off in what seems an infinitely flat plane. It is incomprehensible, yet so familiar. Like he has come home. “Am I permitted to ask questions?”
“Yes, but our answers are likely beyond your ken.”
“What do you know about my prey?”
“We know nothing about your prey. We do know that Prey seeks Hunter, and that Hunter with Virtue and Truth overcomes Prey. Seek them on Juruele. You are there.”
And with that, the beings vanish. The ship and surroundings become dull and somehow smaller. Clive looks at Achi. “Did you have to ask them a question?”
“I'm regretting it. But they were right about one thing; it was beyond my ken.” Clive laughs.
Fandtha comes over. “How are you? Dimensional travel can be disorienting to galan, er, travelers who experience it for the first time.”
“We're fine,” Achi says.
“Yeah, but I think he learned not to ask those gatekeepers any questions.”
Fandtha laughs. “Yes, they tend to provide answers that only make sense after, uh, whatever concerns you has been resolved. They operate in a different dimension than our universe, and their concepts are much more fundamental, and profound, than our meager existence.”
“They said we're at Juruele?”
“Yes. Time and distance are not concepts in that dimension. We could stay a lifetime or a millisecond. We could meet one gatekeeper or talk with a million, but, uh, when we pop back into our universe, it is at the place we want to go, and no time has elapsed. Our comms transverse their dimension as well; it is, ah, the only way we can span the universe, and yet stay in touch all the time. This is what it means to be an evolved race. It is not a designation we bestow on ourselves, but, eh, one that is granted to us by the gatekeepers.”
Achi hears Zaleria's voice in his head, linked through the D-Ship to his symbiots. “Elders Jevelle, Fandtha, thank you for returning to Juruele. Beltare, Achi, Clive, welcome. Please land by the pond, I look forward to sharing with you.”
Achi echoes the words for Clive, who can't hear them. A formal greeting, as is proper. He reaches out for her, using the communications systems integrated within the ship as she had done. This will not open a pathway between their symbiots that would lead to an unfortunate repeat of what happened before. “Zaleria, long have I desired to look upon your home with my own eyes. I have taken precautions that should prevent our inadvertently commingling memories again. However, my symbiots still respond to your commands, so be careful what you ask of them. I do not want to…”
“Achi, I feel we have been through this before, haven't we? I know what happened before was an accident; you did not intend to contaminate me. We have more important things to discuss, but thank you for being so considerate. I'll be careful.”
Jevelle comes by. “Hey, you two, we'll get there quicker if you make your way to the waverider.”
“Thank you Elder; we'll be right there.”
“Save the honorific for formal occasions, which I hope are few. Please just call me Jevelle.”
“As you wish, Elder.”
“Fandtha was right,” Jevelle laughs, “You can be a pain in the ass.”
“I'm sure Elder Fandtha knows best,” Achi remarks, sparking another laugh from Jevelle.
The waverider lands next to the pond. It is nearing local evening, which lasts longer than on Earth because of Juruele's nearly 30-hour day. Everything is just as Achi remembers it, even though he's never been here, physically. He reaches out and can feel all the nanomachines embedded within every element of Zaleria's home. Every blade of grass, every leaf, just about every living thing for a few days’ walk in all directions. All of it responds to him and feeds him information. It is an intense feeling, both welcoming and familiar. All of it will answer to him, he knows. More accurately, it will respond to Zaleria's symbiots within him. She is taking a huge risk hosting him here, of all places. This is where her essence is located. If he contaminates her here, there is no way to overwrite it. At least not that he is aware of.
He follows the elders out of the waverider. He sees Zaleria for the first time since they parted and feels an instant pang of longing, even though she looks different. She is more muscular, leaner, and wearing her hair shorter and neatly cropped. He realizes she has been honing her body for combat. She looks confident as she greats each of her guests by age, which puts him next to last. She approaches and reaches for him. A stiff embrace, uncertain. She doesn't remember anything about him; he's a complete stranger. It hurts, far more than he expected. She moves to Clive, who Achi can tell has a similar reaction. And she knows it.
He sees
Traemuña, the eldest one here. At least she'll remember him. He waits his turn. She seems impatient until he stands before her. She embraces him warmly. “It is good to see you again, and physically this time so that we can feel each other's presence. I appreciate so much what you did for me. It touched some of the others as well and speaks well of your character. This thing is not my husband and needs to be removed. But you know that, don't you? I think we are fortunate to have you with us. Thank you for coming. I know what it means for you to place your trust in us, and I, for one, will ensure it is not ill served.”
“Thank you. It has been a messy situation, and I did the best I could.” He lowers his voice. “I'm afraid I was too hard on Beltare.”
“Yes, I know,” she replies, matching his conspiratorial whisper. “Let's work on that, shall we?” She tuns to regard his son and raises her voice. “Let me meet this young man. Hello, you must be Clive. We didn't get a chance to meet before, but I've learned a lot about you. I'm glad to finally meet you.”
“Thank you. I've heard a lot about you too. The honor is mine. Wow, you really do look like you're in your mid-twenties. That's, well, really impressive. Sorry, I didn't intend for that to sound forward. I guess I just expected you to look like some really ancient being, uh, no offense,” Clive says, realizing he is making a comment about her advanced age.
“I'll just cling to the part where you said 'wow'.” She smiles. “And I'll try to avoid any comparisons between you and my departed husband,” she says with a smile. “It's all so delightfully awkward, isn't it?” She winks at him. “Come on everyone,” she says to the group, “let’s get some food and chat. We have a lot to catch up on.”
They each begin walking over to Zaleria's house, grown into the exposed roots of a small grove of telitorri trees. Achi lags behind a bit to enjoy the garden, smelling the fragrances and hearing the sounds of water flowing over rocks—all placed with precision to create just the right sound. Just like the resonant bell flowers that chime when the wind stirs them. He feels eyes upon him and turns to see Zaleria standing there, quietly regarding him.
Through the Singularity Page 34
