by Rashid Ahmed
“You’re going to get new ones too,” Áox informed the twins. The framandi continued, “We’ve updated the human diadem interface for enhanced capabilities. This includes multiple gaupa and linked diadem connections. The fresh diadems have increased range, enough to reach another, across the planet. They’re slimmer so they won’t be visible through your hair when worn. Additionally, they have some processing capabilities which will allow you to operate most of your equipment, without the need for your mission pads.”
As Rafael tried on his diadem, another two consoles extended from the wall. They contained fresh diadems for the twins. While Jón and Ásta helped Rafael with diadem calibration, Áox disappeared for a while. Soon after Rafael got the hang of his diadem, Áox returned, trailed by a group of framandi. They slid three large containers up to the trio.
Áox thought to them, “Gogh provided us with your suits for post-use stress analysis. They’ve performed exceptionally well. Aided by your AI Shun, we have modified your suits and our exterior material. In fact, we’ve manufactured fresh suits for all three of you.” The framandi accompanying Áox turned to the containers. The containers rippled, changing shape. They formed into suits. Bulkier and more formidable.
“This is really neat!” Rafael exclaimed. He added, “I can’t wait to put it through its paces.”
“Actually, you’re going to try them on right now,” Áox thought to them. The framandi added, “The Átt has arrived at Earth. The vessel is in high orbit. We’re going to use our shuttle to extract your crew. We’ll also be delivering a replacement crew, who will take Átt to your Álfhól space platform. Then, after dropping you off, this time on an island called Iceland, we will depart for our own system.”
As soon as the Átt was docked with the framandi shuttle, Isla was first at the port hatch. She jumped into Jón’s arms, a tear sneaking its way down her right cheek. Ásta was already in touch with Stefán over a diadem link. The two of them snuck aside for a quick kiss and a moment alone.
No time was wasted. The crew swap was conducted efficiently. Átt’s crew handed over their used HSEVA suits to the framandi. The suits were recycled, and fresh suits were manufactured by the framandi, on the way down to Earth. The shuttle landed at a secluded permaculture research farm operated by Lýsi, north of Reykjavík, the island’s capital. Three trucks waited to transport Átt’s crew to Lýsi’s secure research and residential property in Reykjavík.
After stowing their new suits in a guarded underground vault, the eight space adventurers got together in a condominium allocated to Sven. They were joined by Rafael who had been tasked with salvaging the kilig vessel’s cabin shell from the Pacific, for transport to Sólríka space platform. After that Rafael was to survey the system-defence network, while working with Max to develop enhancements.
“I can’t even begin to express how glad I am to have us all together,” Sven said to the crew while pouring out a local unsweetened but strong schnapps. Jón had ordered in an Icelandic puffin delicacy, which Ásta was singlehandedly demolishing. Everyone cheered along. They exchanged stories, quirks that each of them had developed and recalled close calls for the benefit of Rafael. By the time the second bottle of schnapps was downed, they were laughing riotously. The pent-up months of pressure ebbing away.
The next day, the crew parted ways. Each heading off to spend time with family, or to holiday.
“Plan on travelling?” Jón asked his sister.
Ásta replied, “Stefán and I are going to explore the countryside. A little camping in the cold and fresh air. I’m going to show him my favourite Huldufólk spots. When we return, he’s taking me to meet his folks.”
Jón raised an eyebrow and smiled at his sister. He said to her, “Keep your diadem on. Be safe.”
“What about you?” Ásta asked.
“Isla and I are going to holiday at her home in New Zealand,” Jón said.
“Don’t forget that we have to meet móðir and faðir in Cuba next month,” Ásta said, referring to their parents. She added, “They want to run some tests on us there, in preparation of the next generation of transhumans, integrating bits of new framandi knowledge.”
Jón kissed her on the forehead and left. As he walked out of his parents’ home, his gut told him that they’d likely be called on sooner than the two years in which the framandi were expected to migrate through the solar system. But for now, it was time to live a little.
Epilogue
As Shun took on the full AI burden of Lýsi, Jón, Ásta and Rafael began to rely heavily on the AI’s offspring. Shison was like a family member, unseen but always available. After Shun had provided the twins with a detailed rundown on Shison, the young AI had slipped into their lives, giving them regular updates on events unfolding in the solar system and beyond.
The most recent update concerned an analysis of the framandi home planet which Átt had briefly orbited. The AI had pulled a few key observations and referenced accessible framandi data to corroborate. The most important of these, was that while the framandi had shaped the surface to be completely pollution-free and dominated by nature, underground, the framandi were still undertaking a massive clean-up; the remnants of past industrialization and planetary conflicts. On the surface, the framandi used minimal technology, preferring mechanical tools, or symbiotic bioengineered species.
Essentially, the framandi home world had been turned into a zero-waste planet. Resources were constantly recycled. All dangerous waste was transferred to masked space-based facilities for processing. There wasn’t much of this.
The framandi themselves chose simple, minimalist lives. They overproduced the essentials, to ensure reasonable comfort. Every individual was provided a dwelling, wherever they chose to live on the planet. Clothing was recycled and reintroduced into the population. Food production was massively distributed, with much of the population cultivating their own produce locally, utilizing biomimicry principles. The biosphere was diverse and exceptionally well balanced. The only downside was that the number of species observed was limited, either due to previous extinction, or culling.
Other than cultivation, the planet based framandi occupied themselves in study, research and species advancement. They occasionally rotated off-planet to take on different roles, once enough learning had been ‘absorbed’ into their own genetic material or into their second brains. Their second brains were used exclusively for information storage.
The framandi society didn’t operate a monetary system. They overproduced everything their simple lives needed, and products were built to last, minimising waste. Anything not available in community resource centres was manufactured on demand, a capability extensively used by the species in space.
Shison had explained to the young transhumans, that being without gender, the framandi developed a unique reproduction system, crafted into their genetic code. Two or more individuals having agreed to reproduce, met at the closest community resource centre, where they enclosed themselves in a circular room prepared for reproducing parents. They would then begin a deep study of each other’s genetic information, gathering knowledge and negotiating on what information their offspring should have at birth. The parents would then sit with their backs to each other, while two appendages extended from each. The appendages would join to form a birthing sac. An embryo would begin to form in it, using the finalised genetic code. The sac could be nourished automatically by cradles available in the community resource centre or be carried on one of the parent’s backs, attached to a detachable umbilical.
The transhuman twins had asked that this information be made available to Lýsi leadership, via Shun. Some of the planet repair, biosphere management and waste management concepts were then repurposed for Earth use and released to public entities.
A year after the Átt had entered the lofi system, the framandi had intimated the original crew and interested parties from Lýsi, that the clean-up of the lofi system was complete. A detailed survey of the fifth planet had been completed
as well. Six gigil facilities were located on the planet, including the one penetrated by Átt’s crew with framandi assistance.
The Átt was fitted with a new SSEV to replace Suður and was dispatched to the lofi system with a fresh crew. They were tasked with setting up the primary infrastructure for three space platforms, which were to be constructed by AMCARs, using the abundant asteroid resources available in the system. But first, the crew were to infiltrate all other gigil facilities, with framandi assistance. Following this, a viral container barrage was planned to be launched, from the first completed platform. In preparation, drones were deployed to the planet, to sample and study the makeup of the fifth planet’s viruses. The variety seen on Earth wasn’t available. It was surmised that the gigil had wiped out all incompatible species. As the first people to set foot on the planet, Ásta and Jón were called upon to name it. After much deliberation and their brief adventure there, they suggested the planet be named ‘Saga’, a word derived from the Icelandic term for ‘tale’.
The first steps out of the solar system had begun, even before people had begun to truly colonize the system itself.
Soon after Átt arrived at Saga, news came of the framandi commencing transfer of individuals and families, to an armada of masked vessels in their fleet. As was framandi custom when communicating, they shared every detail considered relevant. Much of the population being transferred, were young. Most chose induced hibernation, to reduce the resource consumption burden on the transport-ships. Over a period of six months, the transport-ships were filled with framandi who had chosen to take on the adventure of migration. According to a low priority, appended point of information, framandi who migrated would have the option of returning to their home system should they ever wish to. Communication via gaupas made time and distance between the framandi home system and the soon to be occupied Beta Hydri, unimportant.
Three months before the framandi migration was to commence, a delegation including Áom, Áox and Áoe, along with their migrating counterparts, visited Earth to reaffirm the alliance between the two civilizations.
Corridors for the migration were charted and assigned through the Kuiper belt, forty-five AU away from the Sun. The distance was determined by the need to keep the mass migration away from public attention on Earth.
While these preparations were being undertaken, framandi observation drones were keeping a sharp eye on the confrontation ensuing between the kilig and opposing species. After the first few battles in which the gigils were the most scathed, they chose their confrontations more prudently. There was a gradual build-up of kilig-opposing forces, but direct conflict was being avoided. Incidentally, two new wormholes were being rapidly pried open in the confrontation plagued system. One directly attributed to the gigils and the other to the kiligs. Neither were being used, but the diameter of the openings would soon fit a moon-sized object through. Additional framandi observation drones were tasked to observe. By now, the gigils had detected the drones, all of which had been closely examined, but none were attacked.
Once the details of the migration through the solar system were chalked out, a final point was appended to the alliance between humans and framandi. A jointly operated space platform would be constructed in each of the systems occupied by either species. These were to host a permanent presence from both species and become diplomatic in nature, where individuals from each species could familiarize themselves with the other.
On 20th January 2003, the situation in the conflict-ridden system changed, when a gigil moon-ship entered through one of the newly formed wormholes, followed soon by what was assumed to be a similarly armed vessel on the kilig side. Fearing fallout, the framandi migration was brought forward and initiated.
Jón and Ásta were tasked to observe and aid in the migration. They boarded the Átt, which had just been refitted after returning from a long deployment, in the lofi system. The vessel’s first crew were brought together again. This time they were joined by Rafael and Alyssa Carney, a Lýsi xenotechnologist from San Francisco.
The Átt departed Álfhól space platform three days after the framandi migration was initiated. If their last inter-system voyage had taught them anything, it was to expect adventure. They were ready for it.
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About the Author
Rashid Ahmed is a digital marketing specialist who’s always been interested in technology, its evolution and impact. Having held various advertising and marketing roles, he’s evolved into a weaver of stories. Aimed at readers who like immersive experiences, Rashid’s writing balances concept detailing with easy comprehension. His interests also include economics, ecosystem restoration and permaculture.
Visit www.RashidAhmed.com for book related content.
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