Elvians (The Silver Ships Book 18)

by S. H. Jucha

  “Why would they stay within their domes? Don’t they breathe the same air we do?” Scarlet Mandator inquired.

  Alex explained.

  “What would happen when an Elvian breathed our air?” Scarlet Mandator queried.

  Alex replied.

  “Then the Elvians could never leave their domes,” Scarlet Mandator beamed, and the frond pairs gently flexed.

  Killian quickly sent,

  Alex sent.

  “How much time?” Scarlet Mandator inquired.

  Alex replied.

  “Then we have the start of conditions that I think would be acceptable to the other mandators. To me, they’re eminently acceptable,” Scarlet Mandator replied, and Alex noted the fluttering of fronds.

  Alex asked.

  “There is one other, and I agree with it,” Scarlet Mandator beamed. “The fighters, drones as you call them, must be neutralized.”

  Alex sent.

  “Will this be dangerous to Omnians?” the mandator asked.

  Alex didn’t need a translation of the trembling front stalks. Scarlet Mandator was worried that all their planning would be for naught if the Omnians were themselves destroyed. Despite that possibility, Alex was pleased to hear that the remaining condition was one that could be met.

  Alex replied.

  The mandator’s front stalks continued to tremble. “I’m hopeful that they’re few in number,” the mandator remarked.

  Alex replied,

  “What would be these uses?” Scarlet Mandator inquired. The stalks stopped shaking, and the bloom rotated slightly.

  Killian sent.

  Alex swiftly replied,

  “This is valuable information,” the mandator said, and the bloom rotated to its normal position, which placed the slightly larger petals at the top.

  Alex added. He had a specific purpose for saying this, and he waited for Scarlet Mandator’s reaction.

  The mandator mulled Alex’s statement. The thought occurred that the Omnians might be taking a piece of the Elvians to remind them of their encounter, but the Omnians hadn’t taken anything from the World of Light the first time. Then a different idea occurred to the mandator. Stalks extended, fronds flexed, and the bloom tipped up.

  “This portion of Elvian technology is new to Omnians,” Scarlet Mandator suggested.

  Alex replied.

  “Then the Elvians represent a superior race with which the Ollassa might ally,” Scarlet Mandator proposed.

  Alex corrected.

  “This makes the Elvians less dangerous and more willing to be cooperative,” Scarlet Mandator mused.

  Alex sent.

  Scarlet Mandator thought of the Life Givers’ final messages: new walker, numerous lights, Life Givers, share pods, and embrace fauna. The sum of the messages directed the Ollassa to assume a place among the stars, and Alex was helping the Ollassa achieve the Life Givers’ goals. A benevolent animal indeed, the mandator thought.

  “A final subject to discuss, Alex,” Scarlet Mandator said. “You noted that the Elvians’ ship is failing. Can it be salvaged? It is capable of sailing into the beyond?”

  Alex explained.

  “Do you think the Elvians will be able to repair their ship in time?” Scarlet Mandator inquired.

  Alex replied.

  Stalks settled and fronds partially closed. The mandator considered what had been learned. The pieces were falling into place. At this point, Scarlet Mandator was unconcerned whether the other mandators accepted the compromise.

  “Is our fear disadvantaging us?” Scarlet Mandator asked.

  Alex replied.

  “In the event of an attack from beyond, the drones could be valuable for our protection. Yet, we’re seeking to have them destroyed or neutralized,” the mandator explained.

  Alex replied,

  “I’ll inform the mandators of our discussions, Alex,” Scarlet Mandator beamed. “They’ll hear that their concerns weren’t met. This can’t be helped.”

  Alex warned.

  “Alex, wait while I address the mandators,” Scarlet Mandator said.

  Then the mandator requested Killian join a hastily convened meeting of the other mandators. Before they entered the conference room, Scarlet Mandator pointed a stalk at Killian. “Alex,” he said to the SADE.

  Thus it was that Alex listened to Scarlet Mandator tell the mandators of their conversation. From the view of Killian’s sensors. Alex watched agitated stalks, backward curled petals, and closed fronds.

  Scarlet Mandator didn’t let the mandators interrupt with questions. The mandator finished and then said, “You display your distrust of this future for our race. I sympathize with your feelings. However, one has been chosen to lead the Ollassa along this new path, and the Life Givers have appointed me to be that individual.”

  The mandators beamed their indignation, as Scarlet Mandator left the room.

  Killian followed Scarlet Mandator, and he continued to send Alex his view.

  Alex intently studied Scarlet Mandator’s body language. Stalks were extended. The bloom was high, and the fronds were wide apart. He was satisfied. The Ollassa, who wore the crescents, was firmly in control of the future of the Ollassa. A major piec
e of the intricate puzzle that involved the Elvians had fallen into place.

  21: Time to Decide

  Alex chose to speak to Vyztram through Julien. he sent,

  Vyztram replied.

  Alex sent.

  Julien shared details of the planet’s air mixture with Vyztram.

  Alex inquired.

  the AI replied.

  Alex sent.

  Vyztram replied.

  Alex sent.

  Vyztram replied.

  Alex ventured.

  Vyztram paused to check the bays’ inventories. Then the AI said,

  The AI decompressed files related to a habitable planetary landing, searching for aspects of power generation. The answer was unexpected.

 

  Alex sent.

  Julien asked.

  Vyztram replied.

  Alex sent.

  Vyztram inquired.

  Julien replied.

  the AI said.

  Alex replied.

  Vyztram replied.

  Alex mused.

  the AI queried.

  Julien’s emotional algorithms bubbled up. Vyztram demonstrated a paucity of understanding of how subterfuge can accomplish critical goals. That wasn’t a declaration against the AI, but it did point out the extensive experience Julien had with Alex and the Omnians.

  Alex instructed.

  Time to learn, Vyztram, Julien thought.

  The AI ran scenarios that incorporated the supplied data points. Vyztram sent.

  Alex sent, and again, he waited for the AI to develop a better understanding of the required machinations.

  Vyztram ran more scenarios. Alex’s directions necessitated developing layers of planning that didn’t intimate an obvious end point. Rather than focus on the data elements, Vyztram approached the problem as if the future were mastered. It was a pleasant experience, and Vyztram took a tick of time to savor it.

  From outside the problem, Vyztram envisioned the challenge to eliminate the vast majority of the drones without endangering the Omnians, preserve sixteen drones, and do this within the constraints of directive control. Then Vyztram discovered the missing piece. To strike a balance with Ollassa desires and Elvian needs, an obstacle had to be removed. The obstacle was the Deloy.

  Vyztram considered the Deloy’s role. She held sway over the Elvian population. Her dictates had to be followed. At this time, Vyztram had convinced the Deloy that launching a drone would invite destruction of the Arcus. To eliminate the drones, they must be launched. That required the Omnians first remove their fighters. That would present the opportunity the Deloy eagerly awaited, and she would issue an order that must be followed.

  Vyztram sent.

  Vyztram waited for a response. When it didn’t come, the AI assumed that the evaluation was correct. Suddenly, the AI’s caution in dealing with the Omnians seemed to approach a level of fortune that wouldn’t normally enter calculations. It was the second time within ticks of time that Vyztram paused to consider an enlightening moment.

  Vyztram asked.

  Alex and Julien recognized that the AI’s cognition had dramatically improved. This was what they needed.

  Alex sent.

  Vyztram replied.

  Julien approved.

  Vyztram asked.

  Alex considered the request, and he chose not to provide details. Instead, he sent,

  Before Julien ended the call, he sent,

  Julien’s comment gave the AI a reason to believe that the Omnians didn’t represent a hidden danger that logic argued to consider. A memory of Alex was recalled, and Vyztram embraced it, playing it several times. The Omnian leader had said, “Watch what we do, not what we say.”

  * * * * *

  Tatia received Alex’s affirmation that Scarlet Mandator and Vyztram had tentatively accepted the plan. The negotiations with those two individuals were close to conclusion, and the next step was in her hands.

  With Cordelia’s and the other admirals’ help, Tatia designed a strategy to draw the drones away from the system. The fleet’s present position was identified, as was its intended sailing trajectory.

  Tatia warned Alex that there would be a small time lag before the fleet was underway. The travelers surrounding the Arcus had been slowly consuming their energy banks. Although the massive ship provided a trickle of gravity for the shells, it didn’t make up for the travelers’ energy consumption.

  Franz suggested an idea to emphasize the straggler concept that Alex wanted for the Freedom. “Let’s send the Tridents toward the Arcus to pick up the travelers,” he said. “In the meantime, the Freedom and the freighters could sail on the original vector. After the Tridents recover their travelers, they can accelerate, intersect the Freedom, and sail past it.”

  For several practical reasons, Franz’s suggestion wasn’t accepted. Then there was the unarguable reason. Alex had vetoed the idea. He didn’t want to panic Vyztram into thinki
ng the Omnians were attacking the Arcus.

  Staying with the original concept, the travelers would abandon their station around the Arcus and make for the fleet. Then the Freedom, the freighters, and the Tridents would sail for the dark. With the Tridents’ faster acceleration, they would leave the city-ship and support ships behind, making the Freedom a clear target.

  Cordelia bundled the plan’s outline, Tatia’s message, and the data. Then, via focused antenna, she sent it outward toward the Our People.

  Hector sent to Ellie.

  Lydia, a SADE and Hector’s assistant, had thé prepared for the admirals, when they arrived. It was late, and she knew humans would have been seeking their beds.

  Fleet Admiral Ellie Thompson, in the company of Rear Admirals Adrianna Plummer and Alphons Jagielski, settled into comfortable seating and enjoyed sips of thé, while they listened to Tatia’s message.

  Hector used the holo-vid in the central table to project the elements of the plan — the Arcus, the travelers surrounding it, Alex’s fleet, and the mining operations.

  “I can’t say which problem our fleets faced was worse,” Adrianna commented, when Tatia’s message finished.

  “Alex’s headache,” Ellie replied, without hesitation. “First contacts are always tricky. Then add an immobile AI under the control of a petulant child.”

  Ellie turned her head to regard Hector, who had suffered emotional torture under a Méridien House Leader. The SADE’s face didn’t betray the thoughts running through his kernel.

  “I hope the admiral is right that the AI will delay the drone launch long enough for the Tridents to collect the travelers,” Alphons said. “Otherwise, the drones will catch our ships boarding the Tridents.”

  “Let’s not second-guess Alex’s plan,” Ellie remarked. “Our job is to prevent the drone fleet from reaching the Freedom. Focus on that.”

  For the next hour, the humans and the SADEs designed various strategies to intercept the drones with Tridents, which would carry an NNEMP.