by S. H. Jucha
“Engineers can provide pretty visuals for you, Alex,” Miranda had supplied sweetly. “You won’t even have to get sweaty.”
Alex’s response had been a low growl, and Miranda politely refrained from laughing.
“The Deloy no longer leads the Elvians,” Alex said, “We’ve an offer from the new leader, Dafine, to assist with repairs. Z, Othello, I presume you visited the foundry area at one time.”
“I did, Alex,” Othello replied. “It’s a vast area of the lower decks. Easy access to the bays where the harvest transports land.”
“Z, Othello, gather SADEs, samples, and the designs you require for infrastructure ... girders, bulkheads, and hull plates ... and make a visit to the Arcus,” Alex directed. “See if this offer is viable.”
Alex turned toward Tatia, but the admiral held up a finger.
“She’s in contact with Hector,” Franz explained. “His fleet has made a transit here. The scouts kept him updated on events.”
Alex nodded, and said, “Let’s get to the bridge, where I can better view the engineers’ pretty pictures.” He eyed Miranda, as he ended his remark, and she returned a winning smile.
Renée laid a comforting hand on Miranda’s arm, as Alex turned and headed for a lift.
Engineers had donned environment suits and boarded a cargo traveler. The pilot exited a bay on the ship’s far side, circled the ship, and took up station with the ramp pointed toward the missing section. The ramp was dropped, and engineers focused imaging devices on the damage.
“At least, the damage was clean,” Reiko commented, eyeing the bridge holo-vid display. “We’ll have to make cuts to produce square ends to girders, bulkheads, and hull plates, but we won’t have to remove a huge amount of damaged material.”
The audience waited while the engineers carefully scanned the ruined face of the city-ship. When they were finished, Alex regarded Julien and Cordelia.
Julien held up a finger to indicate the SADEs were working.
“We have the list of materials that we need, Alex, to reconstruct the infrastructure,” Cordelia said. “Details of interior materials will be forthcoming. We await Z and Othello’s investigation of the Arcus foundry services.”
“Let’s get everyone fed, allocated new cabins, and settled,” Alex said.
“Cordelia, as we relocate personnel, we’ll need to provide supplies to individuals who need them,” Renée added. “If we don’t have those supplies aboard, then we’ll need to check freighter inventories.”
27: Reconstruction
Z, Othello, and several other SADEs with engineering backgrounds landed aboard the Arcus. Vyztram had directed the traveler to a transport bay.
The SADEs exited the traveler into a cavernous bay. Two transports had recently landed and were being unloaded by conveyors. They scanned the area. There wasn’t an Elvian in sight.
The SADEs were guided to a central console. The panels were under a protective covering, and the AI sent the method of opening the cover and activating the console.
Vyztram walked the SADEs through the panel operations and the foundry services they would require. Perhaps, walk was the wrong term. The communications were between sentient artificial intelligences. Within minutes, the exhaustive process was complete, and the SADEs left the panel console to examine the foundry machines.
At a sampling device, Othello set up a program and fed the device a tiny piece of hull material, which the engineers had offered. The material was common to hull plating, girders, and bulkheads. The fleet’s freighters had a huge supply of nanites paste and oxygen hoods, which could be used for bonding the metal alloys of these infrastructure components.
The sample was analyzed, and a program affirmed that the foundry was capable of producing the requested composition.
Next, Z sent the engineering requirements for the infrastructure components to Vyztram, who had access to the foundry machines. The AI noted a mineral ore that wasn’t aboard the Arcus, invoking curiosity about how the Freedom was constructed.
Z deferred to Othello, who had run the sampling program.
Alex’s response was a lift of an eyebrow and a slight shrug. It was his acknowledgment that Julien’s sense of business kept Omnia Ships’ purposes alive and thriving.
Alex closed the connection. Then his location app detected three individuals arriving at the rear of the bridge. He stood from the command chair to face Hector, Ellie, and Lydia.
“Dassata, I’m pleased you’re safe,” Hector said. He crossed the space in swift steps and hugged Alex.
The bridge audience smiled at Alex’s whoosh of breath as Hector embraced him.
Renée and Ellie briefly hugged and exchanged appreciation for each one surviving their encounters.
Then Ellie enjoyed a reunion with Alex.
“The three of you did well at Talus,” Alex said.
“I must admit that I’m gratefully relieved,” Hector replied.
“About what?” Alex inquired.
“During the effort to prevent a Syslerian battleship from impacting Toral, the Our People was slightly damaged,” Hector explained. “However, after viewing the Freedom, I’m no longer concerned about sharing that information with you.”
Alex roared with laughter and slapped the SADE’s shoulder. The heavy impact of flesh and bone on synth skin-covered metal rang around the bridge.
Lydia waited at a distance. She recalled her greeting when she had woken within her avatar for the first time aboard the Our People. Her connections to the ship, to others, and to her own avatar were all new, and her kernel was disoriented.
Alex had swept that moment of chaos away. He’d hugged her, and the avatar’s sensations suddenly had meaning that Lydia couldn’t have suspected.
Now, Lydia waited respectfully. Hector and Ellie’s time with Alex and Renée far eclipsed her own. When her time came, Alex regarded her and opened his arms. She crossed the space as swiftly as Hector, but she folded her arms around Alex in a manner to enjoy the feel of the human she admired.
When the greetings were finished
, Hector inquired, “How can we help, Dassata?”
Alex briefed Ellie and the SADEs on the foundry system aboard the Arcus.
“We can handle reconstruction of the Freedom,” Alex explained. “Although, we might need supplies from your freighters. Z, Othello, and several SADEs are familiar with the Elvians’ ship, the social turmoil, and their interesting customs. I’ll let them keep the lead on those interactions. We do have a fantastic opportunity that your team can handle, Hector.”
“A drone,” Hector surmised.
“Precisely,” Alex replied.
“Should we bring it aboard?” Ellie asked with concern.
“Unknown,” Alex replied. “Aboard the Arcus, the drones rest on cradles. You’ll have to investigate one of them. You might need to transport a cradle to an asteroid or a moon to allow a drone to land.”
“What do you require?” Lydia asked.
“Primarily, I’m after the power plant,” Alex replied. “When they’ve been hit by a beam, the energy dispersal is tremendous and clean. I can’t even say that we’ve seen space debris.”
Alex glanced toward Cordelia, who added, “None was recorded. It’s more than possible that the drones use a form of antimatter engine.”
“What if the engine can’t be safely separated from the ship?” Ellie asked.
“Then don’t,” Alex replied. “Our best engineering resources, Mickey, Miriam, Luther, and an enormous number of engineering teams are in alliance space. We’ll deliver the drone to them.”
“That’ll make Mickey happy,” Ellie commented, which made the audience chuckle.
“Anything else, Dassata?” Hector inquired.
“Definitely,” Alex replied. “We’ve discovered several aspects about the Elvians and the Arcus that represent a challenge to an alliance.”
“With us?” Ellie queried.
“No, sorry, a lot of moving parts,” Alex replied, laughing. “I’ve got the Ollassa and the Elvians primed to form an alliance.”
“We understood the drones destroyed Ollassa ships and crews,” Hector said.
“That’s true,” Renée interjected. “He’s poised the two races to support each other. At this time, they need each other. The reasons are too numerous to list. The simple explanation is desperation on the Elvians’ side, with a failing ship, but possessing great technology. The Ollassa have a beautiful world and need protection.”
“But to the Ollassa, the Elvians are animals,” Ellie pointed out.
“Also true,” Renée responded. “The Elvians are suffering from mild oxygen deprivation, which will require that the animals be caged on the World of Light.”
“Domes,” Lydia surmised.
“Which gives the Elvians and the Ollassa generations to get to know each other,” Renée finished.
“Alien whisperer,” Hector commented quietly.
“And then some,” Renée replied, linking Alex’s arm.
“Looks like Hector made the right decision,” Ellie remarked. “Our fleet handled the Talus political mess, and yours dealt with a disruptive first contact.”
* * * * *
Alex delegated as quickly as he could think of the ongoing problems. Hector and his teams had received responsibility for the drone. He needed Z working on Vyztram’s avatar, but the SADE was tied up with the foundry operation.
Alex hadn’t any concerns for the Freedom’s repairs. Many of the engineering teams, consisting of humans and SADEs, were familiar with Omnian ship construction, much of which had been borrowed from the Méridiens. And the city-ship was a Méridien build.
Knowing Cordelia was managing the ship’s repair project, Alex connected with Killian.
Knowing Killian was speaking with Alex, Bethley peered from the corridor through the Mesa Control wall of view plates. She caught a tasker’s attention and pointed at the mandator. The tasker approached the mandator and extended a stalk toward the view plates.
The mandator’s bloom turned toward Bethley, and she touched her ear and pointed upward. It had become the scout’s signal to the mandator that Alex wished to communicate. The bloom tipped, and Bethley alerted Killian that the mandator was coming.
“Ollassa feared for your loss, Alex,” the mandator beamed. “We were relieved that no harm came to Omnians. We were told that no Elvians were injured.”
“Ships fighting and no animals injured or killed,” Scarlet Mandator mused. “This is the new future that you would have us embrace.”
“Despite some of my doubts, I must accept the Life Givers’ messages,” the mandator said. “At this time, we’re searching for an appropriate place for the Elvian domes. The amount of required space would be helpful, but that might not be a priority.”
“There is a desire to minimize contact with the Elvians,” the mandator replied.
“The mandators want to find an isolated placement for the domes,” Scarlet Mandator beamed.
Alex noticed the bloom’s drop. Killian was running a commentary for Alex on the emotional context of the mandator’s speech. The mandator appeared disappointed by what had been said.
The mandator’s bloom tilted up a slight twist and focused on the holo-vid, as if it would give inspiration. Then the frond pairs vibrated and spread apart.
“I wonder, Alex, if beneath your coverings there lurk petals,” the mandator beamed. “When you speak, I hear the words of a Life Giver.”
Alex chuckled and sent,
“I will be ready to receive Vyztram in the manner you suggest, Alex. May the Light shine upon you,” Scarlet Mandator beamed, and Killian closed the link.
During the next Omnian cycle, Alex received various images from the SADEs. Despite how the images portrayed Alex in dress, he would be sprouting some aspect of the Ollassa. The images were sent privately, and Alex would often be heard laughing, as he walked a corridor, rode a lift, or sat in a bridge command chair.
28: Projects
While the Arcus foundry produced the first girders, Cordelia prepared the Freedom for repair. She spun the ship’s damaged area away from the Ollassa star to limit the effects of solar winds on the workers. That movement placed the damaged area in the dark and necessitated work lights.
Engineers, humans and SADEs, cut into hull plating, girders, bulkheads, and decking. The drone’s fierce energy release had carved a partial sphere into the city-ship. It did mean that every surface had to be squared to enable bonding with the newly produced infrastructure materials.
