by Dean Sault
In a quiet voice, Simon softened his stance on the issue of the command chair.
“Are you sure there’s nobody else who can do this?”
“You have a genetic anomaly, one we’ve never encountered before. Something in your DNA provides you telepathic abilities necessary to operate this ship. You are obviously unaware of your special gift. If you doubt me, then explain how you turned that holographic image of Mount Vaal into a solid mass. This power of yours made it possible. Without your gift, this ship will not fly and our race will have little hope for survival.”
Dr. Boroski walked over to the command chair and held a hand out as an invitation for Simon to take a seat.
“I know you are feeling pressured,” he said, “but I will be at your side. I’ll guide you every step of the way. Won’t you please give us another chance?”
Simon returned to the pilot chair without uttering another word. He braced as the clamps locked onto his arms and legs. His head pulled back involuntarily, repulsed by the electrodes when they attached to his forehead.
“What’s gonna happen now, Doc?”
“The ship is going to test you for connectivity. Did you ever suspect how different you are from other humans?”
“No. I don’t feel different.”
“Have you ever noticed that you can read other people’s thoughts?”
“You’ve got the wrong person. I can’t read minds. You’re confusing me with Kelly. She’s always been able to read my thoughts. She’s the one who’s different.”
“Actually, you both are. Kelly is called a receptor telepath, and by the way, she is a very strong RT, but it is you who are actually projecting your thoughts into her mind.”
“How do you know that?”
Simon wondered how they knew so much about him and Kelly in such a short time.
“When anyone new approaches our ship, we test for telepathic ability. We noticed Kelly’s receptor strength immediately, but your psychic root strength is off the charts. That’s why you are here now.”
“If I have this ability, why haven’t ever I ever noticed it before?”
The old scientist smiled. “If a gifted musician had never been allowed to hold a violin, how would he know of his gift? Ah, there you go. The connection is complete. Now, close your eyes and let the ship see for you.”
He was not sure what Dr. Boroski meant but he tried anyway. At first, there was an odd sensation of spinning, but it passed quickly. A field of grass appeared in his mind with a small human girl running playfully across it. She wore some kind of long, flower-print garb that danced lightly on the breeze as she ran. A small, four-legged creature bounded after her, nipping at her heels. The girl tripped, landing in a bed of wild flowers, and her black companion pounced on her face, licking incessantly.
“Tell me what you are seeing,” the doctor asked.
Simon described the scene. The hologram did not respond when the description was obviously done. An awkward moment of silence followed before Dr. Boroski spoke, but this time, his voice wasn’t heard—it echoed inside Simon’s mind.
“This is my daughter, Erin. You are seeing images of her from my memory files. She was my youngest child. I lost her when Heptari warships incinerated her settlement in the Olafu system. I miss her terribly.”
“I’m sorry. She’s very pretty.”
“Thank you. She was a very sweet child . . .” Dr. Boroski’s voice trailed off. Simon could hear the anguish in the scientist’s voice and feel his suffering.
“See if you can access engineering,” the hologram said.
“How do I do that?”
“I’m not sure. Roger was our pilot and engineering genius. He designed the controls of this ship to respond to his telepathic instructions. Only a human with suitable telepathic ability can interface with this system. Roger said it was a security precaution in case our technology fell into enemy hands. Without telepathy, and human DNA, it would be useless. Unfortunately, Roger died unexpectedly, and we have been looking for a suitable telepath ever since. Start by seeing if you can locate the engineering controls.”
Simon felt an odd connection with this ship. He thought about the large electrically charged globe he had seen on his way up here. It appeared in his mind instantly, but it was not a memory. It was a real-time image of the globe itself, and it seemed to be waiting for him. Cutter blades on his stripper boom ran by hand control. He would ease forward on the left lever, listening to the blade-whine as it got higher in pitch.
Keeping the globe in his mind, he did not have a lever to push, so he simply willed it to increase in pitch. It responded.
Formation of energy rings doubled instantly, and thickness of each new ring grew tenfold. He sensed immense power at his command. With the simplest thought, he dramatically increased energy output from that globe.
“Hold on, Simon. Back down. Back it down, before you tear us apart!”
Dr. Boroski’s voice broke through the young man’s focus. When he opened his eyes, the control cabin was shaking violently. Gauges on terminals above his head fluctuated wildly, and, across the room, a loud alarm buzzed. He closed his eyes and willed the large ball of energy to return to its resting state. The vibration stopped immediately and gauges returned to normal.
“What happened?” Simon hoped he did not damage anything.
“Amazing. Very good!” Dr. Boroski could barely contain his enthusiasm. “Young man, you just interfaced with the main power generator in engineering. Let’s try some other systems. We’ll start with basic tasks. See if you can change the temperature in this cabin.”
Simon lost track of time as he explored functions at his disposal. He turned monitors on, opened doors between cabins. He even accessed the ship’s massive library. While there, he found himself panning across at an image of the most beautiful planet he had ever seen. It was Earth. Large blue seas, snow-covered mountain ranges, brown deserts and deep green jungles passed under his view as he directed the image to rotate.
“It’s time to take a break,” Dr. Boroski interrupted the fascination with Earth. “See if you can disengage from the command console by yourself.”
The command chair that previously was a frightening restraint yielded to his simple thought command. As he sat up on the edge of the chair, the room spun, causing Simon to lean to one side. He grabbed a nearby monitor for support.
“Roger used to complain about vertigo, too. After lying in one position for a long time, it takes a few minutes to regain your balance. Roger said it helped to adjust the seat a couple times every hour. You did outstanding for your first time.”
“That was unbelievable!” Simon shook his hands to improve circulation. “I form thoughts in my mind, and the ship responds. It’s reading my mind. Did I pass your test?”
“Oh yes, young man. I think you came along at just the right time.” There was a more serious tone in the holo-scientist’s voice than Simon expected.
“In time for what, Doc?”
“Your destiny, son. No . . . humanity’s destiny.”
Simon picked up on the implications.
“I can’t fly this ship. I just learned a few tricks. I’m no pilot. Why can’t you do it?”
“You are the only human we’ve found with sufficient telepathic strength to complete the system. I am only a photonic image. I can set the autopilot for you and plot a course, but I cannot complete the circuitry. Only you can make this ship spaceworthy again.”
“But, I don’t know where to go. I don’t know what to do. I’m not a leader. How can I take that responsibility?”
Simon had more doubts than he could put into words.
“My colleagues and I will be your guides every step of the way. You will learn as we go. We will teach you navigation charts and how to fold space to make the jump between galactic continuums. All we ask from you is willingness to learn.”
“Look, I want to help, but what if I make a mistake?”
“We believe in you, and we will be here t
o assist, but you must learn to trust us. All of humanity needs you.”
“I hope you know what you’re doing.” Simon felt trapped.
“Everything will be okay. Now, we have a great deal more work to do before others return for you. Please take your seat at the console. By the way, are you hungry?”
“Yeah, now that you mention it, I’m real hungry. Where do you keep food around here?”
“Use your command link. Select anything in the culinary library. Our compilers will fabricate it.”
Simon re-integrated with the command chair long enough to select his dinner. He ordered far more than he could eat. Everything looked so good. A tray extended out from the side of the control chair, and his food materialized. He eagerly tasted his first food aboard a spaceship.
“I’m not a bad cook,” he joked.
Dr. Boroski did not waste this time, continuing the young man’s education, even as he ate.
“The first gift we gave to Johan Frumm was the Twelve Books for Human Development. We also gave him a ring. Are you paying attention? This is very important.”
Simon looked up from his much-needed food and nodded.
“The first book described the history of humanity. Humans evolved through nearly ten thousand years of planetary conflict before they entered the galactic community. Unfortunately, our leaders came to view non-human races with distrust and contempt.”
As Dr. Boroski continued to lecture, Simon thought back to his classroom days in the Tanarac Youth Center. The monotonous lecture of this hologram, coupled with a full stomach, made him sleepy. He remembered having the same problem when his Tanarac teachers spoke through their translators. He lost track of time as his mentor tutored him relentlessly. Session after session ran until he fell asleep.
“Simon. Simon! Wake up!”
There was urgency in Dr. Boroski’s voice. The former boom operator stretched and slowly recognized features of the spaceship control room. He was still lying in the pilot’s chair.
“I’m sorry, Doctor. I didn’t mean to fall asleep.” He sat up.
“We have trouble.”
Several consoles above Simon flickered to life. They showed dozens of huge space ships maneuvering in space, weapons firing with devastating results. He had never seen such a spectacle. Even childhood space-games failed to match the enormous scale of combat on those screens. He gasped when one impressive ship vaporized in a brilliant flash.
“That was a Tanarac deep space battle cruiser,” Dr. Boroski said in subdued tones. “The Heptari fleet is attacking Tanarac forces in deep space.”
“But, you said it was just a small attack force.”
“The small force that surrounded this planet was destroyed. This is a new engagement by at least four Heptari Battle Groups. Tanaracs defending this system are heavily outnumbered, and larger Heptari ships have some new kind of particle cannon that Tanarac shields cannot stop.”
Dr. Boroski waved a hand at the displays. They went black. He walked across the control deck, and the light lift at the far end of the room activated.
“Simon come, we are running out of time. Benjamin will soon return for you. Pay close attention to what I am about to tell you.”
The holographic scientist directed his student into the light lift and met him in engineering below. As they passed through the ship, he gave the young man a final message for the free human colony.
Simon approached the wall where he entered the ship two days before. It began to glow. His body lifted off the ground, once again suspended inside a force field. In his mind, he reviewed the message he carried for the free humans outside.
His future, once simple and predictable, was now out of his control. He was, at the same time, frightened and exhilarated.
Chapter 24
“Thank you for your efforts. I am certain my people will cooperate.”
Benjamin was not surprised when Dr. Hadje related the assembly’s decision. The plan with General Tragge had been hopeful, at best, but the doctor correctly predicted the result. They had planned accordingly. Now, it was time for action.
The two Tanarac scientists and Benjamin returned to the quarry plow shed, where the hidden military glider waited. The Head Tasker arrived moments later, accompanied by a human worker dressed in traditional plow operator garb.
“Jix, remove our scientific hardware from the glider,” Dr. Hadje instructed. “We need room for another passenger.”
After a short talk with the Head Tasker, he returned with the young human following obediently. He instructed passengers to strap in while he guided the small scout craft through the shed’s plow door. As soon as they were clear, the head scientist pushed the scout sled to maximum throttle, making no effort to conceal their travel. They soared high above the jungle and had not traveled far when two atmospheric fighters swooped down next to them.
“Unidentified aircraft. This is the Lower Atmospheric Defense System. You are violating the Central Jungle No-Fly Zone. Identify yourself.”
“This is Egghead One. I repeat, this is Egghead One,” Dr. Hadje responded immediately.
“Roger, Egghead One. Hold your course while we verify authorization.”
One of the fighters throttled back and settled in, menacingly close behind the scout glider. The radio crackled with empty static for a few seconds.
“Affirmative, Egghead One. You are cleared to proceed. ARAD Six, you guys can release from surveillance. They’re okay.”
The fighters pulled up at an astonishing rate of climb to return patrolling.
“How’d you get that clearance?” Jix was surprised.
“After General Tragge decided to help us, he offered me a military scout glider. You should have seen the look on his face when I told him I already have one. He wasn’t pleased, but he personally authorized unrestricted travel. When they asked him to assign me a call-sign, he got a little revenge. ‘Egghead’ is the old nickname he gave me in college.”
The doctor grinned. After all these years, he had actually come to like Tragge’s irreverent reference to his profession.
As the fast moving scout craft approached the foothills, Dr. Hadje slowed and dropped elevation, skimming very close to the jungle canopy. He trusted General Tragge to keep his word, but as a precaution, he made sure any radar trail would end somewhere over the jungle. While the general knew about a large colony of humans living in the Central Jungle, the doctor and Benjamin conveniently left out the part about them living in caves. If the general’s troops went looking for free humans, they would be scanning a lot of empty vegetation.
Shilgar was first to greet Benjamin at the entrance to the big cave.
“Elders are waiting in the council room. I’m getting ready to go to The Wall for Simon.”
“I’m going to The Wall with you,” Benjamin said. “Send for Kelly at Ammul’s house. I promised she could return with us. We’ll leave right after the meeting. And, please take my friend here to my quarters. Have our greeters provide him with clothes and a quick orientation. I am sure he will have many questions.” Benjamin introduced their human guest to Shilgar.
Dr. Hadje overheard the conversation about The Wall.
“What is this ‘Wall’ that I’ve heard you refer to several times.”
Benjamin felt caught in a deception. Every promise the doctor made, had been kept during the past two days. It was time to return the trust.
“The Wall is our source of knowledge. We don’t really understand what it is, but from the very beginning of our society, it has guided us. It provides books, and keeps us informed of current events on Tanarac and throughout the galaxy. It even gives us technology. Our satellite scan detectors came from The Wall. When a new runner enters the jungle, it monitors all Tanarac communications and notifies us. We know about a runner before the report gets to your desk.”
“May I see this wall?”
A Tanarac at The Wall! What would Elders say? And, how will The Wall react?
Benjamin knew the direct
ives and prophecies from Johan Frumm by heart, but he could not recall any guidance for this situation.
“I will present your request to our Elders,” Benjamin replied. “I cannot make such a decision on my own.”
Moments later, he and the two Tanarac scientists took seats at the table of Elders.
Free humans planned for a situation such as this since the beginning. Before Benjamin and Dr. Hadje had left to meet with General Tragge, the human colony set in motion an ancient plan of action. It was now up to the leaders to guide their people accordingly.
In tradition, the most senior Elder spoke first.
“Thank you, my friends, for your friendship over these many years. I have enjoyed a good life, and as agreed, I will take the volunteer group to the pickup site for the quarry destination. I hope we all meet again. May you all walk in the sun.”
Benjamin asked, “Were you able to get a thousand volunteers?”
“Oh yes, we had far more volunteers than we need. I culled out younger men and women. If we’re going to lose a thousand of our people to the quarries, then we need to keep those with best reproductive potential for the Deep Hides.”
He addressed another of the Elders.
“Keelon, have you started the migration to deep cover?”
“Yes, we sent advance parties to clear route holes and open long-term storage. We may be there for quite a while. A little over two thousand people are preparing for the Deep Hide. Some have already begun the journey under leadership of my assistant.”
Benjamin was pleased. His fellow Elders exhibited a high level of organization.
“Have we recalled our scouts?”
“Yes, most of them already arrived, and all scout bases have been sealed. Our scouts were upset to learn that they were excluded from the volunteer group.”
The free human leader nodded with understanding.
“I expected that response, but their knowledge of the jungle is far too valuable to lose them to the quarries. After our people enter Deep Hides, only scouts have the skill to venture out without being detected.”
Dr. Hadje observed with great fascination as the humans executed a detailed plan with precision and forethought. Upon exiting the Elders council, he watched in amazement as two separate gatherings of free humans milled about.
