Sojourn
Page 21
“A good recovery, President Sargut,” Julien said in Toralian, after he’d completed the translation for Renée and they’d watched her furrowed brow clear.
Renée co-opted available SADEs to plan the celebration, chief among them was Cordelia.
As the day approached, the scout ships and fleets arrived at Toral. Renée insisted on the celebration taking place, with everyone’s participation, and Alex wasn’t about to deny her. He had to admit that there’d been too much pain lately, and the wounds needed a salve.
The sisters were too focused on Toral’s reconstruction to acquire a sufficient number of human-type avatars, but that made them available for security, and they teamed up with the Dischnya.
Inhabiting various construction bots, the sisters prepared the celebration grounds. They employed heavy equipment to roll across the grassy meadow, pressuring the soil. Any hidden renegade bots that popped up were immediately crushed.
Late in Toral’s afternoon, travelers began landing. They formed a huge double circle. The pilots landed their ships, placing them bow to stern. Then they fed power to the ship’s sensor suites, and the shells glowed, casting their light in all directions.
Crews set up stands for food and drink. Music provided by Cordelia filled the field. The ground was too uneven to allow energetic dancing, but the occasion was primarily meant to allow the mixing of thousands of individuals from multiple races.
Around the travelers’ outer circle, the sisters’ construction bots provided platforms for the Dischnya and their plasma rifles. The glow from the travelers’ shells lit the night sky and the nearby ground.
During the night, the revelers could hear the occasional blast of a plasma rifle. It was followed by a chorus of howls and yips. The warriors celebrated by keeping count of their individual kills of the small bots, which scurried or flew toward the fête.
As Renée suspected, Toralians were both perplexed and amused by the entire affair. They watched human children and Dischnya pups chase one another through the throng.
“Good evening, Sargut,” Renée said, which Julien translated, as they approached the president.
Sargut stood with Taralum and Suntred. They held glasses of their favorite fruit drinks in their hands. The sisters had harvested the ripe pickings fresh from wild orchards.
“And to you, Renée,” Sargut replied.
“What do you think?” Renée asked, sweeping her glass of aigre toward the crowd.
“After spending most of my life in the confines of a battleship cabin, bridge, corridor, or bay, it’s the size of the assembly that I find overwhelming,” Sargut replied. “If it hadn’t been for my time aboard your city-ship, allowing me to become accustomed to wide open spaces again, I might have had to hide aboard a traveler until your festivities ended.”
“I think it’s exhilarating,” Suntred interjected. “The energy, the intention to celebrate being alive, is palpable.
“Then you should go enjoy yourself, Suntred,” Renée invited.
Trium appeared at Renée’s side, and said, “I’d be pleased to escort you, Liaison Suntred, so that you might converse with humans, Chistorlans, or a Dischnya queen.”
The SADE offered his arm to Suntred. When he saw that she was unsure of what the gesture meant, he gently lifted her hand and placed it in the crook of his arm. He was rewarded with the flash of her white teeth.
As the couple disappeared into the milling bodies, they heard Suntred ask Trium what service he provided the fleet. They heard Trium proudly answer that he was a scout ship SADE.
“Surely, you’ve enjoyed large gatherings or celebrations on your colony, Sargut,” Renée ventured.
“No,” Sargut replied. “It was forbidden.”
“Why?” Renée asked.
“It was a long time ago and soon after Artifice took over,” Taralum explained. “Agitators sought to gather citizens to foment challenges against Artifice’s rule. The governors and the councils were afraid of retribution against the race for any failed attempts.”
“That’s why this number of assembled individuals is overwhelming to you,” Renée said with sympathy. “Well, President Sargut, I have some advice for you.”
“And I’d be pleased to listen,” Sargut replied.
“Go and revel in it,” Renée enthused, setting a hand on Sargut’s forearm. “This isn’t your stifled colony. This is your new world. Enjoy it!”
Turning to Julien, Renée said, “If you’d assist Sargut and Taralum to practice with their reveling, I’d appreciate it.”
Julien activated the bright, multicolored, fairy dust routine from his crown. “Let’s join the festivities, shall we?” he asked, stepping between the Toralians and extending an arm to each of them.
Not far from Renée, Asu, Willem, Teague, and Ginny were being entertained by the Chistorlans. Lipsit doma Draga and Miftra ona Grata were doing most of the talking, and their audience was mesmerized by the tales, as Willem translated.
The Chistorlans’ stories accounted for the time beginning with the arrival of the two fleets in their system. The storytellers were halted several times to explain elements of their backstory. The Harakens struggled to understand why the Chistorlans lived underground on a rich, green planet. The Harakens and the Chistorlans would spend the entire evening in conversation, as they learned about each other’s past and what they hoped for their futures.
When the two groups parted company at the end of the evening, Asu would remark to Willem, “How does Alex accumulate these sentient alien races, while we’ve been investigating many worlds and have only found the one race?”
“And not to put too fine a point on your question, Captain,” Willem would reply, “but you’ll note that the race we discovered adopted Alex.”
About that time, they would hear the blast and electric sizzle of a plasma discharge and the resounding howls and yips of the Dischnya. Then Asu and Willem would grin at each other, as they boarded a traveler.
Homsaff’s choice for the evening’s translator was Killian. Like Vivian, who was present with her young partner, the queen had a fondness for the SADE’s colorful plaid synth-skin. Homsaff chatted briefly with those with whom she was familiar. She was often distracted by her ear comm. Her two squad leaders, Simlan and Hessan, spoke frequently on the Dischnya’s network, directing fire, as the frequency of renegade bot appearances slowly increased.
“Greetings, Queen Homsaff,” Julien said, catching her attention for Sargut and Taralum.
“A commander’s work is never done,” Taralum commented, when the queen turned toward them.
“Especially not mine,” Homsaff replied.
“Why is that?” Taralum asked.
“Circumstances,” Homsaff said curtly, as her attention was directed back to her ear comm.
“We won’t keep you, Queen Homsaff,” Sargut said politely.
After the translation, Homsaff bared her teeth in appreciation and the small group passed on.
“What did the queen mean?” Taralum asked Julien.
“The Dischnya were planet bound for generations, living underground in difficult conditions and in a state of constant war,” Julien replied. “Their nests, as they’re called, have undergone tremendous changes in a short period of time. Young queens, like Homsaff, want to return to the world of space travel and technology, which they once commanded. This has been their first opportunity to prove they have worth to Omnians.”
“Why would Alex bring such inexperienced space travelers on such a dangerous expedition?” Sargut asked.
Julien paused for an inordinate length of time for a SADE.
“Have I asked about a subject best left to your knowledge alone?” Sargut asked.
“Many Omnians know of it,” Julien replied, “and have come to accept it and rely upon it, but it’s rarely discussed. Alex sees things.” To clear the Toralians’ confusion, he added, “Things that haven’t happened yet.”
“And these things he sees made him bring the Dischnya here
?” Taralum asked.
“Yes,” Julien replied.
“That was most fortunate for us,” Sargut commented. “Without them, we might never have brought the towers down — not unless we wanted to cause great damage to our home world.”
“The Dischnya’s fight at your polar region was their second action. They were needed and performed well on their first outing in another system,” Julien explained.
“And Alex saw the Dischnya fighting for the Omnians?” Taralum asked. She was fascinated by the concept.
Julien laughed, and the sound reverberated across the broad space. Omnians smiled on hearing the SADE’s familiar laughter.
“Alex would wish it was so easy,” Julien said, after apologizing for his outburst, which had taken the Toralians aback. “Did you see the queen’s eyes?” he asked. When the Toralians nodded, he added, “It took months, a quarter of your annual cycle, for those eyes to resolve themselves.”
“That must be incredibly challenging,” Sargut commented. “Alex sees little pieces of imagery and must decide what they mean.”
“But we all have dreams, asleep and while we’re awake,” Taralum objected.
“And what would you think if a dream persisted, becoming ever more frequent until it haunted you?” Julien asked.
By the dumbfounded expressions on the Toralian faces, Julien thought he’d said too much. There was so much more to understand about the unique nature of Alex’s dreams. There persisted the question of what would happen to him when he retired from leading the Omnians or whoever came next. Certainly, Renée hoped the dreams would end, but Alex and he didn’t think they would.
As the evening wore on, Renée lost track of Alex. She was unsuccessful in reaching his implant. The expanse of the celebration grounds was that great.
Renée received imagery from Miranda. Alex was sitting in a traveler’s open hatch, with his feet on a step. His elbows were on his knees, and his chin rested on his hands. He wore a faraway expression.
When Renée did, she discovered Z quietly standing a few meters behind her, and she had no idea how long he’d been there.
Renée received Miranda’s imagery of Alex standing and stretching. As he curled his arms above his shoulders, he banged his elbow on the hatch frame, and she laughed quietly.
Renée threaded her way through the milling throng. She wondered for how many others the celebration was a time of contemplation, as it had been for Alex.
When Alex and Renée met near the center of the grounds, the music segued, courtesy of Cordelia, who was cued by Miranda.
Alex swept Renée into his arms, and she clung to his neck. They moved slowly to the mellow sounds of an ancient song.
“You’ve been thinking,” Renée whispered in his ear.
“And you’ve been entertaining,” Alex riposted.
“So, we’ve both been doing what we’re good at,” Renée replied, laughing softly.
When the music shifted again, Alex released Renée and checked his chronometer. “It’s time,” he told her.
Just then, the Dischnya barked loudly, and plasma blasts lit the night sky. Six flying bots attempted to penetrate the ring at the same time. The Dischnya downed all of them, but hot pieces of bots bounced off the travelers’ shells and struck the revelers.
“That’s our cue,” Alex bellowed. “Let’s board. SADEs, direct the loading.”
Within less than a quarter hour, the grounds were deserted. The travelers were loaded, including the Dischnya. Judging from the warriors’ moods, they enjoyed the celebration more than most.
The ships lifted, and the sisters, who occupied the construction bots, returned to their work. They were busy constructing a high-speed transport system between the major sites that would be developed for citizens.
The travelers deposited their passengers on ships across the fleets.
The next day, the fleets, as Alex and his staff had formed them, took up their assigned tasks.
The scout ships separated. Killian and Beryl stayed with the Freedom. Genoa and Linn would operate on the Toral periphery for the defenders.
Hector’s forces spread out to take up security positions. Many squadrons were stationed near mining sites and domes where the crews could assist the Toralians and the sisters, who resumed operations. Taralum’s fleet dispersed and paired up with Trident squadrons, where they could also help.
The Guardian, with its senior lieutenant promoted to acting captain, and the Sojourn lay off the orbital station. The scientists, techs, and general crew were invaluable in the construction of new ships.
Hector kept the Our People in orbit over Toral. His crew worked on the planet’s surface under the watchful sensors of the sisters. The Dischnya, with their plasma rifles, provided additional security.
As Alex’s fleet formed, the governors and the other prisoners were transferred into Sargut’s care. Using the Our People’s coordinates, the ships sailed for the wall and then on to the water planet.
On the way out of the system, Alex had two conversations. The first was with Hector.
Alex’s second call was unexpected. Taralum, with the aid of a sister, reached out to him.
“Sunnamis left you a gift, of sorts, Alex,” Taralum said. “I was sworn to silence unless you sailed for the wall to chase the federacy fleets that had crossed. Then I was to share this data, which you’ve just been sent.”
Alex examined the information, but it didn’t make sense to him.
“Sunnamis is a governor. Governors like their secrets, and they always have ulterior motives for what they do,” Taralum replied.
Alex could hear the bitterness in her voice.
“As I said, Alex, it’s a present,” Taralum repeated. “Governors, such as Sunnamis, believe in trading favors, especially with powerful individuals. I imagine that she wants to gain favor with you, but she’ll expect something in return, in the future.”
Alex examined the vectors. He shook his head at the futility of interpreting what he saw. The amount of space represented on the image was too vast. It was crowded with an extraordinary number of stars.
“Your analysis, Cordelia,” Alex requested.
“The other two vectors don’t come near Omnia, Haraken, or New Terra,” Cordelia replied. “One does extend toward the Confederation periphery, if the alien fleet sails far enough. The other vector heads off into uncharted territory.”