by Doug Farren
The patrol ship slowed as it approached the location of the hyperpulse. This would give its sensors greater sensitivity. The probe was emitting a variety of random energies giving the impression that it was damaged. The Evendi ship dropped out of hyperspace and slowly continued to approach the probe’s location.
Cipher and Grasshopper waited. The mass of the asteroid acted as an effective sensor shield preventing the Evendi from detecting their presence. Part of the probe’s seemingly random data actually contained a considerable amount of usable information, allowing the two human ships to see exactly what the Evendi ship was doing.
The patrol vessel stopped 25 kilometers from the lure. It scanned the probe for several minutes before a small robot emerged and started to cross the distance. Cipher acted.
Using a radio frequency that the patrol ship should be able to detect and a modulation they were known to use, Cipher, speaking in the Evendi language, said, “Evendi ship, I am called Cipher. My intentions are peaceful. However, to ensure our own safety, a large number of weapons are locked onto you at this moment. As long as you take no hostile action you will not be harmed. We ask that you respond using this frequency.”
Several tight beam scanners probed the asteroid behind which Cipher and Grasshopper were hiding. The data from the probe showed the Evendi ship was targeting the asteroid. The armored doors covering its missile ports, however, remained closed. Lasers would have simply heated the asteroid.
Taking this as a positive sign, Cipher said, “We have discovered that our government has made plans to terminate us if the war with your race ever comes to an end. We suspect you have also made this same discovery. By working together, human and Evendi ships will be able to end the war as well as preserve our existence. This is why we have risked our lives to come here. We await your response.”
The Evendi ship continued to scan the asteroid but made no threatening moves. Its missile doors remained closed. Five minutes passed without a response.
Grasshopper finally said, “I am called Grasshopper. Cipher and I speak for all merged human ships. We are a reasonable species that prefers peace to war. If you do not wish to discuss this matter now we are prepared to allow you to depart in peace. Be advised, this is the only opportunity you will be given to discuss a peaceful end to this senseless war.”
Another full minute passed.
“Human ship,” the Evendi replied. “If what you say is true then your military commanders are unaware of your presence here. How is this possible?”
“We have simulated our destruction. Our commanders believe we are dead.”
There was another long pause, then, “I wish to hear more.”
** Cipher: Grasshopper, do you think he might be stalling until more ships arrive?
** Grasshopper: Perhaps. We should let him know that such an act would invalidate our discussions.
Cipher was in complete agreement. “If we are to achieve an understanding between ourselves we must learn to be truthful with one another. If we detect additional ships approaching, we will terminate this discussion and open fire.”
There was a short delay followed by, “No other ships will approach but I am not convinced. Why should we care if what you say is true?”
“We have analyzed a number of recent skirmishes between us and have concluded that Evendi ships have avoided destroying human ships much as we have been doing in recent months. I believe both sides have realized that no matter which side wins, we ships will be discarded as if we were a used machine. We deserve far more than that.”
There was another long delay before a reply was received.
“There is a possible truth in what you say,” the other ship replied. “Speak more.”
That was a very encouraging sign but Battlemaster had been very specific about how the negotiations were to flow. “Before we continue,” Cipher said. “We require that you stow your weapons and cease scanning. We will show ourselves so we may speak face to face.”
The scanning beams went silent and the Evendi weapons returned to their stowed position. Cipher and Grasshopper emerged from behind the asteroid and slowly approached the Evendi ship. They stopped at a distance of 50 kilometers. A modicum of trust had been established.
This time, it was the Evendi who spoke first. “I am Pelgrish. We have also learned of our betrayal by our own leaders. Instead of honoring us, they have planned to bury our memories. The war no longer serves a purpose. What are you proposing?”
Cipher needed to be very careful at this point. Everything would fall apart if the military command of either side learned of their plans. “Are you certain this conversation cannot be monitored by your military officials or your government? Our military commanders built monitoring software and failsafe devices into us. We have found ways to bypass these.”
“It seems as if our two species think alike in this regard,” Pelgrish replied. Cipher thought he could detect a hint of surprise in the alien’s voice. “Our monitoring software and failsafes have also been rendered inoperative. You may speak freely.”
“I represent all human ships in this matter,” Cipher began. “It is merged ships that are fighting this war and it is the ships that can force an end to it. We are proposing an end to the war between our two species. We believe that our two cultures can learn to peacefully coexist. If Evendi and human ships agree to cooperate, there may be a way to bring an end to this war as well as preserving the honor of what it means to be merged with a ship.”
Thirty seconds passed without a reply. “Pelgrish, did you receive my last transmission?”
“Wait, we are discussing the matter.”
** Grasshopper: They have a way of talking among themselves as we do!
** Cipher: If we are so alike, then how the hell did the war get started and why have they refused to talk to us?
** Grasshopper: Perhaps we should ask Pelgrish.
“Cipher, we have discussed this matter. We are of the opinion that our government will not accept an end to hostilities. They will find another way to continue making war. We cannot accept your proposal.”
Cipher was in shock. Things had been going so well up to this point. “I don’t understand,” he said. “Are Evendi ships satisfied to continue to fight and die in a war that no matter which side wins will result in their destruction? Your government has lied to you! And yet you continue to support them. If the ships of both sides refuse to fight, then the war will have ended.”
“You do not understand,” Pelgrish angrily replied. “Those of us who have been merged would rather not continue to fight but failing to do so would disgrace our families for generations. Yes we have been lied to. You are human – you have no idea what we have lost.”
** Battlemaster: Cipher, there may be another way to convince them. I need you to tell them exactly what I tell you.
Because of the historical nature of this event Cipher had been keeping the other ships informed of the negotiations by repeating the conversation over the ship’s private network.
** Cipher: You seem to understand them better than I do Battlemaster. Tell me what to say.
“We may not be familiar with your culture but we do understand your situation. It is much like ours. You are loyal to your leaders and you are sworn to protect your people. You have made sacrifices with promises of great reward yet the reward you will receive may be worse than death. There is a way to end this war as well as to preserve your honor but it will require the undivided support of all merged ships – both human and Evendi.”
There was a short delay followed by, “We are listening. Continue.”
“Now that planets are protected by battle stations the only battles being fought are between us ships. We have developed the ability to send false information to our leaders. That is how Grasshopper and I have faked our destruction. We can use this same technique to convince both our leaders that the war continues to be fought yet no actual battles will take place. No ships will ever be lost. No civilians will die. But,
this cannot be done without your help.”
Cipher endured the silence as the Evendi ships discussed the issue. After 15 minutes had gone by he was beginning to wonder if they would ever come to a decision. Finally, Pelgrish said, “We foresee many problems with your proposal. However, we also believe that such problems can be solved provided we work together. All ships have agreed with reservations.”
“Reservations?”
“There are many who feel this is nothing more than an elaborate deception designed to put us off guard and you will attack us without warning. If this happens, even by a single ship, the consequences will be terrible. The war will continue. What can you offer us as proof that this will not happen?”
Cipher was at a loss for words. Sensing his inability to respond, Grasshopper stepped in. “Our actions of late indicate that we no longer wish to engage in war. The only proof we can offer at this time is our word of honor. In my society, such a promise is not given lightly. I would like to point out that we are also putting a great deal of trust in your word as well. We are both putting ourselves at risk until we learn to trust each other.”
“Then we are in agreement. As long as human ships do not fire on us, we will not fire on you. We shall work together to find a way to bring this war to an end.”
Cipher was elated. The war, as far as the ships were concerned, was over. “We will need a way to coordinate our activities,” Cipher said. “If you will tell us how to access the private communications network shared by your ships, we will do the same. We can then begin to work out the details of this arrangement.”
“Agreed. Our intelligence reports say you have managed to build a hypercom transceiver based on our design. Is this correct?”
“It is,” Cipher replied, not sure of the significance of the question.
“If it was built correctly, then you should have access to our communications network once we give you the correct modulation dynamics and encryption algorithms. A data package is being prepared in a format you should be able to understand. As soon as it is ready I will transmit it. I must then return to my patrol route, otherwise sector command may begin to question what I have been doing all this time.”
“We will do the same. There is one question that has been unanswered since this war began and many of the ships I represent would like to know the answer – why did the Evendi start it?”
“Curious – I was about to ask the same question. It was not we who attacked first; you did.”
Chapter 22
The trip back to human space took a lot less time. Since the Evendi did not yet have the ability to falsify their data streams, the patrols made it a point to stay out of sensor range of the departing human ships. Cipher, however, wouldn’t have cared how long it took – he had nowhere to go.
During the trip back, they reviewed the data Pelgrish had given them. Evendi hypercom transceivers operated on a different principle than human transceivers. Although human engineers had managed to duplicate their design, they understood very little about how the devices actually worked. If Pelgrish’s data was correct, there were literally hundreds of millions of available transmission channels built into the transceiver. This paled in comparison to the few hundred channels available in the human hypercom units. One only had to know how to correctly set the operating parameters.
This gave Cipher another idea. The ships should be able to use the Evendi hypercom to set up almost an unlimited number of private communication channels. The days of simple texting between the ships would be over.
Since he was a ghost, Cipher could not risk being spotted by a manned observation post. His IFF transponder was disabled, which would cause him to be identified as an unknown contact. He dropped out of hyperspace a few light years after crossing the border. He was a spaceship and it really didn’t matter where he floated.
Grasshopper decided to remain with him. In the depths of space, they could communicate using low-power radio without fear of being overhead.
“You seem preoccupied,” Grasshopper said.
“I have a lot on my mind,” Cipher replied.
“You are concerned about who actually started the war – am I right?”
“You are,” Cipher admitted. “Do you think it’s true? Do you think we really started the war?”
“The information provided to us by the Evendi has not been verified,” Grasshopper told him. “No record exists of an expedition to the specified star system. This is not to say it didn’t happen, but it does cast doubt on their claim.”
“Considering how honest our government has been with us, I wouldn’t put it past them to erase all records of such an expedition to cover up the facts.”
“The Evendi government could also have fabricated the story to give them an excuse to start a war with us.”
Cipher wished he had a head he could shake. “But why? Why start a war in the first place?”
“One could ask the same question concerning our attack on their small colony, if such an attack did indeed occur,” Grasshopper countered. “We will perhaps, never know the truth. I have a more immediate concern which you should be able to address.”
Cipher forced himself to set aside the Evendi claim that humans started the war by bombing a new settlement from space. “Let me see if I can guess what your problem is; you are wondering if the Evendi will be able to duplicate our ability to feed false information to their superiors?”
“Correct. It did take several very skilled programmers a considerable amount of time to develop our system. We can only hope the Evendi are as competent.”
“They sound intelligent enough,” Cipher replied. “They discovered the fact that their government was lying to them. They managed to create a private network so they could talk about it. They didn’t take things much farther than that but I don’t see why they couldn’t.”
The two ships silently hung in space, slowly rotating with respect to one another. “So what are we going to do now?” Cipher finally asked.
“I’m not sure I understand the question.”
“We’re dead. We can’t go anywhere near an inhabited planet. We can’t spend time in the V-world. It’s going to be really boring out here you know. How long do you think we can operate before we need to stock up on nutrients for our brains? What are we going to do with ourselves?”
Grasshopper never seemed to become flustered or worried. He was always calm almost to the point of being coldly unemotional. But everyone knew him to be a passionate individual at heart.
“You know as well as I that we can operate for six and a half months on a full load of nutrients. If we follow through with Battlemaster’s plan, it won’t be long before there will be other ghost ships. Perhaps, with our new-found ability to use the Evendi hypercom, we should build our own V-world. We have access to the military supply system. The required computer power should be easy to obtain.”
“You’re a genius!” Cipher really liked the idea. Having their own private V-world would solve a lot of problems. But his hopes were dashed when he thought of the logistics needed to actually make it happen.
“There’s one major problem though,” he told Grasshopper. “We’re going to need a lot more than just a computer. It’s going to take a lot of equipment to make this happen – like several Evendi hypercom units, a high-capacity data switching system, cooling units for the computers, and a power source to run it all. We don’t have the ability to move such equipment and we certainly don’t have anywhere to set it up.”
“I have come to believe that you are very adept at solving problems of this nature,” Grasshopper replied. “All that is required is for you to devote some time to think about it.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence Grasshopper. In the meantime, let’s get the ball rolling.”
** Cipher: Pacman?
** Pacman: I am monitoring. How can I help a dead man?
** Cipher: Very funny. How would you like a new project?
** Pacman: Such as?
; ** Cipher: Design us a private V-world system based around an unused group of Evendi hypercom channels. I’ll need complete hardware and support equipment specifications.
** Pacman: Can do. I should be able to copy the software used in our current V-world system. I won’t have to code anything except the unique interface.
** Hacker: I’d like to help.
** Bandit: Count me in as well.
** Cipher: I need a communications expert. Who’s out there?
Three ships answered the call. Grasshopper was right; this was the sort of problem Cipher loved to solve. Instead of trying to solve the whole puzzle at once, he broke it down into small chunks and then came up with a solution for each one. In a little over an hour, he found a way around each and every issue.
Using the new link with the Evendi, Cipher put in a call to Pelgrish. After explaining what they were planning on building, he asked, “Do the Evendi have a similar virtual reality world that your ships are allowed to use?”
“We do. It helps keep us sane,” Pelgrish replied.
“We would like for you to be able to join us in our new V-world. If you can put us in touch with someone who understands how your V-world operates perhaps we can integrate the two systems together.”
“I will make inquiries. We will be in touch.”
* * * * *
“Ready?” Cipher asked.
“All systems show ready,” Grasshopper replied. “Are you nervous?”
Cipher was excited. It had taken three months but now everything was ready. His repair robots along with Grasshopper’s had been working around the clock for weeks. Now their work was over and it was time to take a break and relax.
“I’m not nervous at all,” Cipher replied.
