by S. H. Jucha
“What is the mission commander doing?” Alex asked.
“The speaker has been engaged in mapping the entire solar system, his ship has made close passes of Confederation ships, the orbitals and FTL relay stations, and the planet,” Julien said. “In addition, there have been numerous attempts by Speaker García to engage in comms with the starship captains, despite the admonishments of Leader Ganesh, but without access to the transmission specifications and translation software the captains couldn’t understand García’s messages, much less reply.”
“Let me share with you my impressions, President Racine, if I may,” Gino stated graciously. As a visitor to Haraken many times during the nine years since the colony’s establishment, Gino admitted, the more he visited, the more he felt a pull to stay. “Since his first messages, Ser García has told the Council that all humans should be united. That we should stand together under one banner. He hints that those who do not believe this deny the true destiny of the human spirit. The words of this mission commander, sitting in his powerful ship, remind me of the carnivore that mesmerizes its prey before it strikes.”
“Any other indications of the commander’s objective?” Tatia asked.
“None, Admiral,” Julien replied, “but we have applied speech analysis to the speaker’s messages and see an escalation in his subtext with each new message. His word choice indicates a shift from diplomat to demagogue. To us, it is obvious the speaker is willing to forgo diplomacy, if it does not prove successful. We believe this ship might be a precursor to a greater force.”
“Mr. President,” Gino said, “I fear we are repeating a dreadful mistake. We failed to act the first time outsiders invaded, and we lost half the Confederation. Are we to lose the other half because we will fail to stand up for ourselves again?”
“You realize, Leader Diamanté,” Alex replied, “Harakens have no standing with your Council.”
“This is understood, President Racine,” Gino replied. “But what if, by happenstance, of course, you were to visit Méridien and be intrigued by the sighting of this unusual winged ship, and what if you were to take the opportunity to introduce yourself to the captain. You wouldn’t know any better, not having received Leader Ganesh’s restrictions against such action … you being a Haraken.”
Alex and Gino shared good-natured grins, but nothing as nasty as the wolfish smirk that Tatia wore.
“I believe the good captain will quite readily hand your communication off to Speaker García, who would be delighted to have the opportunity to meet with someone, anyone, by then. And would he not be intrigued by your peoples’ many differences and want to know as much about you as he’s asking about us?”
Alex stood up to pace for a few moments and then stopped at an open window, which overlooked the bay. In the distance, storm clouds threatened and a cool breeze blew in, ruffling his hair. He stood eerily, silently, for a long while. Those in the room knew Alex was holding a private conference with Julien, who sat as still as Alex stood. It was nearly a quarter-hour before Alex and Julien returned to the guests.
“Leader Diamanté, you need to return to Méridien immediately,” Alex said. “As far as anyone is concerned, we never had this conversation. Most important, you won’t be privy to our plans so you will not feel compelled to invent a truth. Whatever is done on the Confederation’s behalf will strictly be our choice. Do we understand each other?”
“We do, Ser President,” Gino said with great relief, crossing the room to earnestly shake Alex’s hand. “And I thank you for what you are planning to do … of which I know nothing,” he corrected himself.
“One more thing, Leader Diamanté,” Alex said, holding Gino’s hand firmly in his. “There remain unresolved issues between our peoples.”
“The Independents, for one,” Gino replied, dropping his head. He knew Alex continued to make requests to Leader Ganesh, the Council at large, and several Leaders to allow the Independents to immigrate to Haraken, Instead, the Confederation began a new colony and nine years of declared Independents were now incarcerated there.
“Whatever happens with the UE ship, I expect your support to help me change the minds of the Council about the issue of the Independents and freedom for the Confederation’s SADEs.”
Gino nodded his agreement, and when Alex released his hand, he delivered a Leader’s grateful tribute of hand to heart. When no one said another word, Gino Diamanté took the hint and vacated the residence to take a transport back to the traveler that waited to return him to his liner above.
* * *
The sun rode low on the horizon, and Alex, Renée, Christie, Teague, and the family’s guests strolled along the cliff top to a gazebo. They sat on the steps and swings. As the last rays of sun lit the twilight sky, they heard the rush of thousands of alien legs racing up cliff trails and accompanied by the sound of whistling and snapping claws.
As soon as the Swei Swee flooded onto the cliff top, their noise ceased, and individuals bobbed slowly in anticipation. A personal flyer landed 50 meters in front of the assembly, and a shrill whistle from the First lanced through the evening’s cool air. Bodies settled in the grass; walking limbs tucked under carapaces. The People’s Hive Singer had arrived.
Mutter exited her flyer. Despite having a choice of designs, Mutter created an avatar in the image of a gracefully aged, older woman. Dressed in a conservative, knee-length dress, she walked to the front of the assembled People and gained the steps of her performance stand. As Mutter surveyed the People, a feeling of completeness ran through her. She was granted her one and only wish. Each evening, for years, Mutter stood in front of the hives and serenaded them. Her songs were broadcast to the Libre hives and to her agents on New Terra and Méridien, the latter locations earning her tremendous revenues. Among Harakens, Mutter became one of the wealthier individuals. Yet, she would have given away every single credit if it ensured she could continue singing to the Swei Swee each evening.
Swei Swee and humans listened intently to Mutter’s medley. Throughout the years, her mastery of the Swei Swee language became complete. Mutter now composed and sang in the Swei Swee tongue. Her avatar was an exceptional construction, outwardly a charming matron and on the inside multiple vocal chambers allowed her to create individual tones to blend into a single voice.
As Mutter often did, she sang songs that reminded the Swei Swee about the joys of their life: their young, searching the endless seas, and the close-knit ties of the hives. Occasionally, she sang of the humor between sexes and the oddities of humans as viewed by the Swei Swee. These latter songs always elicited whistles and snapping. But Mutter always ended her medley the same. It was a lullaby for the young, much enjoyed by the entire assembly. Nestled atop matrons, the young, whose eyestalks were extended for the Hive Singer’s performance, soon sank back into their carapaces as they were lulled to sleep. When Mutter ended her final note, she stepped down from her stand and extended a courteous bow to the Swei Swee, who had paid her the honor of listening to her songs. The People, carrying their sleeping young, silently disappeared from the cliff top, headed for their dwellings built into the cliff’s face.
* * *
Once the people invited for the evening’s council were assembled at Alex’s house, he quickly summarized to the group what little was known about the United Earth ship.
“Shouldn’t we be asking ourselves to what extent we should be concerned?” Renée asked.
“A fair question, Ser,” Julien replied. “All signs point to this ship as an advanced scout for United Earth’s future intrusions into Confederation affairs. The SADEs agree on two points of conjecture. First, if we accept that this explorer ship was deliberately sent after the Méridien colony ship, then explorer ships were probably sent after every colony ship that left Earth. This would include the New Terra, but since the original destination star was never reached, the president’s presently settled home world will probably not be discovered by that explorer ship. However, it is a foregone conclusion th
at the Earther ship has already discovered that Méridien is connected to multiple worlds. It is only a matter of time before the Earthers discover Haraken and New Terra.”
“And second, Ser,” Cordelia continued, “we have considered the United Earth’s underlying purpose for sending these explorer ships. We believe the answer lies in the observations of the ship itself. This explorer vessel is a formidable warship, which suggests Earth’s recent history has been one of turmoil, giving rise to a new entity called United Earth. The explorer ship’s power suggests the UE achieved its goal through forcible pacification, not diplomacy.”
“If it’s not aliens; it’s humans,” Renée lamented.
“We need to devise an overarching strategy as to what face we present to the Speaker,” Alex said. “We should start with low-key diplomacy. I don’t want to him to think we are anything more than an outlying Confederation colony. The ‘heavies’ among us can speak to gene modification because of a new planet we are colonizing.
“We should take two ships, Mr. President, a liner and our carrier, the Last Stand,” Tatia said. “The liner would enter the system, make contact, and the carrier stays out of the system in the dark.”
“I agree with your concept, Admiral,” Alex replied. “I want the Last Stand fully loaded. We won’t have time to return to Haraken for resupply or additional fighters if there is a following force behind this explorer ship. And just to be careful, I want the No Retreat fully prepped and ready to launch at a moment’s notice.”
“Also, Mr. President,” Julien added, “to continue our ruse, we should hide any advanced technology. Since the Earthers will have observed travelers in the Méridien system acting as nothing more than shuttles, we should not allow our travelers to display their full capabilities, acceleration, or beam weaponry, until they must. It will also be crucial to hide the fact that SADEs exist and that we are mobile. If we board the UE ship, we must be careful not to let any of their detection technology discover our internal structures.”
“I would suggest we play the part of the curious, as Leader Diamanté suggested,” Tatia said. “And it would make sense that as innocents we would request our first contact to be on neutral territory. If the speaker has been prevented from setting foot on Méridien, I’m sure he would love to visit one of its orbital stations, at our invitation, of course,” Tatia added with a smile.
“Ser President, I have been studying some works on Earth’s ancient Romans,” Z said. “I’m reminded of the concept of ‘divide and conquer.’ In this regard, I suggest we profess a desire to meet and get to know our new cousins at an informal meeting, perhaps a small reception, on the orbital station. We suggest the Speaker brings a group of his people, officers, engineers, and scientists to the fête, and then we divide and conquer with an equal number of our own people.”
Z’s concept ignited imaginations, and Alex’s people began dividing up potential contacts. It was reasoned that, at the very least, the speaker should be encouraged to bring his captain, a chief scientist, and a chief medical officer. With fortune, he might be encouraged to bring more individuals.
Christie was following every word of the meeting from one of her favorite listening posts. The first inkling that occurred to anyone of her impending interruption was the muted, high-pitched whine of a pair of flits landing at the front of the house.
“Incoming,” Tatia announced, gazing out a window, which earned her a scowl from Christie, who sailed past her and out the front door.
Alex looked at Renée with concern and received,
Amelia and Eloise landed in the Racine courtyard, shut down their flits, and hurried to meet Christie, who already sent her compatriots the details of Alex’s meeting and a plan of her own. It would be a variation of a well-lubricated scenario that the threesome frequently indulged in many times before. The young women hooked arms, smiling in anticipation, and strode into the house.
“We can help, Mr. President,” Christie announced, flanked by Amelia and Eloise, who were dressed in their flit suits. They always stood in this manner with Christie in the center. While Christie didn’t have the Méridien’s lithe figure, she had grown into her own beauty. Her attractive, heart-shaped face was surrounded by a cascade of rich, auburn curls. That she adopted Méridien-style clothing was still a concern for her father, mother, and brother. “And you needn’t assign us anyone,” Christie continued. “We can find our own targets once we meet the Earthers.”
It was obvious to the meeting’s participants that Christie overheard their every word. Amelia at nineteen, Eloise at twenty, and Christie at twenty-three created a formidable threesome. If they wanted to learn someone’s secret, they were determined to uncover it, and New Terran and Confederation visitors were often their targets. To the young women, it was an exciting game, but it produced a valuable side. They shared their information with whoever in the Haraken hierarchy needed it the most: Alex, Tatia, Julien, Tomas, Duggan, Étienne, or Alain.
The trio formed an indomitable group even as teenagers, hosting evening fêtes in Haraken’s city-ship Freedom’s gardens by cajoling contributions from vendors and music from Cordelia. When Haraken’s air improved, they transferred their fêtes planetside to outdoor parks. Christie’s favorite moments were joining the Méridiens in their communal dances — the twisting, turning, interplay of bodies synced through their implants.
“No,” Alex said with determination, attempting to intercept Christie’s plans.
After a short comm burst among the three young women, they turned toward Mickey, whose eyes began to widen. They walked toward him with slow, sensuous steps and sincere smiles.
“Uncle Mickey,” Christie said in a sweet, young woman’s tenor, “Don’t you think we could help?” Her voice was accentuated by the subtle sway of her hips, and she closed in on Mickey’s personal space. Her Méridien compatriots bracketed Mickey, leaning on his broad shoulders with eyes wide and pleading.
“Please, Uncle Mickey,” said Eloise and Amelia, echoing Christie’s invented name for the senior engineer, their soft voices whispering in his ears.
The feminine onslaught, which never let up, backed Mickey up until his legs hit a chaise, and he sat down hard. The women in the room worked to conceal their laughter, and Pia took pity on her lover. “Demonstration is over, young ones,” she announced firmly.
Immediately the threesome gave Mickey some distance and turned to face Alex, standing still with neutral expressions and waiting.
Alex regarded the trio, and they returned his stare. The moments of silence dragged on with neither side speaking or moving. Alex was working to curb his protective instincts and instead see the young women as potential tools, but he was having a difficult time making the transition.
“Perhaps I might be of assistance in this instance, Ser President,” Z announced. “I have recently completed a new avatar, and these circumstances provide the perfect opportunity to test it. If everyone will indulge me, I will introduce you to Miranda Leyton.”
In the implants of the assembly appeared a striking woman in her late twenties, dark-haired, and exceptionally well-built with a heart-stopping, gorgeous face. She was neither Méridien nor New Terran in physique. In fact, she bore a vague resemblance to Earth actresses seen performing in Renée’s ancient vid collection.
“If you will allow, Ser President,” Miranda said in a mellow, feminine timbre that warmed the male and female cockles in the room. I will see that the young Sers do not come to trouble.”
“Well, the Earthers certainly won’t see her coming — or him, for that matter,” Tatia said, breaking out in a booming laugh, which earned her a gracious nod from Z.
Christie, Amelia, and Eloise turned expectant expressions toward Alex again.
“On one condition,” Alex an
nounced. “You three stay together at all times and anytime you leave the ship, Z or … Miranda accompanies you.”
-5-
After the guests left that evening, Alex and Tatia, the strategist and the tactician, met late into the night. Alex presented scenarios from best case to worst case, and he and Tatia discussed options to protect themselves from as many adverse conditions as they could imagine. In the end, they created a list of preparations for the worst-case scenarios. It served them well, a decade ago.
A long message was sent to Eric Stroheim, Haraken’s ambassador, who was visiting New Terra, to update him on the events that had occurred at Méridien. Alex ordered Eric to remain at New Terra until the visitors were confirmed as peaceful and appended the critical information about the firepower of the UE explorer ship.
A second message was sent to New Terra’s President Maria Gonzalez with the same information. Alex confirmed his support for the Haraken–New Terran mutual defense pact signed nine years ago. “Maria, I don’t know whether this explorer ship represents a great opportunity or a great disaster for us, but Haraken will stand by New Terra if the latter comes true,” he told her.
After Maria’s pro-tem term, she elected president by an overwhelming majority of New Terrans, and after completion of her five-year term in office, she was reelected. New Terra did well for itself in extending a helping hand to Haraken. New Terran industries benefited from Méridien technology, and well-founded colonies sprung up on the outer planets, supported by the new technology. In New Terra’s recently completed mammoth orbital construction station were the frames of three new ships, New Terra’s first FTL-capable starships, two passenger liners and an explorer ship. Following the news of the Nua’ll’s defeat after the aliens’ devastation of the Confederation colonies, the New Terran public was galvanized to support the government’s plan to discover additional homes.
