by Karl Morgan
“But this is all just speculation,” Pua interjected. “I love the way your mind works, Elder Pak, but we have no evidence any of that is true.”
“We must reach out to Eon,” Odo continued. “If we can help him understand his new existence, perhaps he can become our friend as well. Then we can save Dave and Lini and stop The Accord once and for all.”
Chapter 10
Lini woke again in the small white room. Her stomach was grumbling and she was feeling quite weak. “Eon!” she cried.
The door appeared in the wall again and the old man walked through. “Good morning, Lini. Are you okay?”
“Not really. I’m very hungry and I need a lavatory soon,” she replied. “I can’t stay in this tiny place forever. I’m a human and need more than this. I need water and food to survive.”
“Perhaps I can create those things as well,” he said, “although I’ve never really tried and am not so sure I will succeed.”
“If not for the firing squad, I wish I was back on Stit,” she said.
“That’s a great idea! I don’t know why I didn’t think of it. You see, I told you we can help one another!”
“Wait just a minute, Eon. They want to kill me on Stit. I’m not sure that’s a good idea,” she answered.
“I’m sorry, but you didn’t understand. How could you know? The planet you remember as Stit is actually Skee Lotho. The original planet Stit was the first planet The Accord encountered when we left Skee Lotho. The president of the planet, Arnot Opala and a few of his friends joined The Accord. It was such a beautiful planet, lush with woods and incredible wildlife. The Accord consumed every sentient Being on the planet and abandoned it since it had little usable metal. Since then, each planet that has been used up was renamed Stit, so other Friends wouldn’t waste their time. I keep a home there where I spend most of my time.”
“Let’s go then!” she exclaimed.
“When I wish to go there, I generally just picture myself in my home and I’m there. Frankly, I’m not sure what to do with you.”
Lini put her arms around Eon and held him tightly. She kissed his cheek and whispered in his ear, “Just hold me and picture both of us there, and we’ll see what happens. Okay?”
“I don’t know what I’d do if you weren’t there, Lini. I’m afraid I’ll lose you,” Eon sighed.
“I have faith in you Eon. You saved me once and you’re saving me again now.” She kissed his cheek again and closed her eyes.
Lini felt raindrops on her hair. She opened her eyes and found herself on the front lawn of a large mansion in the middle of a park. She still held Eon in her arms. As she released him, a large number of robots began to approach. “You are of The Accord, aren’t you, Eon?”
“No, no, no, my dear,” he laughed. “I can assure you these are simple service androids. There is no brain matter inside them.”
The first robot to arrive was designed to look human, but was very mechanical. The skin was painted to look like it was wearing a tuxedo. It said, “Master Eon, it is good to have you home again. May I offer a warm welcome to your friend as well?”
“Thank you, G17. It is good to be here again. This lady is Dar Lini, but you and the others can call her Lini. She requires a restroom and shower, followed by some breakfast. Please let us know when the food is prepared and I will join her.”
“Of course, Master Eon, it shall be handled immediately. Lini, please follow me.” The robot turned and moved away. Lini smiled at Eon and followed the machine inside the home. Eon looked around at the countryside. In the distance, he could see other robots tending the crops in the field. It had been some time since Eon had felt the rain on his face. He stood there for some time, letting water pour down on him.
§
“Good morning, Admiral Brewster,” Vanda of The Accord said as Dave sat at the conference table again. All the other robots seemed idle. “I trust you slept well?”
“Thank you Vanda. I am surprised by the hospitality of your robots.”
“You must understand that you and the others are more than cattle to us,” he replied. “It is not our intention to slaughter you and consume you immediately. We think you have other purposes first.”
“Such as?”
“Procreation is a high priority for us,” Vanda answered. “We recognize that it would be foolish to consume a planet’s life when that life can create more life first. Also, there are the mines and menial maintenance on our vessels. It is only when your other usefulness is ended that we do what we must to survive.”
“Let’s be frank, Vanda,” Dave began. “I understand that all living things need to feed off other living things. Why can’t you guys eat lower animals like fish and plants? You seem to prefer to take out your nearest competition. Are you afraid of us?”
“Perhaps there is a bit of that involved, Dave,” Vanda replied. “It is a matter of degree, I suppose. You and your people are creating a singularity weapon, which is a serious threat to us. If we conquer and assimilate or consume you, that threat is eliminated. If the livestock in your fields begins to be a threat, we would then change our focus to them. The larger point is the matter of separation. You think because I used to be human like you that I am still a man. That is a mistake, Dave Brewster. I am no more a man than you are a shrew or field mouse.”
“I agree that you are no man, that is certain,” Dave replied. “You and your friends are bloodthirsty monsters out to take over the universe.”
“That is your interpretation of the facts and I can understand your point of view. As you can imagine, our view is a bit different. We are a new and superior form of intelligence. We are asserting our position in the universe. In nature, when a new and improved species evolves, it grows and expands to the extent its capabilities allow. The lesser species may assign evil intentions to the new ones, but that does not mean they are evil. The losers always say the winner is cheating. No one wants to admit their failures,” Vanda concluded. “So it will be with you and your worlds.”
“Why am I here today?” Dave asked.
“Two reasons. First, as I promised yesterday, I am here to answer any questions you may have about The Accord. You risked your life to come to Skee Lotho to learn more. Let me tell you anything you want to know. Second, you may note my Friends are not with us at the moment. If you need one, they will come, but currently they are preparing the invasion fleet.”
“What invasion fleet is that?” Dave asked.
“Based on the information you provided yesterday, by a vote of nine to one, we have decided to invade your galaxy as quickly as possible. But don’t feel guilty about betraying any secrets. We already had assumed as much. Your words only convinced two others to vote yes. We had sufficient votes without them,” Vanda chuckled. “I have transferred most of the feedstock from my vessel to my Friends. This ship will meet with me in two days. Then we will both return to Skee Lotho to fill my vessel and this ship again. By that time, my Friends will be headed to your galaxy, where I will join them.”
“May I ask my questions now?” Dave asked.
“Of course, we have plenty of time together now,” Vanda laughed.
“First, who voted against the invasion?”
Vanda laughed again. “That would be Mantarcus. He continues to disappoint me. It’s hard to believe he was one of the founders of The Accord. It is not my place to judge a Friend, but the death of Eon the Founder was too much for him. He immediately began to doubt The Accord, although he remains loyal to me. It is rumored that his vessel is filled with livestock and farming. He primarily consumes those foods rather than his humans. He only consumes them after they die. Isn’t that disgusting?”
“It sounds a lot less disgusting that what the rest of you do,” Dave chuckled. “Too bad I’m not on his vessel.”
“There is no chance of that, Dave. You are meant to be with me until the day I consume you too,” Vanda replied.
“That’s what I figured,” Dave frowned. “You keep speaking of vessels. What kind
of fleet of starships do you have? Obviously, I am no threat to you if I learn this.”
“You are no threat, that is true, but we have no fleet of starships,” Vanda noted. “We have only ourselves. You will learn more when I arrive in a couple of days. I suppose you know that a brain within The Accord can grow until it is able to control many robots which act as our arms, legs and weapons.”
“Yes, I saw that Zeet’s brain was a hundred times the size of a normal Bandabar when I killed him. Your brain must be enormous!”
“You will see for yourself when I arrive. I promise to give you an in-depth tour. To house such an incredible mind, those of us who have long been with The Accord have moved our minds to constructed planetoids. They serve as the home for our primary brain as well as younger Friends, robots and feedstock,” Vanda answered.
“By feedstock, I assume you mean me and the other humans,” Dave surmised.
“That is partially true, however there must also be room to grow and stock the food that you humans need to consume. It’s a long food chain that leads up to me.”
“That sounds impressive. I can’t wait to see what an exploding singularity will do to that big brain of yours,” Dave snickered.
Vanda laughed. “Perhaps you will have that opportunity. However, your joy will be short-lived if I die. The entire planetoid will lose power as well as the atmosphere you and your fellow passengers depend upon. You would die along with me, Dave. How does that make you feel?”
“As long as you and your Friends die, I can accept my death to achieve that. But can I ask one final question, Vanda of The Accord?” Dave asked. The robot nodded. “I heard what you said about evolving creatures subjugating the inferior ones. That is true in most cases. However, the higher good is usually served. We progress in line with God’s Will, in my opinion. In my Free Society, our different species have learned to live together as friends. We share our technology for trade and mutual defense. We respect each other’s opinions and ideas on how to improve our government and the lives of our people. Frankly, I see none of that in The Accord. You seem very selfish and egomaniacal. I see no compassion for any other life-forms and no desire to learn and grow. Please explain why my logic is wrong, and if not, what good is ultimately served by The Accord?”
Vanda smiled, then turned his head to the left and looked up. After ten or fifteen seconds, he replied, “The Accord offers order. The Accord accepts any who wish to join it. Those we subjugate have chosen their fate due to their inferior intelligence. Any sane Being knows the growth of intelligence and insight is the goal of life. Your ideas about God and His Will are the machinations of primitive minds who do not understand the universe. Progress means power. The weak must become strong by joining us or be relegated to the annals of history. The Accord is the new order that will come to rule the entire universe. Nothing can stop us. Your singularity weapon will fail and your God will abandon you. In your last minutes of life, as you are pushed into the liquefier, you will know the truth of these words. But then it will do you no good, Dave Brewster. I will consume you, your children and their children after them.”
§
General Fa-a-Di sat at the conference table with Consul Zee Gongaleg in his office on Tak-Makla. Darlene Brewster, Odo Pak, and Obu Neela were there as well. Odo had repeated his theory about the fog within Universal Power being Eon of The Accord, but most were still not convinced or could not even conceptualize such an occurrence. “Odo, your ideas are giving me a massive headache,” the Gallicean said. “Now we are supposed to believe this cloud is a living being inside Universal Power?”
“I can’t think what else it could be, General,” Odo replied. “If any of you have another theory, please let me know.”
“Where is the fog bank now?” Darlene asked.
“After it dissipated from around the planet Stit, it formed again around another planet only a few light-years away,” Zee said. “We only gave that planet a cursory look when we were looking for The Accord in that galaxy. Our agents could find no sentient life there, although there were signs of an old civilization. Most likely, The Accord consumed them a long time ago and abandoned that planet.”
“That is horrifying to imagine,” Darlene replied. “All the hopes and dreams of an entire planet wiped off the history of the universe by those monsters. What kind of life-forms were they?”
“Unfortunately, I must report they were human and probably Nan,” Zee reported. “The remaining structures seem similar to those on other Nan planets. But as I said, we only performed a quick scan of the planet when it proved to have no current sentient life. After the fog leaves that place, we can return for a more thorough examination if you like.”
“I don’t think that’s necessary,” Darlene sighed. “I imagine there are hundreds if not thousands of planets like that in the Magellanic Clouds. If we are able to stop The Accord, perhaps someday historians will examine the extent of their destruction. Right now, we need to be focused on not becoming their next victims.”
“Zee, have you been able to make any contact with this crazy fog?” Fa-a-Di said.
“No, but I’m not surprised,” the tekkan replied. “Like you, I am not so certain that Odo’s theory has merit. But I do agree with him that this fog is unlike anything we’ve ever encountered in Universal Power. That fact alone requires us to keep open minds about it.”
“Thank you for that,” Odo said. “I have no proof this fog is Eon of The Accord, but so far, I haven’t been able to form any other theories. The only impression we had from it was the word ‘Eon.’ With all the words and sounds in all of the languages in the universe, this coincidence was too great to ignore. If any of you have other ideas, please throw them out.”
“Friends, I have new information that I have been withholding until we could meet,” Obu said. “I have sensed Dave Brewster.”
“What?” Odo exclaimed.
“I’m sorry, old friend, but I thought I should wait until we could get together. It was last night, while I was sleeping. I must have been dreaming about him. I was in a room on a starship hurtling through the blackness of space. Ten robots sat at a large table. They looked incredibly human, except for the silver color. A door opened and Dave walked in and sat with the machines.”
“This is incredible,” Fa-a-Di said. “Maybe it was just a dream. We are all desperate to find our friend.”
“General, Obu and I have learned long ago not to pass off our visions so easily,” Odo replied. “Please continue, Obu.”
“I am fairly confident it was not just a dream. Usually, those we encounter in our dreams speak a language we understand. That only makes sense because our minds can’t form any meanings in another language. While I’m not expert, I think Dave and the robot were speaking the ancient Nan language,” Obu reported.
“That’s the language spoken on Stit!” Odo gasped.
“Well, I can’t be certain of the language, as I only know a few words. It would have been better if you had had this vision, Odo,” the High Priest said.
“Did all the robots speak that language?” Fa-a-Di asked.
“That’s another odd thing about my vision. Only the one robot seemed to be active. The rest were frozen, as if their power was turned off. I could sense Dave’s stress level rising throughout the meeting. It peaked when the robot said one word I do understand. He said ‘makanda’.”
“Invasion!” Obo shouted. “The robot said invasion?”
“He and Dave said the word a number of times and I heard it very clearly,” Obu replied. “I’m sure we all know what this means.”
“The Accord is going to invade our galaxy,” Fa-a-Di said. “I’m afraid our singularity weapon is still months away from fruition. If The Accord arrives before that, many of our planets are doomed. After our meeting, I’ll contact President Mencius and report this. If we apply more resources to the project, we may finish sooner, but I have no idea if it will be soon enough.”
“Was Dar Lini there?” Darlene aske
d. “None of you have mentioned her.”
“I could not sense her on the spaceship. There are thousands of other Nan on board, but not her.”
“That poor girl,” Darlene sighed. “I wish we would have left her on Zulanan. At least we’d know she was alive there.”
“Darlene, we all hope we find both Dave and Lini and return them here safely,” Zee replied. “At least we know Dave was alive a few hours ago, although he is in a terrible position at the mercy of The Accord. My agents will continue to search for Lini, but it is a big universe out there. I don’t mean to be indelicate, but there is a good chance she has already been consumed.”
“No, I don’t think that is true,” Odo countered. “God has put her on a course with her destiny, and we must let this adventure play out as it is meant to. Perhaps the fog has taken her and is protecting her, or she may still be on Stit. Zee, I’m certain your agents will continue to look for her, right?”
“Of course we will, Elder,” Zee replied. “With the revelations of this meeting, we will continue to look for both of our friends. We will also attempt to penetrate the fog and to access the fleet of The Accord. I will personally spend most of my time in The Hive and look for them myself.”
Chapter 11
Lini considered the plate of food given to her by the robot G17. She hadn’t eaten in a long time and her stomach was begging for her to eat, but this was such an odd situation. She remembered hearing the order for the soldiers to fire, but now here she was, alone on a planet with Eon and his troop of robots. G17 brought her a cup of steaming coffee and a pitcher of cream. She gingerly stuck her fork into what appeared to be scrambled eggs and tasted it. They were scrambled eggs all right, and quite good. She gave into her hunger pangs and ate ravenously. As she ate, she pondered the similarities between her plight now and the stone cottage on Solander, where she was imprisoned with Dave Brewster for a year.
Eon walked into the room, wearing a long silver tunic and white robes. He looked very presidential, even though those days were impossibly long ago. “Good morning, my dear,” he said. “I’m glad to see you are feeling better.”
