by Karl Morgan
“Just let me sleep and leave me alone,” Vanda urged.
“Vanda, you must force yourself to be awake,” Mantarcus began. “That is why we are here, not because we want you to evolve with us. Since you have been unconscious, the lesser Friends have become drunk with power. Your systems are offline and the planetoid is in danger. You must awaken and take control before you are lost forever.”
“Thank you, Mantarcus. That was spoken as a true friend. The explosion definitely damaged my brain, causing my current state. I am beginning to awaken already and I can feel the anger in my Friends. I have restarted the atmospheric generators and soon will be fully in charge again. Eon, once I am awake I will consider your offer again. Thanks again, brothers.”
§
Dave Brewster crawled out of bed quietly so as not to wake Darlene. He showered quickly and went downstairs for a cup of coffee. The butler, Kally, was busily making chocolate croissants when Dave entered the kitchen. “It’s good to see you again, Admiral.”
“Thanks, Kally,” he replied. “And it’s great to be here with real coffee and food too, especially since no one here wants to grind me up and feed me to a gigantic brain!”
“Can I get you some coffee?”
“No, you keep doing what you’re doing. I can get coffee myself,” Dave replied as he opened the cupboard and pulled out a mug. He gazed out the window at the low waves rolling up onto the beach. It still amazed him that the tekkans had built this planet for their Hive. Until one ventured into the tube system, the surface seemed totally natural. Low clouds on the horizon boded of showers later in the day. He sighed, sipped his coffee and walked over to the small breakfast table and sat. The rich, buttery smell of the first batch of croissants was tickling his nose, but he still recalled his last meal of rancid food inside the Vanda planetoid. What an incredible difference a few hours made, he thought. Kally brought over a warm croissant on a small dish and set it down in front of Dave, who smiled back at him. “How’s Charlie doing these days, Kally?”
“He asks about you all the time, Dave. We were all worried when you disappeared on your mission. The last time I talked to him, he was considering retiring and continuing to write his books. Some of the things you’ve been through made him reassess his own lifestyle. None of us are getting any younger, you know,” Kally replied.
“Wow! I’m surprised he’d give this up,” Dave said. “I thought he was great at the explorer’s life.”
“Charlie did like that, back a few years ago, when you first found this place, and fixed the problems on Far Sky and New Dawn. Now, it seems we are surrounded by more and more brutal enemies. I don’t think Charlie Watson is much of a soldier.”
“Me either!” Dave laughed. “If The Accord doesn’t kill us all, it makes you wonder what could be coming next, like the worms of Cattreen.”
“What the heck are they?” Kally asked.
“Maybe just a fairytale by Obu Neela, maybe not,” Dave replied. “Thankfully, they are too far away to worry about right now. It’s too bad he’s retiring though.”
“Well, I said he was thinking about retiring,” Kally noted. “He’s just been nominated to be Ambassador to the Lubna system by President Mencius. He and Aria are to learn more about the Hive there and the Bolofaz.”
“He might change his mind when he finds that system is where The Accord is headed first!” Dave exclaimed.
“Good morning, Dave,” Odo said as he entered the kitchen. “And good morning to you too, Kally.” He sat across from Dave, and Kally brought him a coffee and pastry. “I hope you are well rested, old friend.”
“I feel great, Odo. Thank you again for saving us,” he replied.
“You’re welcome, but again, the Bolofaz managed the situation very carefully. I know it looked hopeless, but you and the others were never in any real danger.”
“That’s good to know, but I wish I had known it sooner,” Dave laughed.
“You need to have some faith, Dave. I am no god, but you did see what I did to that golden robot, didn’t you?” Dave nodded. “Look at me carefully. I am a nine-thousand-year-old man. Do I look like I am capable of sticking my fist through a metal robot and pulling out its control module?”
“I guess not,” Dave sighed. “But you said you weren’t even there. It was Universal Power doing the work, right?”
Odo laughed out loud. “Dave, honestly, you say the craziest things.” He turned to Kally and said, “Excuse us for a moment.” He reached across the table, grabbed Dave’s hands and they disappeared.
Dave and Odo were sitting at the small table in the stone cottage on Solander. Their coffee cups and plates were still in front of them. For a moment, Dave was immersed in his memories of the place—sleeping on the tiny bed with Lini’s back pressed against him, reading Ten Years to Gallia, watching her tend the tiny garden to add variety to their diet, and locked half a billion years in the past without hope to return. What a strange year it had been! “Why are we here, Odo?”
“Are we here, Dave? Maybe you are hallucinating? Did you consider that?” the elder said. “Do you remember traveling in the Source to get here?”
“No, we were just here in an instant,” he replied. “Is this a dream, Odo?”
“You be the judge!” Odo said as he pulled Dave to his feet and pushed him toward the door. He yanked the door open and the oppressive heat of the planet poured in. Odo shoved Dave outside and closed the door, locking him out. “You just stay out there as long as you want until you decide!” he shouted from inside.
“What is going on with you, Odo?” Dave shouted. “You’re acting pretty crazy.” There was no answer. After waiting another couple of minutes, he gave up and sat on the long bench on the porch. Sweat poured off him as he sat in the sparse shade. In the distance, he could see waves of heat rising up into the sky. A few birds flew in lazy circles looking for a meal scurrying by on the sand. Lubna filled half the sky with its rapidly spinning bands of gas. He wondered how his friend, Ondeen, the Bolofaz, was doing there. The sun was at zenith and the temperature was continuing to rise. He and Lini always stayed indoors during this time of day. The heat was oppressive. He closed his eyes and said, “Odo’s nuts,” under his breath.
“So, I’m crazy?” Odo laughed. Dave opened his eyes to see Odo across the table back on Tak-Makla. “You’re the one soaked in sweat in a cool room. Where do you think you were for the last few minutes?”
Dave looked at his soaked shirt and the drops of perspiration dripping from his nose into his coffee. Kally brought him a towel so he could wipe off his face. “We were on Solander. We were really there, but we didn’t travel in Universal Power. How did you do that?” He thought for a second and then looked at Kally. “We were gone, right?”
“For about ten minutes. You two were here one second and gone the next,” Kally replied.
“Dave, I’m sorry for the harsh lesson, but there was a point,” Odo began. “What is Universal Power anyway?”
“It condenses into matter and makes everything that there is,” Dave answered.
“That is almost right,” Odo laughed. “If Universal Power condenses into you or me, then what are we really?”
“Concentrated Universal Power, I guess,” Dave replied.
“Bingo!” Odo laughed. “I knew you’d get it. I am very proud of you, son.”
“Well, to be honest, I’m not sure what it is that I get,” Dave said.
“Oh boy, here we go again,” Odo scoffed. “Just guess then.”
Dave blushed at his failure to grasp Odo’s concept. “Everything is Universal Power. I am Universal Power. We are all Universal Power. Is that it?”
“I couldn’t have put it better myself, although I do prefer the word Source. It doesn’t sound so mechanical like Universal Power. I’m proud of you again,” Odo laughed.
“But if everyone is Universal Power, then The Accord is too,” Dave wondered. “If they are, then evil exists within Universal Power. I didn’t think that could h
appen.”
“There is a world of difference between what we are made from and how we choose to live, Dave,” Odo continued. “I could fabricate a pistol from steel. That pistol could then be used to kill many people. But steel is not evil. Not even the steel in that pistol is evil. A man uses his free will to do evil with the pistol. I believe our mortality breeds fear of death and contempt for other lives. A man who lives like that can become evil, even though his body is made from the Source. That man is not in tune with the Source, instead he has rejected it, even though it is the source of his flesh, bones and organs. If he knew the truth, he would forsake evil, because it cannot damage the Source. There is no death in the Source, only life.”
“So, when I recognize that I am the Source, then I can travel the universe instantly, like when you put the bomb inside Vanda,” Dave said.
“No, that is not true. When you accept that the Source can and will help you move across the universe instantly, you can. That part is relatively easy. However, if you are really able to accept that there is no difference between you and the Source, you will transcend the physical world,” Odo replied.
“Like Bandopaz Niderak.”
“Exactly right,” Odo said. “But that is not easy to do. We all have skin that can be cut, organs that can fail, and enemies who would love to strike us down. Our fear of injury and death coalesces into our inability to accept our true selves. That is why only Bandopaz and Eon have transcended, as far as I know.”
“Is that why I was able to travel as a light-string without a Hive?” Dave asked.
“Yes. In those moments of true need, you reached out to the Source, knowing it will never deny you,” Odo replied. He reached across the table and held Dave’s hands again. “That’s why I want you to come with me to Stit to help Lini. We all need to convince as many Friends of The Accord to change their minds and their lives.”
§
The viewscreen came to life showing President Mencius of the Free Society sitting in his office. “Good morning, General,” he said with a grin.
Fa-a-Di leaned back in his seat and replied, “I’m sorry, Mencius, but this morning is not so good. I am calling to inform you that the fleet of The Accord has resumed their journey toward the Lubna system.”
Mencius groaned noticeably. “I was afraid of that. Odo had hoped that Dave could get us more time, but apparently, that amounted to a few hours only. How much time do we have?”
“Maybe fifteen to eighteen days,” Fa-a-Di sighed. “But it won’t be enough. There is no way our singularity weapon will be ready by then. Even Jon Lake, whose original idea created the singularity blast has not been able to reconcile the physics to replicate the event. I’m afraid this will be a terrible war.”
“What about the attack on the Vanda vessel?” Mencius asked. “Can’t we do that until we decimate their forces?”
“We will do what we can; however, it is likely the smaller robots will lead the invasion, leaving the planetoids at the back of the fleet. Even if we destroy the largest ships, the others will not stop. I don’t know if our fleets can defeat them,” the Gallicean noted. “Our most promising opportunity is Odo’s hypothetical now.”
“I don’t think we can let the future of the galaxy hinge on Odo convincing The Accord to transcend their existence. It’s a fairytale. We need a plan!”
“As you know, I believe we should stand at Lubna,” Fa-a-Di said. “We win or we die in that system.”
“If we lose that one battle, all is lost, Fa-a-Di. That seems a bit reckless.”
“Mencius, we both know what The Accord will do to the people on Fistnan. Each planet we cede to The Accord will splash the bloods of billions of people on our hands. I cannot live with that.”
A wry smile passed through Mencius’ face and quickly faded. “General, I do believe you are hoping that fate steps in to help us.”
Fa-a-Di laughed. “I suppose you’re right, Mencius. But we do need a backup plan. Let us presume we lose the battle at Lubna and most of our fleets are damaged or destroyed. The Accord cannot have free reign over us, even then. I suggest that we manufacture and store as many plasma bombs on each Hive planet as possible. Then we will wage a war of attrition on The Accord. Every few days, a new Friend will be targeted, although the bombs will be placed in their brains, not their liquefiers. We will counter terror with terror.”
“That sounds horrible, friend,” Mencius admitted.
“Yes, and it is horrible, but let’s consider the consequences of not doing it,” Fa-a-Di continued. “Each day, dozens if not hundreds of sentient Beings are ground up and fed to the brains inside each planetoid. If there are a thousand planetoids, imagine the lives lost by their terror. The Nan of Fistnan will be rounded up and added to their ships. The metals on Fistnan will be harvested to build more planetoids, requiring more slaves for labor and food. For each Friend we kill, we are saving millions of lives.”
Mencius stood and walked over to his credenza, with the camera adjusting automatically to follow his steps. He opened a cabinet and put several ice cubes in a glass and poured whisky over them. He sighed heavily and sat back down. He raised his glass to the screen and sipped his drink. “How did this happen, old friend? How could God have allowed The Accord to become so heinous and evil? Is that the fate of our civilizations too?”
“Mr. President, if we do not defeat The Accord, it is undoubtedly our future. Each of us will get the chance to join them. If we refuse, we’re dinner. If we accept, we will become evil like them. Not much of a choice, if you ask me. Personally, I would rather die in the Battle of Lubna than be given the opportunity to choose. But our problems do not end there,” Fa-a-Di said.
“Oh please, what else is going wrong?”
“The plasma bomb that Odo delivered to Vanda was a new design as well. Currently, we can only produce one or two each day. Tooling for mass production will take weeks, if not months to have in place. Also, there is concern on the Hive planets about using their devices for such a purpose,” Fa-a-Di advised.
“Those folks would rather be ground into paste than fight back?” Mencius gasped. “That’s suicidal!”
“The Hive on Atar Pa is willing to do the work. The Society of Humanity has been using Universal Power for political and military advantage forever. The tekkans don’t look at it that way. They are the ultimate pacifists. You remember their attitude during the Second Predaxian War, don’t you?” Mencius nodded and frowned. “They only helped us to avoid more casualties and end the conflict,” Fa-a-Di argued.
“But that’s what we want too,” Mencius said.
“Yes, and they will support us if we have a plan that does not kill the Friends of The Accord. What are we going to do? We can’t move The Accord to another galaxy. That would only jeopardize other lives.”
“I’m getting a headache,” Mencius sighed.
“And we can forget about the natural Hives completely. The Nan and Zula on those planets consider those Hives to be created by God. Using a gift from God to slaughter The Accord would be a sin, even though the result will be the slaughter of those we were trying to protect, including the Nan and Zula,” Fa-a-Di finished.
“We’re screwed, Fa-a-Di. The only hope for our families and friends is Odo’s fairytale,” Mencius groaned. “We Kalideans are too logical to put our faith in such things. I agree with your plan to make our stand in the Lubna system. Maybe, just maybe, when the Nan, Zula and Bolofaz see the death and destruction caused by The Accord, they will change their minds. And send as many plasma bombs to Atar Pa as possible, after we have enough for our fleets in Lubna. May God have mercy on our souls, old friend?”
“Amen to that, Mencius. I’ll keep you informed as things change. By the way, I’m still on Tak-Makla. I’m planning to meet with Dave and Odo in a few minutes. Then I’ll talk to Zee again. Perhaps the taste of imminent death will change the tekkans too. Fa-a-Di out.” He tapped a button to close the connection and left his room to find Dave Brewster.
; Chapter 22
G17 made a wonderful vinaigrette dressing. Each day, he would head out to the garden, looking for the ripest and freshest produce. Then he would return to the kitchen to prepare a large salad with the dressing for Dar Lini. Lini loved salads, and it made G17 happy to satisfy her appetite. He set the fresh salad in front of her and waited. “G17, every day, your technique gets better!” she exclaimed after tasting a forkful of perfectly dressed greens. “How do you do it?”
“I enjoy making you and Master Eon happy, Mistress Lini,” he replied as he walked back to the counter to clean up.
“That’s really amazing, G17. Can you sit with me for a moment?” she asked.
“Of course, Mistress,” he said as he returned to the table and sat. “How may I serve you?”
“Oh, I don’t need anything,” she smiled, “I just wanted to talk to you. First, I think you need a new name.”
“Does my model nomenclature displease you, Mistress?” he asked.
“No, but you’re not just a robot to me,” she said.
“How interesting! Another man visited Master Eon the other night and said something very similar to your words,” the robot replied.
“You mean Bandopaz Niderak?” she asked. G17 nodded. “What did he say to you?”
“He said I was beginning to realize my transcendence from machine to man,” the robot replied. “I was honored by the words, but I am a robot.”
“I think I agree with Bandopaz,” she laughed. “You have shown real love for Eon and me. I don’t think robots know about love.”
“Other than definitions built into my circuits, you are correct. But I do feel for both of you. When I was chopped in half by the large robot, I was very sad to have my existence end with you both in jeopardy. How can I have emotions when they were never programmed into me?” G17 asked.
“I don’t know either, but let’s try to take things one step at a time, okay?” The robot nodded. “Why don’t you pick a name for yourself? Go on.”
