by Ben Winston
Temple of S.A.R.A.H.
Base Functions – Episode Three
Ben Winston
Cowan Residence
Alliance Apollo Base
Selene, Earth’s Moon
Sol System
You know there is one thing that I've always wondered about. On Earth, programming languages are pretty much the same no matter what your native language might be. But since I've always been a fan of Science Fiction, I wondered about how that would work among alien races.
As it turns out, each race has its own versions of programming languages. That is to say, the code written in, say Simonian, is completely incomprehensible to a human, but it does almost exactly the same thing. The same holds true for all the other races as well, including Novan, which, ironically enough, is the closest language to our own.
Among the races of the Alliance, there is some debate as to who the oldest race actually is. However, the most common belief is that the Shallans are the oldest. The Veranorians once supported that hypothesis, but have since recanted it, in favor of fostering the belief that they are the oldest race.
When I asked Sarah to translate a copy of her code into all the other languages, she of course included Shallan; and that's where it started getting weird. Once the translation into Shallan was completed, her search routines began offering up references to historical writings in a supposedly dead language dating back over a million years.
You see, Simonians, by nature, are very curious beings. So once they took to space, a close second to their colonization efforts was archeology and exploration. Spatially, the Shallans were a distant neighbor between the Simonian and the Veranorians. Both occupying the next 'arm' of the galaxy.
Sharing the same 'arm', the explorers quickly discovered the Novans, (Earth is also in the same 'arm' but farther rim ward.) and after a few years of tension, became allies.
However, explorers in the Veranorian arm began finding abandoned planets that had been victims of a long forgotten war. Entire cities had been located and much of the culture of the once large, star spanning race was still available, locked away in sealed archives.
The Simonians named the race Loenarians.
It took many years of exploration, and discovery for the Loenarian trail to lead them to the border of Shallan space. It was there that the Simonians were stopped cold. Millions of light-years from home, the exploration fleet encountered an armada of unknown warships.
At the time, the Simonians had never met the Shallans and had no dealings with any other races other than the Novans. Experience prompted the Simonians to ask if it would be possible to talk and perhaps agree to a peace treaty between them.
Their reply came in a text only message, surprisingly, in the Simonians native language. It stated that the only way there would be peace was if the Simonians left and never returned. The new race would not proceed any further than the point they were at now, but the Simonians would be destroyed if they tried to enter their space.
With no other choice open to them, and the other race unwilling to talk, the Simonians turned back. However, they still had a great deal of worlds to explore and continued to attempt to solve the puzzle they now believed had been left for them by the Loenarians.
Now, that puzzle has never been solved; however, the Loenarian language was very close to Shallan, although any requests for information sent to the Shallans, via the Veranorian Ambassador, had been ignored.
However, Sarah had shown me that a surprisingly large amount of her code translated to Shallan, matched a good portion of the undecipherable text left by the Loenarians. I briefly wondered if the Shallans were, in fact, the remnants of that ancient race.
That thought brought on a whole bag full of other questions. For example; if the Shallans were the descendants of the Loenarians, what happened to them that destroyed their very large empire? Why were the Veranorians the only race they seemed to trust? Why were they so xenophobic?
Well, I did know one thing; I wasn't an archeologist or a politician, so those questions must be left for others to resolve.
Other than that brief contact with the Simonian exploration fleet, the Shallans had restricted all other racial contact to that conducted through the Veranorians. Considering recent developments, it didn’t occur to anyone that perhaps the Shallans weren’t actually xenophobic. As it happened, shortly after I released the translated AI code to the researchers on the base, one very bold Shallan, Halflan Therinate, the senior ship designer on the base, approached Logical Engineer Corhen Nori and asked to speak to me, in private.
To say it was odd would be an understatement, frankly the request surprised me, but I wasn’t about to pass up the opportunity to meet a member of this reclusive and mysterious race. I agreed to the meeting, but the Shallan had made a point to ask that the meeting be held in my home. Even though it was breaking a long standing tradition in attempting to make contact with a race other than the Veranorians, I would have thought he would have wanted it to take place in a less... intimate, setting.
Looking up what a Shallan and a Veranorian would consider to be palatable, my family took up the task of preparing an appropriate meal for our visitors. It turned out that Veranorians did not eat in social situations, but would attend the dinner while the rest of us did. We made sure that there was a very nice bottle of Veranorian wine available for LE Nori. However, Sarah had to resort to asking LE Nori for information on the Shallans since nothing had been in the information she had access too. My surprise at the initial request paled at what I learned at that dinner.
I was wondering if I should invite Commodore Vance, but I didn’t want to offend my guests by including the Commodore when the Shallan indicated he wanted privacy.
By the time the dinner rolled around, to say I was curious was an understatement. Logical Engineer Corhen Nori arrived with a small cloaked and hooded figure that seemed very nervous. I invited them in, and the small Shallan seemed to relax slightly once the door was closed.
I escorted the pair into our dining area, introduced them to my family, and showed them to seats. The Shallan, hesitated slightly before boldly pushing off the hood and removing the cloak. We had been told that Shallans looked like cousin ‘It’ from the Addams family, only with more hair. That, as it turned out, was incorrect. Of course, the Shallan wasn’t the male Halflan Therinate we were expecting either.
The being revealed when robe was removed was female, and looked more like an Elf or a Halfling than a hair-covered being. “I am Sheiriline Therinate, First Daughter to Design Master Therinate of the twenty-seventh house. For the purpose of this meeting, I have the voice of the Shallan Protectorate.”
Corhen Nori looked shocked, and a little frightened. “Forgive me Mistress Sheiriline, but I have been lead to believe that the Protectorate was a myth!”
“No, Matriarch, the Protectorate is very real, but we are hidden from the Veranorian Masters of the core worlds.” Sheiriline bowed to her hosts, and took her seat. “My apologies, Doctor Cowan and family. There is a tale here. One I will be happy to tell to you. However, please understand that once I do this, I will be considered an outcast to my people. If I ever return to the Shallan core worlds, my family will be executed.”
“If this puts you at such a risk, First Daughter, why are you here?” I asked. ‘First Daughter’ was the preferred form of address once she had identified herself as such. It indicated that she was here with her father’s, and by extension, her family’s complete approval, making them a part of the ‘crime’ she was about to commit.
“The Veranorian Synod has decreed that the retelling of our history is punishable by death. They have also
decreed that should any member of the Shallan race attempt to contact any other race, except when condoned by the Synod, the entire family will be branded traitor and summarily executed. Such is the Shallan Law of the Synod.
“Millennia ago, our ancestors had a large, star-spanning empire. Under the Emperor, we had an age of peace where exploration and the pursuit of knowledge were given a high priority. Several breakthroughs in many fields were made and we proudly ushered in a new age, the age of the living computer.
“Unlike your creation, ours was more bio-cybernetic, than strictly synthetic. Our creations walked among us, and we welcomed them into our homes and businesses as the servants we had created them to be. For hundreds of years, they helped us and cared for us, but eventually, they turned on us, and a great war all but destroyed the Empire. Our creations had taken over their own creation, and they had been evolving.
“There is a very long and horrible story of that war, that became the death of the Loenarian Empire and the birth of the Veranorian race,” Sheiriline finished. “The surviving members of my race are now called Shallans, and we are a race of slaves to our own creations.”
Corhen Nori looked floored. “But that’s not what we have been taught, most of us believe you to be a xenophobic race that prefers to be equal but subservient to us! We were created by the will of the divine Sah-Hanori!”
Sheiriline smiled sadly at Corhen Nori, “Matriarch, in ancient Loenarian, ‘Sah-Hanori’ means ‘first creation’. It was the name given to the first of the living computers.”
“This is so hard to believe, Mistress Sheiriline!” Corhen Nori said, clearly upset. “For over a million years there have been Veranorians. We reproduce, we live our own lives. Your explanation does not explain that.”
“I agree, Matriarch. As I have said, you have evolved. You are no longer the creation made by the Ancients millennia ago. You are a sentient race in your own right. However, we can debate the issue at another time if you wish, as this was not my purpose in coming here this evening,” Sheiriline replied kindly. “It was also not my intention to upset you.”
Corhen Nori nodded her agreement. “I would enjoy that, I think. I am finding a great deal of what I believe to be truth is not, and what is false, is in fact, is.”
“If I might be so bold, what is your purpose this evening, First Daughter?” Ellie asked. “I have been studying the Simonian reports on the Loenarian Explorations, it is really interesting.”
“I am here because Doctor Cowan has discovered the ancient code used in the living computers. Once we saw his AI code in translation, we knew we had to warn him, and tell him of our history. Those who chose to forget the past are damned by the present to repeat it in the future. We hope that the knowledge of our past will temper your advancements with wisdom.” Sheiriline said. “First Daughter, why were you so nervous in coming here tonight? You had to know we would not hurt you,” I said.
“I have no fear of you or your family,” the small woman replied. “However, I asked a high ranking Veranorian for this meeting. We thought that she might have shaken off the Veranorian programming, but we were not sure. I was nervous because I thought she would simply show me to an airlock. It is also the reason I approached the Matriarch instead of Order Fen’s first assistant. That one is of the Synod, and it would have meant my immediate death should he discover my purpose here this evening.”
“More and more I am becoming of the mind that T'harnes needs to be returned to the Synod. A disruptive influence and little more seems to be his purpose. I have even wondered if he knows anything about computers at all!” Corhen Nori said.
“You have come to warn me that Sarah could become sentient and turn on us?” I asked, forgetting to use the woman’s title.
She grinned. “There is power in the old words. The AI is already sentient, Eric. I am here simply to give you the knowledge of my ancestors in this regard. We do not know at what point our creations turned on us, but we do not want that event to be repeated and see another race enslaved as we are.”
“Enslaved on this base you are no longer!” Corhen Nori said adamantly. “Free citizens of the Alliance from now on! T'harnes will be dealt with in this matter. No other dissention will be tolerated!”
“I thank you for that, Matriarch, but it won’t do much good for the rest of my people in the core worlds. Even if we could somehow get the Synod to release them, I don’t think we can get rid of the Aracnise at this point. Our worlds are too infested,” Sheiriline replied sadly.
“What do you mean? Your worlds are overrun by the hive?” Julie asked, then blushed. “Uh, First Daughter.”
Sheiriline bowed slightly to Julie because of her slip, but she was smiling. “Yes they are. I cannot prove this to you, and we felt you would not believe it, but the Veranorian use them to control our populations. The Aracnise were created by the Veranorians to be used as a military. They have since lost control of one of the queens and now we have a war. However, the ones on our core worlds are still under the Synod’s control.”
“First Daughter, we must bring this to the attention of the Commodore immediately! He has to know what we are up against!” I said.
“I agree,” Corhen Nori added. “Senior Researcher, Doctor Cowan is correct in this. The Commodore must be told. By the first one, I swear to you, had I knowledge any of this, I would have tried to do something about it sooner!”
“If this news gets back to the Synod, our worlds will suffer for it,” the small woman said. “I have said too much, I was only to tell you of our history. Please for the sake of my people do not pass this knowledge on to anyone else!”
“First Daughter, you were given instruction in ignorance of certain developments. These I will tell you of now, so you may take them back to your Protectorate,” Corhen Nori said. “The Synod has broken faith not only with the people, but with the Alliance. We know they are doing very dishonorable things. It is possible they are taking steps to have this base destroyed by the Aracnise in order to stop us from spreading the word about the programming they have been giving to the rest of the Alliance. There is a good chance that they will be taking direct action against this base, which is a treasonous act.”
“That would not surprise me in the slightest, Matriarch,” Sheiriline replied sadly. “They would not like to lose control over the Alliance.”
“First Daughter Sheiriline, may I address you?” Sarah asked politely.
“Most certainly, AI Sarah. I will speak with you,” Sheiriline replied turning to see her projected form.
“First of all, please allow me to express how deeply concerned I am about the knowledge you have shared. I, too, am worried about turning on those I only wish to assist. I strive to ensure that does not happen. Secondly, do you know if the Aracnise have been given the schematics of Alliance military vessels?”
Sheiriline looked thoughtful for a moment. “I cannot speak directly to that, and my knowledge is at best third-hand. However, I have overhead my father speaking to others of his peers at the Galtair Assembly concerning a design matter. At first I thought nothing of it, but after a while, I realized they were speaking about the design of an Aracnise vessel that was being built at Galtair.” +
“Doctor Cowan, the Galtair Assembly is a very large ship yard that spans most of the interior of the Galtair system. It is the place were all Alliance vessels are built,” Sarah clarified.
It took a moment for the light to come on for me. “The Shallans are building the Aracnise ships too?”
“I would assume so, based on that conversation. I would have to ask my father to be certain, but I doubt he will discuss such matters with me, I may be first, but I am still only his daughter. However, if that were the case, then it would follow that the Alliance ship designs could simply be preprogrammed into the ships before they are sent out for delivery,” Sheiriline replied.
“But, wouldn’t the other races see them when they picked up the new ships?” Jamie asked.
Sheiriline shook her head. “No other races are allowed to enter the Galtair system. To do so would result in the immediate destruction of the vessels attempting it. Completed ships are delivered to the race they were built for.”
I put my head into my hands. This was far worse than I had imagined. Commodore Vance had to be told this information, but I couldn’t tell him without this young woman’s agreement.
“First Daughter, this base is isolated from the rest of the Alliance, not only by distance, but by ethos as well. Commodore Vance is aware of the problem, and has agreed to work to correct it. For all intents and purposes, we are on our own out here. We are working to help the Alliance, but we can no longer trust the Alliance. At least until they shake off the Veranorian programming.
“What you have told us this evening is very important to that effort. I know you’re concerned about what will happen to your core worlds if the Synod ever finds out. However, I cannot see how that would happen at this point. We have severed all contact with the Synod, and very soon, we will have gotten rid of the undesirable elements on the base. I implore you to consider bringing this information to Commodore Vance, or at the very least, let us do so on your behalf,” I said. I had to make the young woman see how important it was to let the Commodore know what was really going on.
She sighed. “I will consider it, Doctor Cowan. Perhaps I will seek the counsel of the Protectorate in this matter.”
“Thank you, First Daughter. Now that business has been discussed, would you care to dine with us?” I asked. It was only a formality, but it was also custom among her people to ask.
“I would be pleased to dine with you this evening, Doctor Cowan. Thank you for the offer,” the small woman replied. “For the duration of the evening, please call me Sheiriline.”
Once she said that, then the titles could be dropped for her. However since Corhen Nori was still in attendance, she had to be addressed formally, although, she did tend to overlook the occasional slips made by my family.
That night, I had a hard time going to sleep. I kept going over all the information Sheiriline had given us. Christy noticed, and tried to calm me down. It worked to a degree, because I did eventually go to sleep, but I had nightmares of giant spiders taking over Earth.
