by P. S. Power
"If you do the work, you get the coin. So, we should go in? Are you the actual person we're meeting? I... Do you call yourselves people? Being all clockwork, I mean?"
The girl rolled her eyes at him, then touched his arm, getting Alice to stiffen. It didn't go unnoticed, but she also didn't take her hand back in fear.
"That works. We aren't made of gears however. Really, we're pretty similar to you here. Made of billions of tiny machines that create the whole. It's different than you are, but the same as well. I probably can't explain it, unless one of you has a high level knowledge of biomechanical formations?" She looked at him and then Tor, but seemed taken by surprise when both Kolb and Alice nodded.
The bald man waved toward the door.
"It's been a while since I've used it. Several thousand years, but I did have classes in the concept. Before your kind went to the stars, actually. You've made some changes to yourselves?"
That got her to step to the side, her long gray dress having a white apron over it. Like a servant, which was the job she'd been hired for.
As they were led inside, she kept talking.
"We have. The Forten as well."
Before she could go on, Tor looked at the others and snorted lightly.
"Ha. I had it right all along. Forten. Not four-ten. Languages do shift around, over time, so it seemed likely. I'm going to pretend that's it anyway, and not just a lucky mistake on my part."
The girl in front of them nodded.
"That they do. A lot of things do. We can set up in here? I made a conference room for us. Do you need food? Drink? To be sexually pleasured so that you'll have clear heads for the business at hand?" There was no outward sense of teasing in any of it, even though there should have been. Then, Kolb had mentioned that the robot fleets were just kind of different. That might have been one of the reasons why that was. Asking about sexual needs like that.
Dare raised his hand a little.
"A lemonade would be nice? If it's no trouble?"
The lady, who still needed a name, smiled and asked if the others would like some too, which they all agreed on. It came about two minutes later, being carried by a boy that looked about the same age as Bill, but who was smaller. Lighter skinned as well. Almost like Tor, which made him highly distinctive.
Poison detectors were brought out then, and they all settled at a large dining table. The top was very smooth, and each place had paper and pens sitting there. Like at school, only nicer. He hadn't been able to afford things like that for himself, but the richer kids had them. Dare had made due with turning in assignments on bark sheets, written in charcoal from the fire.
"So, what should we call you?" It was still his turn to talk, it seemed, and the woman didn't look to mind. Not at far as he could tell.
"Lyone. My real name is L-Y-One, but only my mother calls me that."
Dareg nodded, tucking that bit away. She had a mother, or was at least willing to claim one for them, to set them at ease, or make them feel a certain amount of kinship.
"Call me Dare. This is Tor, who will speak for us, Kolb, and Alice, who will chime in at the wrong time, to throw everything out of balance."
The little, light skinned, fellow, left the room.
Lyone looked at him then, and settled firmly into her chair.
"Acceptable. I come to propose a peace treaty. There is risk for you in taking it at this time, but less than in not taking it. I represent the three fleets. That of my people, the Allies, the Forten, and an alien group that calls themselves the Ysidril. They're terrifying to look at, but perhaps the sweetest creatures in existence. Unfortunately. We could use a few more groups of hardened killers. That's why we came to you."
Tor looked at her, and tilted his head a bit, then nodded.
"If you have three groups, and need killers, then something is hunting you?"
She paused for a bit, then nodded, her hair moving a bit, just like it should, as she did.
"Exactly that. A thing so fierce and incredible that we can't even get good readings on it. This is far away from you, but coming this way. I..." She looked around, but focused on Alice and then Kolb. "You know that there are many worlds? An infinite number, where all things have happened, and will again?"
Kolb looked at her, his brow furrowing a bit.
"It's an old theory, but I've heard of it. Why?"
The woman, dressed humbly like a servant, smiled softly at the hard looking man.
"About two hundred years ago, a force from one of those worlds entered our space here. A long way off, to be honest. Hundreds of light years away. It was a harbinger of doom, and told us that we were being hunted, just as you said. Stalked, from outside what any of our kind can know. At first no one wanted to believe, but then our own people started to be influenced. At first we thought it a disease. One that took even the Allies, as different as we are. It infected us however, taking our people from us. Turning them into... Things. That much we know. No group that was infected survived to tell of it. We have images, records, but no being, biological, or machine based, has lasted to add data to the collection. So we fled, hoping that the other worlds would survive. The ones here, but in other places as well. Alternate realities, we call them."
No one spoke, just watching her for a while, until Tor went, as was his job for the evening.
"So. You want us to help you, but how? We can give you food. Ships? You're coming from space, so we may not have anything better than you do that way, but you can have them. Bodies to help fight? But this doesn't sound like a typical war you have going on, does it?"
The machine person went very blank, but finally looked at each of them.
"We have several programs in place to attempt to deny our universe and perhaps some others to the Adversary. That's what we call this darkness that we fear, but cannot see. The one good thing we know of so far is that bright light will help prevent people from being taken. We, the three fleets, live in the light, always. Even then, we've lost people. We think, and cannot confirm, that when they felt themselves being taken away, they ended their own lives rather than risk us all. We don't know a lot more, but if you throw in with us, we'll give you everything we have on the matter." She looked around then, and flicked a single finger toward the glasses of lemonade. "We had, originally, supposed that we'd come and offer high technology, as has been forbidden here for millennia, but noticed that you already had ships in space, and a thriving colony on the main moon here. That took us by surprise. Even more so when we figured out how you must be doing it. Pure thought projection. Reshaping reality itself. That could be very useful to us. Unfortunately it also means we have almost nothing to offer you."
Tor looked at her, and then shrugged.
"Except friendship? New ways of seeing the world? Knowledge of a threat that we didn't know might be coming at all? We'd half assumed that you were an invasion fleet, or three groups at war with one another. I have to say, this sounds different."
The machine woman laughed then.
"We aren't at perfect peace all the time. This has gotten us more or less together, but the Forten don't totally trust the Allies. The Ysidril... They trust everyone, and keep dying for it. There are probably Forten here already. The portals we used to reach here are Ysidril in design, and they will share if asked. The Forten, well they changed once away from here. They used to be like some of your people? Vast and powerful. Then, over time they discovered that being more compact worked better on ships. They didn't let go of their power however. They aren't horrible, or violent. Just a bit untrusting of their friends."
Dare couldn't tell if Lyone was being diplomatic about her fellows, or was being mean about them behind their backs. Not that it was going to matter.
The next few hours were spent talking, with her really trying hard to impress them with how dangerous things were, without being able to really explain much, and that other realities were real. Tor kept acting like it all only made sense, but the other two kept their thoughts to themsel
ves.
Dareg for his part tried to pay attention, wondering if it was all a trick, or trap, but not saying that out loud. On the fourth repeat of the same basic thing, he stood.
"We need to go and talk about this. Are you staying on here? It will make it easier to find you, so we can let you know what everyone is thinking. For now... Well, I can't speak for anyone else. I don't totally trust you yet, mainly due to the incredible story you told us. I can help you, personally, as long as it was all honest. No matter what, you need to know that. Even if we sign a treaty, it doesn't count if you were lying to us. Past that, well, we can go and maybe talk to the others about it all?" He looked at Kolb, the one he knew best at the table, and got a slow nod.
"Sensible. How much time do we have before we come under massive attack, if we haven't already?" That was a new question, and the woman sat up in her chair, her tan skin looking perfectly normal.
"No more than seven years. Probably closer to four. We, my people, won't be here as a group for about eight years. We can offer assistance, and information, but most of the fighting here will have to be done by you. Perhaps some others, in the end? Those from other places and times? We were promised help, but that was almost two hundred years ago, so no one is certain what will happen. If anything that way."
That got Tor to smile and shake his head. It seemed a little familiar to Dare. A thing he did himself, almost daily.
"That sounds so insane. You know that right? Like a tale, rather than anything real."
Lyone nodded then, and stood.
"I'll be here, working. I need to send a message to my people, and the others. Let them know that I made friendly contact, and have gainful employment. Also to let them know that you think we're as crazy in all this as we think we are. Trust me on this, it isn't the first time someone has brought the topic up."
Then, like she didn't just work in the same building, she turned and left.
Kolb, standing up, made a face, then laughed, just a little. After a bit Alice did, too.
"Well, if you get to be old enough, eventually you'll see everything." He laughed, as if he'd heard something highly amusing. After a bit Alice Orange joined in, and Tor shook his head, grinning like a madman.
Then they all left, since there were some things to discuss.
Chapter fourteen
The nifty trick of being the youngest person in a room filled with Ancients was that Dare was simply told to land back at the palace a few minutes later. They'd scurried to his ship, flying openly above the port, then scrambled inside. It might not have been his age, Dareg considered, as much as it was his craft. Still, Kolb ordered him to do it sternly, like he expected a big fight about it.
That made him wonder what the heck the man thought he was going to do. Go and try to fight a nebulous, and possibly fictional, enemy all by himself? Running around doing anything at the moment, other than telling the important people the whole story just didn't have any reason or logic to it. In fact, other than his having seen a few things, there was no real way for him to justify even being with any of these people.
To that end he sat in the Captain's chair when the others got up to leave, already settled to the side, out of the way. Tor nodded at him, and Kolb seemed pleased enough with him not going in, but he was half picked up and tossed toward the door by a smiling Alice.
"Do great things, because you know they must be done, and no one else will. Come, Dareg. This is the time for you to prove that you're more than just a lucky boy that gets what he wants without doing any work." She slapped him on the shoulder then, moving him along.
For a moment he felt a little bitter at the words, since he'd suffered too. Not like some had, but there really had been pain and loneliness in his world. Which wasn't really what she was talking about, or, he understood as she shared a deep look with him directly, what her point was.
As they walked across the green lawn, which looked a bit purple at the moment, since there was a glowing river not too far away along the back of the compound. Glancing at the woman he just stared for a bit until she turned her head, grinning.
Dare thought he got her reasoning however.
"You're immune to the... Whatever the thing I have going on is?"
She nodded hugely.
"Ya. Command line powers. No one survived long that had those. No more than a thousand years. We killed them all, in the end. No one can hold that kind of power and stay good and true to their own morality. That isn't the problem here, so don't worry. You just have to live up to my desires. In this moment, the goal is for you to sit, quietly, and nod at the right points, so that these others will at least believe our story as we were told. You need to not speak, since that influence is too great a thing. If you do, then only your plans will be seen as real. That will cost us possible ideas, and the thoughts of people with far more experience in life. You understand? I'm not telling you to be silent because no one cares what you think. I'm pointing out that the wrong people might care too much. Then I'll be forced to break your jaw." She held her hand on his back, to be reassuring, no doubt.
Instead of being taken directly to visit with the King, they were shown to a side room. One that had nice carvings worked into the walls. Tiles of carved wood, stained near black, with relief images worked into them just below the shining surface. He could see the seams, but they added to the pattern, instead of making it look cheap.
The chairs were comfortable enough, having cushions on them, and there were five at the front of the space, that were truly large and grand. It was tempting to go settle in one of those, but they were on a stage, set above the others.
The stone floor was well polished, but had some small scuffs in places. From the markings those had come from a combination of hard soled leather shoes and the bottom of the chairs being pulled around. There weren't a lot of them however, so whoever normally took care of things picked both of those things up as they moved around. The few thin strips of marring were from others then. People meeting there. Probably often upset individuals, since anyone else would be conscious about not making a mess in the palace.
Behind where he was pointed to were rows of chairs though, being brought because Tor had suggested it to a few of the Royal Guard. Which had to be because he was a wizard. There was no sense of them being awed by him. Oddly enough several of them gave him hugs. Like they'd missed him on a personal level. All of them were returned by the man too, which both of the other Ancients ignored.
It took about an hour for everyone to come in, though it was a smaller group than they had chairs for.
King Richard gestured to everyone to sit, walking with his Queen to the big chairs.
"Please, everyone. I take it this is an emergency?" Karina and Alphonse both settled into two of the chairs, as Richard and Constance settled themselves, then, almost as one, they both stood.
Karina gestured to her own seat.
"Prime Minister Foley?"
Alphonse did the same, looking at Tiera, and smiling a tiny bit. That way the rulers were all up front and easy to see.
Then, for hours, they sat there talking about things. Dareg said nothing the whole time, like he'd been told. Not because he was afraid of a broken jaw either. The truth was that he could kind of see the wisdom of it. Almost everyone was answering to him a little too much. It wasn't really stronger than it had been before in his life, but for a long time Dareg had largely been alone, or only met people for short periods of time. Things had always kind of gone well for him, however.
In school he'd always been given the best marks, for instance. Sure, he still kind of thought that he'd earned them, but had he really? There had to have been bark paper assignments that the teacher couldn't have read, for instance. Charcoal smeared at times, and made a mess.
He'd always been at the top of the class however, and no one had told him that it wasn't the right thing.
When he'd traveled, everyone had been relatively kind to him. Strangers had given him food, without him asking, fo
r the most part. He hadn't gone around ordering things done, and never really had, but he could see it now that it had been pointed out.
Even King Richard and Connie kept looking over at him, far more than they should have. They weren't the only ones doing that. Tiera smiled at him, but it wasn't like what the others were all doing. Kolb didn't, or Tor, but Tim was, and after the tenth time he was caught staring got a troubled look on his face, and then went still. After that he didn't seem to be influenced any longer.
He nodded as he'd been told to, and when Richard was winding things down he waved a hand at him.
"Do you have any thoughts Prince Dareg?"
It was the first time anyone there had spoken to him at all, at least directly.
Nodding he took a deep breath.
"Yes. It was pointed out to me by Alice Orange that I have a strong influence on... Almost everyone. So I shouldn't give any ideas at all. If I have anything good, I'll try to pass it to you through her? That way you won't be unduly impressed, unless I manage to pull out something really good. That means I probably can't talk to you in person for a while."
That got three people to nod then, and six to look shocked.
Tiera, Kolb and Alice all seemed fine with the idea and no one else spoke against it. Timon just turned his shield on, which flared silver along the front.
Dareg got the idea, and sat there watching the thing, relaxing and trying to calm down, until that bits of flickering all stopped. Only then did anyone speak. That was his father. Tor.
"Keep that reined in, unless you need it. You seem to have the needed control already. Tiera, you're immune to him?"
The Queen of the Moon, regal and tall, winked at him.
"I am. So it's a pheromone based power. I've never seen one that strong however. You're all acting like puppies around him, and like he's holding the treats. Kolb, Alice, you both seemed fine."
