by S. H. Jucha
* * *
Lieutenant Marie Soucis was laid out on a traveler’s seat, which could double as a medic’s exam table. A tiny device was attached to her temple, to induce unconsciousness, while the medical specialist, Yaki, probed for the slug embedded in the lieutenant’s shoulder. Her officer’s coat, a durable item in itself, managed to slow the metal projectile somewhat before it lodged deep in Marie’s shoulder, cracking the bone.
Yaki extracted the slug and then ran his portable scanner over the area. He’d already sealed two bleeding arteries and reconnected several severed nerve endings. Painstakingly, he worked his way slowly out of the wound, fusing the tissue together behind him. The nanites in Marie’s body would repair the rest, but it would take two days or more. In Yaki’s opinion, the aliens fired an extremely primitive and ugly weapon.
The attempted rescue of the netted shuttle proved to be an unmitigated failure. The pilot, Verlan, had demonstrated the traveler’s firepower, twice, ensuring the aliens were driven below ground, which gave Marie confidence in the mission’s success.
It had been Marie’s plan to have security exit the traveler first to provide cover fire for the techs, who were prepared to cut Orly’s traveler free with portable torches. Verlan set the fighter down as close to the trapped shuttle as he dared, and Marie stood ready at the hatch with several troopers behind her. However, the hatch was barely open when the ship began to draw fire from the aliens’ bolt-holes.
Marie continued to let the hatch drop open, since she couldn’t detect any slugs careening off the hull. When the hatch was nearly halfway down, Marie leaned out to see where the shots were directed. That was a mistake. A slug ricocheted off the hatch’s steps, and struck Marie in the shoulder. She fell forward onto the open hatch, grabbing her shoulder in pain and creatively swearing at the aliens and herself. Her compatriots reached out and hauled her back inside the ship
Bleeding and angry at being shot by primitive aliens, Marie’s consideration of alternate rescue plans was cut short when Verlan called her attention to a group of natives, exiting a nearby tunnel and dragging a net behind them. Marie linked to the controller and saw the aliens hurrying toward their traveler’s aft end. Choosing not to see their ship end up in the same predicament as the Sojourn’s first traveler, Marie gave the order to liftoff and take up station over the downed shuttle.
Marie waved Yaki off when he tried to investigate her wound. Instead, she signaled Orly that he was clear to crack the rear hatch, if he could. Holding her comm open to Orly and Verlan, Marie sent,
Verlan took up station over the downed traveler, as ordered, even as he thought to question Marie’s directive. Haraken star services were the equivalent of funeral services, and, while he was prepared to execute the order, he didn’t believe that vaporizing an intelligent, but primitive, species would be in keeping with the president or the Assembly’s preferences for treatment of a native society, even if they had fired first and had taken their people captive. No one was dead yet, as far as he knew.
However, knowing the lieutenant was nursing a badly damaged shoulder from an alien weapon caused Verlan to decide to keep his opinion to himself. Besides, he’d just been informed that the lieutenant was under, having finally acquiesced to the medical specialist’s entreaties to allow him to operate. So, Verlan mentally shrugged off the command, deciding that a beam shot 45 degrees off-target to frighten the aliens away was as good a tactic as any. I can always apologize later for my poor fighter pilot skills, Verlan thought.
* * *
Aboard the Sojourn, in the captain’s cabin, Asu Azasdau studied the summary reports of Orly and Marie, his face dejectedly cradled in both hands — one ship stranded, five crew members captured, four Swei Swee unrecovered, and one lieutenant wounded. It was a sad state of affairs for what started as a scientific expedition.
The mission shuttle’s predicament was locked in a stalemate. The Sojourn wasn’t capable of landing on the planet, and its two travelers were now frozen in position. To allow the pinned traveler to keep its rear hatch cracked open, the second ship couldn’t abdicate its station above the hapless ship.
In preparation for an extended siege, the scientists, techs, and security consumed much of their shuttle’s remaining energy to prepare and store food dishes and pump water from the traveler’s sealed tanks into containers.
On receiving the same reports, Rosette might have blanched, if she’d been capable of doing so. Sixteen years ago, she would have been installed in a liner’s bridge, instead of, presently, replaced by a controller. Back then, if her ship’s energy was drained, as it appeared was the shuttle’s fate, her kernel, entwined in its crystal matrix, would have lost power, and she would have ceased to exist. While the shuttle’s controller wasn’t cognizant, the thought of its impending shutdown made her emotional algorithms cascade.
Asu studied the image of the hot, glowing sand where Verlan’s ship fired to warn the natives. It dominated the cabin’s holo-vid view in front him. The hole’s fringe, the area closest to the water, had cooled, leaving an arc of blackened, glass-like silica.
When Asu accepted the captaincy of the Sojourn, he resolved to handle any issues that might confront the expedition. However, for the mission’s personnel, it was fortunate that Asu didn’t possess an excessive ego. He recognized when events progressed beyond his control and threatened to overwhelm the mission like waves repeatedly crashing over a drowning man’s head. Asu had but one thought — they needed help, and they needed it soonest.
-8-
Sadesville
The Harakens called the small enclave Sadesville.
Alex Racine, Haraken’s ex-president, called it a social disaster.
Truth was the SADEs didn’t require the usual human living conditions — food dispensers, running water, refreshers, seating, and sleeping accommodations.
Two years after Alex won the SADEs’ freedom, the first group of Confederation SADEs, who had completed their indenture period, elected to immigrate to Haraken, and the Allora, the Strategic Investment Fund’s (SIF) overhauled passenger liner, landed 102 disgruntled SADEs on the planet. These SADEs wanted nothing more to do with the Confederation.
SIF was formed from the contributions of every Confederation SADE, who directed their stipends and profits from their share percentages to their SIF accounts. The fund was managed by eleven SADES, including Winston, and resembled the structure of the Haraken Central Exchange. And so it should. It was Julien who suggested the idea to Winston.
Haraken’s Assembly had welcomed the first SADEs with open arms, but the populace had different reactions. Harakens came out to greet the newcomers, but their enthusiasm turned to surprise and then shock, witnessing the SADEs exiting two Exchange travelers, sporting bright skin colors and patterns, not to mention some of the oddest hair fashions seen anywhere in the human worlds. The SADEs meant their unusual appearances to celebrate their independence from the Confederation. But on Haraken, they were asking another group of humans to accept them.
It didn’t take the new SADEs long to feel the chill of their reception, and they set about constructing their own small village. The problem was that the SADEs’ concept of habitation wasn’t a human one, and, in the beginning, they were uninterested in building accommodations for humans.
Improvements in Sadesville’s social amenities were added slowly to host humans such as Alex Racine; his partner, Renée de Guirnon; Teague; Mickey Brandon, Haraken’s premier engineer; Claude Dupuis, who constructed avatars for Z; Edmas, an engineering graduate; Jodlyne, who loved Edmas; and Emile Billings, a biochemist.
The new SADEs were fascinated by many of Emile’s biochemical concepts and created a state-of-the art laboratory for his work. Much of their new fabrication and testing equipment had no equal anywhere on Haraken or most of
the Confederation.
Still, trade was alive and well in Sadesville, and it served to integrate some humans with the newcomers. The SADEs needed components, power cells, power generators, and manufacturing equipment, although little else. They traded their skills as superb troubleshooters and analysts for credits, helping human entrepreneurs in their businesses. The new SADEs opened accounts in the planet’s Central Exchange, which was owned and operated by Haraken’s eight SADEs.
The Allora arrived in Haraken’s orbit today, delivering a third group of SADEs to the planet, in as many years. It would bring the total of Confederation SADEs inhabiting Sadesville to 312.
Alex intended to meet with the SIF directors today and some of the more influential individuals among the Sadesville residents. He sought a means by which he could foster the integration of these new immigrants with the human population.
Walking down a passageway in one of Sadesville’s warren-like buildings, Alex passed cubicle after cubicle. Most were empty, but some held SADEs, braced upright in their locked avatars. There were no doors on the cubicles, and there was barely room to turn around. From what Alex could see, none of the SADEs had bothered to personalize a space. It was still a first-come, first-served concept, even after years of habitation.
Alex entered the building’s only conference room, a small area set aside for human visitors. He smiled at Winston and the few other SADEs. Then eerily, unless you were Alex Racine, every SADE, except Julien, froze. Alex looked to his friend, who held up a finger, to stall a response while he received the entire message.
At that same moment, Dane, an Assembly SADE and Exchange director, who was about to speak to Tomas Monti, Haraken’s president, received the same message.
Fourteen days ago, aboard the Sojourn, Asu held a conference comm with Lieutenant Soucis and Rosette on his thought to place an emergency comm to Haraken.
Marie had concurred, sending,
To which Asu had replied,
So, simultaneously, Alex Racine and Tomas Monti were informed of the emergency conditions of the Sojourn. Both of them learned that Alex’s son, along with four other Harakens, was taken captive by an intelligent but aggressive species native to the planet, and the travelers were pinned in place, with time running short for the netted ship.
“No meeting today, Sers,” Alex said quickly and spun around to leave, but he ran into an immovable wall that was his friend.
“If you please, Alex,” Julien said. “The SADEs would have a few words with you.”
Alex glanced over his shoulder, impatience written across his face. If Alex could have appeared aboard the Rêveur and fired its engines in the next tick of time, he would have done it already.
“Those SADEs, who can be freed from their obligations, stand ready to assist you, Alex Racine,” Winston said formally.
“I don’t have time to work out details with your people, Winston. Forgive my rudeness, but time is of the essence,” Alex said. He turned around, expecting Julien to have anticipated his movement and stepped aside, but his friend continued to block his way.
Alex scowled, and Julien rendered an exact facsimile of Alex’s expression on his own face. Alex’s scowl deepened, as did Julien’s.
“Teague is as important to Ser and you, as he is to me, Alex,” Julien said quietly, taking the opportunity to reason with Alex since he had his friend’s attention. “And I would exchange my existence to ensure his safe return, but I would not see you sacrifice your own without seeing the odds stacked in your favor.”
Alex stared at Julien. He burned to shove past his friend and race for the Rêveur, but Julien and he had been through too much for Alex not to take time to listen to his crystal brother. Alex took a deep breath and exhaled it, placing a hand on Julien’s chest where a heart would beat. Then he turned around and said, “Talk quickly, Winston.”
“The Allora must return to Méridien, but only seven directors need be present to conduct SIF business. All other SADEs presently aboard our ship have volunteered to support the efforts to retrieve your people. In addition, those on Haraken who are unencumbered by business transactions are ready to join you,” Winston said.
“That is, Ser, if you think 177 SADEs might be of assistance to your efforts,” added Esther, who gave Alex an offhanded shrug, as if to say that there was the remotest possibility that there might not be one.
Alex extended Esther the briefest smile. SADEs could move faster, send signals farther, and calculate immensely more complex probabilities than any human could, not to mention their ability to survive without food or water. Alex turned his attention to Winston. “As soon as I’m aboard the Rêveur and have loaded the necessary supplies, we’ll be breaking orbit. Anyone not aboard isn’t going. Am I clear?”
“I’m sure that we’ll be able to accommodate your schedule, Ser,” Winston said politely, giving Alex a leader’s salutation — hand to chest and a nod of the head.
Much of the fire drained from Alex’s mind, and he looked around the room at the expectant faces, some appearing nearly human, and others resembling abstract art. “Thank you, all,” he said. When he spun around, Julien no longer blocked his way.
Julien sent to Winston,
During Esther’s visits to Haraken, she spent a great deal of time in the company of Cordelia and Miranda. She was determined to understand the nuances of human expression for her avatar, but, more important, she wanted to learn the subtleties of dealing with human emotions. Her positing of the question to Alex of the SADEs’ value to support a rescue mission was just such an exercise in dealing with the anxieties of a distraught father, and she had acquitted herself admirably.
* * *
“It’s critical that I inform you, President Monti, that every SADE has received this emergency comm, which means —”
“That Julien’s already relayed the message to Alex Racine,” Tomas finished for Dane. The frown furrowing Tomas’ face quickly morphed into a look of horror. “Black space,” he swore, having adopted the New Terran expression years ago. “Dane, transfer Asu’s comm message to Admiral Tachenko, in case she hasn’t received it. Tell her that Alex received the same message, and that I will be speaking to her immediately after I reach Alex.”
br />
Julien interrupted the discussion with a private message for Alex.
Alex eyed his friend, who refused to glance in his direction. The fact that Julien was right, didn’t improve Alex’s mood, but, nonetheless, it was sage advice.
Tomas stared across his desk at Dane, who cocked an eyebrow at him. They both knew that the Harakens had only four alien experts — Teague and Ginny, who had been captured; Mutter, the Swei Swee’s Hive Singer; and, of course, Alex, who held the allegiance of every whistling, six-legged, claw-snapping, four-eyed, Haraken Swei Swee.
Tomas said.
Tatia and Tomas could hear Alex’s throaty laugh, and Tatia sought to take advantage of it.
Tatia sent.
Everyone could hear Alex’s low growl.
