“That’s the ticket,” I agreed. “I always find that spring cleaning helps clear the cobwebs from my mind.”
A bellow erupted from an audio output grille. I also heard it with my own ears. All three of the Kail emerged from the Zang’s cabin. One of them, Sofus, came stamping over to NR-111, shrieking in a high pitch that threatened to make my ears turn inside out. He followed his brothers toward the lift. NR-111 rolled sadly after it.
“What’s wrong?” I asked. The lens stalk turned back toward me.
“He wants me to set up communication for them with the Whiskerchin again,” NR-111 said. “I must go now. Thank you again, Lord Thomas. I appreciate your kindness.”
“I hope it helped,” I said, but the lift door had already closed between us.
CHAPTER 24
Phutes settled heavily onto the floor of the Zang’s chambers, heedless of what organic detritus might have been there because of the presence of the human female. He looked up at the glowing silver creature. The language that Yesa said would reach Proton’s hearing was difficult to use. Its frequencies almost vibrated the Kail apart. Phutes ignored the pain and kept rehearsing the phrasing and rhythm she had absorbed from it on one of its several visits over the long revolutions. His mother had been so confident that Phutes would be able to speak to the being and enlist its aid. He and his siblings had only managed to draw its attention once, and he wasn’t certain that the Kail that had been its focus.
“Why do you stop?” Mrdus asked, ambling over to him. The brow ridge over his three eyes lifted in curiosity.
“Because we are not making any progress,” Phutes said. “I am dismayed. I won’t surrender, but I won’t keep doing the same thing without effect.”
“What should be different?” Sofus asked, practically, splaying his four legs so his abdomen rested on the floor beside Phutes. “The language is accurate. It is how Yesa said she heard it speak each time it came to the motherworld.”
“But do we know what it really said? For all we know the words could refer to a comet in the sky, or water. How can we be sure it is a way to ask for its help?”
“Do you doubt Yesa?” Sofus asked, thrusting his face close to Phutes in a challenge.
Phutes stared steadily at his sibling. At last, he yielded.
“I . . . I doubt myself. But we must do something different! Fovrates said that his helpers have uncovered many more hidden spheres important to the humans, and what we seek could very well be within that catalog. Our time is running short. Once the Zang have accomplished their artwork in the system ahead, they will leave. Who knows when so many of them will be assembled together again? We need all of them to wreak the destruction the humans deserve. I had hoped to enlist Proton in getting the rest to agree to help us.”
“Stop singing to it and dance instead?” Mrdus asked.
“No!” Phutes said, feeling the acid rising in his core. “Don’t even suggest such a thing! What if our motions bring that hopping human back? He will want to join in, and will certainly blur the message we want to get across. He is always nearby! I am within .0001 of striking him, whatever I get on myself!”
“We must try. Perhaps that is why the humans have sway over it. Perhaps the songs the Zang sing are not the relevant part of the message. What if they also communicate in movement?”
Sofus got up and walked around the Zang. He made 1101 circuits, looking the shining being up and down.
“I have never seen it move,” he said. “Not a single motion, not even now.”
“We know its senses extend into the unseen,” Mrdus insisted. “Our ocular receptors can only perceive in a limited range. The Zang do communicate with others far away. The human female said that is how they speak to one another.”
They looked over to the far end of the cabin, where the human female sat. She held a bound collection of gray cellulose wisps in her hands, occasionally shifting one from one side of the collection to the other.
“I have never noticed her dancing in front of the Zang,” Sofus said.
“We don’t know what goes on when we’re not here,” Mrdus said, reasonably. “She may not want others to know how deeply her communication with it goes.”
Phutes pondered the notion for a good while. Mrdus might be a weakling and go into a panic whenever something threatened him, but Yesa thought of him as her smartest offspring.
“You think some form of motion may link into the Zang’s consciousness?”
“It’s worth a try,” Mrdus said. “I will, if neither of you want to. Every sound we make creates harmonics in higher frequencies. What if the sounds that Yesa taught us were too low to be noticed? We hear the stars. Why have we not been able to hear the Zang?”
“Why?” Phutes asked, curious in spite of himself.
“Because we are not listening for the right frequency,” Sofus said. “Because it moves in ways we can’t see.”
“Yes!”
“Will it understand us?” Phutes asked, eyeing the Zang.
“We won’t know until that happens,” Mrdus said. “Yesa sent us to try.”
“Yesa sent us to succeed!”
Mrdus ground two of his fists together. “She couldn’t know that it was this difficult for us to get its attention. It might also have been easier for a Kail of her age. We are young, perhaps too young.”
Phutes pulled himself to his feet. The human across the way glanced up at the Kail. She did not seem to be on the edge of charging toward them and flinging discarded cells all over them.
“You go first,” Phutes said to Mrdus.
“First, we listen,” Mrdus said. “We came in many rotations ago and shouted our need at the Zang. We didn’t bother to find out what it had to say. We will surround it at 11 points. Indicate when you perceive something above normal aural frequencies.”
Sofus took a position 10 meters from Phutes. Mrdus moved all the way around the arc until he was on the side where Proton’s eyes were focused.
“Now, listen!”
Phutes stood staring at the Zang. He found it ridiculously difficult to concentrate. At any moment, more humans would invade the cabin. The human female might come to squeal at them. He could not stop worrying about what Yesa would say when he returned to her having failed his assignment. Every time he cleared his mind to listen, such thoughts bubbled upward in his consciousness. He had never wanted to leave Kail space, to be apart from Yesa and the others. He hated being subjected to peculiar noises, uncomfortable quarters, and the endless filth. He despised the humans, the Uctu, the Croctoids and the hairy Wichu, but he resented the Zang. How dare they be so inscrutable?
My mother needs you! he thought at it fiercely. She sent me all this way to ask for your help!
A mighty rumbling seemed to come from the depths of the Zang’s person. A wisp of energy brushed his face. At its touch, Phutes shuddered, shedding pebbles clattering to the floor. He moved to reabsorb them. Had it just reached out to him in response to his passion?
Such an extrusion must have its own vibration in the frequency spectrum. He tried again, redoubling his fury at being ignored. His ire soared to a rate that it had never achieved since he had been very small.
Yesa needs you! You are making me disappoint her! I do not like disappointing my mother!
A curl of power, lighter than the first, brushed against his chest, then plunged into the cone at his center. It seemed to echo around inside him, making him vibrate all over so hard that he thought he would shake apart. When it dissipated, Phutes found himself trembling uncontrollably.
You are troubled.
It was more a sensation than a voice, but Phutes understood it perfectly.
“Did you hear that?” he demanded of the others.
“I felt something,” Sofus replied, swinging his torso toward his sibling. “What was it?”
Phutes stared at the Zang. It had turned its enormous eyes to face him. Then it shifted once more, and the connection was gone. But it had happened.
�
�It spoke to me,” he said. “We got its attention!”
“Excellent,” Mrdus said. “How do we tell it what we wish?”
Phutes thought for a moment. “We will give it coordinates,” he said. “Once we have the correct information from Fovrates, we will show it a comparison between the 11 points in the universe that converge at the place where they are already excising a planet, and those that describe where we will then know our enemy’s motherworld to be. We will show humankind they cannot defile our homes.”
Sofus clashed one of his massive fists against Phutes’s.
“I knew we could do it! Yesa will be very proud of you.”
Phutes shook him off. “We haven’t done it yet. We still need the information from Fovrates. Once we have succeeded, then I hope Yesa will be proud.”
“I’m grateful,” Mrdus said, looking down at his many limbs. “That was easier than I thought. I didn’t have to dance.”
CHAPTER 25
Parsons stood waiting patiently until Captain Wold secured the door to the ready room and activated the privacy controls. No interruptions would be possible this time, including an appearance by Lord Thomas.
“It would be wise to disconnect all technology, including that tying the escort ships into this chamber,” he said.
“Why?” Wold asked, sitting down heavily in xir chair. Xe reached for the box on the table that held xir nic-tubes, but drew xir hand back again.
“I have been interviewing another agent,” Parsons said. “It has been fruitful, but resulted in a good deal of troubling information. I have set up a situation that could allow the Wichu to attain their freedom, although it will require waiting until an appropriate moment.”
Wold’s normally smooth forehead creased. Parsons could tell that the situation was weighing on xir. “Can you explain? What kind of situation?”
“It would be best not to be more forthcoming at this point. It would seem that the Kail have created an atmosphere in which the carbon-based beings on the Whiskerchin are in no danger at this point, but every mechanical, from simple machinery up to the most sophisticated and experienced LAI, operates under a system of betrayal, bullying and absolute destruction. They appear to have no intention of surrendering the Whiskerchin to its Wichu crew in the foreseeable future.”
“Well, then, we’re in the same situation we were before,” Wold said, flipping over a hand. “The Wichu are still prisoners, and we have an armed craft following us to our destination.” Atwell and Ormalus added their frowns to xirs.
“Not precisely,” Parsons said. He tented his fingertips. “During my encounter with the agent, I offered technological assistance that will give them a narrow window in which to overthrow the usurper, but it is only a narrow one with no guarantee of success. They will have to wait for the correct moment to strike, and, with our cooperation, strike hard.”
“That doesn’t help,” Tamber said. His pouchy cheeks creased with a deep frown. “The Wichu are no good at subterfuge.”
Parsons nodded agreement. “That’s very true. The situation might evolve explosively. I hope not, because although they Kail are unpleasant to deal with, they do not seem to be directly destructive or malicious. Not at this time.”
“As much as I hate to admit it, that is also true,” Wold said. “Apart from the temper tantrums they had on the cargo level, they’ve just been obnoxious, not vicious. A few of my security guards are in the infirmary, recovering from their injuries. One was seriously hurt. We were storing a four-passenger runabout for Lord Xanson that was crushed in one of their rampages.” Xe grimaced. “I am certain that he’s going to grouse to the Emperor about that.”
“It is not your fault,” Parsons assured xir. “I will include the mention in my report. Due to the additional security measures that casual data is being transmitted, my communique will reach His Highness long before Lord Xanson’s complaint. In any case, Lord Xanson can afford to have it rebuilt or replaced. Have you had any success in cross-referencing the databases that the Kail infiltrated?”
“It’s going to take a while,” Atwell said, flipping a hand over. “Even at top processing speed and spread over sixty or seventy LAIs and computers, we’re talking about the entire galaxy, or as near to it as possible. That’s a lot of stars, planets and other objects.”
“What is near Kail space that was left off the official atlases?”
The first officer smiled. “You would be surprised, or perhaps you wouldn’t be. We’ve been comparing charts between Wichu, Uctu, Trade Union, and so on, with ours. Looks like there are thousands, if not millions, of spy satellites, outposts, and other unofficial craft sprinkled clear across the galaxy in one another’s territories, including in Kail space. It’s most interesting. Obviously, we’re not being forthcoming even to our allies about what we’ve hidden in each other’s space. It’s been a real revelation.”
He placed a hand on a panel that read his palm before activating. A three-dimensional rendering of part of the galaxy rose above the oval table and hung twinkling before them.
“Each of the frontiers is marked by a veil indicating agreed-upon borders. The white points are stars. The green points stand for inhabited planets. The red lights are items that were left off one or more of the navigational charts that we’ve been comparing.”
“That’s a lot of infiltrations into Imperium space,” Wold said, closing a fist and bringing it down hard on the tabletop.”
“We are not wholly innocent ourselves,” Parsons said. We have a ‘forward observation module’ hanging off the Oort of one of the Kail motherworlds’ suns.”
“I know. There are space stations from several of our allies floating around, too,” Atwell said, bringing up a pointer that brightened some of the red dots. One grew larger than the others. “The Trade Union has one that surpasses understanding. It looks like a little moon, but it’s a station, too, one with massive military capacity. Looks like the Kail found that one already. It was pretty obvious, with the power signature it was giving off. The Kail probably suspected its existence, but without a real space force of their own, they haven’t been able to find these stations themselves. With the Wichu navigation module cross-referenced against our navs, they’ve been able to spot things that we would rather they didn’t.”
Parsons nodded, calculating the possible fallout from such a discovery. “That would undoubtedly affect their perception of the Trade Union, since they have issued the same demands for isolation to all adjacent nations.”
“Is our observation module in Imperium territory?” Wold asked.
“No. It’s well into Kail space, but I think, based on its placement, that it had to have come through the Imperium to get there. Probably nothing we have to worry about but I can imagine the Kail aren’t happy about it. They consider any intrusion on to be an insult and affront. Between our allies and ourselves, there’s a lot of foreign matter in Kail space. The Trade Union one, though, is above and beyond anything we’ve installed.”
“Perhaps they want the Zang to remove those from their systems. It is possible that is the reason they want to talk to the Zang before we get to the platform. That, too, belongs to the Trade Union. They may be planning to make demands, especially if they can achieve backing from Proton Zang.”
“That wouldn’t surprise me,” Wold said, finally selecting a nic-tube and placing it between xir lips. “The only problem they’re having is getting through to the Zang at all. According to Chief Xi, they’re not getting a deal of satisfaction from Proton Zang, and there isn’t a lot of time left before we reach the platform once we leave Counterweight space. What would you advise, Commander?”
“Send a drone to Captain Lopez with a message she can transmit to the platform. The Trade Union needs to be forewarned. They haven’t hosted Kail guests at a destruction event yet, so they may not be aware of the Kail’s ability to subvert technology. They will want to have security in place.”
Wold nodded. “I am ordering further oversight of the Kail,”
xe said. “We’re allowing them to access the communications freely.” Xe gestured toward Ormalus, who stuck her lower mandible out.
“You are, of course, recording all their transmissions?” Parsons inquired.
“Of course we are! But it’s impossible to understand what they’re saying. If NR-111 has an inkling, she hasn’t given us a clue.”
“Can’t,” Ormalus said. “Diplomatic immunity.”
“I wish we’d had more experience with the Kail before allowing them into Imperium space as envoys,” Wold said, glumly. “I don’t like the thought that my ship could be held hostage. I worry about the effect that the Kail are having on His Highness’s relatives.”
“I would be more concerned,” Parsons remarked, dryly, “at the effect that they are having on the Kail.”
CHAPTER 26
I tried to spend as much time with Laine as I could, but she was seldom available for entertainment or a meal, instead spending all of her time with Proton Zang and the Kail. I tried not to push her, but it filled my heart with such joy when she was near me that I couldn’t resist asking. She made me feel like dancing, which was convenient, as that was my nearest and dearest passion—beside her, of course.
Laine felt it her duty to be available in her cabin when the Kail came calling, which they did on the order of eight or nine times a day. They intruded so often that she had to put a moratorium on incursions during her sleep cycle. When they were not able to visit the Zang, they wandered around the lower levels of the ship, getting in the way of the crew. Though Special Envoy Melarides gamely threw herself on the Kail grenade, they refused to hold overnight meetings with her. As they had agreed to sit down for peace talks on the platform, they saw no point in having preliminary discussions.
I did my part to try and amuse them. If I saw them out and about, I offered them my newest performances. With Madame Deirdre’s newest exercise in mind, I told them the story of my life, bit by bit. With the exception of the last dance I had done for them, they seemed absolutely nonplussed. I suppose they were overwhelmed by my suppleness and grace. The one experience that did seem to attract their attention was a retelling of my first encounter with Proton in the Whispering Ravines park. I had had time to polish the sequence until it was as compelling as a good episode of Ya! They actually paused as I acted out the majesty of the Zang and how I had attempted to save it from the hanging stone. Once I had moved past that into the interpretation of my growing infatuation with Laine, they had ceased to watch and moved on. That struck me as a shame, since that was my favorite part.
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