Soldiers

by John Dalmas

  A mother! thought Jael Wesley. More than seven feet tall, and steel! Here to protect her babies. A thrill ran through her. Glancing sideways at Esau, she laid her hand on his.

  Huygens continued. "Two years ago I was five feet four and weighed one hundred twenty-five pounds. In secondary school I was a competitive gymnast. It developed excellent balance and coordination, very useful for warbots. Now I'm seven feet three, and weigh four hundred forty-seven pounds; perhaps less than you thought. In the Core Worlds, materials engineering is quite advanced."

  Jael didn't understand everything the warbot said, but she got a sense of it. And she was impressed by the bot's clear female voice. She'd expected a baritone, a voice like the bot's on the cube they'd watched.

  "I see one of you is female," Huygens added, and Jael felt herself blushing. "As I still am in all but body. My viewpoint remains essentially female-a female soldier's-and my feelings are still female, though in some respects different than before." Her fingertips passed down her body almost to the knees; her arms were long. "Obviously I'll have no more children, but I've had my quota, and with cascade syndrome I couldn't have had more anyway. Nor could I have mothered the two I had much longer; I was expected to die within weeks at most. But now, if I survive this war, I can be with them. I may very well not survive, but if we lose the war, my children would die."

  She paused, then laughed. "They've seen me like this, incidentally. I had five days leave before I shipped here. They're eight and five years old, a girl and a boy, and at first they were very shy with me. But within a couple of hours, the shyness was gone, replaced by curiosity. Argop loved using my arm for a chinning bar. We did some hugging and kissing, too," she added chuckling. Jael found herself loving this seven-foot metal woman. "Kissing went better for me than for them. My sensorial package-the senses built into this servo-includes a good sense of touch and being touched. And my brain translates it into familiar feelings. But touching me? I'm afraid I'm not the best for snuggling with." Her audience laughed nervously. "Krikor, my husband, says he'll be glad to get used to it, but I told him he should find a female companion anyway. One who'll be a good surrogate mother for our kids, and whom I can get along with when the war is over."

  She sounded almost serene as she said it. It struck Jael that this woman had needed to examine her feelings and make adjustments fast. But then, having a deadly disease, she must have gotten used to doing that. And now she had a life again, and a purpose.

  It also occurred to Jael that she herself might never have had those thoughts if she hadn't left New Jerusalem, and the life and farm they'd had there. The realization took her by surprise.

  Mei-Li Huygens-Gurejian hadn't been killing time, talking about herself. Part of her job was to make herself human for her listeners. That accomplished, she went on to prepare them briefly for the training they'd begin when she'd finished.

  They could not, she told them, learn to operate a servo-a bot body-while still organics. What they could do, though, was learn and get used to what warbots did in combat, especially individual and small-unit tactics.

  "Some of it," she said, "is much like the things you already do. Every day, while training as organics, you learn things that warbots need to know. And most of the time, in combat, warbots work with organics, and need to know what you know and do. So those of you who make yourselves available for warbot service-in case you're ever maimed or fatally injured-will already know much of what you need to know. You'll have it stored in your brains. And what you learn in the training you begin tonight will teach you the rest.

  "The main thing you'll need to do, after being bottled and installed, is learn to operate your new body, the servo. And that's not so much learning as it is simply practice. You'll find that your arms and legs will work very much like they always have. Intend them to do something and they'll do it. But your center of gravity will be higher, so your sense of balance will feel a little off at first. Also your arms will be considerably longer, and you'll have to get used to that. You'll weigh a lot more, so it will be harder to dodge. And you'll be a lot faster, a lot stronger, and a lot more durable. Meanwhile, some things you'll have to be more careful about, till you get used to doing them in your new body. And some things you can be less careful about."

  A lecturer is a kind of teacher, Jael thought. No wonder she's good at explaining. She wished she could get to really know this woman, this giantess.

  "What you'll begin here this evening," Huygens went on, "is called `virtuality training.' You'll wear a special helmet, and sit in a little room, seeing and hearing a realistic video scene all around you. Seeing it as if through bot eyes, hearing it as if through bot ears. The sounds that go with the scenes will be partly the sounds of battle, including orders from officers. And partly it will be the voices of your trainer and your coach, telling you what's going on and what to do. As an imaginary warbot, you'll seem to move around and fight within that scene, but without ever leaving your module. Your coach will be seeing the same things you see, and talk to you through your earphones. It'll be awkward at first, but that will soon pass."

  Abruptly she went from being a professor to being a sergeant or whatever. "And that," she said, "is it. End of lecture. On your feet! Sergeant Burlingham will take you to the training section."

  Burlingham was another bot. As the company followed him down a corridor, Jael had a nervous stomach.

  Chapter 27

  Messages

  Encrypted pulse OSPCO

  2912.07.13/14:16G

  Bloemfontein to all AMS program labs

  Subject(s): venom studies

  We have what appears to be the appropriate insertion loci to work from, to increase broad-spectrum venom virulence in AMS. Exploratory work is under way. Suggestions?

  – Marijka V.

  (Issa, can you send me 12 of your best clone for some exploratory work? MV)

  ____________________

  Encrypted pulse OSPCO

  2912.07.13/14:46G

  Lusaka to Bloemfontein AMS; copy all AMS program labs

  Subject(s): venom studies

  Suggest Selenarctos thibetanus as a test species. They are reportedly less venom-sensitive than any other Ursidae, even the honey bear. Availability of test material may be a problem. Check with Institute of Biosystem Research @ Dehra Dun. If they can't advise you, no one can.

  – Jabari H.

  ____________________

  Encrypted pulse OSPCO

  2912.07.13/16:03G

  Bangui to all AMS program labs

  Subject(s): 1. reproductive enhancement (fecundity of queens); 2. security break.

  1. We have an enhanced clone whose queens, under Hesselink B conditions, averaged 3,873 viable inseminated eggs per day over 14 days. A busy lady! See attachment.

  2. Minutes ago, university received E threats from "Peace Front" re program, so the cat is out of the bag. You will be hearing from the Bureau soonest, if you haven't already.

  – Issa L.

  (Marijka, 12 princesses are on their way to you. IL)

  ____________________

  Encrypted pulse OSPCO

  2912.07.13/16:27G

  OSP to AMS Nairobi; copy all AMS program labs

  Subject(s): Foulbrood project

  Kanika, given the update by Marijka on the venom project (shudder), and by Issa on the fecundity project (shiver), I certainly hope you folks are making good progress.

  – Benny

  ____________________

  Encrypted pulse OSPCO

  2912.07.14/03:23G

  OSP to all AMS program labs

  Subject(s): NSS 12

  At 03:05G this date, NSS 12 reported passing the halfway point (eccentricity 1.06) to Tagus. Looks good so far, but don't depend on it.

  – Debbie C.

  ***

  "Excuse me," said Major General Pyong Pak Singh, and took the call on his privacy receiver. "Pak," he said.

  "Sir, this is WO-3 Kiefer." Yolanda Kiefer sounded
very young, something he hadn't gotten used to. She was older than he was. "Dierdre just brought a message from War House," she went on. "About two minutes' worth. I can read it to you if you'd like."

  A savanted message. "Just a moment, Kiefer," he said, and turned to his visitor, Mayor Ritala of nearby North Fork. "This will take perhaps two minutes."

  The Luneburgian nodded.

  "Read it to me," Pak said. "I'm ready."

  "From Lieutenant General Titu Cioculescu, deputy chief of staff, Commonwealth Army." Cioculescu, Pak thought, impressed. Lefty Sarruf's right hand. "To Major General Pyong Pak Singh, commander, New Jerusalem Liberation Corps. Greeting. When you have reached New Jerusalem, you will provide War House with three Wyzhnyny prisoners alive and unwounded. Do not rely on serendipity. Develop a plan, and train teams accordingly. You will be informed later on how the prisoners are to be processed. Personnel will be provided to handle and transport them. You will be further informed as appropriate.

  "(signed) Cioculescu."

  Frowning, Pak pursed thin lips. "Thank you, Kiefer. Is that it?"

  "Yes, General."

  "I'll answer him when I've seen it in writing."

  Reaching, the general disconnected, wondering what War House wanted with prisoners. It seemed highly improbable they had a translation program for whatever language the Wyzhnyny spoke, or whistled, or gestured, or however they did it. It didn't occur to him that the questions might have originated from an agency he'd never heard of: the Office of Special Projects. And that the answers would come not from questioning, but from chromatographs and other tests.

  He turned to his visitor. "Mayor Ritala, I appreciate that your merchants would like my troops to come into town more often, and I'm glad their behavior meets with your approval. But we are on Pastor Luneburger's World to train, preparing to fight a very dangerous foe. The present schedule of passes on alternate Sevendays will have to suffice, and at any rate it's about as often as their very modest pay permits." He paused. "Is there anything else?"

  The general's voice held a tone of dismissal; his closing question was clearly rhetorical, a courtesy. A thought passed through the mayor's mind: to invite the general to his home for Sevenday dinner. But somehow he didn't. This soldier was too single-minded for that.

  It also occurred to him that single-mindedness was desirable in generals, given the circumstances the human species found itself in.

  Chapter 28

  Qonits Answers Questions

  Instead of answering, Yukiko Gavaldon got calmly to her feet and faced him. "Qonits," she said, "it is not appropriate that you ask all the questions. Now it is time for us to ask questions, and for you to answer."

  David had learned to conceal his surprise at his wife's sometimes off-the-wall responses. "Yes," he said, backing her. "It is disrespectful that we are not given a reasonable chance to question you. It becomes increasingly so as the imbalance grows."

  Qonits stood for several long seconds without responding. This was something new from the captives. When at last he replied, it was slowly. "But we are the victors. You are our captives. You are obliged to do as we order."

  Yukiko shook her head firmly. "That is incorrect. There are two categories of victors. One is barbarians. The other consists of civilized beings. Barbarians are inferior sophonts who do not care whether they behave properly or not. Civilized beings do care. And you have shown yourself to be civilized."

  She stood with arms folded, her features firm.

  The two Terrans had learned to read Qonits somewhat. It seemed to David that the chief scholar was unsure of himself now. "There should be balance in all things," he added. His voice was mild, even kind. "Not absolute balance; that is hardly possible. But sufficient to show respect."

  Qonits looked at him warily. "What questions would you ask?"

  It was Yukiko who began. "Where in the galaxy are you from?"

  Qonits' head jerked three times, as if with Tourette's syndrome-a reaction that seemed too extreme for the question. But he answered it. "Shipsmind says this not our galaxy. We jumped here in-no elapsed time."

  David frowned; this had to be a language problem. "Not from this galaxy? How can that be?"

  "We do not know. We crossed from our old spiral arm to another-very far voyage, eleven years-then emerged from hyperspace. At that time, shipsmind knew exactly what place we were, and where our home sector was. Then we entered a star system to explore… and suddenly… "

  He stopped, his hide twitching weirdly, alarmingly. Yukiko got quickly to her feet and placed a hand on Qonits' arm. "It's all right," she said softly. "It's all right. You are with friends."

  Qonits didn't answer for a full minute while his twitching subsided, but he remained agitated. "Suddenly," he went on, "the view, the stars, all things was different. And the ship's… " He gestured frantically, as if digging for the word with his hands. "Numbers that appear."

  "Readouts," David suggested.

  Qonits seemed not to hear. "Ship said we were in different galaxy-and no time had passed!" He paused. The twitching had begun again, and he breathed heavily, seeming to hyperventilate. More than his nictitating membranes had closed. His eyelids had clenched shut, and he stood without saying anything more until he'd calmed somewhat. Finally, eyes open again, he continued. "Ship was searching for known objects in space, as fastly it could. And was recognizing nothing.

  "Some of our people lost… " Again his hands pawed as if digging. "Some even died."

  The chief scholar's reaction stunned David. Granted the experience must have been a shock, it seemed to him that humans-certainly spacers-wouldn't have reacted so strongly.

  "I'm sorry my question led to painful memories," Yukiko said. "I had no wish to distress you. I was simply interested in the world on which your people originated. Is that where you're from?"

  The question seemed to calm Qonits somewhat. He stood as if digesting it. "Wyzhnyny began on a world whose name would have not meaning to you, and hard for you to speak. We say Kryzhgon. My tribe would start long later, on different world. Kryzhgon had hard history to live with. Much danger. Much fighting."

  "Fighting?" said David.

  "Kryzhgon had three sapient life-forms, each on different part, with ocean between. One already had water ships. Came to our land on them. Two-leggers like you; we do not say their name. Had better weapons than Wyzhnyny, but Wyzhnyny more numbers." Qonits had begun to shiver again. "They tried to kill us, have all land for themselves. War was a very long time. Gradually, enemy grew more. But as they grew more, we made weapons like theirs. Better weapons. Our… old fathers?"

  "We say `forefathers,' " Yukiko told him, guessing.

  Qonits picked it up without comment, as if deeply into the story he'd begun. "Our beforefathers fought hard, tried to kill them all, be safe from them."

  Yukiko thought of pointing out the parallel between that ancient invasion and what the Wyzhnyny were doing in the Commonwealth, but decided not to.

  "For long time," he went on, "more enemy came across ocean, but beforefathers grew stronger. Finally no more enemy came, and Wyzhnyny killed all that were there. Hunted them down till all were dead. Then beforefathers built water ships-explored, learned where enemy came from. Built fleet and went there. After many generations, and many many Wyzhnyny killed, Wyzhnyny killed last one of enemy. That enemy.

  "But Wyzhnyny still not safe. On another land was third sapient life-form. Small." He gestured, indicating a height of perhaps twenty inches. "Six limbs, like us, and very quick, very fierce. Very clever." Qonits tapped his cranium. "Our long-time enemy had gone also to small one's land. Then small ones came to ours."

  "At first they fought old enemy, and us only when we met. After old enemy all dead, we fought small ones a long time; many generations. Both sides learned explosives. Wyzhnyny became much more numerous than them, but it took very long time before killed the last one." Qonits paused, gestured a sigh. "Over many lifetimes, the small ones ate Wyzhnyny. But not since
a very long time now."

  With that, Qonits stopped talking. He looked emotionally drained. Yukiko patted his arm. "The Wyzhnyny had a very difficult history," she said. "I am glad our life-form is not so savage as the enemies of your past. We will not try to destroy you, but I don't expect you to believe that. Not after the long suffering of your people."

  David nodded emphatically. "Now you have balanced your relationship with us," he said. "It is time for you to ask us questions again, before we must exercise Annika."

  Qonits bobbed his upper body. After consulting with shipsmind through the speaker in his ear, he began.

  Nine hyperspace months away, Chang Lung-Chi and Foster Peixoto sat awed by what they'd heard. "Amazing!" said the president. "Two oceanographers, prisoners of the enemy, yet they are providing us with information beyond anything we could have hoped for. Seemingly without realizing it."

  The prime minister's nod was subdued. "Two oceanographers and a traumatized idiot savant." He paused. "What do you make of the alien's statement that their ship inadvertently jumped between galaxies?"

  Normally Chang Lung-Chi answered questions quickly and with certainty. This time he lagged. "It seems to me… " he began, "it seems to me the creature told what he thought was the truth; I have never sensed subterfuge in anything he's said. And his grammar and pronunciations became poorer. As if he were strongly agitated."