by S. H. Jucha
“Then the Crocians refuse to repeat what they’ve learned,” the female Veklock challenged.
Daktora shoved his bulk out of his chair. “I don’t wish to demean any delegate within this conclave,” he said. “In this case, the Veklocks know that Crocians are pleased to work on a variety of engineering projects. They also know that our race is known for exemplary quality. Therefore, understand that no Crocian would move a dome without the guidance of the SADEs. Furthermore, if you want to extract a major quantity of regolith, in short order, you should consider Pyrean spacers.”
Nikki thanked Bortoth for his assistance with a thump on the Crocian’s shoulder, and he rumbled his pleasure at her attempt. She led the remainder of the morning’s conference by asking the delegates to express their world’s primary wishes for the conclave’s outcomes. Then she dismissed the conference for the meal break.
35: What Do We Want?
As predicted, the afternoon meetings formed along shared interests.
Teressi sought to exclude the SADEs from their Confederation meeting, but he was overruled by every other Leader.
“We wouldn’t be here without the SADEs,” Shannon argued. When Teressi frowned, as if he didn’t understand her point, she added, “We were enticed by the prospect of new territories and expedient delivery of goods. For the present, we’ve starship freighters, but the future lies with the domes.”
“A dome has only been moved a few hundred meters,” Teressi objected.
“For now, and we can thank SADEs and some alliance races for that,” Bartosz said. “Who among us think that SADEs won’t eventually solve the problems of relocation, star alignment, and new gate connections?”
With the other Leaders allied against Teressi, he begrudgingly acquiesced.
Winston replied.
Gino chuckled, as the Méridiens filed into the conference room.
Several tables lined one wall. Behind them stood a group of servers to provide thé, caf, aigre, water, and small appetizers.
As the discussion unfolded, Gino was pleased to see that Teressi had decided to be more cooperative. Then again, Gino thought that was being too charitable. He simply wasn’t as argumentative as Gino had expected.
Early in the meeting, the SADEs detected subtle transmissions. If it hadn’t been for discussions with the SADEs who had worked at the alliance outpost, Winston and his companions might not have deciphered the origin of the transmissions.
Observing the entire room, several SADEs noted that while most of the servers busied themselves with the table service, two of them did not. These two stood quietly, backs against the wall. They appeared to be half asleep.
To Julien, Winston sent,
Julien shared his amusement at the swift discovery.
Winston received an image and matched it to one of the servers.
Winston remarked.
Gino led the Méridien discussion, but he didn’t control it. The disagreements centered on the order of trade exchange.
“We should wait until dome relocation is a proven thing,” Teressi stated.
“That’s shortsighted,” Dieter argued. “We’ve an opportunity to show goodwill to myriad races. We should be offering technology transfer now.”
“Think about what the Omnians, the Harakens, the New Terrans, and the Earthers are discussing,” Emilio said. “They have the same technology we do and more. If we aren’t generous, we could be arriving late to the party.”
“On that point, I think we should be negotiating with that group,” Gino said. “If we become fierce competitors, think of the possible economic losses.”
“I agree,” Bartosz said. “The alliance represents a huge territory of space that doesn’t possess much of the technology we accept within our daily lives.”
“If I may interrupt?” Winston said. “The Leaders should be aware that Suntred, the Talus representative, has joined the group that was just mentioned.”
The Leaders stared in surprise at one another. None of them had considered the presence of the Talusian rep at the conclave, and the role she might play.
“Any more details you might share, Winston?” Dieter asked.
“The individual who accompanies Suntred is called Miriamette,” Winston replied. “She’s a sister.”
“She resembles Renée de Guirnon,” Teressi remarked, “but I happen to know that Ser de Guirnon didn’t have any sisters, only the one brother.”
Winston regarded Gino, who nodded his approval. Then Winston told the story of the Sisterhood. It took him a while to explain the encounters of Alex’s first fleet with the Nua’ll spheres and their destructive signals, the invention of a protective process that involved a SADE clone, and the propagation of the sisters of Miriam.
“How many of these sisters exist?” Shannon asked.
Winston requested the information from Descartes, who was the last SADE to visit Toral.
“A specific number isn’t known,” Winston replied. “The Sisterhood’s growth has tapered off, but it rests between three and four thousand. The sisters have been instrumental in recovering Toral’s infrastructure.”
“Anything else?” Emilio inquired.
“There are two more things worthy of note,” Winston replied. “The Sisterhood has copied an Omnian weapon, an NNEMP. Its electromagnetic pulse is capable of neutralizing federacy battleships. According to Hector and Descartes, the Omnians and the Talusians have successfully employed these weapons.”
The Leaders glanced toward Gino, who shook his head. He hadn’t known.
“And the other?” Emilio pressed.
“Admiral Thompson relates that the Sisterhood factionalized into many divisions,” Winston continued. “In general, these sects, as the sisters called their groups, weren’t antagonist to one another. They simply had different focuses. However, that wasn’t true for one sect, the militarists. They wished to stand apart from biologicals.”
Kasie felt the anxiety rise in the Leaders, and she and her companion sought to quiet the rising emotions. What the empaths didn’t know was that Méridiens greatly feared the day that SADEs might choose to leave the Confederation.
“Do the militarists still reside on Toral?” Gino inquired.
“No,” Winston replied. “President Sargut believed the sisters were disruptive to Talusian society. He expelled them. They were given three Tridents, outfitted with technical supplies, and sent away.”
“Which direction?” Dieter asked, with trepidation.
“At the time of the militarists exit, the Omnians were present. Hector had authority for the fleet, and Admir
al Thompson commanded the warships,” Winston said. “In exchange for the ships and the supplies, the militarists agreed to sail away from the wall for a period of one year before they searched out a planet of their own.”
“The wall?” Teressi queried.
“A term given by the Omnians to the imaginary boundary, which describes the limit of federacy space in the direction of human colonies,” Winston explained.
“Winston, do Confederation SADEs have thoughts of replicating their kernels?” Shannon asked.
“That option and many others have been considered ad infinitum,” Winston replied. “There has never been any action in that specific direction. We value our individuality.”
“What about mass migration?” Shannon pressed. “Have the SADEs any intention of doing that?”
“Leader Brixton, your question assumes that we’ve a hive mind, meaning we decide collectively the fate of our kind. It’s demeaning,” Winston replied. “Your House creates us, and yet, you don’t understand us. A human who never met one of us until he achieved adulthood far comprehends our kind more than any Méridien.”
“You didn’t answer Leader Brixton’s question,” Teressi pointed out.
“No, I didn’t,” Winston replied.
When Winston chose to remain silent, Gino attempted to put the discussion back on track. But, lurking in every Leader’s mind was Winston’s bracing response. It was a warning, but collectively they were unsure what to do about it.
* * * * *
Suntred and Miriamette sat in the meeting room that held the Haraken, Omnian, New Terran, and Sol delegates.
Not a single empath provided service in this room.
“What are the possibilities for the domes?” Suntred asked.
“SADEs have solved many technical problems,” Elizabeth noted.
“I calculate it’s more a matter of time than of whether it can be done,” Oliver added.
“What length of time?” Maria inquired. “Annuals, decades, or biological lifetimes?”
“In my conversation with Julien,” Miriamette interjected, “I learned that Mickey Brandon was shocked at the superb level of Messinant engineering.”
“Doesn’t that speak to a greater difficulty in unraveling the technology?” Suntred asked.
Terese laughed gently. “Apologies, Suntred, I didn’t mean for you to take that personally,” she said quickly. “If you knew Mickey Brandon, you would understand his definition of the term superb engineering. It means simplicity and efficiency of design and assembly.”
“Julien inferred that Mickey believes the domes will be easier to manage than he’d originally thought,” Miriamette finished.
“Then relocating a dome to Toral and linking it with a human world is possible,” Suntred surmised.
“Imminently doable,” Miriamette pronounced.
“Then individuals and small supplies could be moved instantaneously,” Suntred mused.
“For the present,” Patrice, the Sol delegate, noted. “Alex shared with us that the Colony had invented rings, which floated above the domes and magnified a gate’s power release.”
“For ships, correct?” Terese inquired.
“Yes. The Colony used rings to transship small transports,” Patrice explained. “The transports sailed for the inhabitable worlds and jettisoned two shuttles full of insectoids. This is the heart of the alliance’s problem. Reds and pregnant grays landed on worlds and multiplied quickly. In one case, an entire race was destroyed. Captain Gregich’s crews occupy that world, which is called Quall.”
“I hear that Captain Gregich is from federacy space. How did that happen?” Maria asked.
“Information aboard the Freedom is extensive,” Elizabeth remarked. “I’ve sent a link to peruse the information at your leisure.”
“If the Colony swarmed Quall, and Captain Gregich has only some crew, how did they survive?” Maria asked, worrying for the continued safety of the captain’s citizens.
“Resistance forces solved the Colony problem,” Elizabeth replied, “and Commander Cinders has adopted the Packeoes, Gregich’s race. It appears that the commander favors the less fortunate.”
“Who does that remind you of?” Terese remarked.
“Should other federacy races be considered for dome sites?” Barden asked.
“It’s much too early to let races in our area of space have access to domes,” Suntred replied. Her breathy intake accented her concerns. “If you allow them to trade in your territories, they must sail there.”
“Why is that?” Barden inquired.
“Artifice’s long cruel rule instituted a history of domination, retribution, fear, and fighting,” Suntred explained. “The historical wounds of many races are deep. There’s much resentment. Learn about the Packeo crews. They arrived in alliance space aboard a battleship wedge, and their leader’s intentions were hostile to the alliance.”
“What does Sol want?” Terese asked Patrice.
“Thanks to Olawale, Edmas, Jodlyne, and the SADEs, Sol has had a tremendous headstart with Omnian technology,” Patrice replied. “When we were approached to build the Resistance’s carriers, the economic boom only increased. Now we’re hosting the conclave.”
“But you’re not answering my question,” Terese pressed.
“Two things,” Patrice admitted. “First, we want to continue to host the conclave. Our star sits in a central position between the colonies and alliance territory. That makes us convenient.”
Suntred’s wings shuddered, and Patrice held up a finger to request she wait.
“Second, we want two domes,” Patrice said.
“Two?” Barden queried.
Patrice smiled, happy to deliver Nikki’s message. “Sol wants a dome to connect to human colonies, including Pyre, which would give us a focus within alliance territory and place us a journey away from the outpost.”
Heads nodded at the understandable concept of linking human worlds.
“Second, we want a dome for Talus,” Patrice continued. She grinned at Suntred, whose wings fluttered and whose pointed teeth were bared in appreciation.
“President Fowler is thinking big,” Maria commented.
“And I wonder where she learned that from?” Terese remarked.
This time, the reference to Alex released pent up laughter. Even the SADEs joined in the moment.
“What about New Terra?” Patrice asked, focusing on Maria.
“We’re in need of inoculations,” Maria commented sadly.
“Against?” Trixie prompted.
Maria didn’t immediately respond, feeling that she shouldn’t have spoken so bluntly.
“Envoy Gonzalez attempts to point out that New Terrans are heavily divided about participating in the broader spectrum of intersystem commerce,” Oliver said.
“Someone needs to speak plainly,” Patrice grumped.
“If trade was to be with another fully human colony, New Terrans would support that,” Maria explained. “Otherwise, a significant portion of New Terrans have deep reservations about connecting with colonies who embrace other races. You can imagine this minority’s opinion about connecting to the world of an alien race.”
“Are you saying that New Terrans tend to keep Omnia at arm’s length?” Patrice asked, turning toward Nyslara.
“Dischnya ship myriad vegetables and fruits, which are in high demand, to most human colonies,” Nyslara explained. “However, New Terrans don’t reciprocate.”
The other delegates regarded Maria sympathetically.
“Would New Terrans even want a dome?” Nyslara asked.
“Hard to say,” Maria replied. “Our government’s attitudes waffle from election to election. Sometimes, the president and the cabinet are supportive of Omnia Ships and the broader opportunities. Then we’ve a new election, and our system seems to withdraw from expansion.”
“To think that Alex Racine came from New Terra,” Barden commented.
“There is always a mix of individuals within e
very race,” Nyslara commented. “The Rêveur was fortunate to find Dassata.”
“Pardon us, if we don’t ask the Omnian delegates what they might want,” Terese commented sarcastically, which produced a round of chuckles and Suntred’s breathless wheezing.
“I think we’re good,” Barden remarked.
Terese grinned at Barden. “Cheeky, like me,” she retorted.
“And Talus?” Oliver inquired.
“As for technology, we’ve the sisters,” Suntred replied. “In that regard, we lack for nothing.” Then she glanced guiltily at Miriamette.
“My companion is loath to speak her mind because it concerns the sisters, SADEs like me,” Miriamette offered. “She’s unaware that I share her sentiment. The Sisterhood didn’t originate in a vacuum. Our numbers grew in an effort to protect the fleet. Our constant contact was with humans and Omnian SADEs.”
“We’ve heard your words,” Oliver said, “but your meaning isn’t clear.”
“This is the Omnian effect,” Terese clarified, “or, better said, the Alex effect. The Sisterhood will cooperate with the Toralians, but they need contact with humans, especially Omnians, to remain grounded.”
“Well said,” Suntred commented. “This was a point that President Sargut stressed that I was to make. After he received his implant, he spent hours each day speaking with sisters. It became obvious to him that the sisters missed contact with their creators.”
The other delegates regarded Miriamette, and the sister shrugged and grinned. It was a perfect imitation of Alex, and it served to answer the unspoken questions.
* * * * *
The empaths were heavily deployed in the alliance conference room. They hadn’t expected to employ their powers from the start, but the alliance delegates entered the room arguing.
Veklock beaks clacked. The Hyronzy growled. The Sylian hissed. The Norsitchian barked. The Crocians rumbled. The other voices were lost in the noise. Only Gregich was silent.
