Q-Gates
Page 29
When finished, Miriam focused on Mickey’s prior project, which was to solve the Colony’s latest tactic to protect the domes’ shuttle tubes.
30: Delegation
Lenson, the Earther console operator at Triton, stared open-mouthed at the appearance of two Sylians on the dome’s single platform. He’d seen Sylians before, but none like the two individuals who materialized in regal clothing and stances on his platform. They were blindingly white with striking blue eyes, and they wore capes with intricate weavings of metallic threads.
“Human, I’m Talsoma, the Sylian monarch. Attending me is Sonistoma, the Sylian Tsargit representative. I request an immediate meeting with Commander Jess Cinders. After you close your mouth, please make the necessary arrangements.”
With an audible click, Lenson shut his mouth, and stuttered, “Yes, your ... your ladyship or madam.”
The Sylians coughed in amusement at Lenson’s struggle to understand their roles and titles.
“May I ask your proper address?” Lenson requested politely of Talsoma.
Sonistoma coughed again. To Talsoma, she indicated her temple with a sharp fingernail, indicating that the operator had communicated to someone of importance. Then to Lenson, she said, “Human, she is addressed as Your Excellency Talsoma.”
“If Your Excellency Talsoma would wait here a moment,” Lenson said, “an escort will arrive to take you directly to Commander Cinders.”
Three Earthers in outpost security uniforms ran up the ramp. The corporal, who was at the forefront of the trio, came to a halt and snapped a salute, without knowing whether it was appropriate.
“Lead on,” Talsoma directed the corporal with a white-furred hand.
Passing the console operator, Sonistoma nodded and said, “Your courtesy is appreciated.”
Lenson breathed a sigh of relief, as the Sylians descended the ramp. That makes my day, he thought just before his platform lit again.
Eleven groups of journeyers later, Lenson’s platform brightened, and three massive Crocians appeared. Each individual massed more than either Bortoth or Daktora, who he’d frequently seen.
Sensing a coincidence in the arrival of elite aliens, Lenson said to the Crocians, “One moment, please,” as they stepped from the platform.
Then in a minor protocol faux pas, Lenson simultaneously linked to the outpost commander and dome security and sent,
Jess, who had dismissed his meeting in anticipation of Talsoma’s arrival, regarded Lucia and said, “The Norloth council members are here.”
“Alex and Renée,” Julien said, “the leaders of Resistance worlds are descending on the outpost. Sylia and Crocia are present now. I anticipate others will be here soon.”
“Strange that Jess didn’t say anything about this,” Renée mused.
“Unless their arrival is a surprise to Jess too,” Alex said.
Mickey would have queried as to what was happening, but Jess had ended the comm.
Jess was staring at Lucia, deep in thought, when she said, “Ophelia.” He nodded and queried the controller for the commandant’s location. As fortune would have it, Ophelia was visiting Lillian at the Jatouche medical station.
Lillian was slowly recovering and able to speak. She was still under the station’s care and unable to resume her duties as president.
After a brief interruption, Jess continued,
Lenson’s eye swept anxiously toward the platform every time the gate fired. By the time Her Excellency Tockitak had appeared, dome security had a trio waiting on the deck in anticipation of the next arrival.
Blue light emanated from the platform to merge with the dome, and Lenson and the next security trio eyed the figure that appeared, as the sheen faded.
“Console operator, I’m Nemanous, the Norsitchian Minister of Planetary Defense,” the figure said.
“Your escort is ready, Minister,” Lenson replied, indicating the waiting three security officers. “They’ll take you directly to the commander.”
Nemanous nodded graciously and followed the escort down the ramp.
As the minister left, Lenson’s shoulders straightened, and he regarded his console with pride. At first, his job as console operator had been exciting. Over the months, it had become repetitive and boring. Watching the leaders of worlds arrive to see the commander had given him a different perspective about his function. Now, he believed that he played a crucial role enabling the collaboration of world leaders.
On the outpost, SADEs hurried to create a conference room that would accommodate the various body types represented by the arriving leaders. From the smaller Jatouche to the mammoth Crocians, they sought to allow the leaders to present themselves equally.
To buy Mickey and his teams some time, Jess and Lucia met with Talsoma and Sonistoma in their suite.
Alex had asked Jess how he could help, and Jess had replied that he’d entertain the Sylians if Alex could meet the Crocians. He didn’t want to have the anticipated meeting proceed piecemeal.
Mickey met and toured Tockitak and Jastitock through the station. This was the Jatouche ruler’s first visit.
“I understand that you’ve an entire deck devoted to a holo-vid display,” Tockitak said. “I would like to see that. Perhaps you can arrange to create some visuals for us.”
Mickey made a quick connection to the holo-vid deck. Turning to Tockitak, he said, “Apologies, Your Excellency, the deck is in use.”
“Wonderful,” Tockitak exclaimed, “we’ll have an opportunity to see a display of some training.”
Mickey halted the lift at the holo-vid deck, and he escorted the Jatouche ruler and her mate to the gallery, which allowed visitors to watch the action on an assortment of monitors.
Tockitak stared at the image of a serpent holding a shortened Loopah weapon and engaging the insectoids that appeared throughout the virtual collection of buildings and pathways. It wasn’t long before the action halted. The Usaanan had been decapitated by a gray, while fighting a red.
“This is the commander’s answer to the directorate foisting ten of its citizens on the outpost?” Tockitak inquired of Mickey. “He intends the serpents to fight the Colony?”
“Of all the options, this seemed to be the optimal one,” Mickey said, watching carefully for the ruler’s reaction.
Unfortunately for Mickey, he wouldn’t receive a clue about what Tockitak was thinking. The ruler had great experience with seasoned senior advisors, and she was well aware of how to keep her thoughts to herself.
Tockitak and Jastitock continued to watch the action on the monitors.
In the suite, Jess listened to the latest report from Lenson. He turned to Talsoma and said, “Minister Nemanous has arrived. Are we expecting more?”
“No, Commander,” Talsoma replied. “Your hospitality while we’ve waited has been appreciated. We may proceed now. Have you anticipated our subjects by inviting Commandant Tuttle?”
“Yes, Your Excellency,” Jess replied.
“Thorough,” Sonistoma commented, “as we’ve come to expect.”
Jess signaled the individuals who’d been entertaining the outpost’s guests. They assembled in the specially prepared conference room.
A long table displayed drinks and plates of various dishes. The Jatouche immediately partook of the fruit juices, while the Norloth piled their plates with big pieces of protein preparations. They politely turned their backs to the conference room, while they tossed down chunks of food.
The last to arrive were Tockitak, Jastitock, Nemanous, and Ophelia.
Jess allowed the guests to mingle, greet one another, and enjoy the refreshments, which servers constantly replenished. When he felt that they’d been given enough time, he invited everyone to be seated.
Sighs accompanied the settling of guests into nanites chairs that were designed to accommodate bodies large and small.
Every guest noted that three individuals occupied seats that didn’t surround the long conference table. They sat against a side wall and were occupied by Alex, Renée, and Julien. The message was obvious. The Omnians were present to observe and not take part in decisions about alliance matters unless they touched on other parts of the galaxy.
Before the conference could open, Tockitak raised a delicate hand, and Jess nodded at her.
“I commend you, Commander and Admiral,” Tockitak said. “You’ve handled an extremely delicate situation with skill. The Usaanan directorate escaped the majority of Tsargit displeasure by sacrificing its citizens to your authority. Ostensibly, it was hoping that you employed some barbaric judgment, such as life incarceration or execution. Instead, you’ve given the condemned an opportunity for reprieve.”
The other guests eyed Tockitak, and she added, “The commander is requiring the serpents to participate in Colony assault training. At this moment, they’re on the holo-vid deck using newly prepared Loopah weapons with which to fight virtual reds, grays, and juveniles.”
There was a moment of silence before the uproar. It began with Crocian bellowing, which overrode every other sound that followed.
“You might want to communicate this to Jarmonin,” Talsoma suggested. “It would do the outpost well.”
“What we do with the Usaanan prisoners is outpost business,” Jess replied firmly. “We certainly didn’t want to fall into the directorate’s trap, but our final decision wasn’t made for purely political benefit.”
Talsoma tipped her snow-white head to the sentiment, and the other guests nodded thoughtfully.
“I did notice that the Dischnya are training the Usaanans,” Jastitock said. “Is there a reason for that arrangement?”
“It’s become obvious to us that the directorate has had a surreptitious plan for the prisoners, at least for two of them, which we believe are the leaders,” Lucia replied. “During transport, the Usaanans sought to escape, and they took lives in the attempt.” Her eyes were bright with anger.
“We’re sorry for your loss,” Talsoma said gravely. “It’s enough to fight the Colony without having alliance citizens turning murderous on you.”
“Was this attempt made before or after you started their training?” Nemanous asked.
“Before,” Lucia replied.
“And still you allowed them the training opportunity?” Nemanous inquired.
“Their treachery doesn’t change the way we wish to represent the outpost,” Jess replied.
Renée glanced toward Alex. His eyes shone brightly.
And so little time, Julien thought.
“Perhaps we should progress to the reason for your visits, not that we object to the presence of such august personages,” Lucia suggested.
The chests of every biological vibrated with the Crocians’ amused rumblings about the admiral’s segue.
Elongated scaled jaws and furred snouts turned toward Tockitak, causing human noses to regard the Jatouche ruler.
“We represent a consortium of thirty-eight systems,” Tockitak began. “Many of them you know. They are some of the most significant contributors to this outpost’s construction. The few you might not be aware of are important trading partners. While all of these races are proficient in dome operations, not all of them are members of the Tsargit.”
“If I might have the use of a holo-vid?” Jastitock, the ruler’s mate, requested.
Immediately, Julien lent the conference his portable holo-vid, connecting it to the table’s power supply, and activating it.
“Thank you, Julien,” Jastitock said. Then he sent an image to the holo-vid, which everyone with an implant recorded.
“What are we looking at?” Ophelia asked.
“This is the consortium’s proposal for new gate connections,” Tockitak replied.
Humans were stunned into silence.
A minority of races, mostly younger and ardent supporters of the Resistance, hadn’t waited for the Tsargit to design an approval process for new gates. The thirty-eight races had taken matters into their own hands and designed pathways that would strengthen their relationships through more direct journeys.
Julien moved the holo-vid to the open end of the conference table, and humans left their seats to crowd around the display and examine the star map.
“Your Excellency, could you explain the lines emanating from your dome and Pyre’s?” Jess asked Tockitak. “They don’t appear to connect to other stars.”
“That’s because the map would shrink too much in scale if we included Sol,” Tockitak replied.
The Crocians rumbled in amusement. One of the Norloth council members said, “So this is what it takes to make humans speechless.”
“Did you propose that both domes have a connection to Sol?” Julien inquired.
“No,” Jastitock replied. “The consortium has requested a gate from either dome in the event that Sol has the facilities.”
“Far thinking,” Alex commented, and the gue
sts nodded their heads at the compliment.
“With the progress made to date on the gates,” Talsoma interjected, “we expect that new domes might be constructed in our lifetimes. If not, we want the connections reserved for our offsprings.”
A Norloth councilor rumbled to attract attention. “Commander, it’s understood from the comments you made to the Tsargit membership that you’re willing to install new gates in existing domes without fees. The consortium is willing to enter into an agreement with the outpost. In exchange for providing us with these connections, we’ll provide the outpost with annual support in any manner you wish.”
“What if the Tsargit decides that the consortium’s proposal contradicts what it believes should be the process?” Ophelia asked.
“Then we’d resign our memberships in the Tsargit,” Talsoma said simply.
Humans regarded the faces of the leaders present, and every head was nodding in agreement.
“If the Tsargit decides as you suggest, what would Pyre do?” Sonistoma inquired of Ophelia.
“I’m the president pro tempore,” Ophelia replied. “When President Finian has fully recovered, she can discuss that with our Assembly.”
“What would be your opinion in the matter?” Sonistoma pressed.
Ophelia glanced toward Jess and then Alex. They stared quietly back, offering no help. She felt as if events were moving too fast, or she was thinking too slowly.
The ruler’s graciousness decided the issue for Ophelia. It was time to take stances on these critical issues. Otherwise, events would pass her planet by.
Ophelia, who had been leaning on the table, straightened. “First, I would recommend to President Finian that Pyre reserve two gates for connections outside alliance space. Certainly, one of the gates would connect to Sol, if and when the Omnians can make that happen. Second, it seems fitting that the second gate should connect to Omnia.”
Ophelia regarded Alex and Renée. Alex grinned broadly, and Renée winked, which made Ophelia smile.