Twilight Serenade, page 30
part #6 of Earth Song Series
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Chapter 36
December 31st, 535 AE
Planet Nexus, Core System, Concordia
“Here we are,” Minu said on the bridge of the Ibeen Alpha.
“A momentous occasion,” Lilith agreed from a short way away. Minu hadn’t realized she’d spoken aloud, so she just nodded. “I hope you have considered every possibility.”
“As many I can think of,” Minu said and reached out to pat her daughter on the arm. Lilith floated, watching others operate the starship, a new experience for her. That it was a Beezer crew she trained no doubt added to the novelty. After more than 30 days on the ship, Minu looked forward to being on land again. “Thank you for coming and leaving your ship behind.”
“Chris Sommercorn and the Fiisk CI are watching over it,” Lilith said. “Aether is the most secure location we have. I’m confident it will be safe.”
The command center on Ibeen Alpha wasn’t like the CIC on the Kaatan; it looked more like a traditional bridge to Minu. It was a curved compartment with screens along one wall, work stations scattered around, and a large seat near the center. A large, rather odiferous humanoid with massive horns that had intricate carvings sat in that seat.
“We have entered orbit,” Isook grumbled.
The partial view of the stars projected on the forward bulkhead shimmered, then resolved into normal space. Ahead of them was the sweeping curve of a heavily forested planet with a bright, white moon just rising above the horizon.
“Mirkwood,” Gregg said behind Minu. The rest of the Council and Sergeant Selain were on the bridge with her, and her entire personal squad was elsewhere on board Ibeen Alpha. “I was there a couple of times. Those industrial ruins just keep on turning out good bots.”
Minu had never been there, though she’d seen images and read reports about Mirkwood. The moon was once an incredible industrial center, but like all the others across the Concordia, it was now a rotting waste. From orbit, she could see craters. Someone had bombarded the moon at some point.
“We want the polar city,” Minu pointed out. “We’d better get ready to disembark. Thanks for the ride, Isook.”
“You are most welcome, Imperator.” He rose to his towering three meters and bowed, showing respect. “This is a great day for your people. We await you on the other side of Awakening.”
“My thanks,” Minu said and returned the bow, then led the group off the bridge, toward one of the Ibeen’s small craft bays.
The cruise had been a long one, as the Ibeen was not nearly as fast as the Kaatan. Even though they’d met the Ibeen at Deep Blue, the last 500 light years took a month to travel. Minu had decided it was more prudent to use the Ibeen, as it would draw less attention. They’d been escorted by three Eseel piloted by Chosen handpicked by Commander Sommercorn and approved by Lilith.
Their modified Phoenix waited in the bay, the Rangers already aboard with their gear stowed. The members of the Military Council, Sergeant Selain, and Faye Larson joined them. A pair of Beezer spacers bowed to Minu from the bay’s door.
Aaron stood next to her, holding Mindy. “Momma!” the girl called and almost managed to leap from his arms.
“Hey, baby,” Minu said as she expertly snatched her before she could fall. “We’re going for a ride!” The girl giggled and kicked against her. Minu climbed the ramp with the Rangers right behind her. Motors whined, and the ramp rose and sealed behind them.
There was no real sense of movement as the ship lifted off the deck, gracefully spun 180 degrees, and accelerated through the force field that kept the atmosphere from spilling out.
Minu reached the cockpit and kissed Aaron on the cheek as she dropped into the extra engineer’s seat. Mindy looked around with curiosity at all the flashing lights and buttons, but Minu was careful to keep her away from them.
“How are we doing?” she asked.
Aaron glanced over his shoulder at her and winked. “No problem,” he said as he nosed the ship toward the planet’s surface.
“Any signs of other ships?”
“Yes,” Aaron said. “None have expressed any interest in us though.”
“That’s good,” Minu said. She could just see one of the Eseel gunboats shadowing their descent before the viewscreen was washed out by flashes of reentry plasma.
“Father seems to have everything well in hand,” Lilith said from the copilot seat. For this trip, she had replaced her usual shore leave bot with a more conventional crab bot, upgraded with gravitic systems made on Bellatrix.
Aaron chose an aggressive landing angle to minimize their time in the upper atmosphere. In seconds, the plasma show ended, and they plummeted toward the ground. He pulled back on the controls, and the ship leveled out, pulling more than 100 gravities. No one on the ship felt the movement except for Aaron. The system, which he’d designed to allow the pilot to feel some movement, was part of what he called a real-world synaptic feedback system.
The ship skimmed over the endless forests of Nexus’s equatorial region. The trees soon began to thin out, then disappeared altogether. They flew over a series of narrow canyons carved by rivers over untold eons. Then a city came into view. Lilith found the navigational beacon and relayed it to him.
Nexus, the most populated world in the Concordia, was the seat of government and the trade hub. Wars began and ended in the huge halls of government on Nexus. And, on that day, humans had an appointment with destiny.
“Any indication of hostilities?” Minu asked. Their defenses and the Eseel were ready, if necessary. Aaron brought the Phoenix to a stop and hovered.
“Other than scans, no.”
“You were right,” Dram said, chuckling, “they won’t risk upsetting the hornets’ nest.”
“The ancient laws are very explicit,” Minu said. “To initiate armed hostilities in this solar system is to invite a war of annihilation.”
“I have communications from the Tog diplomatic mission,” Lilith said. “They say the audience is prepared as arranged and will receive you in an hour at their embassy.”
“Send my compliments and acknowledgment,” Minu replied. “Access the planetary net, so we can get our bearings.”
* * *
Aaron continued flying the shuttle. The traffic was astounding. Minu sat in the engineer’s seat and watched, glad she wasn’t in his shoes. Mindy was asleep.
“Are you doing okay?” she asked him.
“It’s like a demolition derby,” he grumbled. “I can’t believe you’re allowed to fly manually.” Around them, the three Eseel pilots stayed in tight formation.
Prime was the main city on Nexus. Orderly swirls of avenues lined with towering office spires led away from a two-kilometer high dome at the center of the city. Soon, she’d be inside that dome. Aaron banked the shuttle as they approached a huge tower.
It wasn’t hard to notice the diplomatic buildings of the higher order species. Their towers dominated the landscape.
The T’Chillen building looked serpentine, with five towers curling together to make one that angled at the top like the head of a snake.
The Tanam building was simple yet bold, looking as though it were chiseled from living rock with veins of precious metal reaching toward the sky.
The Mok-Tok building was a square monolith of ceramic concrete that pierced the sky, splitting and tapering into two ends, one pointed, the other blunt.
The Goydook building was arguably the most grandiose. It was a spiraling tower built entirely of moliplas, filled with water from their world. All manner of creatures swam inside. The first humans who saw it had almost laughed out loud, calling it the galaxy’s biggest aquarium.
The Hgog embassy resembled an inverted pyramid missing about half its blocks, and it was floating and slowly spinning just above its mirror structure which was rooted on the ground.
“That’s amazing,” Minu said. The Hgog were known for their technological mastery, and their embassy was a testament to that.
“I bet it will be amazing if the power ever fails,” Aaron noted.
The Poolab mission was four narrow pyramids set in a square with another balanced on their points. Minu knew next to nothing about them, as they were largely retired from Concordian daily life. They were supposed to be the most technologically advanced of all the Concordian species, and they were rumored to be the Hgog’s original protectors.
Finally, they saw their destination. It was the shortest building, but also the largest. The lower 50 floors were simple, but the top was a huge parabola filled with a miniature grassy plain like the one on Herdhome. Most species said they were the weakest of the higher order species, but those who knew them said that deep waters held many secrets.
The landing area consisted of several ceramic concrete pads that rose from below the grass when necessary. The grass pivoted up on huge gimbals, then closed again over the pads once the ship landed. It was more than big enough for the Phoenix. Minu was reminded of an older time when large craft coming and going was not as unheard of.
In the depths of the Tog compound, automated systems came online. Gravitic lifters moved the Phoenix shuttle off the pad, onto a parking area. A pair of Beezer and a solitary Tog waited as the Phoenix’s ramp lowered.
“Imperator Groves, welcome to Nexus. I am Ok’ig, P’ing’s assistant.”
Minu had sent P’ing a message about her new title and changes, but she had received no reply. She’d wondered if they didn’t approve. Now she knew.
“Which P’ing?” Minu could have sworn the Tog grinned as it bowed before replying.
“The P’ing you are accustomed to dealing with, as well as several others.”
“This should be interesting,” Gregg said, and Minu nodded.
“Aaron,” Minu said, “please see to our entourage’s quarters? The councilors and I need to attend to a meeting.”
“No problem,” he said. She kissed Mindy quickly before turning to Ok’ig. “Please lead on.”
The Beezer were dressed in military garb, which was really just harnesses and beamcaster rifles slung over their shoulders. They escorted the humans off the pad and into the building. The head of the guard respectfully nodded at Sergeant Selain as his column of Rangers marched down the ramp with Aaron and the other non-Council passengers.
The interior of the building was of standard Concordian construction. The grand, old style Minu had seen all over the galaxy featured gravitic lifts between floors and the occasional sliding walkway. It was a display of extreme wealth and influence you expected to find in the diplomatic buildings of higher order species.
Ok’ig took them to a wide, semi-circular conference room that overlooked the artificial valley of the building’s roof. The angle made it feel like they were anywhere other than a sprawling mega-city like Nexus. In the center was a boardroom table set with glasses of water and a big tray of snacks. Minu wasn’t surprised to see human food. Sergeant Selain and Corporal Fuller stood on either side of the door. Selain had been unwilling to leave her without guards, even here.
Almost everyone sat, except Lilith who hovered nearby. Some got water or snacks. Dram wandered over to enjoy the view. Minu stood and patiently waited. After five minutes, the door opened, and three more Tog came in.
At first, Minu was confused. It was like looking at a digitally modified image of three P’ing. They were all perfect copies down to the mottled brown and white patterns on hser flanks. Minu unfocused her eyes and looked for differences, anything that could help her tell them apart. It wasn’t immediately obvious, but each of them had slightly different shaped eyes. There also appeared to be a slight difference in the shape of their long, dexterous hands. The P’ing in the center nodded hser head, confirming that hse was the one Minu knew.
“Greetings, Concordian Master.” Minu bowed deeply.
“Not for much longer, “P’ing replied. “From our First, to the Imperator of Humanity. We have reviewed your history and find that a fitting title, as is Legate for your subordinate leaders.”
Minu bowed again.
“Greetings,” the other two said together.
“How should I address you separately? I can’t call you all by the same name.”
The original P’ing cocked hser heart-shaped head and looked at the other two before moving hser hands. “You may call me P’ing-to. This one,” hse gestured to hser right, “is P’ing-so, and hse is P’ing-ro. P’ing-so oversees relations with the Concordia and will guide you through the ceremony. P’ing-ro controls our space assets. You will plan the operation we discussed with hser.”
“I understand. We look forward to working with P’ing-so on the coming announcement and P’ing-ro on the operation we planned.”
The two nodded when their names were mentioned. P’ing-to’s eyes were definitely more angular than P’ing-so’s, and P’ing-ro’s were thinner, kind of pinched. She addressed P’ing-to, “Does this mean our work together has come to an end?”
“Since you will no longer be a client, my duties will shift from management to relations with your species. I hope to continue working with you.”
“I am sure we will. Let me introduce some of my Legates. You know Legate Dram Aluvala, my second in command and leader of our scouts.” The P’ing bowed to him.
“This is Legate Gregg Larson, commander of our Rangers; Legate Cherise Macubale, Commander of Logistics; Legate Jasmine Osgood, Head of Research and Scientific Development; Legate Ken Benedict, Head of Training and Recruitment; Legate Bjorn Ganose, Head of Special Projects; and our newest Legate, Lilith Groves, Commander of the Black Navy.”
When she introduced Lilith, P’ing-ro excitedly came forward.
“Your daughter?”
“Yes,” Minu said. Lilith’s approached and effected a perfect zero-gravity bow.
“I’m honored to meet you, P’ing-ro.”
“And I you,” hse said and returned the bow. “Forgive me for being forward, but you have been modified by a starship of the Lost to act as its Combat Intelligence?”
“I was modified from birth,” Lilith told them.
“Fascinating,” P’ing-ro said, hser big eyes taking in Lilith’s every detail.
“When do we get full network access?” Bjorn asked.
Minu flinched, afraid he’d pushed things too far, too quickly, but P’ing-to nodded in understanding.
“I’ve instructed Z’kal to remove all limits to your Concordian network access. However, you will have to make your own financial arrangements with the Concordian Data Directorate.”
“We understand,” Minu said, briefly glaring at Bjorn.
“P’ing-so will go over the details of the coming ritual.”
An hour later, the group had been fully briefed on what to expect. Minu already knew the details, having read a file given to her by P’ing-to when she announced their intention to petition for release.
A more complete meal was served, and as everyone was investigating the fare, P’ing-to took Minu aside to speak with her.
“Are you sure this is the best plan for humanity?”
“We believe so,” Minu told hser. “We’re grateful for what you have done for us, but we must move forward on our own, with you as allies rather than masters.”
P’ing-to stared at Minu for a long moment with hser big almond eyes before nodding. “It will be as you say then.” Minu turned to join the others for lunch but felt a hand on her shoulder. “There is one final thing.”
“Yes?”
“It was 140 years ago, by your calendar, when we came to your people on Bellatrix.”
“We remember. That was when the Chosen were formed.”
P’ing-to nodded again.
“If you did not hold us in your debt, why did you tell us that was the case and demand our service to you?”
“It was expected and required if we were to make you our clients and give you the protection you needed. But we had no wish to make you our clients.”
“I don’t understand. If you didn’t want to make us your clients, why did you rescue us from Earth?”
“When my progenitor arrived on Bellatrix, hse found herself standing in the center of a city spreading out for kilometers in all directions. It was quite a surprise.”
“Did you not expect us to be that advanced? We made quite a lot of progress in those 400 years. We weren’t back to where we were before the disaster, but still.”
“You don’t understand, Minu Groves.”
Minu shook her head slightly, not getting hser meaning.
“I was surprised because we’d only acquired the leasehold for that world a dozen years earlier and were planning to conduct a survey for its use.”
“If you’d just acquired the leasehold, how could you have placed us there four centuries before, after rescuing us?”
“That is the point. We did not place you there. Until that day, I had never laid eyes on a human being in any of my lives.”
* * * * *
Chapter 37
December 31st, 535 AE
Planet Nexus, Core System, Concordia
The aerocar they took from the Tog mission to the city center was spacious and luxurious by human standards. The Tog were utilitarian by nature, despite being a prestigious higher order species, and they did like roomy spaces and vehicles. This was a special occasion and putting on a good display was important.
Minu sat quietly and tried to digest the latest in what seemed like a never-ending series of gut punches. The others knew something had happened between her and P’ing-to, but her friends knew better than to push her for details. She wore what Aaron called her ‘moody danger face.’ He said it with a laugh, but few except her closest friends would push when she had that look.
Of all the times for hser to bring that up, Minu thought as the aerocar flew over the increasing air traffic toward the center of the city. The coming hours were pivotal for her, and likely for humanity. And what did P’ing-to do an hour before that epic moment? Hse dropped an overloading beamcaster in Minu’s lap and laughed. Well, hse didn’t exactly laugh. Minu didn’t think the Tog were capable of laughing. It was more like hse gave humanity a fun little parting gift.
