Spatium Upended--A Trilogy, page 27
Her private chambers' entrance was replete with unique adornments and biometric identifiers that mimicked her avatar when she was not available in person. Klûh0z was a unique øāńx. Being half-machine, she lived her previous life as a dedicated Êlkên operative, working alongside Øicârô on several of his top-secret programs that led to the various successful probe missions on behalf of their civilization.
Like a plurality of the whole and half machine øāńx under her command, the ill-treatment of Øicârô after he was outed as an Êlkê subspecies provoked her changing allegiances. She held him in high esteem, and nothing the Tœmńâk levied against him was going to stand in the way of that. He thought her most everything she knew. She owed him a debt of gratitude, and she showed it.
“I wanted to speak to you about that.” Xênê said, referring to questions about the future of deployed øāńx agents across Žøêrhâ. “R0ûàn's call seems to me like a ploy to secure the commitment and subsequent control over the entire øāńx regiment. What's your opinion on this?” She asked her.
“This isn't difficult at all. My agents are still mostly young and don't qualify for being called up yet, but, more importantly, they were mostly commissioned by hûøžâ Øicârô.” She paused, and then her hum pitch changed. “All of their allegiances is to him until their decommissioning. That's what I hear from them.” She added with emphasis.
“In that case, I guess, see you at the end of the road, øāńx.” An elated Xênê replied.
“See you.” Klûh0z responded and then disappeared into the deep electric blue light that adorned her private silo’s entranceway.
Xênê was relieved. Working with Øicârô's agents all along, she had felt a sense of being outnumbered. She needed to hear this reassurance from Klûh0z. Although Øicârô never pressed her, she had preemptively agreed to take on this massive project without any of her own trusted clique of øāńx in tow.
The very secretive nature of the task called for only a small, trusted group of øāńx and Øicârô nominated all of them. She had no issues with this decision.
Having just heard the ease with which Klûh0z spoke about her allegiance to Øicârô, she suddenly realized that she also harbored a certain intensity to her loyalty toward him.
He had told her about his new fungus and how he felt about it and his relationship with Qâhnâ. She was not gleeful about it, but she was a bit concerned it would even cross her mind.
Her relationship with Øicârô was exposing a part of her æńê that she had never once explored. These rare thoughts were freaking her out.
Just as she was about to disappear into her private silo chamber, she received a written message from Klûh0z. It was in the form of an encrypted code delivered as a mathematical equation, which was standard text messaging format amongst the Êlkâr and their øāńx brigades.
It read: “Foreign vessel identified. Local orbit currently occupied. Vessel traveling at maximum available çwûž frequency. Exact flight path is }]>|+0/. Offensive capabilities are active. Confirm engagement."
Xênê frantically buzzed into Øicârô's ńœhæ.
“Tell me you don't have anything to do with the vessel that just breached the lunar orbit.” She asked rhetorically. “Of course, it's traveling close to the speed of light. Who else would think of such a thing? Certainly not the Tœmńâk. If they did, it wouldn't be threatening to rip a fragile sensor on a lunar outpost into bits.” She added sarcastically.
“I might.” He replied coyly
“I will bring it down if you're not sure. We can't be working in vain. If this will potentially undo all of my work here, then I will bring it down.” She threatened, the tone on her hum signifying her intent.
“Too late now, I'm afraid. If you're telling me your sensors sniffed it out, then you can be sure Žøêrhân based systems are onto it.” He paused for a while. “You know what that means, don't you?” He asked, referring to the potential risk of exposing their secret location top secret çêhń by engaging the vessel alongside an offensive team from the home planet.
“I certainly do.” She responded softly.
“I'll be in touch.” He said to her. “Oh, and another thing, I saw the extent of work completed, and I have to say, well done to you. Everything you have achieved so far pales in comparison to the level of responsibility you will soon assume.” He paused. “I see you.” He added.
“I see you.” She replied. It was an affectionate term used between the both of them. She did not like it, but this time, she felt the heft of it resonated with her.
As she signed out of the secure session and then instructed her team to stand down, she wondered why her relationship with Øicârô had suddenly turned confrontational. It was not the least adversarial, not in the least, but it was equally aggressive. Does it have to do with him revealing a hand in the unexplained air space violations by foreign-type space ships, or does it all trace back to these new and disturbing thoughts she wondered about a short while ago?
The questions, for now, kept piling.
PÊBØ-Œ. ORBIT. LUNAR HŠT.
AS IT WAS aptly named, the Light Seeker was the cutting edge weapon of choice when other super-intelligent alien lifeforms from outer space breached the inner perimeters of Žøêrhâ and her moons.
On this occasion, like it was the last time, they had detonated a single beam charge from the Cosmos Guard Array. This array was a collection of various Cosmos sniffing and offensive weapon systems, stationed in a top-secret çêhń, deep inside the surface of Qrœzø-œ—sixth farthest moon from Žøêrhâ.
Having determined and isolated the type of threat, the øāńx military commanders stationed on Qrœzø-œ consulted with their ground station high command on Žøêrhâ. They gave permission, and a single kill-shot, armed on a dedicated and exclusive çwûž force-frequency was released and directed towards the incident zone, in this case, the vessel that was determined to be orbiting Pêbøâ-œ's outer orbit.
The Light Seeker beam was quickly in Pêbøâ-œ's orbit and on the tail of the alien vessel.
Several ÿlêvâ had passed, and the alien ship slowly decelerated. For the first time, the kill-shot beam could photograph and share accurate visuals of the intruding vessel. The shared content also detailed the composition of the ship's fuselage and any radioactivity it might be emitting.
They had determined that this was the same vessel that landed on the lunar surface a short œlêvâ ago. Back then, it brought with it the extinct and much dreaded łâppñø virus. It forced the transition of an hbâz and caused so much consternation. It was still being felt as at the time of its second return.
However, this time, besides the heat generated from its deceleration, they found no known radioactive material nor microbes on it nor in its orbital path.
With the kill-shot beam trained on it, they decided on the best possible options available.
The first option entailed blasting it into smithereens while still in orbit and thereby limiting the risk of any associated secondary effects of bringing it down in one piece.
The other option involved downing the ship and keeping the fuselage intact for a deep dive and further investigations later.
THEY BROUGHT DOWN the alien vessel after several more ÿlêvâ. The monitoring team pulled out all stops to make certain this was no recce ship with perhaps a secret compartment or two that housed potential harm to the Êlkâr-kind.
They had tested the ship’s orbital path for every known microbe. During the monitoring phase, the kill-shot beam landed atop the ship and took samples of its crystals that were flaking away under the intense heat it emitted. Like they discovered the last time, They found a gold alloy and traces of diamond. Back then, they did not think much of it.
They determined to seize control of the ship's internal engines, which was hastily dispatched by a crack team of elite encryption exploiters at the ground station on Žøêrhâ. They did this by mimicking its multiple frequencies. A dedicated çwûž decryption algorithm was deployed in all seven thousand nine hundred sixty frequencies on which it was active. The hyper-quantum-type computers they operated from laid bare to the ship's automated engine systems. They then reprogrammed the commands on it and redirected it back and safely to the lunar surface.
Some œlêvâ had passed, and the alien ship was still being monitored while sitting in the Klîvä Depth. It remained around the vicinity of its first landing.
What happened next could not have been better scripted if bringing this very successful interplanetary civilization down on its knees was its goal.
The ship suddenly began to shake violently; this carried on for a while. The monitoring group, sensing trouble, ordered the encryption exploiters to pilot the ship back onto the moon's orbit, where they intended to carry out their first option of blowing the ship up. They tried but were unsuccessful in controlling it as it simply did not respond to any of the pre-loaded commands.
All of its onboard warning signals appeared triggered. At the rate it was vibrating, it was clear any onboard computing capacity would have failed at that point.
The ship suddenly pulverized, emitting a loud hissing sound as it vaporized into gas to the monitoring team's awe. They immediately tested the resultant gas for radiation. Once more, it presented a dire prognosis as a dense cloud of the łâppñø virus had again been released on the moon's atmosphere. The team watched helplessly and in horror.
A dense green cloud that was active with the virus rose into the clouds. They declared the lunar surface a disaster zone, and the post out of bounds.
During the entire episode, Øicârô had buzzed into the çêhń and advised his secret team to stay put until further advice from him.
VŸXHÎ SUMMONED R0ÛÀN for an immediate briefing regarding the situation on Pêbøâ-œ as she called into his ńœhæ.
“We are in the process of reaching a decision on your demands, but I have to tell you, R0ûàn, this won't stand.” She declared, referring to the situation on Pêbøâ-œ.
“I'll appreciate hûøžâ if this incident isn't lumped alongside our demands. They are totally unrelated and should stay that way.” He responded rather stoically.
“The only reason I brought it up is to let you know the current disaster will likely set us back in quickly reaching a decision on your demands. Not that it's related in any other way.” She clarified.
“I appreciate that, hûøžâ.” He said.
“There has been some intelligence chatter about Øicârô secretly conducting experiments on several lunar çêhń. What more can you tell me about this?” She asked.
“I've been briefed on the same intelligence is all I can say at this point. I have dispatched several of my top agents on his trail. As soon as I pick up some new intelligence, I will be back on this frequency.” He said to her.
“Let's take it one step further; we have more than ample evidence at this point to warrant his immediate arrest and interrogation. Bring him and his flock if found as a unit. Remember, no one gets hurt in the process.” She cautioned.
“Certainly, hûøžâ. My understanding was that he keeps changing locations. The plan will be to cast the least possible wingspan as we try to seek him out. ÊlkêQi is not known for being exactly transparent when it comes to extraditing fungi determined to be detrimental to Žøêrhâ. I also have not seen nor heard from him since his last pardon and release from detention. So I guess we better get to it now.” He said.
“Notify your field agents this tølêvâ. Again, no one gets hurt. Just bring them both alongside the infant fungus.” She added.
“Noted.” He responded.
She buzzed out of the session and then arched her æńê to find the sprawling city of Łæhç, ÊlkêQi; the same one they had just spoken about, through the transparent unibody fuselage of her private air vessel, which roared over the skies of the continent.
Hers, like the private airships of the top elite Êlkên gods, were made of reinforced xæpœ and fully transparent from the inside, but wholly blurred out from the reverse side.
DEEP IN THE Hollow, underneath the secret algae lake, Øicârô watched in amusement as Vÿxhî and her team of dedicated øāńx specialists encircling her, flew over the skies of which he has a fortified control. He was more intrigued that they will go to the ends of their local galaxy to try to get him when he was in actuality, one of the only few living Êlkâr that has visited these distant planets and orbited their stars.
ÔHRÇ SOON GOT wind of what was at stake. He had recently expanded the size and capabilities of the Rhxâ. Now that the planet and her moons were in turmoil, accurate and actionable intelligence was of the utmost importance.
He knew reacting after the fact would be too late. He was also convinced beyond doubt that there were enemies in their midst—most of which were of the Êlkê subspecies in his estimate—and that they had no other option but to root them all out.
He assembled his top øāńx strategists to come up with a plan to flood the entire planet with loyal whole-machine øāńx agents. R0ûàn's calls for equity did not fit the profile in these deeply entrenched Êlkên centers of power and authority.
To be doubly sure, he initiated a secure session with his favorite Êlkê and useful idiot, Hûÿlø, who would without a doubt, vehemently oppose being characterized in such a disparaging parlance.
“I know what you want, and you know I can help you get it but will you help me get what I want in return?” Hûÿlø was as blunt as she always was.
“Well, I am the one that initiated this ńœhæ session. This should tell you where my intentions reside.” He replied.
“Very well. In that case, I will need to see the office of the Êlkê High Command reconstituted at the Hÿxî. I will also like to see a Tœmńâk edict making this a fixed law in the land. The head of the Êlkê delegation must have the option to fill in three of the fourteen seats at the Tœmńâk. This is still a minority, but we cannot continue to pretend we live out our entire realities on this planet and yet not partake in its administration. The Qÿêø of old is no more. The new guards from ÊlkêQî will not be amenable and easily fooled. We don't quest for power just for the sake of it. The majority of Êlkâr happen to be the people we represent.” She paused, and then the tone on her øûhçæ hum shifted. “See, hûøžâ Ôhrâç, you and I go back over an extended œlêvâ. You know my capabilities and my fidelity to a contract. If you can prove to me my demands will be met, I can grant you all you need to ascend to the highest position of power and influence in the land, being installed hbâz. We both know that's where this is all leading, right?” She asked rhetorically.
“We are here to discuss what you need in return for providing accurate information leading to the apprehension of those amongst us, suspected of working with intelligent life from outside of our immediate cosmic influence. I suggest we keep it within those parameters.” He admonished her.
“It's your call, hûøžâ. It's entirely your call.” She responded.
Ôhrâç was uncomfortable with Hûÿlø making light of his grand ambitions. The fact that this was even being discussed so openly made his ńœhæ vibrate uncomfortably. He reasoned the quicker he dealt with Øicârô and his loyalist force of spies and dissident øāńx, the faster he would rid of the charlatan and her ridiculous demands.
16 = ᗑᗖ: ŒÊLKEMIST
ÊLKÊQÎ. THE HOLLOW. LATE VÛŽ.
ØICRÔ WAS PARANOID, but not for the obvious reasons. Reliable intelligence suggested several top øāńx factions were on his trail.
It was bad enough that the Tœmńâk declared him a fugitive. Having influential members of society with specific interests in bringing him and his flock down was an added stress.
He had deployed an ultra-secure mass messaging platform on the šîhÿê network. What made this one unique from the tons of others that were currently in use across cities and regional sectors of Žøêrhâ was the inability of any non Êlkê subspecies to access it.
Through mûlêvâ of painstaking cellular level work, one of Øicârô's elite team of øāńx scientists and researchers were able to crack the specific Êlkê genetic code. It was not only an almost impossible feat but one that even the most elite Êlkên gene scientists and researchers had hitherto believed to be non-existent.
The subspecies of the Êlkâr race were indistinguishable on a genetic level. Besides the slight differences in anatomy, on a genetic level, it was essentially the same race.
Øicârô invested time and æńê strength in isolating the proteins in the gene structure that allowed for this variation. This same genetic level protein enzyme accorded his messaging platform the independence of having a genuinely first-of-its-kind, Êlkê-only messaging system. Like the others in commission, it achieved verification by way of the ńœhæ.
With this level of confidentiality, he and those in his inner orbit could disseminate mass information at will and control the narrative the way they saw fit.
This level of freedom from regulation and oversight by a power center outside of the Tœmńâk created a dangerous enough precedent. As soon as word got out of its existence, Ôhrâç commissioned a crack team of øāńx communication engineers to disrupt the šîhÿê, even at the risk of causing mass upheavals in the greater society.
“We have to continue to build and create like our future depends on it.” Øicârô said to Qâhnâ as they both worked on finalizing designs for a multi Êlkê living space, in the secret çêhń on Pêbøâ-œ.
“And it does. Žøêrhâ is perfect, no doubt, but we have worked hard enough to become multi-planetary, and I'm sure you will go as far as arguing multi galactic. Why stop here? We all enjoyed sharing this planet with the Êlkên as one Êlkâr race, but it would have been better if they did accept us as equals.” She added.
“I guess we're way past that, now.” He hummed resignedly. “See, Œêlk and his generation will not only master their immediate galaxy but also extend their knowledge of the Cosmos to the extremities of the Universe.” He added, then arched his æńê to find Œêlk in the midst of a metaphysical experiment. Peering at the lake bed through the transparent metallic wall, he was stunned at the ease with which the young fungus mastered and then controlled the laws of physics that guided its immediate environment.
