Alien intrigue, p.20
Alien Intrigue, page 20
Despite the momentary discomfort, Juno’s feet became wet, as she took a stance to look directly into Baltart’s eyes. “We need an understanding,” she said forcefully. “I’m responsible for helping you regain your strength and delivering you safely to Vokslem. Commander Tocknicka is counting on me, and I don’t want to disappoint him.”
“Do I detect more than duty?” Baltart inquired.
“You certainly do,” Juno replied tartly. “And that’s all I’ll say about that for now.”
“Then we must be inventive,” Baltart replied. “It’ll take many cycles before I’m prepared to enter deep water and secure food for myself.”
“Rest for the remainder of the cycle,” Juno said. “We’ll start tomorrow morning.”
SADEs coiled the lines and left them high and dry on the rocks. Then they made their way up the path toward their traveler.
Juno sent confidently.
Kelley extended his hands, which Juno took. Then he leaned forward to touch foreheads.
Juno watched Kelley retreat up the hillside. She’d been unprepared for his farewell, and her emotional programs sought to put the unusual encounter into place. In the end, it was elevated, and the memory was protected.
The beach was soon deserted of SADEs, and most Swei Swee had left to hunt. Matrons kept an eye on the younglings who scampered through the shallows.
As the younglings became comfortable with Juno’s presence, two approached her and requested to be spun.
Juno linked through the traveler to Kelley. She caught him just before his ship disappeared via the ring. He had a split second to send her a short vid. She chuckled at the powerful New Terran, who stood at the water’s edge and sailed the younglings along the shallows. Their spinning was accompanied by their high-pitched tweets. She could appreciate that Kelley’s memory was probably a favorite one of Alex Racine.
When Juno beckoned to a small female, the youngling folded her legs tightly to form a saucer. Then the sister picked the female up by the shell. She stepped into ankle-deep water and spun the youngling down the beach.
The small Swei Swee produced the gleeful sound Juno had heard in Kelley’s vid. Suddenly, Juno experienced a deep connection to the Omnians and the conclave’s origins. Its intangible nature made it difficult to encapsulate, and she wondered how what she was experiencing could be shared with her sisters.
As Celus set beyond the horizon, twilight settled over the beach.
Baltart watched the Swei Swee scamper up steps a previous generation had cut into the cliff to return to their homes, whose diamond-hard surfaces glistened in the dying light. For a moment, he felt vulnerable, which irritated him.
Examining his fear, Baltart realized that he’d become dependent on the tank’s hard walls, which had protected him. He did take comfort in Juno, who stood on the packed sand three meters from him. She stood with a locked avatar and regarded every movement he made. Soon, sleep came, and he dreamed of returning to Vokslem. It had been a dream that he’d put aside long ago as unattainable.
At dawn, the Swei Swee made a long train, as they descended from their homes. The younglings, who struggled to wake, rode on the matrons’ backs. The males and the midsize youth whistled their greetings to Juno and Baltart, as they passed to begin the cycle’s hunt.
Juno whistled loudly, alerting the younglings with her announcement of playtime.
The matrons settled to the sand, and the younglings slid off the broad backs.
“This is a game,” Juno whistled. “Baltart will extend two tentacles toward the beach. You must clear one then the other.”
Stalks rotated toward Juno and then Baltart. It seemed a simple challenge.
Juno imitated the burble that she’d heard the males comment when they heard her nervous whistle atop the tank. “Did I say that Baltart would hold his tentacles still?” she asked.
Suddenly, the younglings understood the game, and they welcomed the play.
In Krackus, Juno said, “Start slowly, Baltart, you might be playing this game for much of the morning until they or you tire.”
“An inventive concept, Juno,” Baltart said appreciatively. He slipped two tentacles from behind him, stretched them toward the dry sand, and kept them parallel.
As the younglings attempted to leap over each of the sluggishly moving tentacles, they tweeted happily.
The younglings’ pleasure drove Baltart to move his tentacles to give the little Swei Swee a greater game.
An hour into the game, the matrons whistled loudly. The males were returning with their catches, and everyone halted to feed.
Baltart got to taste the deep fast swimmers whose bodies had the most prized flesh.
Juno noted that Baltart’s appetite had improved over the cycle before.
After the Swei Swee consumed the morning’s catch, the males settled in shallow waters to stay cool. The matrons retired to the cliff’s shade, and the younglings joined them.
Baltart retrieved the two tentacles he’d used for the game. He sat in the shallow water moving them gently back and forth. “The water is soothing, Juno,” he said. “You should wade in and enjoy it.”
Juno quietly sounded a horn at Baltart, and the Vokslem burbled his amusement into the water.
“I’ve continually worked to dry my lower legs to keep the seawater from finding its way into my avatar,” Juno replied.
When activities resumed, many matrons climbed the cliff steps. There was another dwelling to build.
Juno promised the matrons that she would watch the younglings, who were delighted with the idea.
The game resumed, with Baltart employing three different tentacles. He tired quickly, but he was determined to push through his desire to stop.
When the males returned with more catch, Juno called a halt to the game.
The matrons paused in their work, climbed down from the cliffside, and shared the second cycle’s catch.
The First approached Juno, lowering himself so that his eyestalks could better focus on her. “Do you hear Baltart speak?” he whistled.
Juno thought it an odd question, but she believed the First had a reason for phrasing his query that way. “I hear Baltart when he speaks to me, and the sound travels through the air,” she replied. “Do you hear him a different way?”
“Before males reached the shore, they tell me they heard his speech through the water,” the First replied.
Juno stepped to Baltart and waited patiently while he munched through a large fillet. When he finished, she inquired, “Baltart, do you have acoustical capabilities underwater?”
“Assuredly, Juno,” Baltart replied. “My sonar is highly adapted to communicate my language.”
“That’s new,” Juno replied, whistling the answer to the First, who relayed it to the males.
“Was this necessary information?” Baltart queried.
“No, not at all,” Juno assured him. “Without anyone or anyway to communicate to another resident in the warrens, it was something that was never known.”
“Does it affect my return home?” Baltart pressed.
“No. In fact, it assures us that you can communicate to your kind quickly, who can come to your aid,” Juno soothed. Her answer appeared to mollify Baltart, as he quickly accepted another fillet and continued eating.
“Good appetite,” the First commented, watching Baltart work on his third portion.
“That’s what we want to see,” Juno whistled.
“The males and I are anxious to hunt with Baltart,” the First responded. “He’s large, and his multiple tentacles appear powerful.”
“I don’t know when he’ll be ready for deep water, but you must be careful with him,” Juno cautioned. “Much of the conclave’s work depends on successfully returning him to his race.”
“Tell me his story,” the First whistled.
While Baltart and the Swei Swee rested, Juno and the First retired to the cliffs’ shade. Then Juno told the tale of the Imperium Empire, the dissidents, and Helgart.
“Our hive singer tells us stories of Alex Racine,” the First warbled. “The Dischnya refer to him as Dassata, peacemaker. The hive will be pleased to learn that Dassata’s work continues.”
Juno sensed the circle closing again. Immersion in Omnia’s culture seemed to remind her of the sisters’ purpose. The first-gen sisters had been created as part of Alex’s and Julien’s efforts to interdict Artifice’s power and bring peace and parity to the worlds they encountered.
As the days passed, Baltart grew stronger, and Juno invented more games.
There came a point when the younglings watched, and their older siblings tried to dodge the waving tentacles. Often the Swei Swee would become ensnared, and they’d whistle for release.
One day, Baltart challenged Juno. “Four tentacles. No rules,” he offered.
It was a forgone conclusion that Juno would participate. Every Swei Swee recognized the essence of the exchange without knowing what was said.
Deliberately, Baltart slid a little deeper into the water. It allowed his tentacles to keep most of their length off the sand.
Juno waded calf deep into the water, knowing that her avatar’s legs would require maintenance soon afterward. To her, this was a personal challenge, and she determined it was fair to put aside her responsibilities. “Ready?” she asked Baltart.
Baltart’s response was burbled into the water.
Then Juno sprinted toward the first tentacle.
Baltart was caught off guard. He hadn’t expected Juno’s speed. She was already over the first tentacle before he could react. To stop her, he elevated the second and third tentacles at alternate heights.
Juno saw the pair of tentacles designed to impede her progress. When Baltart tripped her, he’d wrap her in them. Instead of attempting to leap over the next pair, she launched and dove headfirst underneath both tentacles. Before diving into the shallows, she closed her eyes and mouth to block the seawater.
Belatedly, Baltart whipped the fourth tentacle into a coil to ensnare Juno, but she was ready for his trickery.
Instead of jumping upright, Juno completed a three-quarter revolution parallel to the shallows. She used an arm to shove herself underneath the upraised tentacle.
Like a youngling being spun, she surfed the sandy shallows to the other side of Baltart’s fourth obstacle.
The Swei Swee whistled and tweeted in celebration of the exhibition of the skills of both parties.
Juno took a moment to shake the water from her avatar.
“Admirably done, Juno,” Baltart commented. “Of course, you know I won.”
“An interesting statement, Baltart. Care to explain,” Juno retorted.
“I’m content to have lost the competition,” Baltart replied, “but I’ve taken great delight in watching you swim for the first time.”
Juno stared at Baltart, who burbled into the water. He could barely contain himself. In response, Juno blasted her horns, which echoed against the cliffside.
Again, the Swei Swee could only imagine what had transpired, but they freely joined in the celebration.
Juno requested assistance from the SADEs. Two descended the sandy hill to watch Baltart, and she hurried to the traveler and was whisked to the outpost. Her avatar was completely serviced, and she swiftly returned to her duties.
Four cycles later, Juno stood on the beach in the early morning light. She watched Baltart swim off with the First and a coterie of the largest males. Her emotional programs were unbalanced, but there was little she could do about it.
“Come, Juno,” a matron whistled.
Juno looked up at the huge six-legged matron who stood beside her. Her claws were scarred by decades of service to the hive.
“They will be gone a while. Time passes quickly with work, or, in your case, play with the younglings,” the matron warbled in amusement.
Juno saw the line of younglings waiting their turn to be spun. Many of them bobbed in anticipation. In appreciation, she heavily patted the matron’s nearest claw and walked to pick up the first youngling in line.
Later that morning, the First came shooting through the waves, which alarmed Juno. Then the other males did the same. As they broached the surface, they spit seawater.
“They celebrate,” a matron whistled. “A predator is dead.”
Baltart surfaced in three-meter-deep water. His tentacles furled and unfurled repeatedly about him.
The males surrounded Baltart, whistling and spitting water.
“Males,” an old matron tweeted, who then returned to her work.
To Juno, it hadn’t sounded complimentary.
When the celebration died down, the males came ashore, but Baltart stayed in deep water.
“I take it you had a successful venture,” Juno called from the beach.
“It was a great challenge,” Baltart replied.
“Then I take it that you’re ready to return to Vokslem,” Juno reminded him.
For a few seconds, Baltart was quiet. Then he replied, “I will miss the Swei Swee and their waters. To be rejuvenated here has been a great pleasure, and I thank the commander, Kelley, and you for the opportunity. But you’re right. It’s time for me to join my race.”
Both of them eyed the tank. The water had grown stale and would need to be refreshed. The support equipment would need to be checked and recharged.
Suddenly, Juno came alert. “Baltart, come ashore as far as you can.” She directed.
The tone of Juno’s voice told Baltart to hurry, and he pulled his weight nearly out of the water.
“Black space,” Juno muttered, echoing some of the station’s crew members.
“What have you seen?” Baltart inquired, glancing behind him.
Juno waved her hands to negate Baltart’s fear of a predator. “It’s you,” she said. “You’ve experienced nearly a sixty percent increase in volume.”
“Uh-oh,” Baltart muttered. “Will I fit?”
“That depends on how you define fit,” Juno replied. She envisioned Baltart being stuffed into the tank with little room left for water.
“New plan,” Baltart suggested.
Juno eyed Baltart floating in the water, and she imagined the journey to Helgart and the trip to Vokslem. Connecting to the outpost, she sent a general request for help with an engineering project.
A half hour later, a group of SADEs and biological engineers landed in a traveler and trooped down the hill to join Juno.
The engineers regarded Baltart, who had backed into deeper water. As he was studied, he self-consciously burbled.
Then Juno shared with the engineers the imagery she’d taken of Baltart in shallow water and the length of the trip from Helgart to Vokslem. She waited while the engineers communed.
The biological engineers reversed course and worked their way back up the hill.
Meanwhile, each SADE gripped Juno’s shoulders, touched foreheads, and intoned,
It was another of those experiences that seemed to envelop Juno’s entire kernel.
16: Cremsylon’s Decisions
NAIAD, GELUS SYSTEM
HOME WORLD
Cremsylon dwelt on Julien’s message. The conclave fleet’s co-leader had replied to Cremsylon’s message requesting the return of the carriers to the sisters in Axis Crossing space.
Julien had sent,
To deliver the news and his decisions, Cremsylon chose to request a face-to-face meeting, which would facilitate the unimplanted humans, primarily the council.
The meeting took place aboard the Alexander, which helped Cremsylon establish his authority to the sisters. The Quadrant’s largest conference room was crowded.
Only one individual had failed to appear. Lisa and Samuel had asked Cremsylon to invite Captain Samis Hergis before the Axis-ship sailed, but the captain chose not to attend.
Councilor Claudia Hoffing had one request. She asked that the meeting be timed to end at midday meal. It seemed most of the councilors hoped to partake of the Quadrant’s fare.
“I’ve received Julien’s reply to the request to return the carriers,” Cremsylon began. When he saw frowns on the councilors’ faces, he realized they were uninformed.
Peña took Cremsylon’s terse message as a reminder that the council should be informed of all proposals affecting Naiad and the rim worlds. “Councilors, my apologies for not updating you about this request to Julien,” she said.
“Actually, it’s not Peña who should be apologizing,” Lisa interrupted. “I initiated a discussion with the Axis-ship captains many months ago. Due to my lengthy absence from human space, I hurried to catch up with present events. Seeing that Captain Hergis was in orbit, I took advantage of the opportunity to visit with him.”
“We appreciate that everyone is sincerely regretful about failing to inform us,” Claudia said, interrupting Lisa. “I think it would be more helpful to the council if we learned the history of this request to Julien.”
