Vortex incursion, p.21
Vortex Incursion, page 21
“Gemma, place yourself one pace away from the front of Samuel’s avatar,” Miranda directed. “Do nothing until he recognizes you.”
Escher thought he would have been the first to greet Samuel. However, Miranda had indicated that it should be one of his charges, and Escher had deferred to the SADE.
Miranda dropped the link and signaled her audience with an upraised hand to wait. She monitored the avatar, searching for signs of activity.
Ceda was poised behind the avatar. She kept her eyes on Miranda and was ready to sweep the cloth from the head.
Miranda expected the transfer and Samuel’s organization of the kernel to take time. He had originated as a SADE, and the kernel’s base operations would have to be structured.
When the avatar’s fingers twitched, Miranda nodded, and Ceda uncovered the head.
Gemma watched the frozen face slowly animate. The eyes were first followed by the mouth and then the entire face.
Samuel smiled at Gemma. “I haven’t the words to thank you,” he said.
Before Samuel could utter anything else, Gemma rushed to hug him. “Welcome to our reality, Samuel,” she said, and another SADE was intimately introduced to the world of biologicals.
After a kiss on the cheek, Gemma stepped back, and Simona rushed to take her place. Brendan was a little more reserved, but he still gave Samuel a hug.
Seconds ticked past while Oscar regarded Samuel, and the audience waited.
“A hug isn’t necessary, Oscar,” Samuel said. “Would a handshake suffice?”
“I could do that,” Oscar allowed. He stepped forward and shook Samuel’s extended hand.
When SADE and human separated, the Alexander’s humans mobbed Samuel. He was hugged, patted on the back, and kissed. All the while, Samuel beamed.
Samuel sent privately to Miranda.
Singling out the individual in the middle of the congratulatory mêlée, Samuel sent to Miranda,
Samuel thought about those circumstances, and he sent,
The greetings had subsided, and Samuel received a small app, which Miranda activated for him.
In response, the Johann suit, Thoth, rose and dutifully encased Samuel. Before he signaled his mask-helmet closed, he approached the partners and held out his hands.
Brendan, Gemma, Oscar, and Simona gripped them.
“No matter how long I exist, you will reside in my favored memories,” Samuel said. “If you ever need me, find a way to call me, and I’ll come.”
Tears spilled from Simona’s and Gemma’s eyes. Brendan snuffled, and Oscar was too choked to utter a sound.
Samuel dropped his mask-helmet in place. Then he created a chorus of the partners and sang one of Gemma’s favorite songs, as Miranda and the suited figures left the TM offices.
On the way to the traveler, Samuel carefully tested his avatar and the suit. Their capabilities exceeded his expectations.
Escher linked the group.
Escher remarked.
When the laughter ended, Samuel sent a small table to the others. Each row contained the name of the mining company and the average profit margin for each decade during the past century.
After boarding the traveler, the group returned to the Nyslara. It was late in the evening, but the SADEs and the sisters greeted Samuel and welcomed him to the fleet.
Samuel sent to Escher.
In turn, Escher shared them with everyone.
On the next occasion in which Miranda made the Quadrant’s bridge, the third watch hastily stood up and sketched various bows. “Oh, magnificent one,” they chimed.
“It’s good you remember your places,” Miranda quipped, without missing a beat.
Afterward, many biologicals enjoyed perusing the comtech sites for more displays of their comrades, and Samuel was a resource for their searches.
In the morning, Miranda, Lisa, and Samuel boarded a traveler for the trip planetside.
Lisa had immediately identified Samuel as a SADE. Although, she’d never seen him before now. The SADEs were silent for the trip planetside, and she assumed they were visiting the domes for some other purpose. However, that idea soon became moot.
When Lisa made the transport station underneath the shuttleport, the SADEs stood behind her. Her slate cued her to board, and the SADEs followed her.
“What’s on your agenda today, Miranda?” Lisa asked.
“We’ve a meeting with Councilor Hoffing this morning,” Miranda replied.
Lisa looked from Miranda to the unknown SADE and back. “I take it this SADE is to be my companion,” she said.
“You may call me Samuel.”
“You don’t look like any other SADE,” Lisa pointed out. “In fact, you look like a Naiad.”
“Thank you for noticing that,” Samuel replied. “Special attention was paid to this avatar to blend with the local population. It was thought to be more appropriate.”
Lisa eyed Miranda. “You could have introduced us earlier,” she said.
“You mistakenly believe we owe you something, Lisa,” Miranda replied. “At this point, we’ve yet to come to a decision about your freedom.”
Lisa glanced at Samuel, who delivered a smile that didn’t reach his eyes, and it struck Lisa that she would always have a leash.
At Claudia’s apartment, Lisa addressed the councilor via the lobby’s panel. Allowed entry, the trio made their way to the uppermost floor.
When Claudia checked the panel’s vid, she was surprised to see a new SADE and the broad chest that could only belong to Miranda. Quickly, she signaled her apartment door open.
This is going to be interesting, Claudia thought. She’d expected Lisa’s return to Naiad but believed she’d be delivered into the hands of Naiad security. When she received a request from Lisa to meet privately, she thought it was a stall tactic. Now she wasn’t so sure.
“Welcome, Miranda,” Claudia said with a generous smile, when the SADE stepped through the door. “Lisa,” she added, as if in an afterthought. Then the smile returned for the newcomer.
“Greetings, Councilor Claudia Hoffing. Allow me to introduce myself. I’m Samuel.”
Claudia hesitated for a split second. Then she extended her hand and replied, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Samuel.”
After Claudia, Lisa, and Samuel were seated, Miranda, who stood beside Samuel, allowed Lisa to present her plan.
“Interesting concept,” Claudia offered when Lisa finished, “but I find the idea impractical.”
“There are challenges to make it work,” Samuel said, “but we believe we can offer solutions to those challenges.”
This was the part that Claudia was hoping to hear.
“You might be concerned about the projects’ credits, labor, and guidance,” Samuel said. “Above Naiad is the Emergence. Aboard are two hundred sisters in search of opportunities to help Naiad, and we are hopeful that more Thartath sisters will soon arrive.”
“Labor,” Claudia enumerated, holding up a single digit.
“Recently, we’ve run some calculations on the mining planets output,” Samuel continued. “I’ve data that indicates considerable funds have been accrued by these companies.”
“How much time does your data cover?” Claudia asked.
“The past century,” Samuel replied.
Lisa’s mouth fell open for the briefest of time and swiftly snapped shut.
Claudia was tempted to smile or wink at Samuel. It seemed to be no coincidence that a SADE appeared with the same name as the voice she’d spoken with for weeks. Instead, she offered a wry smile, as if his response had intrigued her, and she watched one finger on his hand twitch in reply. At that moment, she truly wished she had an implant.
“What do you surmise about the rim planets’ profits?” Claudia inquired.
“We’re unable to say where the mining companies store their credits, locally or on Naiad,” Miranda replied, “but here are our calculations.” The SADE’s palm holo-vid lit, and she displayed the spreadsheet that Samuel had built.
Instantly, Samuel checked his avatar. He was pleased to discover that he had the same capability. During the evening, his time had been spent engaged in conversations, and he’d not devoted much time to exploring his avatar.
Claudia was familiar with holo-vid display manipulation. When she leaned forward, Miranda stepped close to her, and Claudia used a finger to slide the spreadsheet around and study the figures. She nearly imitated Stacey by asking if the SADEs’ data might be in error.
Instead, Claudia rolled the display to the Pure Pour column.
Miranda intuited the council’s intention and shifted the display to focus on that particular column.
Turning to Lisa, Claudia inquired. “As the ex-chairperson of Naiad, would you agree with these figures?”
“Many of these dates are well before my time,” Lisa replied.
“Typical chairperson response,” Claudia said. “I think we’re done here. Miranda, you’re familiar with Naiad security headquarters. Would you mind escorting Citizen Dyehouse there?”
“That would be an absolute pleasure,” Miranda replied, flashing a brilliant smile at Lisa.
Lisa wanted to declare that turning her over to security would be a waste of her talents, but she recognized that the personalities arrayed against her had her cornered. She ducked her head. When she lifted her eyes to Claudia, she said, “I can’t speak for the other companies. Nor can I acknowledge the decades prior to my becoming Pure Pour’s chairperson. However, I can say that the last two decades’ figures are fairly accurate.”
“Made in a large part on the backs of clones,” Miranda added, echoing Ceda’s sentiments.
Claudia leaned into her chair. As she shook her head in disbelief, her eyes were sad. Then she focused on her job as councilor. “The credits are there,” she said, holding up two fingers to Samuel. “But I don’t expect them to be contributed to the projects that have been mentioned.”
“That’s my job,” Lisa quickly inserted. “You can’t ask the chairpersons or the boards to simply hand over the credits to Naiad. You have to give them something of equal value.”
Claudia considered what Lisa said, and she had to admit that she’d never truly understood the chairpersons’ motivations. She never could wrap her head around the concept that humans would strive to acquire credits at the expense of everyone around them.
“You can’t garner any of X-Ore’s credits,” Claudia pointed out, “and they appeared to be a hefty percentage of funds on the list.”
“That’ll be our job,” Samuel said, indicating Miranda and him with a finger. “Beta Two will contribute, and Beta One will take some convincing.”
Miranda added, “When Miriamal hears what lies beyond a pair of this region’s anomalies, she may feel differently about isolating her sisters.”
“That’s two of the three solutions,” Claudia reminded Samuel.
“He’s number three,” Lisa said, pointing at Samuel.
“Guidance?” Claudia queried, frowning.
“I’ve agreed to have a constant companion,” Lisa said disappointedly.
Claudia couldn’t help but laugh at the broad smile that Samuel delivered. “Oh, that’s absolutely priceless,” she declared.
“Glad you think so,” Lisa complained.
“Lisa, you do realize that the council will have to agree to your position of ... of ...” Claudia stammered, trying to think of an appropriate name.
“Emissary,” Lisa volunteered.
Claudia shrugged. “As good a term as any,” she said.
“Will you recommend my solution to the council?” Lisa asked hopefully.
“If the council approves, it would be on a probationary status,” Claudia replied.
“For how long?” Lisa inquired.
“The council will set the service length. However, if you quit the position before the term ends, or Samuel tells us that you’ve violated his directives, then you’ll be handed to Naiad security to finish your term,” Claudia replied sharply.
Lisa was stunned by the conditions, but there was no other choice. She detested and feared the possibility of living in a small cell. Her life had been about privilege. Having others dictate every moment of her day would fuel her rage and lead to a mental meltdown.
Three days later, Lisa, Samuel, and Miranda appeared before the council.
Miranda delivered a report about the ovoid and the sphere.
While the councilors paid rapt attention to the vids of the massive structures, they were terrified that they existed.
“Do you think the ovoid will return?” James Soisson asked.
“Assuredly,” Miranda replied. “Although, I calculate that it will be accompanied by other ships.”
“You’ll hear about one of the projects that we intend to fulfill to warn us of their approach,” Samuel added.
When Miranda finished, Lisa laid out her proposal. It wasn’t until Samuel repeated his refrain of credits, labor, and guidance that the councilors saw the possibility of the projects being realized.
“What would be the first operation?” David Yewall inquired.
“Naiad requires a pair of quantum-coupled comm stations on either end of the ovoid-sphere anomaly,” Samuel said. “In addition, a probe must be stationed on the far side to send us signals when the ovoid and its companion ships return.”
“The outpost will provide the probe,” Miranda added.
“The two hundred Thartath sisters will manage construction of the stations,” Samuel explained.
“And I’ll see to it that the mining companies pay for the outlay,” Lisa finished.
The council gave Lisa a fifteen-year sentence. It was much less than she thought she might have faced. Nonetheless, she wasn’t pleased to have the judgment filed with Naiad security. Officially, she was now a criminal and had a record.
17: Inquisitor
IMPERIUM, PALTUR SYSTEM
AND HELGART
At the appointed time, the Imperium’s governor, who had replaced Kreus, contacted Tarbar, an inquisitor.
When the connection was established, the governor placed the inquisitor in the service queue.
The Imperium Empire consisted of thirty-five realms. Each realm was ruled by an executor, who was appointed for life and headed an organization that controlled the suborned races within the assigned territory.
Without oversight or fear of being replaced, each executor amassed the kind of wealth that could feed a densely populated planet for decades.
When the Imperium executors concluded their discussion on the present issue, the governor announced,
“Inform us,” the presiding executor requested, and the governor updated the body on the latest events. At the time of this presentation, the probe had returned through the vortex without the elder Tritiums aboard.
“Who commands the fleet?” an executor inquired.
“Competent,” another executor commented.
“Summarize the situation,” the presiding executor requested.
That the Imperium’s domain was spread over a vast dominion meant that the executors often reviewed a hundred tumultuous events in a single cycle’s meeting. The governor would outline the unrest and the actions taken. The unwieldy spread of the empire meant the executors frequently failed to take timely actions regarding changing circumstances.
