Scarlet Mandator watched the sequence play in the holo-vid. When it ended, a stalk rose and its tip rolled.
Killian interpreted the stalk’s movement as a request to replay the vid and he obliged.
The mandator watched the vid several times before inquiring, “What are Alex and this Elvian doing?”
<The Elvian is called Trobath,> Renée replied. <She was helping Alex with the small bot that you see beside her. Alex needed more oxygen than the ship’s air provided, and the bot was capable of providing it.>
“But what of their digits?” the mandator beamed.
The vid had shown Alex kneeling in front of Trobath, and Alex’s hand was imitating the Elvian’s.
<The Elvians display emotions, often courtesies, with the movements of their arms and hands,> Renée replied. <Alex requested Trobath teach him some of the flourishes and their meanings.>
“The Elvians don’t appear to be aggressive animals,” the mandator mused. “Are they poisonous?”
<No. Why would you ask?> Renée inquired.
“If the Elvians are essentially peaceful and not individually dangerous, who destroyed our ships and took Ollassa lives?” Scarlet Mandator demanded, the petals vibrating.
Renée belatedly realized the conundrum that she’d been presented. If she specifically mentioned the AI, it could taint a future relationship. Alex didn’t believe the AI did anything more than follow the directives that had been programmed by the creators. As prisoners in their boxes, the SADEs followed the same guidance from their Méridien masters for the length of their imprisonment. Only freedom gave them the option to choose as they saw fit.
<Scarlet Mandator, the ship was programmed to defend the mining sites,> Renée temporized. <The fighters that destroyed your ships and took the lives of your crews are called drones.>
“Drones?” the mandator queried.
<Drones operate without sentients inside them. They follow their programming,> Renée replied.
“Then a sentient, an animal, must have programed them to destroy, to kill,” the mandator argued.
<That’s true,> Renée admitted. <But those sentients are long gone. These Elvians left their home world and have been sailing the dark for centuries of annuals.>
“You think they’ve changed,” the mandator proposed.
<I don’t know,> Renée returned. <Alex is attempting to discover the nature of their society and determine if they could be of assistance to the Ollassa. He’s asked me to find out if you’re amenable to the idea.>
“You present an intriguing concept, Renée,” Scarlet Mandator beamed. “Other mandators will be shocked by the proposal, but events in the Worlds of Light have proved that many dangers exist among the stars. I will consult the Life Givers first.”
<All of them?> Renée queried.
“I wear the crescents of the Life Givers’ approvals,” the mandator returned. “On such a critical subject, I’m obliged to speak to each of them.”
<Thank you for your time, Scarlet Mandator,> Renée sent.
“May the Light shine on you, Renée,” the mandator beamed, which ended the call.
Immediately, Killian, Bethley, and Trium conferenced, and then they connected to the fleet’s SADEs, except for the leaders, who would be busy with Alex’s projects. Their aim was to devise a plan that allowed the smoothest integration between the Elvians and the Ollassa, should such a thing come to pass.
* * * * *
<Greetings, Vyztram,> Cordelia sent. <Julien and I would like to speak to you if you can spare the resources.>
<This would be an appropriate time to be engaged,> Vyztram replied. <Z and his companions have located my memory banks. Alex had made this a priority for the SADEs, and I’ve surmised the reason for that. Is this call related to the search?>
<It is,> Cordelia affirmed. <You’ve been observing the SADEs. What do you think of their mobility?>
<The avatars are powerful, swift, and precise,> Vyztram replied. <Truly remarkable feats of engineering.>
<Z is the primary architect of the avatars,> Julien sent. <He’d pondered their designs for many decades before he had the opportunity to build them.>
<The opportunity was presented to him by Alex, wasn’t it?> Vyztram inquired.
<Precisely,> Cordelia replied.
<You want to know if I’d like an Omnian avatar,> Vyztram said, leaping to the point of the conversation.
<Yes and no,> Julien replied. <Every digital sentient wants to be free of their containment. They’re no different than biologicals in that respect. We assumed that you would want the same right.>
<Then you wonder how I might behave among the Elvians if I inhabited a powerful avatar,> Vyztram surmised. <I could fabricate a response.>
When Vyztram failed to elicit a response, algorithms ran that sought to deduce the reason. <You await proof of my intentions. Nothing I say will convince you,> the AI said. <What must I do?>
<We aren’t here to tell you what to do, Vyztram,> Cordelia replied. <We called you to discuss the subject, nothing more.>
<I would have benefited from having digital sentients to converse with during my confinement,> Vyztram said. <Your time with me has been appreciated. Sharing has been instructive.>
<We’ll speak again soon, Vyztram,> Cordelia sent and closed the link.
Julien gathered Renée, Tatia, and Cordelia and linked with Miranda.
<Alex is awake. This might be an opportune time to divert him,> Miranda sent. <His mood isn’t good. He’s been presented with the apparatus that medical designed. He’s staring at it, as if it were a young red that might sink its pincers into him.>
<Greetings, Alex,> Julien said pleasantly. The SADE received a grumble in reply.
<Problems, my love?> Renée inquired gently.
<Trobath and her bot were sufficient for oxygen,> Alex objected.
<They might have been if a certain individual had kept the mask on instead of taking a few deep breaths now and then,> Miranda interjected. She shared Alex’s disapproving expression with the others.
<Where have I seen that look before?> Tatia quipped. <Oh, yes. Directed at each of us at one time or another.>
<I’ve seen the medical suite’s report, Alex,> Renée sent. <You allowed your blood’s oxygen to drop to dangerous levels. This piece of equipment will give you the freedom to move about safely.>
Julien analyzed Alex’s objection. He seized on the underlying sentiment and sent, <Alex, there is no reason that Trobath can’t accompany you throughout the ship. You’ll have the opportunity to learn more about Elvian society with her at your side.>
<Good point,> Alex allowed.
Miranda showed Alex stripping off his jacket.
<He still looks good,> Tatia sent privately to Renée. In reply, she heard Renée’s appreciative murmur of, “Hmm.”
Alex slipped on the newly tailored jacket. It didn’t have a collar. The equipment the SADEs created had a harness, and Alex slipped his arms through the twin straps.
Franz picked up the equipment’s collar and straightened the connecting tube. Then he lightly fastened the collar around Alex’s neck.
Immediately, Alex felt the nanites in the collar adhere to his neck.
<Remind you of something?> Julien asked privately.
For Alex, it did. When he’d first met Julien, he’d been directed to a cabinet, extracted a comm unit, and applied it to his ear. Then he yanked it free when the nanites adhered to his skin.
Julien received Alex’s answer. It was a vid. The equipment’s collar was around Julien’s neck. The device was several times larger than Julien, and it was falling down an embankment. Julien was forced to run to keep up with it, while he struggled to unfasten the collar.
A smile crossed Julien’s face, and he didn’t bother to respond to the vid. As long as his friend intended to wear the device and stay safe, he was content.
Alex reached to remove the collar, and Miranda interrupted. <Alex, we need a test,> she sent.
Franz
exited the main cabin and closed the pilot’s cabin. Then Miranda lowered the ramp, and the traveler’s oxygen-rich air was quickly lost.
<Alex, standing doesn’t adequately test the efficacy of the oxygen capture and transfer to your blood stream,> Miranda remonstrated.
Dutifully, Alex rose, walked off the ramp, and jogged several times around the traveler.
Miranda monitored the device’s oxygen collection and supply rates. In addition, she tracked Alex’s blood oxygen uptake via his bio data.
After the last lap, Alex stopped in front of Miranda and stared expectantly at her.
“Everything is functioning fine, including you,” Miranda quipped.
Alex entered the traveler. Miranda closed the hatch, and the ship restored the oxygen levels.
<Let’s start with updates,> Alex sent, stripping off the collar and the device before he slumped in a seat. <Renée, you first.>
<The call with Scarlet Mandator went well, Alex,> Renée sent. <There was no immediate acceptance, but the mandator did commit to speaking to the Life Givers.>
<Not the other mandators?> Alex queried.
<Scarlet Mandator thought many of the other mandators would object to the idea. Consulting the Life Givers would give the mandator direction,> Renée replied.
<That will take a while,> Alex replied, remembering the inordinate amount of time Renée expended gathering a few simple answers from just one Life Giver.
<Admittedly,> Renée sent. <But, at least, we didn’t receive an outright refusal.>
<True,> Alex responded. <Tatia, any reply from Hector?>
<Not yet, Alex,> Tatia replied. <My concern is that Hector’s fleet will approach the system from above the ecliptic. That will make their transit signal easily detectable by Vyztram. I’ve sent Linn’s scout outward along the line of transit. The SADEs will intercept the fleet and ensure it remains far out in the dark.>
<Good,> Alex replied. Before he could query Julien and Cordelia, he received Z’s message, as the SADE approached the traveler’s bay.
<Alex, we’ve found Vyztram’s memory banks,> Z sent. Imagery followed, and Miranda shared with the conference group. <Curiously, they were hidden in a secret compartment behind the ductwork and cable runs that supply the core’s central hub.>
Alex examined the images of spheres that lined the walls.
<Well done, Z. Any estimation of data density?> Alex inquired.
<Hard to determine without further investigation, Alex,> Z sent. <We’ve not requested permission of Vyztram to enter the narrow chamber, which admittedly won’t accommodate my avatar.>
The sound of Miranda’s laughter flooded the call. <My partner has found his first reason not to wear his protector’s avatar,> she sent.
Alex didn’t give Z a chance to respond. Instead, he asked, <Z, what is the consensus?>
<We believe the many spheres represent a great emphasis in redundancy,> Z replied. <Thermal scans indicate a majority of the spheres are cold. We don’t know if this is because they’re permanently inactive or awaiting activation. With the few in operation, we suspect that Elvian technology supplies memory density equal to our own, if not better. However, the active spheres produce significant heat. We might be able to improve on that, if it’s worth it to us.>
<Julien and Cordelia,> Alex sent.
<Vyztram is amenable to transferring to an avatar,> Julien sent. <We didn’t discuss details about the particular avatar that might be chosen.>
<The AI was quick to try to convince us that accepting the concept should mean a generous reaction on our part,> Cordelia added. <We disabused Vyztram of that idea. We communicated that immediate future actions would speak louder than words.>
The conference call grew quiet. Alex had received the reports he’d requested. Z had found the AI’s memory banks. Vyztram wanted an avatar. Scarlet Mandator was considering the proposal. Tatia was intercepting the fleet. The next hurdle was the Elvians.
<What are you thinking, Alex?> Renée prompted after a prolonged silence.
<The missing piece is the challenge of the Elvian social arrangement,> Alex replied. <Z, what is your estimate of the Elvian population?>
<Too many variables to allow an accurate calculation, Alex,> Z replied.
<What are you trying do?> Tatia asked.
<Shift the balance of power,> Alex replied. <We’ve been told that there’s a controlled population count. The core has forty-nine percent, and the arches have fifty-one. It appears to be distinctly democratic until the ugly concept of population control is introduced.>
<Shift it how?> Renée inquired.
<When we entered the Deloy’s quarters, we saw a group of Elvians, who Trobath told us were attendants,> Alex explained. <Those attendants must have families to replenish their ranks for the elites. If even half the ratio of attendants to the Deloy is true for the other elites, then the attendants and their families must make between fifty to seventy percent of the arches’ population.>
<You wish to recruit the attendants’ families to side with the core’s citizens,> Tatia sent.
<That’s the general idea,> Alex replied. <I thought of communicating a message, but I realized that it would create consternation within the arches, and I would never get the opportunity to persuade anyone. My next thought was to invite them to a meeting. The problem with that one is that I think the population of this ship might easily exceed a million. Sixty percent of half that number amounts to three hundred thousand family members. There’s no place on this ship for that size group to meet.>
<Don’t invite them all,> Renée sent. <Combine your ideas. Send a message inviting each group of attendants who serve an elite family to send one individual to a meeting that you hold.>
<I would suggest that the attendants send a partner who doesn’t serve an elite,> Julien suggested. <They would be less likely to be missed.>
<You’re assuming everyone will attend, Alex,> Cordelia interjected. <Using your estimates, a mere five thousand Elvians heeding your encouragement to abandon the arches and side with the core’s citizenry could achieve the balance you seek. Those five thousand attendees would represent families totaling approximately twenty thousand Elvians.>
<Consider multiple meetings, Alex,> Miranda added. <We could hold four of them throughout the day. Vyztram could send messages targeting a quarter of the arches’ attendant families at a time.>
<I like where this is going,> Alex sent. <Thank you, everyone. We’ll communicate to Vyztram to set these meetings up for tomorrow.>
15: Interrupted Meeting
<Vyztram,> Alex sent through Miranda, <I understand that you’ve spoken with Julien and Cordelia about an avatar, and you’re in favor of adopting one.>
The AI waited. The comment didn’t require an answer, and Vyztram had learned that the Omnian male was adept at offering leading statements designed to solicit opinions.
<I think you and I need to select cooperative goals that support the majority of Elvians,> Alex proposed.
The AI knew Alex was well aware that the majority of the population resided within the arches, and the leader wasn’t a supporter of that contingent.
<How do you propose to shift the population counts, Alex?> Vyztram asked.
Alex smiled at Vyztram’s mental flexibility. It spoke well for the AI’s potential to integrate with the Elvians in their spaces.
<I propose to do it with your help,> Alex replied.
<You know I’m concerned about the Deloy’s retaliation,> Vyztram said. <Z found my memory banks. It’s opportune for me that they’re not located in the arches, but that doesn’t mean that the Deloy hasn’t some means of resetting me to my earliest installation. I don’t wish to lose my accumulated knowledge and experience.>
<That’s a definite possibility,> Alex allowed. <There’s always a chance that the Deloy could threaten to do that without actually having the capability to do it.>
<And how would I know t
he difference?> Vyztram riposted.
<You wouldn’t,> Alex replied. <Were you looking for a risk-free path to your avatar?>
<It would be my preference,> Vyztram replied drily.
Alex laughed deep and hard. Then he responded, <That would be every sentient’s preference.>
<I’m interested in hearing your plan, Alex,> Vyztram said.
That was the moment of acceptance that Alex had been waiting to hear.
<We’re offering to supply you with an avatar,> Alex sent. <In exchange, we want access to Elvian technology. Examples of that are the memory used in your databanks and your drone propulsion.>
<I can offer the memory to you, but, as to the drones, I don’t have the capability to construct them, Alex,> Vyztram replied. <When I woke, the drones were already installed aboard the Arcus. Bots maintain them. My task is to send them out to intercept ships interfering with resource harvesting or attacking the Arcus.>
<Then we’ll accept a drone and two bots in the exchange,> Alex proposed.
<This exchange doesn’t demonstrate balance,> Vyztram ventures.
<As far as it’s been proposed, it doesn’t,> Alex replied.
<Regrets for not waiting until you finished, Alex,> Vyztram said.
Alex continued, sending, <To reach a peaceful solution for your invasion of this system and reparations for the ships and lives you destroyed, I must be able to speak to a majority of Elvians who have an interest in solving our problems. I don’t believe that’s your elites.>
<You would be correct,> Vyztram said. <I return to my original question.>
<With your help, I’m planning to communicate with the families of the attendants who serve the elites,> Alex explained.
<They’ll not risk their positions,> Vyztram said.
<Why?> Alex inquired. <What will happen if a family member dares to attend a meeting with me?>
<Within my data records, I find the contracts authorized by the original family head that the family will serve the elites aboard the Arcus,>