Alex had laid out his idea and Andrea responded with, <So, Admiral, your plan depends on us trusting the Swei Swee and exposing ourselves to their silver ships. What if you’re wrong about what the Swei Swee will do? What if they turn on us?>
<The alternative is to not trust the Swei Swee,> Alex replied. <In which case, we destroy the silver ship we’ve captured, and we continue to lure other silver ships out to the peripheral, destroying them a few at a time and losing our fighters in the process. It’s my estimate that we don’t have enough Daggers to do the job. We’ll probably lose all of them if we stay the course, and I don’t think we’ll be the last ones standing.>
Sheila blanched at the thought of the loss of the entire squadron—pilots and Daggers—which would include her. She knew she would not abandon her people in the final fight. Lazlo and Ahmed glanced at her, guilt written on their faces at the thought of the pilots’ sacrifices if they were ordered into straight-up fights.
Alex let them digest the contrasting concepts for a moment. Quiet reigned while everyone considered the Admiral’s plan, the risks, and the conversations with the Swei Swee.
<So who wants to be the pilot of the Dagger that eliminates this silver ship when I release it?> Alex said, interrupting their contemplation. <As the Admiral of this flotilla, I assure you it will be one of you who will launch the missiles. I won’t allow it to be assigned to a Lieutenant.>
<I am new to these manners of operations, Admiral,> Captain Menlo said. He had yet to voice an opinion one way or the other. <Much depends on your assessment of the Swei Swee. They are an alien species, and it would seem to me that it would be easy to mistake their intent, especially with so little time in communication and at such an elementary level. What is it that you perceive about them that makes you so sure of what they will do?>
<At this time, it’s only intuition,> Alex replied.
<Oh,> Lazlo replied.
<Hoping for something more, Captain?>
<Your pardon, Admiral … but, yes, I was,> Lazlo replied.
<I understand, Captain. I’m asking you to risk your lives on my hunch that we can believe the Swei Swee, and they will commit to aiding us against the prison ship. At the very least, I’m expecting them to step aside and let us take on the prison ship alone. It’s my hope we can trap it before it accelerates out of our missile envelope. The alternative is unconscionable to me—we attempt to destroy every silver ship and, slowly but surely, lose every single fighter and its pilot.>
<Admiral, perhaps we can manage the risk this way,> Tatia sent. <We’ve used the gravity wells effectively so far. Let’s keep using them.> She linked into the holo-vid and moved the icons of the Rêveur and the Money Maker below the ecliptic and moved them under the system short of Libre. <We get close to Libre this way. We separate into three squadrons and try to trap the prison ship. The Outward Bound stays with the Rêveur to protect your ship and both of you stay below the ecliptic. If the silver ships betray us, the Money Maker will have time to move far below the ecliptic.>
<The issues with that plan, Commander,> Julien explained, <are that the prison ship is not limited to the ecliptic and we don’t know its armament. If it does have weapons, then with its greater acceleration, it would easily eliminate our primary ships and take its time winnowing our fighters, which would be trapped in the system with the chronometer counting down for their air reserves.>
<I’m also concerned about these “ringed dark travelers,”> Sheila interjected. <What are their capabilities? What velocity and acceleration can they generate? Are they armed? If so, what’s the extent of their armament? The closer we get to the Nua’ll, the more we expose ourselves to too many dangerous unknowns.>
<And now you’ve identified many of the problems, people,> Alex said. <Just how do you expect us to eliminate these unknowns? My plan is to test the Swei Swee first and let them prove themselves to us. We take a minimal risk for potentially great reward—allies against the prison ship.>
<Admiral,> Cordelia interjected, <aren’t we placing the Swei Swee in a predicament, making them choose between their freedom and the preservation of the hatchlings? What if the Swei Swee are depending on us to save the hatchlings as well as free them?> Her comments had the effect of bringing the entire discussion to an abrupt halt. In the ensuing silence, she added, <Apologies, Admiral, if I asked inappropriate questions.>
<Excellent questions, Cordelia, and well timed, I might add,> Alex replied. Cordelia’s questions often carried that sensitivity and emotional context he often missed in his calculations. <The best way to learn the answers to those questions is ask the Swei Swee, Cordelia.>
Alex considered how he might ask his last questions to gain the answers he needed to create a battle plan and simultaneously learn how the Swei Swee would react to the endangerment of their hatchlings. Take it one step at a time, Alex, he coached himself.
<Cordelia and Mutter, halt your translation routines,> Alex requested. <Cordelia and Julien, I need some complex vids with matching audio messages.>
Cordelia left her last icon in place on the projector when she stopped her routine, which unfortunately caused the Swei Swee a bit of consternation. They had given their response, but the image hadn’t changed as it had been doing for a long while. Julien, recognizing the agitated movements of the Swei Swee, turned off the laser projector.
<For the first vid,> Alex sent, <start with a bright yellow dot equal to a silver ship icon, then change the image to one of this system populated with yellow dots that mirror the present locations of the silver ships. Give them a moment to absorb the count. Follow that with an image of the Nua’ll ship. Place a yellow dot inside the prison ship, but fade it in and out until you interrupt the vid to repeat the entire process.>
That Cordelia was projecting her vid moments later with Julien augmenting the audio was the norm to Alex. Downshifting his thoughts and reactions to engage people had become an increasing challenge. Renée was the one person that required no effort on his part to re-engage. That she could see the shift in his demeanor and welcome it with her small, wry smile made him feel as if he was still good at being human.
When the vid began its second play, Mutter relayed the First’s whistle tones. <Admiral, the First is sending “Fifty-five,” but the tone has a new pitch or waver to it. I surmise it is the mark of a question. The First is questioning our count, which he believes is incorrect. Our vid shows real-time positions even though some of the silver ships are behind the system’s bodies.>
<Correct his count, Mutter,> Alex sent.
For the first time, Mutter was able to signal the Swei Swee directly, relaying the total count of silver ships in the system, visible and invisible.
Mickey had worked to refine the resolution on the resonance imager, which allowed the engineering team to clearly see the First rise up on his walking appendages, large claws and his true hands lifted up as if searching for something he had heard or seen. He loosed a sweet set of whistles, melodic, nearly hypnotic.
It was an enticing invitation to Mutter, which she accepted. She replied to the First with a set of her own tones that played and blended with the First’s melody. Immediately the First began singing, his hive joining in chorus. Mutter, dismissing her centuries of conditioning, joined first in the chorus, then began alternating the lead with the First, each one blending around the other.
Alex and the entire flotilla listened, mesmerized by the sound of alien music—for that was the only word to describe it—music. Perhaps it wasn’t music by human standards, but it was ethereal, uplifting—sounds that celebrated life. Alex felt loath to interrupt them, but when he sensed that his flotilla had received a good taste of the beauty of the species he was trying to save, he sent, <Mutter?>
On her next lead, Mutter slowed the tempo of her response and closed on a long, sweet whistle punctuated by a soft warble. The hive had lowered the volume of their chorus and then closed as Mutter ended. Finally, the hive blasted back with a cacophony of raucous whistles.
<I believe that is your applause, Mutter,> Alex sent.
Julien and Cordelia relayed to Mutter the sound and images of the flotilla’s crew clapping and cheering. Julien envisioned the impact his next compressed vid would make throughout the New Terran system.
When the Swei Swee’s celebration died down, Mutter sent the tones for “Star Hunter First.” The hive didn’t require their leader’s note to quiet them. Silence reigned immediately, and they began their coordinated bobbing again, but slower this time as if at half-speed.
<It appears your audience waits in anticipation, Your Highness,> Julien sent privately and received for his tease an image of his case going up in flames—crystals, circuits, and all. In reply, he sent a chuckle.
<People, did I miss something or did we not get an answer to the last question?> Alex said.
<My apologies, Admiral,> Mutter sent. <I failed to support your request.>
<On the contrary, Mutter, you supported my desires beautifully. You exquisitely demonstrated the point I have been trying to make that we have a unique, intelligent species deserving to be freed from their captors. I could think of no better way to demonstrate that than in the manner you have just done.> Alex gave her a moment to enjoy the compliment, then sent, <However, Cordelia, I still need my answer.>
While Cordelia played the vid again, Mutter sorted through her protocols, confirming, editing, or deleting until she felt like a new entity. Her ship duties still remained primary. The Admiral’s orders and even wishes would override many of her lesser protocols, but she placed her music and the opportunity to sing with the Swei Swee just below the protocols that responded to the Admiral and her Captain. It was a glorious feeling. After more than two centuries, she felt born again.
Following Cordelia’s vid, the engineering team heard the leader sing out. A hive member responded. Mutter translated on the fly, noting that they were discussing numbers. <I believe, Admiral,> she sent, <they are comparing their total count to the number we gave them. Except that they are not counting in dark traveler units. Apparently the term “group” or “hive” as we term the sound precedes each number. I surmise that a hive is a group that may occupy more than one dark traveler.>
Alex noticed that the entire team was starting to utilize Swei Swee terms, and a smile crossed his lips at the thought. He needed his people to adopt these creatures in their minds and hearts if they were going to support his efforts to liberate them. I only hope that I know what I’m doing, he thought.
<Admiral, the difference between their count and our count is eleven,> Mutter relayed. <I believe it’s the number of dark travelers still aboard the Nua’ll ship.>
<Cordelia, the next vid contains three parts,> Alex ordered. <Mutter, please handle the audio translations. You appear to have been made an honorary Swei Swee. First sequence, show our ships approaching the Nua’ll ship, the Swei Swee standing aside, and the Nua’ll fleeing the system. Next, show our ships approaching the Nua’ll ship, the Swei Swee standing aside, and the Nua’ll ship exploding. Third sequence, show our ships approaching the Nua’ll ship, the Swei Swee standing aside, and the eleven dark travelers in the Nua’ll ship loading the hatchlings, then exiting the ship.>
The Swei Swee responded by replaying the third sequence on their hull followed by the end of the first sequence and accompanied by the First’s whistles.
<Admiral,> Mutter sent, <you will notice in the replay of our third vid, only one dark traveler exits the world traveler. It is unclear whether this represents the percentage of recovery of the hatchlings or whether only one dark traveler will have time to escape before the world traveler flees the system.>
<Mutter, send “Swei Swee plus Star Hunters search the endless sea … affirmative … negative,”> Alex requested.
The silver ship’s aft end produced a display of the solar system. A circle indicated the orbit of the outer planet. It was replaced with an image of the Rêveur sitting at ninety degrees to the star. The icon of the Swei Swee fighter blinked on and off. It lay in the shadow of the Rêveur. Then the ships were reduced to a dot in the display of the solar system, and a dotted line was extended from the ship’s position to cross the circle indicating the last planet’s orbit. Mutter’s translation of the First was “Hive First sings Swei Swee First.”
<Admiral,> Julien interjected, <it would appear the Swei Swee need more power to communicate and must move closer to the gravitational waves of the system to obtain it. I would surmise our beams are insufficient for their systems’ full operation. It might be prudent to move them.>
Cordelia added a final note. <Admiral, a detail of their display is important. The Swei Swee are drawing attention to their ship that is in the lee of our ship. I believe they want to communicate to the other dark travelers but not be seen by the Nua’ll.>
<Mutter, send “Affirmative,”> Alex requested. <Julien and Mutter, proceed to the closest position satisfying the Swei Swee’s needs, and ensure our silver ship is kept well hidden from the Nua’ll.>
* * *
Alex broke the engineering team for food, which Renée and the Méridiens delivered again. Then he dismissed his people so they could get some much needed sleep. No one needed encouragement. After quickly stuffing their faces, they shuffled off to their cabins, but their spirits were buoyed along the way. The crew had turned out for them—clapping them on the back, saluting, or bestowing honor … congratulating them in any manner they felt appropriate.
A momentous event had occurred and it was being recognized. As far as this corner of the galaxy knew, this was the first time that humans had communicated with aliens. And despite the egregious beginning, a peaceful dialog with an adversary had been established.
Renée waited while Alex took a quick refresher and wrapped himself in his robe. When he headed to his desk, she intercepted him and guided him to the cabin’s lounge. She sat him down and took up her favorite position, curled up in his lap. Within a few moments, she felt Alex relax and his breathing deepen. Soon he was fast asleep. Renée waited until he had a couple of hours of sleep before she gently woke him and pulled on his arm until he followed her to bed. She slipped off his robe and guided him under the covers, dropping her own robe and cradling against his side. Alex fell back to sleep in moments.
<Thank you, Julien. I will tend to the Admiral,> Renée replied and eased up on one arm to lean over Alex. She kissed him gently on the cheek, chin, and neck, continuing to press her lips softly and lightly against his skin. As Alex groaned, the rumblings of his chest vibrated through her breasts, and she continued to kiss him.
<Well, if I have to be woken, I can think of no better way to have it done,> Alex sent, opening his eyes and kissing Renée in return. It started as a quick kiss but turned into a deep, intense, and intimate expression of two people who longed to be far away from danger … somewhere safe, together.
“We are at your prescribed location, Alex,” Renée said, “and we’ve attracted attention. There is no need to hurry, yet.”
“Ah,” Alex replied as he climbed out of bed and headed for the refresher. <Julien, are the Swei Swee singing?>
<They have begun to sing, Admiral. After we arrived on position, we detected a cumulative buildup of energy within our dark traveler. It was as surmised. We were under-powering their ship with our beams.>
<I believe that was your hypothesis, Julien.>
<Yes, Admiral, but it appeared presumptuous to claim credit.>
<Ah, then let me say it was very astute of you to deduce their precarious condition,> Alex replied. His compliment was repaid with the image of Julien’s alter ego, the Sleuth.
Alex quickly dressed in the sleeping quarters and would have headed for the Engineering Suite, but Pia, Ter
ese, and Geneviève were busy setting the salon table with a large expanse of food. When they finished arranging the plates, mugs, and pitchers, they stepped back and delivered a polite bow. Terese and Geneviève left without a word, unusual in itself.
Pia walked up to Alex and wrapped him in a hug. She whispered in his ear, “Whatever happens to us, know that the people are proud of you, my explorer Captain.” When she stepped back, she touched his face tenderly with her fingertips, and left quickly as tears threatened to spill.
Alex stood there, a little stunned, staring at the cabin door.
Renée walked around to face Alex and laughed at his perplexed expression. “You, my Admiral, see a problem to solve, unraveling its parts, discovering its inner workings, and reassembling it to suit you. It doesn’t matter whether it’s making the Rêveur travel faster or freeing an alien species. To you, it’s a task to solve, but your people recognize the scope of what you achieve. Now if you are done being overwhelmed by their devotion, I need you to eat. You can’t continue to impress your people if you don’t have sufficient energy.”
On that point, Alex made Renée very happy. While she consumed her normal meal, Alex claimed everything left on the table. With the last half of a roll, Alex sopped up the juices in a serving dish and popped the entire thing into his mouth, chewing happily. He cleared his mouth with the last gulp of hot thé.
Renée stood up, leaned over him, and kissed his forehead. “Now you can go visit your new friends and conceive of a brilliant plan that liberates them and preferably leaves all of us relatively unscathed.” Rather than the quick exit she had expected, Alex stood up from the table and took both of her hands. She was smiling but it faded when she saw Alex wrestling with something important to say. Finally, he offered her a sad, lopsided smile.