“Engineers can provide pretty visuals for you, Alex,” Miranda had supplied sweetly. “You won’t even have to get sweaty.”
Alex’s response had been a low growl, and Miranda politely refrained from laughing.
“The Deloy no longer leads the Elvians,” Alex said, “We’ve an offer from the new leader, Dafine, to assist with repairs. Z, Othello, I presume you visited the foundry area at one time.”
“I did, Alex,” Othello replied. “It’s a vast area of the lower decks. Easy access to the bays where the harvest transports land.”
“Z, Othello, gather SADEs, samples, and the designs you require for infrastructure ... girders, bulkheads, and hull plates ... and make a visit to the Arcus,” Alex directed. “See if this offer is viable.”
Alex turned toward Tatia, but the admiral held up a finger.
“She’s in contact with Hector,” Franz explained. “His fleet has made a transit here. The scouts kept him updated on events.”
Alex nodded, and said, “Let’s get to the bridge, where I can better view the engineers’ pretty pictures.” He eyed Miranda, as he ended his remark, and she returned a winning smile.
Renée laid a comforting hand on Miranda’s arm, as Alex turned and headed for a lift.
Engineers had donned environment suits and boarded a cargo traveler. The pilot exited a bay on the ship’s far side, circled the ship, and took up station with the ramp pointed toward the missing section. The ramp was dropped, and engineers focused imaging devices on the damage.
“At least, the damage was clean,” Reiko commented, eyeing the bridge holo-vid display. “We’ll have to make cuts to produce square ends to girders, bulkheads, and hull plates, but we won’t have to remove a huge amount of damaged material.”
The audience waited while the engineers carefully scanned the ruined face of the city-ship. When they were finished, Alex regarded Julien and Cordelia.
Julien held up a finger to indicate the SADEs were working.
“We have the list of materials that we need, Alex, to reconstruct the infrastructure,” Cordelia said. “Details of interior materials will be forthcoming. We await Z and Othello’s investigation of the Arcus foundry services.”
“Let’s get everyone fed, allocated new cabins, and settled,” Alex said.
“Cordelia, as we relocate personnel, we’ll need to provide supplies to individuals who need them,” Renée added. “If we don’t have those supplies aboard, then we’ll need to check freighter inventories.”
27: Reconstruction
Z, Othello, and several other SADEs with engineering backgrounds landed aboard the Arcus. Vyztram had directed the traveler to a transport bay.
The SADEs exited the traveler into a cavernous bay. Two transports had recently landed and were being unloaded by conveyors. They scanned the area. There wasn’t an Elvian in sight.
<Entirely automated,> Othello commented to the other SADEs.
<Vyztram, please direct us,> Z sent.
The SADEs were guided to a central console. The panels were under a protective covering, and the AI sent the method of opening the cover and activating the console.
<These panels are used by engineering to control and program the foundry processes,> Vyztram said. <My records indicate that the last time the Arcus needed the machines you desire was sixty-eight Elvian annuals ago. The ship encountered an asteroid storm. Drones were consumed clearing our way, but impacts with iron asteroids did occur, necessitating repairs to the hull.>
Vyztram walked the SADEs through the panel operations and the foundry services they would require. Perhaps, walk was the wrong term. The communications were between sentient artificial intelligences. Within minutes, the exhaustive process was complete, and the SADEs left the panel console to examine the foundry machines.
At a sampling device, Othello set up a program and fed the device a tiny piece of hull material, which the engineers had offered. The material was common to hull plating, girders, and bulkheads. The fleet’s freighters had a huge supply of nanites paste and oxygen hoods, which could be used for bonding the metal alloys of these infrastructure components.
The sample was analyzed, and a program affirmed that the foundry was capable of producing the requested composition.
Next, Z sent the engineering requirements for the infrastructure components to Vyztram, who had access to the foundry machines. The AI noted a mineral ore that wasn’t aboard the Arcus, invoking curiosity about how the Freedom was constructed.
<How soon could you supply the missing ore?> Z asked, when he was informed of the shortage.
<That mineral is contained in the tailings of the harvesting machines,> Vyztram replied. <I can repurpose them, collect the ore, and have transports delivering the material within an Elvian cycle. The ore will need to be refined. The entire process to produce your first girders should take about three Elvian cycles. Shall I proceed?>
<Hold, Vyztram,> Z replied. The SADE connected via the traveler, which communicated to a Trident, stationed outside the Arcus.
<Alex,> Z sent, <the foundry services are extremely useful. Girder production would begin in about four Omnian cycles. The Elvians’ harvesting operations can collect a metal ore we require to complete our alloy.>
<How confident are you about the output quality?> Alex inquired.
<Alex,> Othello sent, <the Elvian foundry machines are sophisticated. There’s much from them that we could borrow for our ship construction platforms.>
<Alex,> Julien sent privately, <that’s more tech that Omnian Ships could lease to other worlds, especially Sol and the alliance.>
<When did you become so avaricious?> Alex quipped.
<About the time you started rampaging around the galaxy, spending coin as fast as we accrued it,> Julien shot back.
Alex’s response was a lift of an eyebrow and a slight shrug. It was his acknowledgment that Julien’s sense of business kept Omnia Ships’ purposes alive and thriving.
<Z, Othello, proceed with the foundry services. We’ll organize the construction processes.>
Alex closed the connection. Then his location app detected three individuals arriving at the rear of the bridge. He stood from the command chair to face Hector, Ellie, and Lydia. <Guests,> he sent to Renée, who turned to face the three individuals.
“Dassata, I’m pleased you’re safe,” Hector said. He crossed the space in swift steps and hugged Alex.
The bridge audience smiled at Alex’s whoosh of breath as Hector embraced him.
Renée and Ellie briefly hugged and exchanged appreciation for each one surviving their encounters.
Then Ellie enjoyed a reunion with Alex.
“The three of you did well at Talus,” Alex said.
“I must admit that I’m gratefully relieved,” Hector replied.
“About what?” Alex inquired.
“During the effort to prevent a Syslerian battleship from impacting Toral, the Our People was slightly damaged,” Hector explained. “However, after viewing the Freedom, I’m no longer concerned about sharing that information with you.”
Alex roared with laughter and slapped the SADE’s shoulder. The heavy impact of flesh and bone on synth skin-covered metal rang around the bridge.
Lydia waited at a distance. She recalled her greeting when she had woken within her avatar for the first time aboard the Our People. Her connections to the ship, to others, and to her own avatar were all new, and her kernel was disoriented.
Alex had swept that moment of chaos away. He’d hugged her, and the avatar’s sensations suddenly had meaning that Lydia couldn’t have suspected.
Now, Lydia waited respectfully. Hector and Ellie’s time with Alex and Renée far eclipsed her own. When her time came, Alex regarded her and opened his arms. She crossed the space as swiftly as Hector, but she folded her arms around Alex in a manner to enjoy the feel of the human she admired.
When the greetings were finished
, Hector inquired, “How can we help, Dassata?”
Alex briefed Ellie and the SADEs on the foundry system aboard the Arcus.
“We can handle reconstruction of the Freedom,” Alex explained. “Although, we might need supplies from your freighters. Z, Othello, and several SADEs are familiar with the Elvians’ ship, the social turmoil, and their interesting customs. I’ll let them keep the lead on those interactions. We do have a fantastic opportunity that your team can handle, Hector.”
“A drone,” Hector surmised.
“Precisely,” Alex replied.
“Should we bring it aboard?” Ellie asked with concern.
“Unknown,” Alex replied. “Aboard the Arcus, the drones rest on cradles. You’ll have to investigate one of them. You might need to transport a cradle to an asteroid or a moon to allow a drone to land.”
“What do you require?” Lydia asked.
“Primarily, I’m after the power plant,” Alex replied. “When they’ve been hit by a beam, the energy dispersal is tremendous and clean. I can’t even say that we’ve seen space debris.”
Alex glanced toward Cordelia, who added, “None was recorded. It’s more than possible that the drones use a form of antimatter engine.”
“What if the engine can’t be safely separated from the ship?” Ellie asked.
“Then don’t,” Alex replied. “Our best engineering resources, Mickey, Miriam, Luther, and an enormous number of engineering teams are in alliance space. We’ll deliver the drone to them.”
“That’ll make Mickey happy,” Ellie commented, which made the audience chuckle.
“Anything else, Dassata?” Hector inquired.
“Definitely,” Alex replied. “We’ve discovered several aspects about the Elvians and the Arcus that represent a challenge to an alliance.”
“With us?” Ellie queried.
“No, sorry, a lot of moving parts,” Alex replied, laughing. “I’ve got the Ollassa and the Elvians primed to form an alliance.”
“We understood the drones destroyed Ollassa ships and crews,” Hector said.
“That’s true,” Renée interjected. “He’s poised the two races to support each other. At this time, they need each other. The reasons are too numerous to list. The simple explanation is desperation on the Elvians’ side, with a failing ship, but possessing great technology. The Ollassa have a beautiful world and need protection.”
“But to the Ollassa, the Elvians are animals,” Ellie pointed out.
“Also true,” Renée responded. “The Elvians are suffering from mild oxygen deprivation, which will require that the animals be caged on the World of Light.”
“Domes,” Lydia surmised.
“Which gives the Elvians and the Ollassa generations to get to know each other,” Renée finished.
“Alien whisperer,” Hector commented quietly.
“And then some,” Renée replied, linking Alex’s arm.
“Looks like Hector made the right decision,” Ellie remarked. “Our fleet handled the Talus political mess, and yours dealt with a disruptive first contact.”
* * * * *
Alex delegated as quickly as he could think of the ongoing problems. Hector and his teams had received responsibility for the drone. He needed Z working on Vyztram’s avatar, but the SADE was tied up with the foundry operation.
<Z,> Alex sent, <can you leave the foundry operations to Othello and prepare Vyztram’s human-style avatar? It’s a priority. Vyztram will be meeting with Scarlet Mandator.>
<Access to the AI’s memory is limited, Alex,> Z sent. <The Cedric suit won’t fit in the corridor that accesses the AI’s memory location. I’ll require Othello and several Elvians to support the transfer.>
<Can I presume the other SADEs in the foundry can proceed without you?> Alex inquired.
<Undoubtedly,> Z replied.
<Then that’s your immediate assignment,> Alex directed.
Alex hadn’t any concerns for the Freedom’s repairs. Many of the engineering teams, consisting of humans and SADEs, were familiar with Omnian ship construction, much of which had been borrowed from the Méridiens. And the city-ship was a Méridien build.
Knowing Cordelia was managing the ship’s repair project, Alex connected with Killian.
<Greetings, Dassata,> Killian replied. <It’s pleasant to still hear your thoughts.>
<Thank you for your concerns, Killian,> Alex replied. <Has Scarlet Mandator been kept updated?>
<Yes,> Killian replied. <I attempted to curtail the vids of the drone attack, but the mandator insisted on seeing everything.>
<What was the reaction?> Alex inquired.
<The mandator evinced satisfaction that the drone waves were destroyed. I witnessed fear for the safety of the Freedom, and then I saw anger about the ship’s damage. Finally, the mandator exhibited worry about the sixteen drones positioned over the harvesting zones,> Killian replied.
<That’s a great deal of interpretation about petals, fronds, stalks, and a bloom,> Alex sent, chuckling.
<I’ve established a significant vocabulary that identifies Ollassa emotions by their gestures, which I’ve shared with Julien,> Killian sent proudly.
<That’s a good start, Killian,> Alex sent. <Now, here’s what I want the scouts to do with your vocabulary. Find a simple way for the Elvians to use your visuals to understand Ollassa reactions. While you’re at it, we’ll need some sort of comm device to handle Elvian-Ollassa conversations. Vyztram can use a holo-vid to start, but in the future, the AI must be able to build the comm devices.>
<Understood, Alex,> Killian replied.
<Let me speak to Scarlet Mandator now,> Alex requested.
<Standby, Alex,> Killian replied. <The mandator is in Mesa Control.>
<Any problems?> Alex asked.
<Unknown,> Killian replied, <but we’ve a theory.>
<I’m listening,> Alex encouraged.
<Bethley and Trium have observed that Mesa Control monitors are displaying views of the World of Light from ships stationed in orbit,> Killian explained. <We believe that Scarlet Mandator is leading the search for Elvian dome placement.>
<If true, that could be good news,> Alex sent. He tried not to let the information raise his hopes. There were too many pieces of the alliance puzzle yet to be fitted into place.
Knowing Killian was speaking with Alex, Bethley peered from the corridor through the Mesa Control wall of view plates. She caught a tasker’s attention and pointed at the mandator. The tasker approached the mandator and extended a stalk toward the view plates.
The mandator’s bloom turned toward Bethley, and she touched her ear and pointed upward. It had become the scout’s signal to the mandator that Alex wished to communicate. The bloom tipped, and Bethley alerted Killian that the mandator was coming.
<Greetings, Scarlet Mandator,> Alex sent, when the mandator came online. From Killian’s eyes, Alex could see the bloom tip toward the holo-vid that the SADE held.
“Ollassa feared for your loss, Alex,” the mandator beamed. “We were relieved that no harm came to Omnians. We were told that no Elvians were injured.”
<That’s true,> Alex replied.
“Ships fighting and no animals injured or killed,” Scarlet Mandator mused. “This is the new future that you would have us embrace.”
<Only if the Ollassa wish it,> Alex replied. <I think the alliance can keep the Worlds of Light safe. Omnians have found that the stars are much more crowded than we could have imagined. We encountered numerous races inclined to take rather than ask permission.>
“Despite some of my doubts, I must accept the Life Givers’ messages,” the mandator said. “At this time, we’re searching for an appropriate place for the Elvian domes. The amount of required space would be helpful, but that might not be a priority.”
<Why not?> Alex queried.
“There is a desire to minimize contact with the Elvians,” the mandator replied.
<They’ll be inside domes for a generation or two, while Elvians adap
t to the World of Light’s air,> Alex objected.
“The mandators want to find an isolated placement for the domes,” Scarlet Mandator beamed.
Alex noticed the bloom’s drop. Killian was running a commentary for Alex on the emotional context of the mandator’s speech. The mandator appeared disappointed by what had been said.
<The other mandators seek revenge against animals for the taking of Ollassa lives,> Alex supposed, his thoughts tinged with sadness. <If you want a true alliance, Scarlet Mandator, then you must treat the Elvians as if they were unfortunate Ollassa, who have to wait their turn, generations if they must, to mingle with your society.>
The mandator’s bloom tilted up a slight twist and focused on the holo-vid, as if it would give inspiration. Then the frond pairs vibrated and spread apart.
“I wonder, Alex, if beneath your coverings there lurk petals,” the mandator beamed. “When you speak, I hear the words of a Life Giver.”
Alex chuckled and sent, <Vyztram will soon receive an avatar, and I’ll transport the AI to the World of Light. I’d like to take Vyztram and you to visit the potential dome sites.>
“I will be ready to receive Vyztram in the manner you suggest, Alex. May the Light shine upon you,” Scarlet Mandator beamed, and Killian closed the link.
During the next Omnian cycle, Alex received various images from the SADEs. Despite how the images portrayed Alex in dress, he would be sprouting some aspect of the Ollassa. The images were sent privately, and Alex would often be heard laughing, as he walked a corridor, rode a lift, or sat in a bridge command chair.
28: Projects
While the Arcus foundry produced the first girders, Cordelia prepared the Freedom for repair. She spun the ship’s damaged area away from the Ollassa star to limit the effects of solar winds on the workers. That movement placed the damaged area in the dark and necessitated work lights.
Engineers, humans and SADEs, cut into hull plating, girders, bulkheads, and decking. The drone’s fierce energy release had carved a partial sphere into the city-ship. It did mean that every surface had to be squared to enable bonding with the newly produced infrastructure materials.