“Funny thing about that, Captain,” Teddy replied, after taking a deep and satisfying pull on his mug. “I had my doubts about Lieutenant Nata after the first night, but something must have happened. On the second night, her attitude changed within moments of her arrival in the bay.”
“What do you think it was?” Petite asked.
“No idea, Captain, but if I had to guess, I would think Neffess had something to do with it,” Teddy replied. “Maybe that was the entire point of her volunteering to accompany Nata.”
“Maybe,” Petite replied. “Teddy, you’ve kept me waiting long enough. Out with it. How did they do?”
“Hmm,” Teddy murmured, while he shoveled a huge mound of food into his mouth, as if he hadn’t recognized he’d been addressed.
Petite grinned. “Don’t make me come across this table and smack you, Chief,” she said, laughing.
“They’re a bright pair,” Teddy said, continuing to feed his heavy worlder body. “I guess it’s like anything with those kinds of officers. If they’ll focus and put in the effort, there’s not much they can’t master.”
“Then they performed adequately?” Petite inquired.
“Adequately? No, Captain,” Teddy replied, pausing to consider his choice of words. “I could make those two a pair of the fleet’s top chiefs. As they’re officers, they’ll probably become senior commanders. Neffess could make fleet admiral, but not Nata. She would be a Trident commodore or rear admiral. She’d never want to watch a fight from a city-ship’s deck.”
Teddy had his say, and he resumed devouring his meal.
11: Crowded Space
“Who knew an orbit could be so crowded,” Adrianna remarked to the audience aboard the Our People.
The fleet had exited outside the Talus system and then transited overtop the ecliptic to align with Toral. The city-ship’s holo-vid presented imagery of the Talusian home world. The planet’s orbit contained a host of ships.
“Most of those battleships are lead or colony defenders,” Alphons added.
“This close together and to the planet and without action. It looks like a stalemate,” Ellie said.
“The sisters have been busy,” Lydia said. “They’ve completely restored the planet’s comm platforms and the orbital stations.”
“Using controller signals, I count seventy-eight Talusian Tridents in system,” Hector said. “However, I only detect sixty-six in orbit around Toral.”
“Locate the others,” Ellie directed.
The moment the fleet had entered the Talus system and discovered the mass of waiting ships, Hector had told Ellie that she had control of the fleet’s forces until communications could be established with the Talusian president, Sargut.
“Admiral, two battleship wedges are under the ecliptic and in alignment with Toral,” Lydia replied. “Early telemetry indicates the battleships are from younger and less advanced races. Six Tridents face each wedge.”
“Any other wedges?” Ellie asked.
“According to the Trident’s telemetry that I’m accessing,” Lydia replied, “there are no more wedges in system, except for the Talusian wedge, whose battleships are identified by their black hulls.”
“Apparently, the two outboard wedges didn’t get the message,” Alphons surmised.
“What message would that have been?” Hector inquired, curious about the expression.
“That this meeting was meant to be a parley, not a fight,” Alphons explained.
<Greetings, Miriamette,> Hector sent in reply to the sister’s communications. He immediately linked to Lydia and the admirals.
<Welcome to Talus,> Miriamette sent to her audience. <I’ve President Sargut with me. He would like to address you.>
<Greetings, President Sargut,> Hector sent.
Sargut’s leathery wings fluttered at the knowledge that, once again, the Omnians had come to his world’s aid. He heard Hector’s voice from Miriamette’s mouth. She was the Sisterhood’s envoy to his presidency.
“Who has come?” Sargut asked.
<The second team, Ser President,> Hector quipped.
“Admiral Thompson, Ellie!” Sargut shouted jubilantly.
<The same,> Ellie sent, chuckling.
“We’re delighted to welcome you back to Talus, Hector and Admiral,” Sargut rejoiced.
<Could you update us on recent events, President Sargut?> Ellie requested. <Are there any immediate actionable concerns?>
Miriamette held up a finger to Sargut to forestall his response, while she provided the answer to Ellie’s question.
<For the moment, Admiral, all is quiet,> Miriamette sent, while she voiced her response for the president’s ears. <The government envoys of the races, who arrived aboard the battleships you see in orbit, are planetside. It was a condition of allowing their battleships this close. The two wedges, which I’m sure you’ve detected, refused the condition. That’s why they’re sitting out there.>
<You don’t expect six Tridents to stop a wedge, do you?> Adrianna asked.
<Certainly not, Admiral Plummer. As Alex would say, “What they don’t know, they can’t calculate,”> Miriamette replied.
<Have you produced any additional weaponry other than Tridents and travelers?> Alphons inquired.
<No, Admiral Jagielski. We’ve been occupied with rebuilding this world and the system,> Miriamette replied.
<What are the political issues, President Sargut?> Ellie asked.
“There isn’t uniformity in the races’ demands, which is in our favor,” Sargut replied. “They bicker among themselves more than they make unified demands.”
<Detail some of the requests, President Sargut,> Hector requested.
“The races who suffered the most under Artifice’s rule have sent envoys to seek reparations for the damage done to their home worlds or colonies,” Sargut explained.
<If these envoys see that you’re rebuilding your system, how can they expect you to pay enormous amounts of credits to them?> Adrianna asked.
<Our system’s condition surprised the envoys,> Miriamette sent. <That also has been in our favor. Apparently, they expected us to be brimming with incredible abundance. After all, this was the home world of Artifice.>
“Artifice is another theme in the envoys’ demands,” Sargut continued. “Here, the opinions are more in opposition than the other demanded subjects. Some envoys want to ensure Artifice has been destroyed. Others want to harness Artifice’s power to support their infrastructure projects. Even others want to transfer Artifice to their home worlds as part of their reparations.”
<What have the envoys been told about Artifice?> Lydia asked. The SADE could calculate the answer, but she sought confirmation. Lydia was once a member of the Sisterhood, when she was known as Miriamopus. However, the time spent separated from her sisters, while she was aboard the Our People, allowed her to develop a personality that preferred not to remain associated with the group.
<The truth,> Miriamette sent and said to Sargut. <They’ve been told that Artifice is contained, and the entity’s contact limited to the Sisterhood and one other individual.>
<Have any of them been allowed to visit Artifice’s cavern?> Alphons asked.
<Absolutely not, Admiral,> Miriamette replied. <Furthermore, we adhere to Alex’s condition that Artifice will not be able to communicate outside the cavern, in any form, unless we receive Omnian approval.>
<No offense was intended, Miriamette,> Alphons sent quickly. <We’ve just arrived, and we’re trying to get a complete picture of your circumstances.>
“We appreciate your efforts,” Sargut said soothingly. “We’ve been dealing with the envoys’ incessant demands for more than an annual, and we’re making little progress with them. At any moment, we’ve expected them to band together and try to take what they seek.”
<Let’s talk about our presence in your circumstances,> Ellie requested.
“We’ve given that a great deal of thought, Admiral,” Sargut said. “Borrowing an Alex phrase, we�
��d like to turn the table on the envoys. How would you feel about being announced as the arbiters between us and the envoys?”
<Couldn’t I just fight them?> Ellie quipped.
“If you aren’t successful in your negotiations, Admiral, it might come to that,” Sargut admitted. “My thought is that your presence needs to be explained. If the envoys think that you’re here to support us militarily, it might precipitate a strike by one of the wedges or an envoy’s battleship.”
<A distinct possibility,> Hector sent. <We’ll take the job, President Sargut.>
“Thank you, Hector,” Sargut said, with obvious relief.
<I dislike being the dissenting voice,> Adrianna said, <but I think we’re sending the wrong message to the envoys if we act in a completely diplomatic function.>
<You can add my vote to Admiral Plummer’s thought,> Alphons sent. <Those two wedges below the ecliptic have already indicated that they’re unwilling to take part in the envoys’ discussions. Why hang out there in the dark for more than an annual? What are they expecting to happen?>
<Unfortunately, we’ve not achieved any meaningful communications with the commanders of the wedges’ lead battleships to understand their intentions,> Miriamette sent.
<Are the races who occupy the wedges known to you?> Lydia asked.
<They were unknown to us before the wedges arrived, but we obtained information about them and their languages from Artifice,> Miriamette replied.
Ellie created a separate conference link with her rear admirals. <Adrianna and Alphons, what are your suggestions about how to communicate to the envoys that we aren’t here solely for the purpose of arbitration?>
<Arbiters are characterized as independent or separate from the fractious parties,> Adrianna sent. <However, I think we should make the point with our fleet’s assets that we support the planet’s entire population.>
<I agree again,> Alphons sent. <I think the envoys are seeking damages from the Toralians, as opposed to the wider population of Talusians. The Toralians were responsible for Artifice’s creation.>
Sargut raised a brow ridge toward Miriamette, wondering why the comm had gone silent, and she tapped her temple in reply.
<Admirals, consider that the icons of Toralian forces are the dark-hulled battleships,> Hector interjected into the discussion.
<Hector’s got a point,> Alphons sent excitedly. <The last thing we should do is arrange our squadrons in support of the Talusian battleships. The message to the envoys and the wedges would be confusing.>
<I think that’s true,> Ellie said. <We don’t want to obscure the president’s statement that we’re here to act as arbiters.>
<Consider this idea, Admiral,> Adrianna sent. <We ring the planet with our squadrons. Furthermore, we place them closer planetside than any Talusian ship.>
<Better,> Ellie replied. <Don’t make the distribution arbitrary. Instead, align the squadrons to place them between the envoys’ battleships and the planet.>
Ellie dropped the private links and resumed the conference with Sargut. <Your pardon, President Sargut, we were discussing a means of occupying Toral’s orbit that didn’t compromise your announcement and, yet, made one of our own.>
“Are you satisfied with what you decided?” Sargut asked guardedly.
<We are,> Ellie affirmed. <We’ll deploy our ships around the planet.>
“Any details, Admiral?” Sargut queried.
<With respect, President Sargut, there are none for you,> Ellie sent. <It’s better that you simply say to the envoys that you requested the Omnians to act as arbiters for both sides. They’ve arrived, and you know no more about their intentions than that.>
“Sage advice, Admiral. I’ll speak in that manner to the envoys,” Sargut said.
<Thank you, President Sargut,> Ellie said, and Hector closed the links.
* * * * *
“Your afternoon meeting with the envoys is fast approaching,” Miriamette reminded Sargut.
“Yes,” Sargut replied, heading for his office exit.
Sargut and Miriamette boarded a grav car outside the Talusian government building. For now, it was a modest structure, a place for Toralians and sisters to meet and handle the business of the growing economy.
“To think that this is the last time I might have to stand in front of the body of envoys and listen to their bickering and unending complaints, which make my toes curl,” Sargut said, as he sat comfortably in his nanites seat, with his wings curled around him. He looked down at his thick soft boots, which protected his long delicate toes. The long digits enabled the Toralians to grip rods and hang upside down while they slept.
The Sisterhood and the Toralians had quickly constructed a building to house the ever-growing number of envoys, who’d arrived over a period of a half annual.
Arriving at that location, Sargut and Miriamette exited the grav car and entered the long low building. The temporary structure served as a meeting hall and dorms for the envoys.
Sargut took his place at the front of the long hall.
As usual, the envoys sat, stood, or perched in discreet clusters. The envoys in each cluster could converse in the languages of the other members.
Two Toralians stood beside and slightly behind Sargut. They were Suntred and Sunnamis.
Suntred had been the Toralian fleet liaison between the grand commander and his captains. When Sargut became president, he kept her as his advisor and personal liaison.
Sunnamis had a colorful history. She’d been a Toralian colony governor, who arrived at Talus with a battleship wedge. She’d been in the company of other colony governors, who’d led wedges too. Their intention had been to wrest the home world from Sargut.
Unfortunately for the governors, Sargut had performed an ancient rite on a revered Toralian site. After climbing the remains of a mound, Sargut had undergone a physiological transformation that left visual changes identifiable to all Toralians. Those shifts in his facial features and demeanor proclaimed him as the rightful claimant of the Toralian home world after the defeat of AI Artifice.
With the help of the Omnians, the Toralians had resisted the colony governors’ ploy. Sunnamis had turned on her companions and sided with Sargut, but it had cost her. The colonies’ populations hadn’t known what their governors intended. Informed of what had transpired at Talus, the governors were deposed when they returned home.
For Sunnamis’s part, she was fortunate to have accumulated significant wealth. Those funds allowed her to build a transport company, and she used the ships to aid the nascent Talusian society.
In the hall, Miriamette left Sargut’s side, and she joined the array of sisters who stood behind Sargut. They acted as translators for the president. Each envoy wore an ear comm, and a sister was dedicated to communicate to an individual cluster.
Miriamette stood beside Miriamal, Miriamelle, and Miriamtess. These four sisters had kept their names, which had been adapted from their originator, the SADE Miriam. The other sisters chose to change to names they felt better identified them.
The four sisters with the Miriam prefix inhabited human avatars. Originally, the Sisterhood had foisted a specific human avatar on Miriamette, who was elected to represent the Sisterhood’s needs to Alex and Sargut. They’d insisted Miriamette adopt the genetic modeling of Renée de Guirnon, which she’d done. The pair, human and SADE, could be mistaken for siblings.
Over time, Miriamette, who had the opportunity to relocate to a new avatar, found that she was comfortable with her appearance. Miriamelle and Miriamtess also kept their human avatars. They’d formed close associations with humans, namely Franz Cohen and Chandra Khatri, who they hoped to see again one day.
The reason that Miriamal kept her human avatar was that she was Miriamette’s adversary within the Sisterhood. By maintaining a human avatar, she sought to c
onstantly compare and contrast her opinions with those of her competitor.
The remainder of the sisters might appear in any form or function without regard to their acceptance by the races. Some of them adopted biological forms, and others disregarded the concept of biology, choosing definitively mechanical shapes.
Confusingly for the Toralians and the visiting envoys, a sister might transfer from one avatar to another within a single cycle. Thus the sisters had adopted the habit of greeting biologicals, as they passed them, by relaying their names to them.
Toralians had become accustomed to meeting a sister in a Toralian avatar in the morning and passing the same sister in the afternoon inhabiting a construction vehicle.
“Greetings, Envoys,” Sargut said, opening the meeting. “I’m pleased to report that the Omnians have arrived.”
Immediately, Sargut was inundated with shouts requesting to know why the Omnians were in the system.
“Why? They’re here because I asked them to come,” Sargut replied, as if, under the circumstances, it was the most natural thing to do, and the sisters carefully translated the nuances of Sargut’s words to the envoys.
“For what purpose?” was the next most common question thrown at Sargut.
The lack of decorum within the meetings was the aspect that Sargut detested the most.
“It’s obvious that we’re in need of assistance,” Sargut explained. “After more than an annual, we’ve yet to reach an agreement. Talusians can’t create separate contracts with each race. I’ve told you this more times than I can count. As the envoys of many races, I’ve asked you to make a common proposal to us, but you seem unwilling or incapable of doing that.”
“How soon will the Omnians be planetside?” a Rootog asked.
“Your battleship telemetry should pick up their ships by tomorrow morning,” Sargut replied.
“How many ships and what type are coming?” an envoy asked.
“Excellent questions,” Sargut remarked, flashing the small pointed teeth in his mouth. “I must admit that in the excitement of the moment I forgot to ask. I’m sure that with the Omnians’ help, we’ll quickly resolve our issues and you’ll be able to return to the comfort of your home worlds or colonies.”