The sheer abundance of scientific inspiration was one of the things he loved most about Thessalia, Chris decided as he gladly tuned out the sounds of Duncan and Jessica discussing trading contracts with a tall, thin woman who was one of the Ataran Primes. In how many other places could he start the day off planning to test run a new protocol that would improve the efficiency of Argo and then go on to encounter a piece of technology capable of connecting people’s minds? As happy as he’d been in his lab in Space Tech, he had to admit that the thrill of on-site discovery was unparalleled. He’d gone from being impatient for the mission to be over so he could return to Argo and his simulations, to the sudden realization that this planet, which had looked so barren of all technology, could hold something they’d never encountered before.
As he ran over the events of the mission thus far in his mind, Chris found himself agreeing with Duncan’s conclusion: it did indeed seem likely that the “great net” was really the product of a piece of advanced technology that allowed individuals to share their thoughts with others. Although who the actual creators of such a device could possibly be, or have been, remained to be seen. Nevertheless, it was an awe-inspiring concept—another notion turned, so it seemed, from science fiction to science fact. And, although Chris had to admit that he was frustrated that the Atarans they’d met so far didn’t seem to have any details about the creators of the great net, he could hardly wait for the opportunity to examine such technology for himself. Who knew, if he was lucky, he might even be able to draw up some quick schematics or, better yet, actually take a sample of the tech with him back to Argo. He and Jason would have a blast experimenting with it.
From the alley, it had been only a couple of hundred meters to the Primary House, which stood at the far end of a large square. It was by far and away the tallest building in Ata, standing at three stories high, with guards posted outside dressed in the same uniforms as the two they’d met on the road into town. They had obviously been expected—giving further strength to the theory that the great net allowed communication of some kind—and one of the guards had moved from his post to escort them inside immediately. A smartly dressed man, not in uniform but rather wearing a jacket and trousers made out of some kind of cream material that looked very much like linen, had greeted them each by name, his words startling Chris for a moment until he had realized that the guards from the tower must have been in detailed contact with someone in the Primary House about their arrival. He’d exchanged a quick glance with Duncan at that. Duncan must have come to the same conclusion because he’d raised an eyebrow back at Chris and then moved a step closer. Part of Chris had felt a little annoyed at that—for a moment thinking that Duncan’s actions were an indication that he didn’t think Chris was capable of keeping his mouth shut—but his fears had been swiftly allayed by Duncan’s quickly whispered, “Focus, Vabre. We need to keep our eyes peeled here. Got it?” before he’d moved off to convey what Chris could only imagine was the same information to Corrin and Jessica.
It had been Duncan who’d noticed it first, nudging Chris lightly with his elbow and then tilting his head toward the man in a meaningful way. Chris had been taking Duncan’s warning to heart—activating the miniscanner in his pocket that he’d designed to passively record anything of note in the area and scanning the rooms and corridors through which they were passing for any further signs of technology. As a result, it had taken a moment for him to understand what exactly Duncan was indicating. But then he’d seen it: a flash of silver just above the man’s right ear. Chris had had to stifle his gasp as his eyes took in the details. It was clearly a device of some sort, its size alone attesting to its level of complexity. It had been hard to make out its exact dimensions, partially obscured as it was by the man’s hair and the top of his ear. Still, Chris had reckoned that it was about the size of a penny, but hexagonal in shape with a fine mesh of tiny wires fanning out from the center and connecting with the man’s scalp. Chris had studied the device as closely as he’d dared, his hands itching to get out his scanner and run a proper sensor sweep. Somehow, though, he’d managed to resist the temptation to either actively scan it or ask about it, obeying the order clearly visible in Duncan’s stern expression to wait until the opportunity to ask questions presented itself.
Once the paperwork—something which was, in Chris’s opinion, far too common across all cultures—had been completed, the man had ushered them in to see the Prime, explaining that she was the person charged with the organization of treaties of trade on Ata. Chris hadn’t really been concentrating enough during the introductions to recall her name—after all, such things were far better handled by Jessica, who didn’t seem to elicit quite the same sorts of reactions Chris did—and his interest in the finer details of trade negotiating was extremely limited. So now he was blithely ignoring most of the conversation and letting his gaze and his mind wander.
They were currently sitting in the Prime’s private office, which was located at the top floor of the Primary House. It was a large room with high ceilings and wide rectangular windows offering a view down into the market square and, in the distance, the grassy hills through which they’d traveled on their way from the shuttle. Chris sighed internally as he considered the road; it was going to be a long walk back. Still, he supposed it could be worse; after all, the hills hadn’t been too arduous and the trade negotiations seemed to be going well, at least if Harris’s smile, which looked genuine and unforced, was anything to go by, so hopefully they wouldn’t be making another hasty retreat under weapons fire.
Just then Duncan gave a low chuckle, the rich sound of it drawing Chris’s attention to him. Even without paying any heed to the actual conversation, Chris could tell Duncan was in full-on charm mode, something that still caught Chris unawares, despite the fact he’d been serving in the field for several months now. Before having actually seen such a thing for himself, he would never have imagined that the usually so reserved major would ever allow himself to be so openly charming, especially not while on a mission. The first time it had happened, during the first trade mission he had accompanied the team on, he had watched, open-mouthed with amazement, as Duncan had smiled warmly at the lead trader and proceeded to sweet talk her into allowing Argo personnel to take a significant portion of their tormack harvest in return for some basic technological assistance with their irrigation systems. Seeing Duncan in that light, his eyes shining with warmth and his body loose-limbed and relaxed, had caused an odd flurry of sensation somewhere deep inside Chris. Then, however, there had been a supposed sighting of the Zenoid, and Duncan had snapped fully back into full-soldier mode, and Chris had been too busy trying his best to follow Duncan’s orders and not fuck up on his very first mission to pay the sensation any mind.
Despite how much Harris might claim to hate diplomacy, preferring to leave such things to Jessica whenever he could, Chris had learned quickly that Duncan certainly could pull it off with panache when required. Looking at Duncan now, he seemed, on the surface at any rate, to be at perfect ease—relaxing back in his chair with a small smile playing at his lips. The Prime had a faint flush on her cheeks, indicating that she, much like the soldier back at the guard tower, was far from immune to Duncan’s appeal.
Of course, Chris knew it was all an act on Duncan’s part. After working alongside the man for over four years and being in close contact with him for the past few months, Chris could read Duncan well enough to be able to tell from the almost imperceptible tension in Duncan’s shoulders and the small lines that bracketed Duncan’s mouth that he wasn’t quite as relaxed as he would like the Prime to believe. Nevertheless, the strategy was clearly working. Just like his service weapon or his piloting skills, Duncan used his looks and charm as merely two more weapons in his arsenal, to be used without hesitation if he judged the situation to warrant it.
Yet even with this understanding, Chris’s chest always felt a bit tight for some reason he had yet to discern whenever Duncan smiled and flirted in that manner—just as he was doing now. Chris felt the band across his chest tighten even further for some inexplicable reason as he took in the contrast between Duncan’s warm smile and the cool, almost calculating, look in his eyes. Suddenly, as if sensing his scrutiny, Duncan turned his head to meet Chris’s gaze. As their eyes met, Chris could see the warmth gradually seep back into Duncan’s gaze, and the band in his own chest released slowly as Duncan quirked an eyebrow at him.
“We have access to grain and thorsome flax,” Jessica was saying earnestly to the Prime. “Perhaps we could arrange a trade for some of your harvest and perhaps also a portion of your….”
Chris felt the corner of his mouth pull upward as he rolled his eyes at Duncan and promptly tuned the conversation out again. Even though he knew the purpose of this particular mission was to keep Argo’s food supplies healthy, it wasn’t something in which he was particularly interested. This was all plainly Duncan and Jessica’s territory. Duncan acknowledged Chris’s disinterest with a small nod before turning his attention back to the conversation to address a question to the Prime.
Chris let his gaze continue to wander around the room. It landed this time on Corrin, whose face was impassive but whose eyes Chris swore lit up as the negotiations for food continued. He wondered idly whether Corrin would be more reactive should the negotiations turn to weaponry, but then supposed it wasn’t really likely given what they’d seen of Ataran defense and what he knew of Corrin’s self-control. As for himself, well, Chris was just waiting as patiently as he could for the subject of technology to come up. His eyes moved on from Corrin and back to the Prime, seeking out the small patch of silver glinting through the dark fall of her long hair and feeling his fingers twitch again. He wondered what the device was measuring—was it really picking up neuron activity? How sensitive were the electrodes? Did it target specific parts of the brain? How was such a plethora of data interpreted?
“…cope with attacks from the Zenoid?” Duncan’s words captured Chris’s attention once more—that sounded more like it—and he quickly turned his attention back to the conversation.
“We do what we can, and thanks to the precious gift of the Forebearers, we survive,” the Prime replied, her hand rising to the side of her face just as Jenia’s had earlier, when she had spoken about the Forebearers and the technology they had apparently developed on Ata.
“Do you have the capability for space flight?” Chris asked, curious. He’d seen no real evidence of such technological advancement as they’d made their way into the town other than the odd readings they presumed signified the use of this “great net.”
“No, we don’t. We haven’t for many generations,” the Prime replied, shaking her head. “We do know that the Forebearers had such an ability and that in the past it was used by the people of Ata to journey between the planets, just as your people use it now. But we now know that the Zenoid are attacking in force, and they use their vast ships to do so. It is no longer safe for us to travel, lest we attract their attention and, by so doing, bring about the destruction of Atara. So, although it grieves us to have let so generous a gift go unused, we travel no more. Instead, we now honor the Forebearers by standing guard over their great city. We watch for the arrival of all travelers—sending echoes through the great net so that all on Ata may be warned of their advent.”
Chris took that as his cue to discuss the great net itself. “So, you communicate through the great net?” he asked, trying hard to curb at least some of his enthusiasm. “You can… ah… talk to each other through it?”
“Yes, in a manner of speaking,” the Prime answered, turning to look at him. “Just as the ships of the Forebearers used to connect the multitude worlds so now does the great net join our people together.”
“Fascinating,” Chris said softly to himself, his hands itching to draw out his pad and start taking notes. “I have never heard of the great net before,” he said aloud, struggling to explain both his role and his interest. “I am a scientist; I study the technology… um… gifts, if you like, such as those your Forebearers left to you.”
The Prime smiled, the skin around her eyes crinkling slightly in her amusement. “Ah, it is understandable, then,” she said, nodding. “I see clearly that you are one who seeks knowledge; the gifts with which the Forebearers have granted us are of interest to you, as so they should be. You would like to know more, I think.”
“Yes, yes, I would, very much so,” Chris replied eagerly. He scooted his chair forward and lifted a hand, gesturing toward the device attached to the side of the Prime’s head. “This is part of the great net?” he asked.
In answer to his query, she raised her arm and slid her hand into her hair, pulling it up and away so as to show the device clearly to Chris. “This is the connector. It is what allows my mind to join the others in the great net,” she clarified. “It is what accesses the multitude of my thoughts so that they may be shared with all others.”
“Okay,” Chris said, frowning slightly as he attempted to assimilate the Prime’s words and theorize what the actual mechanism at work might be. “So everyone on Atara who is connected to the great net has one of these devices?”
“That is correct,” the Prime replied with a nod. “All on Ata are thus connected—each one gifted with this blessed connection at birth from one who has recently passed. All the connectors have been preserved through the years by the graciousness of the Forebearers.”
Chris nodded, his thoughts flying. So, these “Forebearers” of the Atarans had obviously created many thousands of these devices—enough for the entire population of Ata, which must number in the thousands, to each have one. He pondered that for a moment, wondering whether the Atarans just had a low birthrate or whether there was some selection process or waiting list system involved in distributing the connectors. However, Chris ultimately dismissed the idea as unimportant for the moment and instead focused his thoughts on the technology itself. He leaned a little closer, his eyes taking in the complexity of the tiny device now that he was able to see it clearly. The wire mesh he’d noticed earlier spread out in a multitude of fine strands from the connector. He suspected that each one ended in an electrode of some sort, which would be sensitive to the electrical signals produced by the wearer’s brain. The main body itself had a row of tiny lights around half of its circumference, only one of which was illuminated on the Prime’s connector. The lower portion had a couple of tiny sensor pads that Chris thought probably played a role in activating it.
“We all have the ability to access the great net in times of need—following the instructions laid down by the Forebearers themselves,” the Prime explained. “One has but to activate the connector, thus”—she indicated to one of the sensor pads—“and your mind will become part of the great net.”
“Which means you share your thoughts?” Chris asked, his eyes wide in amazement. “All of them?” he pressed. “To everyone?”
“Yes,” she replied. “The great net is like a great tempest of ideas—loud and uneven, full of high swells and deep wells—but with it, we have the power to convey our most urgent messages and so keep the people of Atara safe.”
Well, that clears everything up nicely, Chris thought with an internal shake of his head. He wasn’t quite sure where to go from there, similes not really being his forte. “Um, so this… ah… sea of ideas, it… well, sounds like a… good idea, and I’m sure that with study we could really—”
“It seems that you have been very blessed by your Forebearers,” Jessica interjected smoothly, to Chris’s great relief. “We have traveled to many worlds in our exploration, but we have yet to encounter a gift such as your great net.” She paused for a moment, tilting her head to the side as if considering her next words carefully. “As Chris has said, we are interested in studying these gifts of the Forebearers so that we may use them in our fight against the Zenoid. Would it be possible to come to some arrangement regarding the connectors? Could we perhaps make a trade so that we may look at one or two of them more closely?”
Chris held his breath as the Prime weighed up Jessica’s words. He had to work to bite back his own pleas, so excited was he by the prospect of actually investigating one of the devices. As it was, he couldn’t quite stop his right foot bouncing up and down with excited anticipation.
“You should make the trade,” Corrin said, speaking for the first time since they’d arrived. “Vabre’s good—he can help you make the most of what you have. The Zenoid are a powerful enemy, and we need to all work together if we are to defeat them.”
The Prime looked at Corrin with a measured gaze. “You know much of the Zenoid?” she asked.
“I do,” Corrin replied. “They destroyed my home and butchered my family. I spent many years not believing that we could stand a chance against them, before I met Harris and his people. I already knew that we should fight; it was they who taught me that we could win.”
Slowly the Prime nodded, her eyes serious as her gaze moved from Corrin and over each one of them in turn. As it rested on Chris, she asked, “You believe there is more you can learn from the great net? More that we could be doing to protect our people?”
“Perhaps,” Chris answered honestly, feeling himself flush slightly as a result of both her attention and Corrin’s praise. “You can never be certain of that, of course, but we have found that many devices… ah… things such as the gift from the Forebearers have many different properties.” He paused for a moment, considering just how far to go with his explanation. He glanced quickly toward Duncan, wondering how to wordlessly ask him whether Argo was willing to extend its protection to these people as well. Somehow Duncan seemed to know exactly what Chris was asking because he nodded firmly, a determined light in his eyes that caused a similar flare of something inside Chris. Thus buoyed, Chris turned back to the Prime.
“For example,” he said, a feeling of confidence flowing through him. “The great net may be something we can adapt for use by ourselves and our allies. Perhaps we can develop links between planets? So, just as you use it now, to warn your people when the Zenoid attack, you could also let others know—allies like ourselves, who could come and help you fight.”
A series of fleeting expressions crossed quickly over the Prime’s face at Chris’s words—confusion, surprise, disbelief, and then, finally, hope. “Your offer is… most generous,” she said, her voice thick with emotion. “We have lost many people to the Zenoid over the years, particularly recently as their activity seems to be increasing.”
“Well, making alliances with people is one of the reasons we’re here,” Duncan said, shifting slightly so his shoulder brushed against Chris’s. “We know firsthand what the Zenoid can do and recognize that it is in everyone’s best interests for them to be kept at bay.”
“And you would do this for us?” the Prime asked, her voice still a little shaky. “Send us aid when the Zenoid attack.”
Duncan nodded. “When we can,” he said. “The trade agreement we have begun here can be altered to include that. Argo—our space station—does not have the capability to provide all the things we require, so having a standing agreement with you is good for us too.”
“Plus,” Chris added, “the ‘great net’ is yours—your piece of technology created by your Forebearers. With your agreement, we might be able to use it, expand its range, something like that, but that’s not to say that we will.” He shrugged, spreading his hands wide in an effort to express his uncertainty about it all. “We will, however, do our best.”
The Prime nodded, her expression thoughtful. “Then it seems that we have reached an agreement,” she said. “I have to admit that we do not use the great net extensively. In fact, it is reserved only for times of extreme urgency—new arrivals on our planet, the advent of the Zenoid, incidents of fire or flood, for example. To do so more often is to cause mass confusion and distraction among the minds of many.”
“Yes, I can imagine that it would,” Chris said. “Of course you’re going to get mass confusion if every thought in a person’s head is suddenly broadcast into the heads of every member of your population. Is there no way of isolating specific thoughts? Of just sending through the one thing you want to communicate?”
“Alas, no,” the Prime said. “But you think there may be a way to do this?”
“Perhaps,” Chris replied. “I can’t guarantee it, but I can try.” He frowned, his eyes intent on the device; it didn’t really make sense that something created on such a scale would be so clumsy in its functioning. “There must be something else to it,” he said softly to himself.
“So, yes, we will trade,” the Prime suddenly said decisively, turning her head to address Jessica and so shifting the connector out of Chris’s line of sight. “We will include a number of connectors as part of our trade agreement, in exchange for the items we discussed and with the stipulation that any additional features discovered in the Forebearers’ gift be shared with us, in addition to the possibility of aid against the Zenoid.”
“Thank you,” Jessica replied, flashing a quick smile at Chris who returned it. “And of course we will share our discoveries with you.”
“Yes, yes, of course,” Chris agreed, his thoughts still spinning around various possibilities, already eager to get to work.
He was vaguely aware of Jessica, Duncan, and the Prime continuing to hammer out the details of the trade in the background, but most of his mind was already back in his lab on Argo working on the device. Once he’d cleared things with Jason, he’d start with an in-depth scan of the connector itself and then move on to attempt to uncover what it actually did. Once its internal parts and systems had been uncovered, he could attempt to model how it actually worked. He’d probably have to liaise with Helen to some extent if it turned out that the connectors really were broadcasting brainwaves, but then, once they had everything identified from both the scientific and medical standpoints, they could move on to actual tests. He would, of course, need a test subject—someone whose schedule meshed cleanly with his own and who wouldn’t balk at the idea of being a guinea pig.
Slowly, he turned his head to look at Duncan. A little frisson of anticipation went through him as he found that Duncan was already looking at him with a small and rather indulgent smile on his face. It appeared that Duncan was just as fascinated by the prospect of the Ataran “great net” as he was. Chris tilted his head to the side, silently communicating “Well?” to Duncan, interested to see if he would pick up the direction of Chris’s thoughts. To his surprise, Duncan’s smile grew wider, and he nodded at Chris in apparent agreement. Chris felt his own smile grow. He couldn’t wait to get back to Argo and start work. He had a new puzzle—a new and powerful alien device to play with, one that could be of huge value—and the obvious support of Duncan, as both his team leader and hopefully also as his friend. Chris felt a wave of happiness well up inside him. This was going to be fun.