Chapter Three

Encounter in Space

Tankar stood still. What was happening? For an instant he thought the Mpfifis might have struck, and he regretted dragging his feet, but the men and women passing by him did not seem anxious and, if they appeared to be rushing, it was the springy step of people on the way to a party. He stopped a young man. “What’s going on?”

“We’re going to greet the Frank. Didn’t you know?”

Tankar continued hesitantly in the direction of the library. The door was shut. Stymied, he turned to follow the flow of humanity in the streets until he heard a clear voice calling his name. Anaena was smiling at him. “I was looking for you.”

“And I for you.”

“I’ve come with an invitation from Tan to ask if you’d like to witness the command post maneuvers?”

“So now I’m allowed into the restricted area?”

“Those rules are over. I told my uncle of your promise.”

“I haven’t actually promised to deliver the blueprints, Anaena….”

“He knows. Follow me.”

They went through a door with a red circle and down a narrow corridor to a gravity slide that led to the city’s nerve center. It was the central location for flight commands, shooting instructions and huge electronic computing modules. There were three secondary centers that were idle in normal conditions but now buzzing and clacking sounds came through the closed doors. They finally reached the command and control center itself.

The circular room had walls covered with screens and dashboards monitored by engineers. About 20 men sat around a doughnut-shaped low table surrounding an opening in the floor. Tan Ekator stood waiting for them. “Welcome, Tankar. Two hours ago we received a message that the Frank wished to set up a conjunction. I thought the operation might interest you, so I sent Ana to pick you up. Sit next to me.” He waved to his left.

“I’m going to be pretty busy,” the Teknor apologized, “so Ana will fill you in as needed.”

Tankar sat at a section of the desk not filled with instruments. He leaned forward and had no trouble seeing the bottom of the opening around which the table was centered. It was split into six hexagonal shapes, each reflecting one segment of the sky – right, left, forward, back, top and bottom. In the zenith area, he saw a point of somewhat brilliant light moving across the starscape.

The young woman pointed. “That’s the Frank. It’ll approach from above. For 30 hours our two cities will adhere to each other and will communicate via five gravity slides. This is what we call a conjunction, and we do one every other year. This time’s a bit different as the most recent conjunction happened just before your arrival.”

The Frank descended rapidly, concealing more and more stars. On the screen the Tilsin seemed to be climbing, but Tankar could not help looking up and feeling some apprehension. The Teknor noticed. “Good, Tankar. You have the instincts of a skilled starship commander, and your brain rather than your heart is leading you to think the Frank is coming from below. Don’t worry; it won’t shatter the hull.”

Tankar blushed. Anaena said softly, “Don’t feel bad. We all had a similar reaction the first time. I’ve witnessed several conjunctions and, even now, I crawl into my shell, shoulders hunched up to my ears at the thought of millions of tons of starship settling on top of our city ship.”

The Teknor motioned for them to be quiet. He stared attentively at the radar-telemeter screen. When the Frank appeared to have come too close for the on-screen directions to be of use, they moved to the gravitometer. Tan click-clacked on the keyboard, and Tankar understood he was remotely adjusting the Frank’s speed. A red light turned on. The Teknor leaned back in his seat and breathed out heavily.

“Done! In a few minutes my old friend Gadeau will be here. He’s the Teknor on the Frank.”

Indeed, fewer than 20 minutes later, a fifty-something thickset man with brown hair entered the command and control center, followed by three young Stellarans. He shook Tan’s hand enthusiastically.

“Tan, you old pirate! Happy to see you again, you and the lovely Anaena. Sadly this isn’t just a social call. Where can we talk privately?” He paused and remembered, “Please meet Clan Dillard, Jules Moreau and Wladimir Kowalski.”

“Still with you, I see,” the Teknor smiled. Then, with a small wave, “We can meet in my apartment.”

“And who is this young man?” Gadeau asked.

“Tankar Holroy, from the Empire of Earth. Officer in the Stellar Guards.”

“You’ve had the same thought I did.”

“He was lost, and we scooped him up.”

“Bring him along, then. What I have to say concerns him as well. Anaena, you must come as well; we need you.”

And so Tankar paid his first visit to the Teknor’s private quarters, which were much larger than others he’d seen. They had a large rectangular room with walls reflecting space. He felt as if he were in some tall tower with hundreds of windows overlooking the city. Yet he knew he was actually in the center of the city. Low-slung seats encircled another doughnut table cluttered with materiel. Tan waved at the chairs.

“Sit, please. Gad, are you still partial to wine from Téléphor?”

“Brr. If there’s no Novagallia wine, it’ll do.”

Tan pushed a button and within seconds a man and a trolley laden with glasses and bottles of golden liquid appeared. Anaena smiled and spoke softly to Tankar. “This is the sixth time I’ve sat in on a meeting between Tan and his friend. They have the exact same exchange each time.”

The waiter filled everyone’s glass and took his leave.

“To the People of the Stars! May we live free and strong forever!”

The Stellarans clinked glasses. Tankar held back wondering what the People of the Stars’ happiness really meant to him. Anaena poised her glass for a toast so he joined the ritual.

“That being said,” the Teknor said, “what is so urgent that you rushed to see us? You know you were lucky that your message was received? I tweaked the agreed route, and I didn’t switch the times of our emergence from hyperspace.”

“You shouldn’t have. What if the Mpfifis…. In any event, this is what has happened. It’s not good, Tan, the Mpfifis are now targeting the stronger planets!”

“Damn it! Where? When? How?”

“Falhoé IV about a month ago.”

“Were they pushed back?”

“Yes, but the price was steep. Three hundred million victims.”

“And their losses?”

“Three cities decimated.”

“That’s not much. I would have thought Falhoé would have better defended itself.”

“That’s the surprising thing, Tan. The enemy arrived via hyperspace less than a hundred thousand kilometers from the planet.”

“New weaponry?”

“Not that I know of. But they did use fusion bombs. The battle lasted two days, not a minute more, and an entire continent is in ruins. Then they left.”

“How many cities?”

“Twenty-two that we found. We were supposed to make a stop on Falhoé, as we always do. We arrived three days after the invasion and were almost killed ourselves. The residents there shoot first, ask questions later.”

“This is bad news. Very bad, indeed, if it means that the Mpfifis believe they have the upper hand and are in the second stage of empire expanding.”

“Do they have one? Or are they nomads like we are?”

“Those two cultures are not necessarily mutually exclusive. Don’t you think we would’ve developed an empire if we’d wanted to?”

“Maybe, Tan. What I do know is we need to change tack vis-à-vis the Earthlings. They are, after all, humans like us, and we would do well to ally with them. When I saw that young man, I thought you’d beaten me to the punch. What do you think, Officer? Is the Earth Empire….”

Tankar stood. “For all I know, the Empire may no longer be standing. When I left, the rebellion was gaining the upper hand. I have no idea how it ended. But I doubt the forces of the Empire, or those that succeed them, will be strong enough to make a difference…for decades, at least.”

“That’s too bad. I must admit I had been counting on the Empire to help out. Better the devil you know, etcetera and so forth. The Empire had the only well-organized and super-strong army. You guys were always at war with someone, so you must have developed new weaponry. Maybe you could lend some technical support?”

Tankar inhaled deeply. He’d reached a Rubicon. He spoke directly to Tan Ekator. “You do know that since Anaena wheedled the information from me – I’m not mad at her, she played it masterfully – you know that we have hyperspace tracers. So I have reconstructed a blueprint for one such model.”

The Stellarans rose as one. The Teknor asked, “How long would it take you to build one?”

“That all depends on how quickly your physicists can accomplish the task with the technology on board. A month or two, perhaps.”

“That fast, really?”

“Maybe longer. I won’t have a clear picture until I’ve talked to your tech people.”

“Is the blueprint ready?”

“Almost. I’ll be honest; I planned to barter for the tracer.”

“In exchange for what?”

“Sending me back to Earth or allowing me to stay on another Empire colony, but I’ve changed my mind. If the Mpfifis are attacking the planets, then Gadeau is right. Now is the time for all human armies to rise up and unite as one before it’s too late. I’ll hand over the completed sketches in a few days. In fact, it would be best for me to get back to them now, if you don’t mind.”

Tankar stood, bowed to the company and took his leave. He’d barely reached the gangway when Anaena ran up to him. “Thank you so much, Tankar.”

He looked at her radiant expression. He smiled bitterly. “Happy now? You’ve won.”

Remnants of her earlier hostility flashed in her green eyes. “Oh, just stop thinking in military terms, soldier. Yes, okay, I won. I succeeded in persuading a stubborn soldier to embrace reason. Why must you spoil everything? Why turn it into something negative?” She shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. Thank you, again.” She spun around and vanished in a whirlwind of copper hair.

He took the shortest route home. The streets teemed with a motley crowd in which he saw many new faces. Laughter, music and songs blasted through open doors. He crossed Park 6, which rang with shouting and running children. He smiled.

I guess each conjunction is like a party for the Stellarans. And double the fun when it’s unexpected.

He put groceries in his refrigerated device. He had no intention of leaving his apartment until he was ready to deliver perfect blueprints. By about 6 p.m., he had finished except for one element that he thought might take another two hours’ work. He stood and selected a random can of food and put the oven on to heat it. The announcer bell rang. “Orena really could have let me be tonight,” he muttered.

But it was Anaena at the door, accompanied by two women he had not met before. “Tankar, may I present Helen Pirron and Clotilde Martin, two old friends who arrived on the Frank.”

He bowed. “Please come in.”

“No, no,” she protested. “We’ve come to pick you up. Nobody on the Tilsin should be alone tonight. We’re having a party for everyone from the Frank except for those on guard duty….”

“What if the Mpfifis come now?”

“They’d never attack two city-states at the same time. Also, we’re way out of their field of operation.”

He looked into his tiny kitchen, his pathetic provisions, his cluttered work surface. “What about the blueprints?”

“Tomorrow.”

He shrugged and grinned. “Okay, I’m coming with you.” He turned the oven off and put his papers into the strongbox. Then, hesitantly, he asked, “Would you…would you mind if, just for tonight, I wear my Guard uniform?”

“Not at all!”

“That would be wonderful,” said Clotilde, who was as brunette as Helen was blond.

“Give me a moment, then.”

He took his uniform from the closet and put it on quickly. Although it felt strange at first when he checked himself in the mirror, he recognized himself, a tall man with cold gray eyes. He mimicked a salute. So happy to see you again, Lieutenant Holroy. How have you been? He walked back to the main room. “Here I am. Where to?”

“Dinner first!”

The streets outside his apartment were still unusually busy, and, at first, Tankar moved self-consciously. He stood out in the formal uniform among Stellarans in their loose, multicolored outfits. Eventually, he relaxed. The looks of passersby betrayed no more surprise than they would have at the sight of one young man squiring three young women.

He did not recognize the interior of the restaurant. Potted plants covered the walls; brightly colored garlands floated from the ceiling and lit the center with different shades. An orchestra he couldn’t see played soft music. Stellarans were there drinking, eating and laughing. There were no waiters on duty as a huge buffet groaned under the weight of dishes and bottles. Two young men stood up and waved at Anaena.

She made the introductions. “Jan Pomerand from the Frank, Luig Tardini from the Tilsin, Lieutenat Tankar Holroy of Earth’s Stellar Guards.”

The other guys did not need an introduction. “Luig, go get some food and drink. I happen to know Tankar has a soft spot for Sarnak lamir. Tiliir filet of beef for me, please. We’re a tad late.”

The meal was very good and the wine plentiful and, for Tankar, provided an entirely new experience. The Stellarans had abandoned any reservations they had about their Earth visitor. He discovered why when another one of them came up to him and whispered, “Thanks for the tracers.”

As to Anaena, she was transformed. She glowed with happiness; no longer was she the efficient and surly librarian or the head of the anti-Mpfifi division. Tankar was used to the birdbrained ladies of the Empire courts and the ignorant commoner women. He had never in his life met a woman with all the grace of a noblewoman combined with a profound intelligence. He relaxed and let himself be carried along by the general euphoria around him. The atmosphere was so very different from the brutal partying he’d experienced during his time as a cadet when they had visited dives near the astroports or the all-male mess-hall events among buddies.

At the far end of the room, a man waved to Anaena, and she apologized before excusing herself to go see him. Their conversation was brief, and she nodded her head yes a few times. Tankar felt a flash of jealousy. Was she agreeing to go on a date with that guy? But she was back in a flash.

“That’s the problem with being the head of a unit. People can’t leave you alone even at a party.”

By the time they had finished their meal the room was only half-full, and those who remained were streaming out. Pomerand checked his watch.

“We won’t get seats, Anaena.”

“Yes, we will, I reserved for six. But you’re right, we need to make a move.”

“Where are we going?” Tankar asked.

“Park 18 to see a show. You’ll like it, I think.”

Around the central common dotted with bushes here and there, stands had been erected, and Stellarans from both city-states piled on top of them. The crowd was colorful as it flowed in and around the projector lights. Anaena led her friends to the center of one of the stands.

“We’re going to see some dancing,” she told Tankar. “It’s an interpretive dance called The Future of Men by Silja Salminen of the Frank.”

The lights flicked off suddenly. Just one projector swept across the square, cutting through the shadows of the shrubs. Something slid behind a tree and passed underneath the light: a slowly moving hunched figure.

“First figure. The Human Conscience Awakens at the Onset of the Fourth Century,” said Anaena.

The stooped form kept on walking with awkward grace like a clumsy animal. The shape began to inflate and, in the center of the lawn, a semi-clad young woman with long flowing brown hair appeared magnified four times.

“That’s so great! How do you create that effect?” Tankar asked.

“I’ll explain later,” Anaena whispered. “Look.”

The young woman was dancing mimicking a pithecanthrope…or other prehuman being, he wasn’t sure. She emerged from the forest, tapping on the savannah as if afraid of the void or the view to infinity. She embodied Courage and Flight, with Fear hiding behind the friendly trees. A man leaped down from the branches and, hand in hand, the two walked toward the rising sun.

Then the grass was empty again.

The tableau continued, shifting and evolving. The first Homo Sapiens camped in front of their caves, safe from fire; the glory of antiquity built on slavery; the slow procession toward well-being and liberty. Then, under a red light, atomic war appeared as the nameless nightmare that predated yet spawned the Empire.

“Don’t take the next tableau personally, Tankar,” Anaena warned.

Crude light from a projector crushed the young woman who was tied to a post, her hands and feet shackled. A monster watched over her, whip in hand. Anaena snickered. “A thousand pardons, please, Tankar, but this deformed being represents the Empire. You got that, right?”

He smiled, happy enough to ignore the insult.

Two new characters appeared on the stage. There was a hunched old man with a compass in his hand and a book under one arm. The second figure was a monk carrying an incense holder emitting thick smoke. He was swinging it under the monster’s nostrils. Delighted, the monster lost its focus on the woman and missed seeing the monk build a wall of smoke in front of the captive.

“Science and Religion come to the aid of Humanity,” Anaena whispered.

Then Tankar stifled a laugh. From the points on its compass, Science could unlock the toughest of chains.

“Yes, I know,” she said. “It’s pretty ridiculous, but that’s not what matters. Watch the actual dancing.”

The chains fell to the ground, and the young woman ascended to the starlit sky. Her feet left the ground as she swam upward with unimaginable grace. Below her the impotent monster frothed at the mouth. Slowly, Humanity, her loose hair floating in the wind, plucked at the stars as if picking flowers.

“Aside from the admittedly flawed background arguments, how did you find the show?”

“It was lovely. This young woman, on Earth, would have every nobleman at her feet.”

“Join us on the Frank, Tankar, and you can see her anytime,” Clotilde said.

“No, thanks,” he muttered through a thin-lipped smile. “It was difficult enough to get used to the Tilsin. I’m staying here.”

In another park, couples danced different steps from those he knew on Earth. They moved in the lower gravity, and this allowed the dancers to slide as he had never seen before. In spite of his protests, Tankar let first Clotilde, then Helen, and finally Anaena lead him to the dance floor where he stayed. As they spun around, he held her fragile muscular body close, and it was as if he had never known a world other than the Tilsin, and he had no wish to discover any other.

And so Tankar’s night continued, moving from pleasure to pleasure, surrounded by agreeable, cheerful people. They attended other shows and drank in different bars. At around 5 a.m., Anaena said, “It’s time to go home. We do have to work tomorrow. Thank you for joining us.”

He wanted to respond and tell her how thankful he was, but his brain was fogged by all the drinking and his pasty tongue could only allow him to utter platitudes.

“Drop my hand, come on.” She was smiling. “See you later, Tankar, Lieutenant of the Empire’s Stellar Guard.”

And so he stood alone among strangers, declined a few invitations, and went home. He found a cylindrical tube and a note on the table. He looked at the letter first

Tankar, I prefer to leave before you abandon me for that she cat. I saw Pei this evening, and we’ve decided to stay together. I’m not angry. I wish you luck and hope that you occasionally think of me and my efforts to ease you into life aboard the Tilsin. Pei and I are going to live on the Frank. I hope to see you as a friend at the next conjunction. I liked you very much, you Earthly barbarian, and I think I could’ve loved you. See you again somewhere in space.

He opened the tube, which contained several lovely paintings by Pei. There also was a note, which read, I know what I’m doing isn’t in the best of manners, but I can’t resist Orena. As a memento from someone who once tried to kill you and whom you saved, please accept this modest gift. Fondly, Pei.

Good luck to the both of you, as well. He spoke to the walls.

He went to the bedroom, exhausted. He sensed that something was not right. It was the strongbox. It had been forced open and the bolt sawed off. He rushed to look inside and saw the box was empty. The tracer blueprints were gone.