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Q CHECKED THE SURVEILLANCE again, but nothing had changed. The surveillance program would note a change before she would, but Ruhger insisted this was an important part of piloting. That might be true, but she was bored out of her skull.
Grant, lounging on the couch in the back of the Command Center, said, “I can see why Kem is so interested in the credits ‘smoothing the road’ might bring.”
“Oh?” Saree asked. She was tapping out a rhythm on the armrests of her chair—again. Annoying as the habit could be, at least Saree varied the rhythm.
Grant said, “They need credits badly. What this particular group of Travelers does is interesting but not unique. They create beautiful furnishings, mostly refurbishing existing ones, then sell them in fairs. There’s also fortune-telling, small shows, and dancing. Some adults-only dancing, by the way.” Grant waggled his brows. Q rolled her eyes. “Anyway, while it all brings in credits, I don’t think it brings in a lot. It’s probably just enough to pay for fuel. Maybe.”
“The construction clans do better, and I think they support the other clans,” Lashtar said. “At least to some level. I know there is tension among the clans and a pecking order of sorts, and I suspect credits are the source.”
“Credits do cause problems,” Ruhger rumbled.
Saree asked, “Does that mean the decision about demonstrating ‘smoothing the road’ for me has to come from another clan? Or a decision made by all the clans? That will take forever.”
She was absolutely right. Nobody rushed the Travelers. They were slow to make decisions inside a clan; Q couldn’t imagine what it would be like with many clans involved.
Grant said, “I don’t know anything about their decision-making process on this or any issue, but I did rack up some points in our favor. I gave them some pointers about finding lucrative trade items and the right way to market them to various segments of society. There was a little resistance to some of my methods, but a few of them understand enough psychology to believe me.” He smirked. “So, now we’ve provided ‘mutual support,’ which should pay for our travel with the Travelers. I’ll continue mentoring them.” He grimaced slightly. “And fending off all the propositions.”
Q sympathized. So far, this clan had left her alone but in the past? Yikes.
“Oh, poor baby,” Katryn said, rather maliciously. “Everybody wants you and it’s just so hard.”
Grant just looked at her. Eventually, Katryn turned away and buried herself in her holo.
What was bugging her? Katryn had always been hot-tempered and quick to find offense, but since Q had come on board, she’d been kind of mean, especially to Saree and Grant. And she was constantly checking on what Q did, looking at net logs, breaking into her personal storage, and treating her like she was a Familia agent rather than a friend.
Oh. Q blinked. Maybe Katryn thought she was a Familia agent? After all, Familia was really good at creating spies by threatening loved ones or using blackmail. But that didn’t explain Katryn’s hostility to Saree and Grant.
“Katryn, a word?” Ruhger said, standing and glaring.
Guess Ruhger was done tolerating Katryn’s attitude.
Before Katryn could answer, Saree pushed a message to the Command Center's main screen. “Do you know anything about Aljanah?”
Ruhger sat back down.
“Sure,” Grant said. “We’ve been there plenty of times. The fifth planet out has the famous soothing stones.”
“The incredibly expensive ones?” Saree asked. “They had some at the Sisters’ medico facility. They’re very proud of them.”
Oh, yes, the medico school administrators constantly bragged about them. Q rolled her eyes again. Some of the medicos thought they were superstition and some believed completely, refusing to do counseling sessions anywhere else. Administration cared about the marketing value, not the actual effect. Q was happy to earn the Sisters some credits by helping set up the security systems for the stones. But she had to admit they did seem to soothe most people.
“Yes, those soothing stones. The ones that enrapture some beings forever but bring happiness and peace to ninety-five percent of the humanoid population.” Grant snorted softly. “Oh, and kill over half the beings who try to mine them.”
Seriously? Half?
“Half?” Saree echoed Q’s thoughts.
“Yes,” Ruhger agreed. “It’s a well-publicized fact. Both Aljanah Five Station and Aljanah Three, where the majority of beings in the system live, make sure everyone understands the risk of soothing stone mining and the limits. They guard the planet closely and charge a pretty hefty tax on all successful miners. But a successful miner can make enough to live in comfort for the rest of their lives off of one trip if they survive.”
Q could see the appeal.
“The smart ones do it once,” Chief said. “Every return to the planet increases the risk of death by mishap. It’s extremely difficult to mine the fragile stones because they can only be found deep in the oceans, near vents, volcanoes, and fissures. There are extreme pressures in the depths and the chance of a magma flow or eruption.”
“Can’t they use remotes?” Saree asked.
“Well, yes, but the stones are fragile, so you have to be very careful removing them, and remotes are easy to steal if you have net skills,” Grant said.
Q grinned at him. She could probably make bank that way, but she’d have no idea how to sell them.
Grant continued, “And the water means you need powerful transmitters if your control center is on the surface. So, most miners use specially designed submarines to be close to the harvest sites, like active volcanoes. Then, once you remove them, half of the stones disintegrate on their way to the surface because of the pressure changes, even in specially designed chambers.”
Wow. Why even try?
“They’ve done a lot of research on stone miners and users,” Grant said. “The most successful miners are the ones selling to entities that need the stones for medical reasons. The stones are very calming for those under medico care. Particularly long-term care, like brain problems that can’t be fixed or terminal illness. Medicos like to put them in group gathering rooms or, if they have lots of credits, in individual rooms.” He glanced at Saree. “Unfortunately, so many wealthy beings want them, it drives the cost too high for many medico facilities to afford. If they can afford any at all, they mount them in special security cases, which supposedly lowers their effectiveness, but it also keeps anyone from touching a stone and becoming enraptured. Or damaging or stealing the stones.”
No wonder the medicos wanted her help with the security. Q had spent hours and hours making sure those alarms couldn’t be rerouted or negated. In the end, they’d created three separate systems, all with layered defenses. Sure, the Medicos said the stones were valuable, but Q had thought they were overstating the need. Guess not.
“The ones in the Sisters’ medico facility were like that—mounted in alarmed cases up high around what they called the gathering room,” Saree told the others.
Q would happily admit she believed in the stone’s efficacy—they were soothing. She and Ruth had discussed some weighty subjects, including their pasts, in that room late at night more than a few times. And during the installation, Q found working on the net security was easier and less frustrating if she was inside the room rather than in the security station.
“Well, the Travelers must have a specific use for them too,” Katryn said, “because they’re well-known in Aljanah and very welcome. There are four other Travelers’ clan groups there now.” Now Katryn was all business, like she’d never had her little snit.
“Ah, the reason for this fold becomes clear,” Tyron said. “They’re meeting. Probably about your request, Saree.”
“Makes sense,” Saree replied. “I figured the clash of religion versus credits would be more than one ship could decide.”
“It’s a potential shift for the entire culture, Saree,” Tyron said. “Far more than just religion and credits.”
“And a potential shift in religious understanding as well,” Lashtar said. “Religious conservatives aren’t going to like this at all.”
Saree nodded. “No, I understand that. It’s just time-consuming to articulate the entire reason.”
That was certainly true. These meetings weren’t going to be fun. Q considered Saree—she wouldn’t haul Q along with her, would she? Q bit her lip.
Thoughtfully, Lashtar said, “I’m not sure we know all the reasons or arguments either. As outsiders, there’s no reason we would and every reason we wouldn’t.”
Saree nodded. “True.” She sighed. “I’ll tell you this. I don’t want to be responsible for the departure of any religious leaders or cause any schism. I’ve done enough of that already.”
Huh. Wonder what she did? Lightwave’s crew had so much history Q didn’t understand.
Lashtar scowled. “If the religion can be split by an outsider, it wasn’t strong enough to begin with. Or the Mother intends it to be that way. Members forget that we are created in the Mother’s image, not the other way around. Nothing we do can change the Mother, just ourselves.” She shrugged. “Or whatever face you choose to put on the Mother.”
Q relaxed. For a minute there, she’d been worried Lashtar was slipping into some sort of fanatic belief herself. But she was merely making a point with the religion she was most familiar with.
Ruhger said, “I hate to interrupt this fascinating discussion on religion and heresy, but I’ve got our fold planned. Not that it’s hard with the Travelers in charge.” He looked at Saree, clearly concerned. “I don’t like the idea of you being in ^timespace^ while we fold. If the Sa’sa warned you off, it’s for a good reason. Maybe wait for the results of this meeting? Because if they decide to shut you and the Time Guild out, there’s not much point in risking it. You can tell the Sa’sa about it and let them investigate.”
“You’re right. Why risk it?” Saree shrugged, palms up. “I’ll jump in right after we fold, see what I can see.”
Ruhger sat back in his seat. “Thank you. I’ve pulled you out of ^timespace^ enough.” He grimaced. “It might just be my perception, but it seems to get harder every time. I don’t want to lose you, especially now.”
“Aw.” Why was everyone looking at her? “What? It’s adorable.” It was. True devotion and care were rare.
Ruhger glowered while Saree laughed.
Loreli snort-laughed and slapped her thigh. “Adorable! Now there’s a word I’d never use in conjunction with Ruhger!”
“Oh, but it fits “SarRu” perfectly!” Grant exclaimed. “Or is that Ruhee?”
Q snickered. “It’s Ruhee for sure.” She screeched the double-e sound at the end.
Ruhger kept glowering while Saree laughed. She said, “You are both ridiculous.”
Grant pointed. “And so are the two of you!”
Ruhger huffed. “Regardless, let’s get ready for fold, people.”
“Copy that,” Chief said, departing for Engineering.
Q went back to the surveillance. If something impacted them just before or during fold, it could be catastrophic. Or so she’d been told, forcibly, by Ruhger and Chief, and she believed them. Despite all the history she didn’t know, there was something else. Something they weren’t telling her, and it had nothing to do with surveillance. She wasn’t sure what it was, but there was something. Something big.
#
“ALL STATIONS, WE’VE arrived in Aljanah. Perform checks and report issues,” Ruhger announced.
Q kept looking at Saree. There was something about her body that didn’t look like normal meditation, but Q wasn’t sure what it was. Maybe it was part of being in ^timespace^?
“Got the normal warnings about not approaching Aljanah Five,” Grant said, drawing her attention from Saree. “But we also got a specific invitation to Aljanah Five station,” Grant smirked. “Well, not us. Saree and guests, as many as she wants. Guess that’s where the Travelers are meeting. Evidently, there’s some connection between the Travelers and Aljanah nobody knows about. Or maybe nobody cares. The Travelers don’t live in this system.”
Q had always believed the Travelers had a home base somewhere, or at least a retreat or hiding place. Probably more than one. Even with their insistence that Travelers must travel, they had a sanctuary somewhere. But... “Maybe an offshoot of the Travelers chose to stay here?” A group that didn’t claim the name broke away a long time ago?
Tyron nodded at Q. “It’s possible. The history of a lot of these systems is lost. In the early days, newly colonized systems got cut off from trade and travel pretty often. In those cases, the struggle for survival always outweighs everything else. Tech is lost and boom.” He held up a fist and shot his fingers open abruptly. “History disappears with the tech.” He shrugged. “Sometimes it’s lost on purpose to hide crimes or just hide. Cygnus is one of the constellations that got colonized and cut off a lot in the early years of human exploration. A lot of the systems had die-offs, but Aljanah’s humans lived and thrived.”
Finally, Saree blinked and sat up. “Well, that was weird.”
“Do tell, dahrling.” Loreli bustled in, towing a float-cart filled with drinks and snacks. She picked a tall bev-tainer up and handed it to Saree. “Here, I made you something special.” She smirked at Grant. “The rest of you can serve yourselves.” The cart followed Loreli to the conference table.
Q jumped up and jogged behind Loreli, her stomach rumbling. If she helped, she’d get first pick. Lightwave’s crew was so spoiled—they practically ignored Loreli’s fabulous food. Q not only appreciated how delicious it was, she appreciated Loreli’s dedication to her art.
Ruhger asked Saree, “Are you okay?”
Q shot a glance at them, but Saree looked fine. Q helped Loreli unload then took one of each thing. “This looks so good, Loreli, thank you,” she said quietly, not wanting to interrupt the conversation. But Loreli deserved to know how much Q appreciated all her hard work.
Loreli beamed at her and winked, her extra-long, electric-blue lashes making the movement extremely obvious.
Loreli’s artistry came through in more than her food and drink. She wore such outrageous, over-the-top outfits—no, costumes—with amazing accessories and makeup. The jewels and makeup really stood out, showcased by her espresso-dark skin and astonishing, bright white chef’s costumes. It must take her hours to get ready every morning. Q would never have the patience, but it might be fun to learn some tricks and tips.
Behind her, Saree said, “Yes, I’m fine. But ^timespace^ here is strange. It’s smooth, but it seems to be...pulled toward the planet. The fifth planet, the one with the soothing stones. But at the same time, it’s not really pulled because obviously, the planet is moving and ^timespace^ doesn’t move. Or maybe it moves in its own way.” She paused, head tilted. “It’s so hard to describe. But anyway, my bet is the clock here never needs tuning. Or if it does, it’s because the clock itself is drifting—they all do—not because ^timespace^ gets disturbed.”
“So, the soothing stones do more than settle disturbed beings, they settle ^timespace^ too?” Tyron asked.
Wow. Q turned and stared at Tyron. Was he right?
Saree stuttered, “Maybe... Well, that’s surprising. I wonder...” Saree stared up at the ceiling. “I wonder if that’s why I didn’t see the Travelers themselves, just something smoothing ^timespace^.” She sniffed. “I didn’t even see that, this time. They must know about the effect of the stones on ^timespace^ in this system and know they’re not needed to smooth the infinite road here. Interesting.”
“Maybe that’s the ‘Gift from God’ they were talking about,” Grant said. “The stones, along with some way of activating them, smooth the road. That way, they are never in ^timespace^ the same way you are. So, there’s never a chance they get lost like you can, Saree.”
Huh. Grant was definitely more than a pretty face. Both he and Tyron were sneaky that way. Q took a bite of the sandwich she’d picked, content to listen and learn. Oh, yum! Loreli was a goddess.
Saree stared at Grant, seemingly speechless. “By the egg of Zarar, I bet you’re right. Suns. So, if they can do this, can’t anyone? Or does it truly take a gift from God? Or what?”
What’s a Zarar? An egg-layer, obviously, but Saree wasn’t talking about chickens or ducks.
“If anyone can do this, would it take stripping the planet of stones to make it work across the universe?” Chief asked. “Do the stones keep growing after they’re harvested? And does having them on a planet automatically smooth ^timespace^ or do they need to be activated somehow?”
Grant said, “These are all great questions, and I bet the Travelers know the answers or at least some of the answers. But will those answers be caught up in religious trappings? And if so, will they listen to reason?”
Ruhger asked, “And if they don’t, what happens if others find out about this? If Gov Human, particularly General Jodl and his bunch, catches a hint of this, you can bet the Aljanah Five, suns, the entire system, will become the property of Gov Human and the Travelers will be conscripted. While they’re slippery, if the might of Gov Human military is levied against them, things will get rad-blasted real fast.”
Jodl was the nasty Gov Human military general investigating General Kerr and Laniakea Fleet, right? Q remembered overhearing some uneasy chatter on General Kerr’s flagship—Jodl was some sort of independent oversight guy with a lot of power to make life miserable for a lot of people. They’d also claimed he was a political climber and kind of mean. While she’d never be friends with General Kerr, Q respected her a lot, and so did most of the people she’d talked to on the flagship. This Jodl person seemed like a bad guy. Q snorted. No question—they had to keep this quiet for them, not just the Travelers. She swallowed her bite quickly. “We’re not telling anyone about any of this,” Q told them. “We’d end up conscripted too.”
Saree raised a brow at her. “That is why Gov Human is acting against us. They want my talents working where and when they want, not for the Time Guild.”
So, this was far more serious than Q had realized. She’d thought they were discussing issues and how to work together, but evidently, things had deteriorated since Q left Lightwave and returned to the Sisters.
Saree stared off at nothing for a few moments. “So, if the soothing stones can be used by a lot of different beings to ‘smooth the infinite road,’ perhaps they all need to be brought into the Time Guild. If we can broaden and strengthen the Guild enough, then we can push back.”
Katryn shook her head. “If the stones can be installed in systems, then they’ll end up as the property of the system, not the Time Guild.”
“Why not integrate them into the clocks?” Chief said. “A system buys a clock from the Sa’sa, and they buy clock stabilizers at the same time. They both still need maintenance but from different entities. The clocks will still need to be tuned because atomic clocks do drift over time and as they age, and the clock stabilizers will need to be activated occasionally, maybe more than occasionally depending on the system, by the Travelers. The Travelers now have a reason to keep traveling, with guaranteed income and no need for interactions with hostile communities.”
Everyone on Lightwave was smart, and Chief was no exception. At first, Q was a little nervous around Chief, with his constant scowl and the wrench always clenched in his fist, but she understood now. Chief was an introvert and his wrench was his security blanket. Q smirked at her sandwich. Not that he’d appreciate the simile.
“But what about others with the talent to interact with the stones?” Loreli asked. “And the Travelers who already have businesses?”
Ruhger slashed a hand. “Look, we can speculate for a million orbits, but let’s just put all this on hold until after the meeting. Hopefully, we’ll get the answers we need about the mechanics of the stones and activating them. Then we can discuss the political ramifications and potential for the Travelers and others. Because if we’re wrong about our underlying assumptions, all this is a waste of time.”
Ruhger was right, letting Q concentrate on Loreli’s wonderful food again. She took another bite, savoring the smooth, mellow cheese melded with the tart fruit and mild protein. Whatever this was, it was delicious.
Grant teased, “There goes Captain Just-the-Facts again, ruining all the fun.”
“Yep, that’s me,” Ruhger said.
Grant put a hand over his heart. “You’re agreeing with me? On a nickname? I don’t know if I can handle this.” He snickered and the crew laughed.
“Yeah, yeah, have your fun. But remember who saves your bacon when everything is pulled into a big black hole,” Ruhger snarked back.
Grant put a hand over his eyes, surveying the snacks. “Yum, bacon.”
Q chuckled, along with everyone else. She was so lucky to have these people. The question was, did they feel the same? Enough to put up with her, keep her around? She was too much trouble for most.
And with Familia looking for her, maybe too much trouble for anyone. She was positive Enzo would never, ever give up, even if it was the smart thing to do. His ego wouldn’t let him give up. When would that become too much, even for someone as well-connected as Saree?
#
Q PEERED AROUND RUHGER’S bulk. She could only see a sliver of Aljanah Five Station, but it didn’t look nearly as pretty as the Tobar. A Traveler guard stood next to Vai, who wore a different set of layered skirts in contrasting bright jewel tones today. Suddenly, Q once again wanted pretty skirts, which seemed so odd. The memory of wearing those horrible dresses on Indomito made her shiver. But the Traveler skirts were long and just a little bulky, not tight and skimpy.
Beyond them, a smattering of beings strode the passageways, mostly humans with a few other bipedal species, and more guards, in slightly different soft armor. Station security?
Ruhger bowed. “I’m Captain Ruhger of Lightwave.”
“Vai, speaker for the people on the Tobar.”
Saree was trying to move Ruhger aside, pushing on his side. In the soft armor, he probably didn’t even feel it.
“There you are, Saree. Come along, we have much to discuss.” Vai turned to Ruhger’s right and walked away. Saree shoved Ruhger with both hands in his lower back, so he stepped out of the airlock. Saree scrambled around him to join Vai, her Tazan silk flowing with her.
Q snickered silently. Bet Ruhger didn’t like that.
Q tracked their turns as they walked down six different corridors, all decorated with different themes. First, a wide-open plain with a blue sun, then a cute farm scene, another with odd geometrics in wildly different colors and patterns that didn’t seem quite right, a forest, a meadow, and finally, a seashore. The emergency equipment was marked in the usual bright red and yellow, ruining the effect somewhat.
They entered a security zone, got scanned and checked, then kept going with a new guard. Vai was checked too, which puzzled Q, but then she remembered this station didn’t belong to the Travelers. So, while Vai was a leader on Tobar, she wasn’t anyone special here on the station. That probably meant the two entities really were separate. Finally, the guard stopped in front of a hatch labeled “Clan Meeting.” Well, if the clans had meeting rooms here, maybe not entirely separate? It was hard to say at this point what the relationship was between the Travelers and the Guardians.
Vai turned to face them. “There are divisions, still, in the clans, but overall, we’ve decided you need to know about us, and we need to know about you. Please don’t lie about anything or you will ruin it all.” She closed her eyes for a moment, a look of deep sorrow. “If you are anything less than entirely truthful, it will probably mean your deaths.”
Q jolted and scowled at Vai. Death? A little extreme, isn’t it? But Saree didn’t seem bothered. Besides, Q would put her credits on Ruhger and the crew over the Traveler and station guards. Lightwave’s crew was decisive and fast. They wouldn’t hesitate to make hard decisions with fatal consequences. The Travelers were too used to talking—or running.
Saree nodded respectfully to Vai. “I will tell you if there is a secret I cannot share. Many are not mine.”
Vai returned her slow nod. “That will be sufficient. Also, nothing discussed here can leave here. The members of your crew left behind will have to remain in ignorance.”
Saree said, “Unless it will cause injury or death to them or other sentient beings, I agree. I would not tell anyone outside the crew anything, ever.”
Vai raised her brows but finally nodded. “I will let the chiefs know. I believe that will be sufficient. Follow me. Your seats are at the front of the room, just below the platform.” She led the way in.
Most of the compartment was dim, but the raised platform at the far end of the room was brightly lit, showcasing empty tables with chairs behind them. There had to be at least a hundred people in here, almost all of them taller and broader than Q and all of them dressed up in bright colors with lots of gold jewelry. The conversations were loud, but she could still hear Lightwave’s crew comms, routed through a discrete earpiece. Q glanced over to the side of the room where most of the people stood, talking and eating. Ooh, new food to try!
Unfortunately, Vai led them to the front rather than the food, stopping a few rows short of the first row. “Except Saree, you will sit here.” She motioned to the row of chairs. “There are bev-tainers of water at each seat, but help yourselves to the food and drink, and feel free to introduce yourselves. You will be formally introduced as a group but not individually other than Saree.” She turned to address Saree alone. “You will be joining us on the platform. There is a seat, there,” she pointed, “at the end for you. Water is there as well.”
Saree nodded. “Thank you.”
Vai smiled. “Don’t thank me. You’re probably not going to enjoy this.”
Saree’s slight smile turned ironic and slightly grim. “I didn’t expect to.”
“I won’t be sitting. I’ll stand off to the side, where I can watch everyone,” Ruhger told Vai.
Of course, he would. Q would be happy to sit through what would certainly be a very long, boring meeting.
Vai grimaced and shrugged a shoulder dismissively. “We’ll be starting in approximately two minutes, so if you need something, get it now. Saree, shall we?”
“Certainly.” She followed Vai up to the stage, Ruhger shadowing her and moving off to the side.
Q turned to the food table, but Grant grabbed her arm. She frowned. “Really? Why not?” Grant just shook his head with a little smile and pulled her into the row of seats. When she tried to sit, he pulled her back up. Q folded her arms and scowled at him.
A chime rang out and people left the tables, returning to their rows. A short time later, the chime sounded again, and everyone sat. Q plopped down. Fine, Grant was right—again.
People walked onto the stage. Both men and women, old and young. Three wore long white and gold robes with gold-festooned cloaks and tall hats; the Paters, the leaders of the Travelers’ religion. Q had met one or two, but she’d never dealt with them directly, and they’d been dressed in plain black shipsuits, not fancy robes.
The oldest Pater stood. “I am Patriarch Ludar. We welcome Saree of Jericho, Lightwave Clutch Leader, and Time Guild member. Part of her clutch and crew joins us.” He motioned toward them, and Q nodded back. “We will speak only truth here, including no lies of omission. None shall share secrets beyond this space, under the care and guidance of God. So be it.”
“So be it.” The entire group repeated it back, including the others on the platform. Q repeated it under her breath.
Dika, the smoother of the infinite road that left in a huff from their previous meeting, got up. “As has been decided for the good of the clans, we will talk about smoothing the road with the Time Guild and the lizards, the Sa’sa.” She shuddered, the gold she wore tinkling. Q couldn’t blame her, the Sa’sa scared her too. “I do not agree with this decision, but I will abide by the decision of the clans, guided by God.” She turned to Saree. “Can you describe again what you do?”
Saree started talking about ^timespace^. Since Saree had just told Q all about it in way too much detail, Q ignored Saree and looked at everyone else on the stage. Vai’s skirts were the prettiest, but Dika wore similar layered skirts in darker colors, with way more gold chains. The Paters all seemed to be really old. Q grimaced; they were probably sticklers for rules too. Most of the others wore shipsuits, but they were in pretty, bright colors. Q’s clothes, the same shipsuits the rest of the crew wore, were so boring in comparison. Even the purple stripe up the side of the pants and sleeves of the gray shipsuit was terribly plain in comparison.
Saree said, “Thank you for listening.” Q returned her attention to the stage. “I’m happy to answer any questions I can. I cannot tell you Sa’sa or Time Guild secrets, not that I know many, but I can try to elaborate on what I’ve told you already.”
Dika stood again, glancing at the others seated on the platform. They all shook their heads. “I don’t think we have any questions for you. We do have a proposition and some clarification. We,” she spread her hands to the two people seated next to her, “do not believe we operate inside of this thing you call ^timespace^. What we do is different. We embrace the stones installed on each ship and offer prayers to God, that he may smooth the road for us. None of us have seen anything like you describe. We feel jittery and wild during and after fold, but once we ask for God’s help, we feel at peace and happy. Sometimes it is difficult to let go of the stones, to leave the embrace of God, but we must.” She shook her head sadly. “None of us are meant to live with God, just ask for his blessings for the good of the clan.”
Saree raised a finger. Dika nodded at her. “Are the stones on the ships the famous soothing stones?”
Dika nodded. “They are. They are special. Each stone is large, and the group altogether is at least a meter wide. Some are wider. Some love the ships so much they grow. Slowly, but they grow. Those ships hold the most devout of us, those who love God more than anyone or anything.”
Saree nodded. “I believe what may be happening is the stones naturally smooth ^timespace^ and by embracing them, you are activating them, or perhaps feeding them, to work better, stronger, faster. I’ve always been puzzled by how easily a clutch can tune the clocks in the core systems, despite the huge amount of folder traffic and the fairly large number of clocks. But since most sentient systems have soothing stones, and many, many more in the larger, richer systems, the stones must help the Sa’sa to settle ^timespace^ too.” She shrugged. “And since the Sa’sa partially live in ^timespace^, I believe their mere presence settles and smooths it as well. What I don’t know is if the Sa’sa and the Time Guild are aware of the stones themselves. They must know that some systems remain tuned easier than others, but they may not know exactly why. While they have bodies and interact on this plain, much of their real lives are spent in ^timespace^ rather than on our plane. Trade language is difficult for them—they don’t understand language when it’s not tied to a specific timeframe.”
Dika said, “Well, this would explain much. We avoid the core systems as much as possible. When we do travel to them, we don’t smooth the road. We know the lizards are there, and we don’t want to draw attention to ourselves. I never knew why, just that it was a bad idea to smooth the infinite road in the presence of the...Sa’sa.”
Guess Dika saw Saree’s scowl at her use of the derogatory term. Q might be scared of the Sa’sa, but she knew better than to call them names.
“I believe what I should do is contact the Time Guild and ask them to send representatives here.”
“No.” A very tall, skinny, elderly woman stood. She had dark chocolate skin, white hair shorn close to her head, and her whole body shook. Some sort of tremor ailment? She should visit the Secundus medicos. “No, the Sa’sa must never come here. If they come here, they will never fulfill their destiny. It has been seen.” The woman sat back down, fast. She definitely needed to see a medico. If she could see the future, wouldn’t she see her own future and know she needed help? Maybe it didn’t work that way?
“Then meet with them elsewhere?” Saree shrugged. “Send a contingent to Sa’sa?”
The speakers glanced at each other.
The priest who’d spoken first rose. “We must discuss these revelations. We will return you to your folder.” He bowed a shallow, sharp bow. “We thank you for your information; it’s been enlightening. We will contact you for our next open meeting. Go with God.”
Vai stood and ushered Saree off the stage. Ruhger followed, and Q dropped in behind him. They left the compartment, and Vai pointed at the guard waiting there. Yelling started just as the airlock shut behind them. Q was glad they didn’t have to listen to the arguments, especially when they were over religion, power, and credits. She’d had to listen to way too many of those arguments at the Sisters. She followed Ruhger and the guard as they retraced their steps.
“Well, that was revealing,” Saree said. “I’ll spend quite some time drafting my statements and questions.”
“Will you trust Gov Human on...the planet?” Tyron asked.
On which planet? Not this one or Tyron would have named it.
“No,” Saree said, turning back to face forward again.
“Good choice.”
Q tugged Grant’s arm. He whispered, “Later. Ears.”
Q frowned at him but went back to admiring the corridors. Once onboard the passenger shuttle that brought them here, Q pulled up her net tools. Maybe she could do a little snooping on the station.
#
“FINALLY.” SAREE SWEPT a message up on the big Command Center screen.
“We, the Travelers, accept your invitation to host a meeting with the Sa’sa. We await your decision on the location for this meeting and the agreement of the Sa’sa.”
“Wait a minute! We didn’t agree to host this meeting!” Grant exclaimed. “You just told them it needed to happen!”
“Finally, a challenge worthy of me!” Loreli said, raising her chin proudly. Her chef’s hat, a big poufy thing today, wobbled around her head like it was filled with helium. Maybe it was—Loreli had some wild outfits.
Saree snickered, Q joining her. Grant should have expected this. The Travelers were good at dumping responsibilities—and the accompanying costs—on others.
Loreli pointed first at Q and then Lashtar. “You! You two will describe every detail of the tea you were offered. Every. Single. Detail. Now.” She marched off to the seating area at the back of the Command Center. Q shrugged and Lashtar returned it, then they followed Loreli.
“Sorry, Loreli,” Lashtar said, “I didn’t eat or drink, so I won’t be much help.” She plopped down on the couch, arms and legs sprawled.
Loreli scowled at her. “Q, you’d better have more for me.”
Q shrugged. “Sort of. I’m not a food expert like you are.” When Loreli motioned impatiently, she continued, “It was plain black tea, really strong and dark, with cream and sugar on the side, and the sweets were small, one or two bites, mostly little cakes, and sweet biscuits. A mix of chocolate, flowery stuff, citrus, and some just kind of bland.”
“Were they decorated?” Loreli was taking notes, her gaze as intent as a hunting lizard on prey.
“Not really. Some of the cakes had super sweet frosting. The teacups were pretty, and I think they were really old.”
“Quite likely Old Earth china, Loreli,” Lashtar said.
“Really? It survived this long? Amazing.” Loreli’s eyes were comically wide, exaggerated by her long lashes, in fuchsia today.
Lashtar shrugged a little. “Could be fakes or reproductions, I guess, but I don’t think so. Old Earth silver teapot too.”
“I doubt they were fakes. I’m sure such ancient things would be a point of pride.” Loreli narrowed in on Q again. “What else?”
Q shrugged. “I don’t know, it was food, mostly sweet and good. The tea was okay with lots of milk and sugar.”
“Impossible!” Loreli threw up her hands. “You two are useless!”
Lashtar shook her head, smirking. “Just build them a feast fit for dignitaries, and they’ll be thrilled, I guarantee it. They’re human. The Sa’sa will be harder.”
“Not at all. I’ve studied them.” Loreli flipped a careless hand.
“Well, then, just be you, a fabulous Culinary Institute Sirius Chef. Do your own thing.” Lashtar smiled. “You’ll amaze them all.”
“You’re right.” Loreli bounded to her feet. “You are absolutely right. I am fabulous! I will astonish them all!” She almost ran from the compartment.
Q laughed. “She’s kind of crazy.”
“But a delicious kind of crazy. She’s always been more than a little different, in a good way. Culinary Institute Sirius was really good for her. The school let her grow into the person she is now. She wasn’t happy as a mercenary.” Lashtar gazed after Loreli with a strangely sad but still happy look. Regret, maybe? But a mercenary? Q thought they were a small fold transport. But if Lashtar used to be a mercenary, then a whole lot more things made sense. Like her expertise in weapons and defense of the compound. Q considered Lashtar, but something drew her attention to Saree. Q followed Lashtar’s gaze.
Saree said, “As’sacha will certainly be involved, but it’s the Time Guild leadership that’s important. The Guild Grand Master isn’t part of any of the clock maintenance clutches. The Time Guild leadership is its own small clutch. I’m sure they work with the other clock maintenance clutches, and maybe they pull in members as needed from the other clutches, but they stand on their own. They’re actually above the clock maintenance clutches in a way.”
“And they’re on Sa’sa, right?” Grant asked.
“Yes. They don’t usually leave.”
Tyron said, “Bet they will for this.”
Grant laughed. “Sucker’s bet.”
“We’ll just wait and see,” Saree said. “I’ve done what I can, and it’s up to them now.”
Saree must have sent the invitation already. Wow. A chance to see the Sa’sa in person. Q shivered. Exciting and scary all in one.
#
SAREE ACTIVATED THE hatch and stepped into the station, Q following her with the rest of the crew. They all seemed to be alert but not worried. Q, on the other hand, was jittery and more than a little nervous. Her first look at the station was a letdown. A science station studying a giant black hole in the Spindle Galaxy ought to be exciting, but it wasn’t. Off-white paint on the walls with the usual bright yellow and red emergency designations, and plain medium brown plas tiles underfoot. So boring.
By the Mother! Q stopped and stared. The group of Sa’sa Warriors wasn’t boring at all. They were taller than she was but not as tall as Ruhger, had skin reminiscent of the lizards of Secundus, mostly in shades of gray, and their arms seemed short and weak in comparison to their powerful legs. Despite their lack of height, they were extremely intimidating. Probably all those long, wickedly sharp teeth in their elongated snouts and the sharp claws on their hands and feet, along with the strange powered staffs they carried, flickering blue lightning around the spear point occasionally.
Saree walked away, the crew following, and Q scrambled to keep up, the Warriors surrounding them. Q couldn’t help but keep glancing at them. They were scary and just so...alien. How did they keep their big, muscular tails from hitting everything?
They entered a mostly-empty auditorium. Half of the seats had been replaced with big poufy bright-colored cushions for the Sa’sa. Some of the Traveler leadership had arrived, so between the Travelers’s bright clothes and the cushions, it looked like a strange flower garden exploded. Saree walked down the main aisle of the auditorium. As Q followed the crew, a message popped in, inviting Q to download the Sa’sa interpretation program. She accepted. Out of habit, Q brought up the metadata, but the program was attributed to Gov Human, Sa’sa Colony, not any individual. Weird. Most people would want attribution and credits for creating such a difficult, complex net program. Q chuckled at the additional note: the translator program was named Jamie.
Saree paused often to bow and say a few words to individual Travelers, giving Q a chance to admire their outfits and try to forget about the terrifying Sa’sa Warriors, who’d stayed at the entrance. But there were more Warriors already standing on the stage, surrounding the cushions, waiting for the Time Guild Grand Master’s clutch. Saree told them the actual Grand Master wouldn’t come, but he’d send representatives of the clutch with the ability to consult in the Sa’sa hivemind and relay the clutch’s decisions. Representatives of the top three clock maintenance clutches were coming in person too.
Q heard the distinctive thud of armor on plas and the loud clashing and hissing of Sa’sa speech and turned in her seat to watch. A mass of Sa’sa marched in, dressed in a bewildering variety of bright, vivid, clashing colors and decorated with dazzling jewels. Each one wore a tall headdress, equally decorated and bedazzled, bobbing a little with their slightly lurching walk. Q clamped her lips together to prevent snickering. They weren’t nearly as scary as the Warriors. For one, most of them weren’t much taller than she was, maybe shorter. Then more Sa’sa scrambled in, but these were half her height and dressed in plain gray shirts and shorts. They must be the serving class Sa’sa.
The clutch leaders settled on the pillows, practically climbing on top of each other. They kept moving, slithering around each other, creating an odd shurrshing noise. A strong, musky, oily scent wafted from them, warming the room. The smell and noise weren’t bad, just different. One more reminder that the Sa’sa were entirely different from humans and bipedals, not even mammals.
Finally, the Time Guild clutch representatives arrived. Completely surrounded by the tall, armored Warriors and the small, gray-clad servant class, the three Guild members stood out in their tall headdresses and flowing, bright garments. The jewels draped over them looked a lot like Saree’s necklace but much larger and more elaborate; she’d said the jewels denoted their status in the Time Guild, which explained why these three had enough ornamentation to outfit a dozen Travelers. The long, pointed claws on their hands were covered in silver, tipped with small tools, the clock adjustment tools on their first and largest claw. All three spoke, and Q waited impatiently for the translator.
The translator program said, “The Time Guild welcomes As’sacha clutch, Sve’isess clutch, Kh’atniss clutch, and Lightwave clutch. We extend greetings to the Travelers clutch and look forward to learning how they smooth ^timespace^ with their physical plane tool. Welcome, all.”
Q heard Grant whisper to Vai, who sat behind them, “They’ve named you as a clutch. That’s a pretty big honor.”
“Not a nicety or a mistake?” Vai asked.
“No. The Sa’sa don’t do polite nothings, and they’re deliberate in their terminology. They must have some awareness of what you do to label you as a clutch.”
“That would make explanations easier,” Dika said. She sounded scared, and Q flashed a smile at her, even though she didn’t like Dika.
Jamie continued, “We wait for one more clutch.”
Who? Saree had said just three Sa’sa clutches plus the Time Guild. Saree, Grant, and Ruhger looked just as puzzled as Q.
Bells tinkled and brassy cymbals clashed, and Q heard human voices singing. She turned to look at the auditorium entrance. Humans dressed in blinding white danced into the auditorium. Little cymbals flashed and clashed on their fingers, and bells on their ankles tinkled as they entered, singing a joyful tune.
The Travelers’s Patriarch, Ludar, jumped up, startling Q. He shook his ceremonial staff at the group. “Apostates! What are they doing here?!”
Grant hissed, “Sit down!”
Ooh, someone doesn’t get along. Q brought her knees up, sitting sideways in the seat to watch the drama.
Dika, Via, and the speaker for the ship all pulled the sputtering man down. “Now is not the time, Patriarch,” Via said forcefully. “You know they have their own source of soothing stones. It isn’t surprising the Sa’sa would find them too.”
Grant growled, “You should have told us. Are there others?”
Vai shook her head. “Not that we know of.”
“Are they the same soothing stones?”
“Yes. Somehow, our ancestors found another system and planet, almost identical to Aljanah, and started to colonize it. We believe one of the big colony ships crashed there just as the great migration collapsed and systems were cut off. By the time we reconnected, the religions had grown radically different, but their planet had soothing stones too. Many in the priesthood cannot deal with the differences between the religions. I didn’t think Patriarch Ludar was one of them, but...” Vai lifted and opened one hand.
The interpreter said, over Vai, “The Time Guild greets the Zache clutch. We also look forward to discovering their interactions between ^timespace^ and a physical plane tool.” When the dancing and singing didn’t stop, all three Time Guild representatives roared. Q twisted, planting her feet on the ground, ready to run, but Lashtar gripped her arm, holding her in place. The Zache stopped singing. The interpreter said, “Stop and open to learning.” The Zache plopped into seats, anger, fear, and everything in between playing across their faces.
After what seemed like a very long time of hissing, teeth clashing, and other Sa’sa speech, the interpreter said, “One of the Sa’sa says: We understand there are disagreements between two of the human clutches over expressions of higher powers. We have no interest in this argument. We acknowledge the existence of a higher power but would not restrict any expression unless it harms living beings. Do not let your religious differences interfere with your duties. I believe the other two Time Guild Sa’sa are talking about the soothing stones. If I am interpreting this correctly, the Sa’sa already knew about the soothing stones; they speak of ancestors finding them and becoming lost. Physically lost, but not fully lost. There is a large deposit of stones on Sa’sa, the mountain no Sa’sa sets claw on.”
What? If the Sa’sa had these stones, why didn’t they use them? Then Q wondered, how does someone get lost but not fully?
Saree told Grant, “Make sure both the Travelers and the Zache realize that letting Sa’sa secrets out is a death sentence for their entire clan.”
“Got it,” Grant replied.
Q shot a glance at the back of the auditorium. The Travelers were good at secrets, but those Zache seemed a little weird.
Vai sniffed. “We are good at keeping secrets.”
The interpreter said, “Now all three are talking about the soothing stones. They know the Sa’sa can use them to... travel, I think is the word, but not by folding and not to any destination I can translate correctly. Possibly a different plane of existence? I am not entirely sure of this translation. They agree they did not know humans could use the soothing stones for anything.”
Saree stood and bowed. “Time Guild and clutch representatives. Humans and some other closely related species use the soothing stones to comfort those who are sick, especially those with brain injuries. They are also used to enhance joy in general. However, some beings become enraptured to the stones and never recover full consciousness of their surroundings. Some receive electrical shocks if they touch the stones. The response is somewhat related to the size of the stone but not entirely. I will leave it to the Travelers and Zache to explain their use of the soothing stones.” She bowed again and sat, motioning at Dika.
Dika stood. “I am Dika of the Travelers, Smoother of the Infinite Road.” Her voice shook. Q looked at her—tremors ran through Dika’s whole body. She was terrified. “Stones of large size are installed in each of our fold-capable ships. The use of the stones to smooth the road during and after folding space is a gift from God. Those of us who smooth the road embrace the stones on our ships and ask for God’s help. God chooses whether to grant us help or not.” She plopped down. Q heard the other leaders whisper praise and comfort.
After some hissed discussions, a tall, broad woman with long brown hair from the Zache climbed to her feet. “I am Grauni. Each of our fold transports also contains large stones or groups of stones in our worship area. During and after fold, those not involved in running the ship gather in worship. We dance, sing, and thank God for his help in spreading joy among the Zache and everyone. We do not limit who can join in spreading the love of God among the planes of the universe. All are welcome! We try to share the joy of the soothing stones to all, by seeding stones on every planet with oceans we visit.” Her expression turned sad. “Unfortunately, they rarely thrive. There just isn’t enough joy to feed them in many places.”
Transferring things between systems and worlds was frowned on. Invasive species happened, but it wasn’t usually a good thing. Sometimes, it had tragic results.
The Time Guild leaders sprang from their cushions to the front of the stage, claws up and spread. Q slammed back in her seat and felt Grant do the same next to her. Lashtar’s arm started to come up with a laser pistol, but she stopped before it threatened the Sa’sa.
“Do not spread the stones,” the interpreter said, the calm, female tone sounding odd over the loud, angry-sounding hissing and teeth clashing from the Time Guild Sa’sa. “You do not know what species may be negatively affected by the stones. Under the right conditions, they can wipe out all life.”
Yikes. That sounded really bad. Invasive species had wiped out life on planets before, but most planets and stations had sophisticated scanners and specific tools, like ultrasonic pulses, to catch the big stuff. They also expected everyone to do their part in keeping their environments clean.
Grauni’s mouth opened and closed, but no sound emitted. Finally, she said, “We didn’t know.”
Another of the white-clad people jumped up. “God will help us. He will make sure no one is harmed.”
“I’ll talk to them, Saree,” Grant said softly.
“Thanks,” she whispered.
All three Sa’sa roared, hissed, and gnashed their teeth in unison. The interpreter translated, “Do not spread the stones to planets with existing life ever again. They must be isolated from a planet’s surface.”
The Zache shot wide-eyed looks at each other and nodded. The Time Guild members settled back into the cushions and resumed their normal speech.
Q was extra-grateful they’d installed the Secundus Medico’s soothing stones in secure cases.
The interpreter continued, “The Time Guild representatives want to know if the Travelers and Zache are interested in becoming members of the Time Guild, working to ease travel between systems for all life.”
An older man, dark-skinned, with what looked like radiation burn scars, stood from the row behind them. “I am Ruslo, the speaker for the ships. The Travelers are interested. We decided that using our God-given talents for the good of all is an appropriate way to spread the blessings we have received. If there are credits associated with this action, that is acceptable to offset the cost of our travel. However, we must ensure Aljanah Five is not stripped of soothing stones. They grow very slowly and need time to replenish what is harvested. Also, harvesting the stones is dangerous. We guard the planet closely to ensure thieves can’t get in, but if it becomes widely known the stones work to smooth the infinite road, we anticipate further depredation attempts, perhaps by big corporations. We must have help defending the planet.”
Hissing and teeth-gnashing speech followed. “Your words are heard and understood. We must work on mutual defense. What do the Zache say?”
Grauni stood again, nervously running her hands down her long white dress over and over. “The Zache spread joy wherever we go. We will continue to spread joy and invite others to join in our joy. However, we must fold as God guides us, not according to any arbitrary schedule. We are happy to work with the Time Guild but do not want to be constrained by it, tied to a series of folds not blessed by God. We must fly with the winds of change, wherever God wills.” She weaved and bobbed, waving her arms slowly back and forth.
These Zache people were a little off-orbit.
“Your words are understood. Do you also need help defending the source of your stones?”
“Not yet. No one knows where the planet of God’s blessing exists.”
One of the other white-clad individuals rose. “But if we’re known as Time Guild agents, we will be tracked, so we may need assistance in the future.”
Zache voices raised objections, more joined in, and before long, they were all yelling at each other. The sound of Sa’sa speech rose as well, but the interpreter didn’t translate.
Ruhger jumped to his feet, and both she and Lashtar jolted in response, Lashtar rising half out of her chair before lowering herself back down. Ruhger smacked his forearms across his chest, the clash of armor loud. “Stop!” he roared. “Stop this childish arguing. Your system will be found, you will have treasure hunters and corporation agents testing your defenses. If they are weak, a corporation will fly in and take it all from you. God helps those who help themselves, is that not part of your scripture?” He paused, waiting for the sheepish head nods. “Then listen and work with the Time Guild and the Travelers on defenses.”
The interpreter said, “The Time Guild thanks Lightwave clutch for its leadership. The human clutches will remain yours to lead.”
Ruhger dropped back into his seat, muttering something to Saree.
Grant snarked, “Great going, Captain.”
Saree hissed, “It’s done. Better us, right?”
“Led by non-believers!” the Traveler Patriarch exclaimed but quietly.
Vai hissed, “For this thing only, Father. We can work with Saree.”
Ruslo said, “Better than the Zache, is it not, Father? Let’s listen and learn.”
The priest glared at Saree and Ruhger, but he was quiet. Q was glad the Patriarch wasn’t sitting behind her. That glare could probably cut through cerimetal.
The interpreter said, “The Time Guild wants to work with all clutches on the defense of nests, stones, and... materials needed to lay the eggs of the future. I am not entirely sure of the translation of the last phrase, but there is a sense of a fairly distant future in the words. The other Sa’sa clutches aren’t happy about this idea. They say the Warriors are spread too thin and the humans bring nothing but trouble. The Time Guild representatives say others are manipulating the humans and other sentient races and the Sa’sa must shine the light on the egg-stealers so the Sa’sa can... fulfill their destiny in this plane of existence. Again, I am not entirely sure of the translation on the last phrase.”
Q sure hoped Saree had some idea of what these planes of existence were because she had no clue.
The Sa’sa kept talking, so Q waited for the translator. Saree asked Grant, “Do the Zache fold in groups, too? No single ships?”
“I’ll check.” Grant got up out of his seat, stepping over her and Lashtar, and walked up the auditorium to the Zache. Maybe she should follow Grant—the Zache looked like way more fun than the Travelers. Lashtar gripped her arm again. Q smirked at her. Lashtar tilted her head at the stage. Fine, she’d pay attention.
The interpreter said, “As’sacha clutch has many objections and questions. They say the Warriors can’t adequately protect Sa’sa, let alone two more systems, especially when the humans’ own government is against them. They also say the ability to smooth ^timespace^ hasn’t been proven to their satisfaction. We know Lightwave clutch works just like we do, except less, but these others are different. Can we watch the Travelers and Zache clans work? Does this method work in a core system with hundreds of folders? And if a human can do it using the soothing stones, can other species? What about machine life? Can the great evil machine—Galactica I assume—smooth ^timespace^ by using the stones? Can we get stones to test these theories?”
Great evil machine Galactica? Wasn’t Galactica a big corp, like Clinton-Sorus or Koch-Trump? Q bit her lip. Of course, all the big corps were evil because they only cared about credits. Maybe the interpreter meant corporation rather than a machine? If so, the questions were sensible. Even in the backwater of Cygnus Secundus, they’d heard Gov Human, at least the military, was in chaos right now, with lots of investigations and accusations flying back and forth. It didn’t affect Cygnus Secundus, so she hadn’t paid much attention. But maybe the Sa’sa were right, maybe Gov Human wasn’t reliable.
Saree stood and faced the other human clutches. “I know the Travelers sell some of their stones. Do the Zache also sell stones?” The people in both groups exchanged glances seemingly loaded with meaning and caution.
Finally, Ruslo spoke. “The Travelers don’t control Aljanah Five. Travelers must travel. The Guardians, who control the planet and the stones, split off from us many thousands of years ago. They do sell stones, and they control who can mine them and for what purpose. That doesn’t mean every stone is used for good. Many are in the collections of rich, selfish beings who care nothing for God or the greater good. Whether or not they work properly under the care of these individuals, we do not know. It is in God’s hands. We do know the presence of many stones in a system makes it easier for God to smooth the road for us, so we’ve never objected to the sale. Those sales allow the Guardians to keep Aljanah safe. The largest and most solid stones are kept aside for use by the Travelers or the Guardians. They are never sold, only installed in our ships or the Guardians’ ships and stations, for use in worship. We are sure some smaller stones may be harvested for the Sa’sa. But we ask why they don’t harvest their own mountain?”
“We cannot touch the stones and live,” the translator said. “The last word, live, isn’t right. There’s an implication, again, of life on the current plane versus life otherwise.”
Dika said, “All are welcome at our worship of God. We turn no one away, whether we are smoothing the road or not.”
The Patriarch sneered. “I do not believe machines can use the stones. The ability to use the stones is a gift from God. A machine has no soul.” His lip curled. “Test all you want.”
Jamie said, “And the Zache?”
Grauni said, “We don’t sell our stones or allow anyone else to harvest them. We don’t have many protections on the planet, either, preferring to simply avoid notice. On the rare occasions we need more stones, we go as a group, asking for God’s protection. He allows us to get what we need, but we will need less if we can no longer plant God’s blessings elsewhere.” Several of the Zache seemed upset or outright angry about this restriction.
“Who are these aliens to contradict God?” one of them spit out.
“God didn’t mandate the spread of the stones!” another howled. The yelling got louder.
Grant stood up and whistled. The Zache near him winced and covered their ears. “I don’t care what your scripture said or didn’t say. The Sa’sa just told you the stones can exterminate all life on a planet. A loving God can’t be for such a thing, right?”
Heads nodded, some shamefaced, some still defiant.
Grant pointed at one with a particularly fierce scowl. “Discuss it later amongst yourselves. Right now, we’ve got more important orbits to achieve. Can the Sa’sa have some of your stones, can they watch how you use them in your smoothing of the road, and are you willing to work with the Sa’sa and us to protect your stones?”
Grauni glanced around her strange group. Most simply nodded, some happy, some not so happy. “Yes to all of it. We would never restrict our worship. All are welcome. We have some extra, smaller stones that have not merged with the ship’s that they may have now. And of course, we will work with someone to secure the stones, should it become necessary.”
Grant shrugged one shoulder. Saree turned to face the Time Guild representatives. Q wasn’t sure they were even paying attention; they were eating, and the serving class buzzed around them like bees. Which, she’d been told, was a somewhat accurate simile; the Sa’sa classes were much like bees, each class having one primary job. Since they were sentient, it was a little more complex than that, but how much, no one knew.
Jamie said, “The Time Guild would like stones as soon as possible. They and the three clutches gathered here may run whatever tests they choose unless those tests expose Sa’sa to the stones directly. These tests are forbidden; the outcome is known. We do not need more tests to know the stones separate the Sa’sa from this plane. Those effects were already thoroughly tested on all phases of Sa’sa life.”
“Saree,” Vai said in a horrified tone, “the Sa’sa deliberately exposed their people, their children, to these stones, even knowing they killed them?”
“I think so. Remember, they aren’t human. Individuals aren’t important.”
Saree sounded matter-of-fact and conflicted at the same time. Q was all conflicted; intellectually, she knew the Sa’sa were aliens, and you shouldn’t put human morés and motivations on them, but that seemed pretty brutal.
Jamie continued, “The Time Guild is mandating the Warriors will be on call by the Aljanah Guardians and the Zache if necessary. Since the use of the stones to smooth ^timespace^ isn’t widely known yet, they hope other arrangements can be made before it becomes a problem. Lightwave Clutch is your primary contact. Fold-capable message pods should be used if help is required. We want to see the folds tomorrow. We will watch the Travelers first then the Zache.” The Time Guild representatives got up and walked out of the auditorium, followed by the other Sa’sa clutches.
“Well, that was interesting,” Q said.
“As in the Old Earth curse, yes,” Lashtar said.
Grant bounced down the steps to them. “The Zache want to talk to the rest of the clan before anything else.”
“We feel the same,” Vai said. “We should talk more after the Sa’sa see how God protects us.”
Saree shrugged. “Sure. That’s fine with me. We’ll see you tomorrow. I’ll ask Grant to arrange the use of this auditorium so you can each bring more people.”
“With the understanding not all of them get chairs,” Grant said with a snicker.
“We can bring our own or simply sit on the floor,” Vai said. “A little hardness is good for the soul.” She nodded deeply. “Go with God.”
Saree watched the Zache and the Travelers leave then turned to the crew gathered around her. “What did you think?”
Q shuddered. The Sa’sa were still scary.
Ruhger huffed. “Trouble. Lots of trouble.”
Grant nodded. “Pretty much sums it up.”
Saree sighed. “Well, let’s head back to Lightwave so everyone can catch up and discuss.”
Suddenly, Q desperately needed the familiar and some comfort food. “Besides, Loreli was creating when we left,” Q told them. “I could really go for some Loreli goodies.” And a big hug. Maybe several.