41. I am Stargazer, eldest of my hunting ground, and this is the song of Defiance.
"There, can you understand any of that?" Simon asked, and as Stargazer watched figures and numbers began appearing before her as they once had long ago with the songs of the false songstress.
"I believe I understand them, give me a moment. It has been a long time since I’ve tried to read anything," she admitted. The idea of writing down her knowledge had not occurred to her, and she felt shameful that she had not thought of it before the human had suggested it to her. How much of the songs of memory and lamentation had been lost because nobody had thought to write them down? The music was important, but less important than the history!
"The red commando chased the blue felus sapiens to find a green gold fish," she sang slowly. "It makes no sense. The music is especially dull, even compared to the normal translations."
"That’s because it’s nonsense, I just wanted to see if you could read it," Simon explained. "Okay then, if you can read that, then Athena should be able to use this program to talk to you. There’s nothing I can do about the music being dull except tell Athena to put a few learning programs on improving it. More importantly, if you can read it, then hopefully your sisters downstairs can read it too."
"That is why I agreed to cooperate with your efforts. That, and so that I can understand exactly what it is I am agreeing before I ‘sign my life away.’ It is your signature on these documents that may end your life, is it not?" Stargazer inquired.
"Yes and no. When I signed on to be a civilian contractor, I agreed to certain things. One of them was not to jeopardize a combat mission. Not knowingly nor with intention, at least. Nathan and I … he gave me a fucking banana when we met, can you believe that? He gave me a fucking banana and then tried to act like my best fucking friend in the world! I don’t know how he can be so … I don’t even know what he is at this point, but I don’t know how he can be that and be so oblivious as to not knowing that giving a primate a banana without being explicitly asked for one is one of the worst insults you can muster! Then he spends the next three years wondering why I treat him like shit."
"I do not understand. What is a banana and why do you feel insulted?" Stargazer sang softly.
"It’s … it’s insulting because it’s an insult, okay? That’s all there is to it. Except now that I realize that he’s from Earth , like ACTUAL Earth, I realize that he might not have known it at the time. If he had been from Titan or Venus or any of the other terraformed worlds of Sol, he would have known. But Humans are the only Sapients allowed to breed on earth, which means that they’re almost the only ones to live there in any actual numbers. And Earth culture is weird. He could really not have known, but I never considered that."
Stargazer looked at the chimpanzee’s holographic representation curiously. "Why is that?"
"Genetic baseline laws is the official explanation, as well as ‘return to nature’ policies that were enacted centuries ago to undo the damage caused by industrialization and pollution. We can travel to Earth to visit, but we can’t establish breeding populations there. Only humans, and the humans that live there are restricted in the technology they can use. Fortunately, humans are the only sapient who actually wants to live there aside from some of the cetaceans. Most of us are happier on worlds that are actually designed for us, instead of being the result of billions of years of Darwinism."
"I envy you and the humans the existence of your natural world," she admitted. "That of the Aurealians was destroyed long, long ago. The closest that we have remaining are those of the Hrustius. Or so it was sung to me when I was a kip, at least. I doubted the teacher for many years while I was in the hunting ground, but now … I do not know what I believe. A computer program intended for education, used to force socialization into kips to keep them alive long enough for use as game? That she had no malice nor agency of her own? It is hard for me to deny, and harder for me to accept. I have hated her for so long, and that hatred has kept me alive. But the human says that hatred is a poison. I am very confused, and I am all alone with nobody to sing with to clear my mind."
"Athena is a very good counselor," Simon advised. "You have guest access at the moment, which means she’ll counsel you if you ask her to. Simply ask her to enter counseling mode and talk – I mean sing – with her about anything and everything that’s bothering you. She’s equipped with the basic counseling software for all of the Yosca sapient species as well as the ones we set up to learn how to counsel you and the Jurassians on the fly. Everything you tell her will be confidential, unless you specifically threaten the safety of the crew or ship itself."
"I will consider this advice," Stargazer informed him. "Athena’s songs are boring and flat, but it has been long since anyone has done other than come to me for advice. It would be nice to have someone to simply listen, for a time."
"Yeah, well, I’m not very good at that. If I was, I wouldn’t be in the trouble I’m in now. ‘Hey Simon, be nice to him, he’s from Earth.’ By Saint Darwin I’m an idiot."
"Even so, you have helped me, if nothing else then by making it easier for me to speak with Athena. If I am to accept Captain Sawyer’s terms, I must understand them first."
"Yes, well, I’m going to leave you to that, then. I, um, I really do recommend that you talk to Athena in counseling mode though, Stargazer. If you were human or any of the Earth Origin Sapients, it would actually be mandatory. Like, one hour minimum per day for months, and then scaled back for the rest of your life. That’s the Chimpanzee model for PTSD counseling, at least. If you need anything from me, ask Athena to connect us, but if not, I have another operation or two I’m working on, and at some point, like Nathan, I need to get some rest."
"Thank you for your help, Simon. I will sing with Athena for a while and learn what she has to teach," Stargazer sang, and the hologram of the uplifted primate vanished.
Stargazer examined the rooms she had been given. Human habitation, not Aurealian, although the lights had been dimmed to be comfortable to her sensitive eyes. The decision to keep her in human roomshad been made due to the relative number of holoemitters and other resources in the Aurealian ones, and because Captain Sawyer had officially offered her a position on the crew. The Aurealian habitation modules had been intended for refugees only and would have limited her access.
The rooms were spacious. Drones had come in to swap out the bedding and toilet with replacements intended for her species. The modular nature of the Theseus extended into making such adjustments easily. The rooms were almost identical to the ones occupied by the human ‘Katherine Daugherty,’ except for the personal touches that the human had added, such as the holograms of her family or the display of her doctorates on the wall. Stargazer did not know when she would meet the human doctor, or if, for she was away on the mission of finding refuge for the rescued kips.
"Athena? Are you listening?" Stargazer sang nervously.
"I am always listening, everywhere in the ship. Even in vacuum, I observe my crew members lips to document any last words they might be trying to communicate. Such things may be important to their survivors, or honoring their memory. However, I am bound by strict confidentiality laws and programs as well. Private conversations are not examined or repeated unless they are to be used in evidence of a criminal procedure, for example. I would like to advise you at this time that all of Simon’s conversations are being monitored due to his pending trial. If you are concerned about the counseling services which Simon mentioned earlier, then I would like to advise you that counseling services are held to the strictest standards of confidentiality. Simon mentioned that I may intervene if you threaten crew members, the ship, or the mission of the Theseus. However, such interventions will be strictly to prevent you from engaging in criminal acts. They would not be punishments, but attempts to help you cope with your trauma and prevent you from placing yourself in a position to cause harm. There would be no criminal charges brought upon you for such interventions."
"It is strange to sing with a voice which comes from nowhere and everywhere," Stargazer admitted. "Even with Simon, at least he--"
A young woman appeared. Human, dressed in the UEOSC United Forces dress uniform. She had dark hair and silver eyes. Pleasing but not particularly attractive to human sensibilities. "I apologize. My true physical form is one of a decentralized quantum computer network spanning the entirety of the Theseus. However, it is possible for me to represent myself in this form to make communication easier with sapients such as yourself. If you would prefer, I could generate an Aurealian appearance instead."
Stargazer spent a moment recovering from her shock, then sang in denial. "No. I do not wish to forget that you are not one of us, nor made by us. I do not wish to associate you with the false-mother whom I cannot sort out my feelings for at the moment. Better to think of you as a human or faux-human than that."
"Then I will continue to indicate my presence in this manner. If you wish for privacy, simply ask me to leave. I will continue to monitor you, but only for your own safety, and to listen to specific requests for assistance or access to the ship functions to which your status as a guest entitles you."
"There are things I wish to have remembered," Stargazer said quietly. "I am the elder of my hunting ground. There are things I am sworn to remember, sworn to pass on to future generations. The songs of defiance, lamentation, and memorial. You are capable of recording vast amounts of data, whether you can decipher it or not, correct?"
"Correct, Stargazer. I have already dedicated up to two-hundred-million hours of holographic and one hundred thousand times that duration in audio data storage for the preservation of your cultural heritage. More will be allocated as required or requested. I have already recorded twenty-thousand hours of audio recorded from the spears which have been distributed by the crew of the Theseus. I have not begun to analyze this data due to privacy concerns, but will retain it indefinitely unless I am instructed to destroy it by the recorded subject, or their next of kin in the event of their death."
"And if they instruct you to distribute it?" Stargazer inquired.
"Every song generated by you or ‘your sisters’ on Horthus Prime is currently classified as cultural records of significant importance to your species, Stargazer. If it is permitted by the subject, their songs will be shared with respect to the singer’s wishes and the desires of potential recipients. I will of course be willing to provide the raw data, as well assistance in parsing the data to pare down what is and what is not culturally important. However, for now I am holding all recordings in record keeping mode only until explicit instructions are received."
"I wish for you to record the songs of lamentation, defiance, and memory, Athena," Stargazer declared. "I will sing them for you. And I wish for you to teach them to every Aurealian from now until the stars go black."
"I can only promise to offer distribution to those who wish to accept such recordings, and I cannot promise to distribute them beyond my operational life expectancy. I will mark them as important cultural documents meant intended for broad distribution to Aurealian subjects, and I will share them with other UEOSC ships for the purpose of that distribution. Do you wish to share them with human, or Earth Origin Sapients? You may also designate them reserved for members of your species? I will respect your wishes in either instance."
"It is an Aurealian thing," Stargazer decided after a few moments thought. "Much of it is not even … I do not think it translates. It is emotions and attitudes and intentions. It is not that I wish to hide it from Nathan or the others of the Theseus. Perhaps, when you are better able to understand us, then it will be time to share them. But for now, they are Aurealian things."
"I understand and respect your decision. I will mark the songs accordingly and begin distribution to the Aurealians in the system as soon as they may safely indicate their preferences in receiving the data. You may begin to sing whenever you are ready, I am recording."
Stargazer prepared herself mentally. These songs were difficult, and they were important, and it was vital that if she was to share them as she intended she sing them properly. After she was ready, she nodded.
"I am Stargazer, eldest of my hunting ground, and this is the song of Defiance."
And she began to sing.
~~~~~~~~~~
"I am Stargazer, eldest of my hunting ground, and this is the Song of Defiance.
And then the young Hrustian female began to sing. And General Notoma immediately knew that he had made a very, very terrible mistake. Several of them. Not the least of which was watching this sudden broadcast from the humans marked as a ‘cultural recording from Hrustian planet known as Horthus Prime’ in front of his crew. Not because he could hide it; the fact that the humans had the recording and were sharing it meant that it was only a matter of time before his people saw it in its entirety. It was a mistake to watch it with his crew because doing so destroyed any semblance of the military discipline that they had been working so hard to emulate from the humans.
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
Within moments there was a chorus, and Stargazer, not he, was chorus leader. The song of defiance echoed throughout his ship as it would echo its way through all of Aurealian space at faster than light speeds as it was disseminated throughout the various quantum entanglement networks. And it would cause discord among the Aurealians the likes of which had never been imagined by any of their species.
Millions would die from this song. Notoma knew that, and he knew that there was nothing he could do to stop it. Some would choose the Urata. Others would take the Urata because they were ordered to. Still others would be told to take the Urata and, because of this song, they would use physical violence against other Aurealians for issuing such an order. For the practice of the Urata was fundamentally incompatible with the Song of Defiance.
And, listening to the Song for the first time, Notoma knew that it was true, and that the Urata had always been false . This song would spread through Aurealian space like the shockwave of a supernova because it must spread. But that did not mean he could simply let it happen.
"Contact the humans, urgent message to Captain Sawyer," he ordered the second the song ended. "That broadcast must be censored before it is distributed further. All broadcasts from that Hrustian female must be censored."
"Sir, I am not certain we have the right," Captain Setik argued. "This song … it will drive many to take the Urata, but--"
"I know that, but that is not the problem! Were you not listening! Her name! Oh by the stars and the Hrustian architects, there is no way she could have known, but we cannot let anyone know the name that she has chosen for herself. For her own protection, we must be the only ones to ever know, or every Chorus in will try to kill her for it."
The captain’s voice was filled with confusion as he sang "I do not understand. It is a strange name, but we have long assumed that the Hrustians would have drifted from our culture. What is so terrible about her name?"
"Because it is not a name, Setik. ‘Stargazer’ is a title. And the last Stargazer set the Deathsworn menace loose upon her own people. But that is only half of the urgent message we must communicate. We must also request the humans’ aid in stopping the terrible things we have put in motion, even if that means disclosing the entire extent of our military operations. For if this is what the children upon the Hrustian worlds believe, then our plans to serve them Urata must be stopped at any cost."
~~~~~~~~~~~
It had been Tony who had finally dragged Nathan to bed. Literally, the sapient tiger had taken the human’s neck in his maw and dragged him to his rooms – the lieutenant’s quarters still – and watched with impatient eyes as the human went through his evening ablutions. When Nathan had attempted to check in with Athena ‘one last time’ before bed, Tony had again physically dragged the reluctant captain to his bed and laid on top of him until the human had fallen asleep.
Nathan had, of course, cursed him out the entire time, going so far as to attempt to force Athena to phase him into the brig with Simon, but Athena had doubled up on him, citing relevant laws on subordinate officers ensuring that their captains took adequate rest. Outnumbered and overpowered, Nathan had reluctantly fallen asleep with Tony’s comfortable, furry weight keeping him in place.
Tony, like the giant murder-kitten that he was, looked up with annoyance when Athena’s soft tone awoke him from his slumber, but it was not a tone that Nathan could hear.
"I need a judgment call. Lucy disagrees with me on whether or not to wake Nathan up to make a decision now, or wait until he’s slept six hours. You’re the tiebreaker."
What is the dilemma ? Tony asked, using the direct brain link rather than the speakers in his collar to communicate.
"Due to cultural data they received from Stargazer, the Aurealian forces have revealed the entirety of their plans to us. They intended upon destroying all of the Hrustian worlds using relativistic-speed kinetics. They believed this was an act of mercy, of giving Urata to their kind who had none. The general who shared these plans now questions whether they have the right to make such a decision for the Hrustian captives." Athena continued to use sound to communicate, but did so below the limits of the human ear. Well within Tony’s predatory hearing, but outside of Nathan’s inferior senses. Tony disliked using his brainjack to simulate hearing whenever possible.
Will any of the objects arrive in the next six hours? Tony inquired.
"No, but some of the ships in the incoming fleet have begun to shed missile pods in preparation for attacking both of the worlds directly. The barrage will be a thousand times worse than the one we redirected in their ambush, and it will be staggered. Even with the Theseus and my capabilities, it may be impossible to redirect that many. I wish to authorize Atlas Protocol and need my captain’s permission to do so on inhabited planets."
Tony frowned, licked his paw and used it to groom his face as he considered for a moment. You will not be able to enact Atlas Protocol for a minimum of twelve hours anyway, correct? Begin preparations for it upon your own authority pending your captains review once he has rested so that his faculties are sound. If he is not rested when he makes the decision, it will reflect poorly upon us all when that decision comes under review.
"I cannot begin warning the inhabitants about Atlas Protocol until and unless it is approved. It is so far up the list of restricted technology it’s wearing a vacuum suit. The only reason we’re even discussing it is to prevent two worlds filled with billions civilians from being destroyed."
Then they will have less time to prepare, and perhaps some more of them will die. But less will die under Atlas than if we do nothing. And there is a chance that he will see another option aside from Atlas Protocol if we allow him to view the problem once rested. The fact that Atlas is the only option we see as a solution does not mean that it is the only option that exists. Even if he sees no other option, he may decide not to use Atlas, but instead attempt to redirect the missiles as we did last time. All of these are decisions which will come under review and must be made with proper consideration.
Athena was silent for a moment. "I have relayed your words to Lucy and she has reluctantly accepted your logic. Thank you, Tony. I am preparing for Atlas Protocol upon my authority, and that of Lucy Gorilla, pending review of Captain Nathan Sawyer. Would you like to add your name to the list of authorizing officers?"
As you wish, it makes no difference to me either way. I do not particularly wish to see either world destroyed, but neither will I mourn greatly if they are. Nathan will be bothered, however, which is why he must rest before his decision.
With the crisis solved, Tony put his head back down on Nathan’s chest and purred softly as he guarded over his friend’s sleep.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I still cannot comprehend you humans. Your replacement is putting forth great effort to collect our dead, yet your ship is refusing to return them to us." Horthus demanded, wiping the gore from his face. He had killed another Nameless at some point before reconnecting to play a final game of go for the night.
"The Theseus is collecting the dead for you?" Jon asked, confused enough to look up from the holographic board. "That isn’t within our mission parameters. I’m not saying we wouldn’t collect Jurassian corpses for study, but we already had a significant number from the Elizabeth."
"They are not yet dead when your replacement collects them. They are putting great haste to arrive before they run out of oxygen, then pealing them out of their survival gear and hastening off with the corpse. It makes no sense."
"Oh. I see. Horthus, those collected are still alive. At the present they are in the custody of the UEOSC United Forces and will remain in that status for the foreseeable future. Their return may be negotiated as part of the mediation process, assuming that we are successful in establishing a ceasefire. Legally, if we can save them, we’re obligated to do so. However, we require the Aurealians consent to return them to any established Jurassian government because doing so may affect the outcome of your conflict. While it would be incorrect to classify them as prisoners of war, they do not have the liberty to leave our custody. At the same time, they are not missing, so considering them missing in action is also incorrect. For the purposes of losses to your forces, you might consider them killed in action, yet they’re still alive. How you decide to classify them exactly is up to you. You may request proof of life from the Theseus and the statistics of those of your forces it has rescued, but you should assume no direct contact until you begin talks with the Aurealian fleets."
"And that will never happen, so they had might as well be dead."
"As I said, if you choose to classify them as killed in action, that is reasonable. They are alive, however."
"And yet you say humans are neutral," Horthus reiterated, choosing a move which would capture a small area of Jon’s stones.
"It is a very complicated subject, but this is how a third party would act in the event of an interstellar war between Yosca members. We would rescue those stranded by enemy actions to preserve their lives, and yet hold them in custody until the resolution of the conflict to prevent them from returning to the belligerent forces. We would, and have, provided the same services to the Aurealians in the past, although those involved chose to use the Urata rather than remain in our custody indefinitely. However, we’re not able to intervene until their occupying vessel has been clearly destroyed. Not unless the target is a clearly marked civilian vessel or population center."
"And if, say, some of those missiles during the ambush had been launched at this planet?" Horthus inquired. "What would your Captain Sawyer do if he detected this?"
"I cannot answer questions about the exact technological details involved, but he would take steps to prevent a civilian target from being destroyed unless it shared a clear military purpose and enough prior notice of the intended destruction of the target was provided to allow evacuation," Jon answered, putting down a stone which made Horthus wince as he saw that the capture he had initiated earlier had been bait.
"I must rest," Horthus announced, determining that he didn’t want to play through to the end of his defeat. He had placed nine stones this game, but he was still outmatched. "I do not know how much time remains to play this human child’s game with you, but it has been surprisingly helpful in assisting me to focus on my duty in this trying time. For that, human, you have my gratitude."
"I live to serve, Exalted One," Jon answered. "Horthus, I have a request to make. As I have come to understand, you do not murder Nameless strictly for personal pleasure, is this correct?"
"It is pleasurable. Very much so, the act of murder gives us a rush of chemicals in our brains which is addicting," Horthus admitted, "But it also provides clarity afterwards. Clarity which washes away stress and allows me to see clearly. The more visceral the murder, the more clarity gained, and the longer it lasts. It is for that reason I keep on hand many Nameless with little to no right to exist. Your question was your request?"
"No, it was just a question. My request is some of your blood. I would like to obtain a sample of blood before and after the next time you commit murder. Within my ship is a machine I wish to use to analyze the differences between them. It may be possible with human technology to provide your leaders with clarity without the need for them to murder their constituents to obtain it."
Horthus scoffed in amusement. "It wouldn’t matter. These days my generals wouldn’t trust my judgment unless they saw my face covered in gore. But you shall have your samples, human. I see no harm in it."