Ancient Birthright (11 page)

Jamz winked at Caraa so Saigg couldn’t see him. “Do you think your team could keep a VH tech fully occupied? VH repair techs seem to be hard to get. It’s been sixty-cycles since a tech tweaked the VH in here. To ask to have a VH tech reassigned to support just your team seems a little frivolous.”

Saigg’s face showed his disappointment as he crossed to the food dispenser, VH displays, like much of the technology on the ship, and even the ship itself, was a soul-designed, organic construct, bioengineered for a specific purpose. He pressed the actipad for two cups of sweet drink, and a green cake. He turned to Renna. “Which flavor cake would you like?”

“The yellow with black flecks is my favorite.” Renna turned to Jamz. “I could service the VH screen in here if it is giving you problems.”

“No Renna. Saigg brought you here as a reward, not to work on our VH screens. Take off your equipment and get comfortable,” Jamz said.

Saigg pressed the pad for her choice then took the dispensed food and drink to the main room and indicated Renna should take a seat in one of the two chairs facing his parents. She removed her equipment harness and placed it next to the entrance hatch.

I was right, without the equipment harness, she’s beautiful. The curve of her legs and the way they blend into her tail is exquisite.

Renna returned to the chair and gracefully settled on to it before sampling the cake Saigg offered.

“I’m sorry. I should have properly introduced you to my parents, Renna, my parents, Command Prime Jamz and Ops Prime Caraa Garuu. This is Renna...I never did ask you your clutch name.” Saigg said as he took the chair next to her.

“It’s Feuua, Renna Feuua.”

#

Saigg sat staring at the lovely Renna. The conversation not registering on his pheromone befuddled brain.

Jamz asked, “Renna, what do you think about Saigg’s idea of having you join his research team?”

Saigg listened through a haze as Renna explained, “After seeing the condition of the VH unit in the meeting room, I think I would have enough work to keep me very busy. Assuming the rest of the VH displays in that area are in the same shape. I could improve the response and resolution just by debudding the core processors. If the core processor throws buds, it takes a lot of display energy out of the screen. When the scientists bioengineered the VH units, they managed to suppress most of the reproductive responses. But over time buds do erupt.”

She sounds nervous, almost babbling. I wonder what’s made her jittery.

“It sounds like you could definitely help speed up the research team, well, at least their equipment. I think it would be a good idea to get you reassigned to help them out, at least on a temporary basis,” Jamz said.

“I’ll talk to my crew leader and request a temporary reassignment. I don’t know if he will approve it. I’m the newest member of the team. He may want to award the assignment to someone with more experience,” Renna said.

“Who is your crew leader?”

“Crew Leader Frnk Doosa.”

“I’ve known Frnk since we were in school together,” Jamz said. “Saigg, if you want me to contact him and request Renna’s help, I will.”

“No, I think I should do it. I have the task of completing this project as quickly as possible. It’s my responsibility to get the help I need to get it done. I’ll return to mid ship with Renna and talk to Crew Leader Doosa.”

“That’s fine,” Jamz said with the flushed green of pride on his face.

Saigg raised his cup to his lips and sipped, as a feeling of contentment settled over him when he contemplated seeing Renna every day. A moment later, his feelings changed to apprehension when he realized she had said her clutch name was Feuua.

No, please, no. I have to ask, but fate couldn’t be that cruel.

“Are you related to Domm Feuua?”

“He’s my father.”

Saigg sat in confused silence for several agonizing truebeats. Here was the first female he had been truly attracted to, the fantasy mate of his dreams, and she was the daughter of the one soul on the ship who would like nothing better than to send him back to scrubbing waste-recy bins.

Caraa tried to cover the awkward silence, “Renna, do you understand what the research team is trying to accomplish?”

“I think so. They have established communications with the souls on Earth, and they are trying to learn the spoken as well as the written languages. With the breakthrough today, they now have tied the written alphabet to its corresponding sounds and can begin learning to speak words. Their next big challenge will be to decode the syntax and grammar of the language, but with the help of the Earth soul Beldon, I believe they will succeed.”

Caraa said, “I’m impressed. That was a very clear and concise summation of their work.”

“You do know that your father was the previous team leader?” Jamz asked.

“Oh yes, and I know that Team Leader Saigg Garuu was appointed to replace him. We now have an entire new vocabulary of curse words in our quarters, all of them involving the name Saigg and some form of bodily excretion,” Renna said with a slight smile as she looked to see Saigg’s reaction.

“How do you feel about this situation?” Caraa asked.

“I’m always willing to learn new words and phrases. I think it expands my understanding of our language and gives great insight into the mind of the soul using them,” Renna said, intentionally avoiding the real question.

Caraa and Jamz glanced at one another and doubled over in laughter. “This clever young girl is going to fit into our expanding family beautifully,” Caraa whispered to Jamz loud enough that Saigg heard. “I don’t think Saigg has realized she’s chosen him as her mate. I remember when I chose you. The surprised look on your face when my mating ring appeared was priceless. I believe every luzzon male thinks they will choose their mate, when all along it’s the female who makes the choice.”

Renna said, “My father is very good in the area he has devoted to his life’s study. His grasp of the many dialects of the species of Treterra is amazing. He can lecture for hours on the evolution of individual languages, and how they evolved into the single universal ‘Common’ language we now use.

“Unfortunately, his vision is focused backward in time, and he has a problem applying it to new ideas. I think the appointment of the very handsome and exciting Saigg Garuu as team leader was the correct choice.”

“So you don’t hold bad feeling for Command Prime or Saigg for your father being replaced?” Caraa asked.

“No, my father has been much easier to get along with since the pressure of leading the research team was removed. He pounds the table and complains to all of his friends of how unfair Command Prime was to remove him, but after they leave, he actually smiles again when he returns to studying the old languages.”

“What do you think of our son? Do you think you could work with him on a daily basis?” Jamz asked as a seductive odor floated across the room signaling the release of more luzzon mating pheromones.

Renna froze with a dazed wide-eyed glance at Saigg. Her color shifting from pale green to dark green then to a gray pink.

“I believe he is impatient and a little full of himself, maybe even a touch on the egotistical side, but it’s nothing I can’t handle. With your help, Caraa, and advice from my mother I feel I can make an adult of him in fairly short order. My father, on the other hand, is going to imbed himself in the overhead when I tell him Saigg Garuu will be my mate. I can’t wait to do it.”

Caraa jumped up and embraced Renna. “Welcome to the family.”

Jamz was next, he held her for a long time just staring into her eyes, “I think you and Saigg will suit very well. Make an adult of him, and I will be forever in your debt.”

Saigg continued to sit glassy eyed staring off into space, “Mated?” he mumbled. “I just brought her for a sweet drink and cake and maybe a cuddle when I walked her home.”

The dark ring of a mated female luzzon was already beginning to appear around the base of Renna’s neck.

She pulled a dazed Saigg from his chair and tightly intertwined their fingers, “Let’s go see Daddy.”

Chapter-13

Socorro, New Mexico: Transjump plus 3 years, 190 days:

Beldon pressed the “Enter” key just as he heard Cindy come through the back door.

“Hi, Mr. D. How are you doing today?” Cindy asked as she entered the kitchen.

Beldon heard the smack as she gave his father her customary kiss on the cheek.

“Oh, hi Cindy, I’m actually feeling pretty good. It took over two years, but I think I’m finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. A few more months and I might be able to go back to work.”

“That’s great. Is Beldon in his room?”

“He’s glued to his computer as usual. If he doesn’t go out and get some sun pretty soon, he’s going to look like a cadaver.”

“I’ll see what I can do. I know he wanted to finish that last training module and get it sent to the publisher. I’ll admit, I had no idea that a computer program based on simple pictures and phonetic sounds would create this much interest. When Beldon told me he wanted to sell our work to a software publisher, I was stunned.”

“You’re not the only one. The advance the publisher gave you two to complete the project is more than I would make in three years working on the VLA.”

“Talk to you later Mr. D. I’ll go see if I can help Bel,” Cindy said.

Beldon stepped into the hall in front of her.

“I was coming to help you.”

“No need to. I’m finished. I sent the last module a few minutes ago,” Beldon said as he turned Cindy around and walked her back into the kitchen with his arm around her waist. He stopped and bent to give her a lingering kiss.

“Oh, stop you two. You’re making me blush,” teased Duane. “I can see that a computer-based English training program isn’t the only thing you two kids have developed over the past couple of years.”

“Dad, Cindy, can we sit and talk for a few minutes? There are a couple of things I want to tell you.”

Beldon and Cindy pulled out chairs at the kitchen table.

“First, Dad, I want to build a smaller version of one of the VLA antennas. I was wondering if you would be willing to help me with it.”

Bel saw a puzzled look on his father’s face. “I need to make a confession. The transmissions between Saigg and me over the last three-and-a-half years have been through my computer.”

“Saigg is the test subject you’ve been using to develop your English program?” Duane asked.

“Yes, just Saigg at first but later he introduced a girl named Renna to the training. Let me back up and start from the beginning.” Beldon pulled a folded sheaf of papers from his back pocket and flattened them on the table. “Dad, do you remember several years ago before your accident when you showed me the new capabilities of the upgraded VLA?”

Duane nodded.

“At that time I was helping Mom convert and format all the files she brought home because they piled so much work on her, and she couldn’t get it all done. I was staying up until two or three most nights just waiting for the conversions to complete. I felt used and thought NRAO owed me something for all the work I was doing for free. Sooo...I remembered the login codes you used to demonstrate the new VLA upgrades and started my own search for objects in space. I thought that if I could prove my programs worked and locate an object, I could win a scholarship and maybe sell the program to NRAO or possibly the Air Force to make some money.”

“Dammit Beldon, if they had caught you using the system you could have gone to jail.”

“I know Dad. That’s why I want to build my own version of a VLA antenna.”

“What, you want to search for things in space?” Duane sounded completely confused.

“No, not to search for objects. I want to continue communicating with a specific object without using the VLA’s spare antennas like I’ve been doing for the last three years.” Beldon spread out the packet of papers and explained his discovery of the
Universe Explorer
and his first efforts to establish communications with the intelligent species on the ship.

“Bel, you contacted an alien race and told them where we live,” gasped Cindy as her eyes bulged. “Is that why you’ve never let me communicate with them directly?”

“Yes. And I didn’t want to take the chance the government would go after you if I was caught.”

Duane shoved his chair back and mouth agape, stood staring at Beldon. “Have you lost your mind?”

“I don’t think so.” Beldon pointed to the picture showing the Solar system and Earth with a second small moon in orbit. “When I received this picture, their ship was already established on an intercept course with Earth. I think Earth was their intended destination all along. In my last communication with Saigg, he suggested we try to establish a direct link using verbal communications. He wants to practice speaking English before they arrive. That’s why I want to build my own transceiver. Cindy, you’ve been reading the communications I’ve given you from Saigg and Renna for almost two years. Do you get the feeling they’re a threat?”

“No. I get the feeling they’re desperate, but I’m not sure why. We’ve never talked. I just type questions and answers on the computer. It’s something in the tone of their more recent communications that makes me think they’re worried.”

“You picked up on that, too. How about it Dad? Will you help me build an antenna we can use to continue talking to them?”

Duane paced the kitchen and glared at Beldon. “I can’t believe this, an alien intelligence. My blood pressure must be through the roof. I can hear the blood pounding in my ears. Give me a few minutes to get my mind around the concept of other intelligent life forms.”

Beldon went to the refrigerator, and pulled out three cans of soda.

With a shuddering breath, Duane said, “So they’re coming whether we talk to them or not?”

“That’s the way I see it,” Beldon said.

“If I do this, I’m doing it because it sounds like it’s important to you. But stay away from the VLA system. Maybe my help will make up for the times I’ve been less than a loving father to you over the last couple of years.”