Notes from An Alien (2 page)

    "Morna, the shielding is to keep the Anlans from—"

    "Rednaxela!"

    He'd never heard her raise her voice.

    "Do please continue, my sweet AI."

    "I know why the Corporation chose you but they didn't take enough time to analyze the results of our interaction."

    "Morna, what the hell are you talking about?"

    "You are the Corporation's ambassador but I think you could also be their worst nightmare."

    "Morna, I wish you had an off switch. Look, we'll talk about your speculations later. I need to go perform my duty as an interrogator."

    Rednaxela stepped over the sill of the hatch but stepped right back into the bridge. He walked up to the AI's physical form—a box of exotic, plasma-infused electronics—and said: "What do you make of the Anlans' specifically asking for Akla?"

    "He is believed by the Harians of Anga to be a Prophet and a sect on Anla called the Nari claim the same thing. The Nari have apparently been waiting for him to arrive from Anga."

    "You have a bad habit of repeating what you know I already know, Morna."

    "Sometimes I feel it necessary."

    "It's going to take the whole voyage for me to figure you out."

    "I believe it will take longer than that."

    "Could be, but the leadership on Anla apparently hate the Nari."

    "Yes."

    "Asking for a man their enemies worship..."

    Morna laughed in his mind and said, "There are obvious reasons and not so obvious reasons. All I will say now is that you were chosen for your unique abilities and your devotion to the Corporation. I think your devotion will be severely tested and your abilities will be sharply honed. Please don't ask me for reasons yet, I'm still processing the probabilities."

    "I'm still trying to fathom the rush to launch this mission. They could have given us more time to really get acquainted and for me to figure out how you can make deductions on information in my head that I don't even know I have."

    "There are overriding reasons for the Corporation's haste, mostly to do with fear. And, there are times when an individual has potentials the Corporation needs and special procedures must be devised. I am a Special Procedure."

    "That you are, Morna. Thankfully, you can still attend to the ship while you're haunting my mind. Let's see how our prize criminal is doing."

~~~

The Angan Corporation's Chief, Brolan Mexur, was finishing his recital of orders to his Board members: "We need to increase endocrine enhancements in the stable populations in Anselua and Kernuma, get their sexuality functioning at around 20 percent higher levels."

    All present nodded agreement.

    "It's critical that we boost Plot Interactions on the Corporate Mesh and induce bondable people on the Public Mesh to apply for Corporate Interaction."

    All present nodded agreement.

    Brolan directed his next comment to Ralm, his deputy:    "Report on ShipOne post-launch conditions."

    "Yes, sir. All is proceeding according to plan. ShipOne is now 3,000 miles from orbital launch position and increasing in speed. LightSail is fully functional."

    "Ralm, show us the playback of bridge activity before launch."

    All present directed their attention to the hologram appearing in the center of their conference table—fifteen sets of eyes preparing to analyze the situation.

    Rednaxela appeared, seated at his console obviously lost in thought. His stare intensified and the Board members heard:

    "Rednaxela, we are fourteen seconds past the time set for slipping the magnetic bonds."

    "Yes, Morna, my dearest AI, I know; bidding farewell to folks in my mind."

    "The part of your mind I will not let myself access."

    "Yes, Morna, the only part of myself that's still private."

    "Twenty-five seconds past bond-slipping."

    "Initiate, Morna."

    The holo's recorded transmission ended when the ship's plasma shield activated.

    Brolan scanned faces again and said, "What does anyone think?"

    Not a word from the Board members.

    "Ralm?"

    "Sir, I think we have no worries. He's the best of the best and had deep training and a complete endocrine analysis plus he has no history of duplicity."

    "But, he said the only part of myself that's still private..."

    "Yes sir, we all knew there would be some risk but all probable Plots have been played through and my staff has registered no negative opinions."

    "And the AI?"

    "Just playing her part, sir."

    Brolan gave an ominous stare to each of his Board members then said, "You all will engage in Plot Interactions on the Corporate Mesh with Bonded Participants. You will report all Plot Deductions to Ralm. Next meeting tomorrow at the same time. Anyone who sleeps will be penalized."

~~~

Rednaxela entered Akla's chamber and discovered him sitting with eyes closed.

    "Akla?"

    "I am awake."

    Rednaxela found himself needing to be extremely polite.

    "May I ask you a few questions, Akla?'

    "Certainly."

    "What do you think will happen to you when we arrive at Anla?"

    "I will be conducted to a safe place and my followers will be slaughtered."

    "Slaughtered? What about your wife?

    "Her body will die."

    "I know the Anlans don't particularly like your brand of religion but slaughtering everyone...?"

    "Part of your mission is to discover the truth of Anla's social hierarchy and its weaknesses—"

    "How could you know that?"

    "How I know can be discussed at another time. The fact that I know is something you must now deal with."

    Rednaxela internally told Morna to pay very close attention. He was shocked that Akla knew because there was no way any of the people involved in the voyage, except Brolan and Ralm, could have told him about the extended mission. It was terribly risky and therefore had to be as secret as possible. Its existence was the only reason he could fathom for the unprecedented freedom of action he'd been given. He sat next to Akla and said:

    "Another time we will discuss how you know about my mission. Now you will tell me why the Anlans will slaughter your followers."

~~~

It had been twenty-seven years before the launch of ShipOne. Sesuna, the Prophet of the Nari on Anla, was being led to his death. Thousands of people crowded the village square where Sesuna was to slowly lose his life—become a Gift to their God. The Knife Bearers were sharpening and the Blood Tenders were readying their bowls for reception of the Evil Doer's essence.

    Sesuna was positioned on a wooden platform and tied to the stake protruding from its center. As the Knife Bearers began their task, slicing openings in Sesuna's veins, he calmly raised his voice and said, "When my body is gone and you have forgotten me, my Spirit will return to you in the form of a greater Prophet than I. He will be of the Harians from the planet named Anga-Param. He will regenerate my people and usher in the long-awaited Worlds' Peace."

    Sesuna's body slumped against the stake. He lifted his head to the hushed crowd and said, "Remember my words. None can stop what has begun. God is my witness! All will condemn me. All will condemn He Who Comes After Me. All will condemn except those of pure sight and spotless conscience."

    His body slumped further and the Blood Tenders adjusted their positions to catch as much of his blood as they could.

    The crowd was stunned by Sesuna's words but eagerly anticipated the taste of his blood.

~~~

Akla turned to face Rednaxela and said: "I am the One Sesuna said would come."

    "So, you're claiming to be a Prophet from God, the one he said would have his spirit, regenerate his people..."

    "You don't believe in God do you, Rednaxela?"

    "I believe what I believe. Why should it matter to you?"

    "Because you are the person who will lead me to safety when we arrive at Anla."

~~~

Rednaxela entered the soft comfort of the bridge and Morna said, "That was extremely interesting."

    "Completely weird."

    "Completely?"

    "Well, he seems to make sense, at least the way he says things sounds so totally reasonable, but the things he says are beyond belief."

    "He is a dedicated man."

    "Dedicated? No, obsessed."

~~~

ShipOne continued its light-powered flight toward Anla surrounded by the aurora of electromagnetic interaction with Anga's plasma tail.

    The passengers continued to speculate on their future.

    Most could only feel doom. These were the "mentally unstable" among Anga's criminals. The rest, the "religiously unbalanced", had mixed feelings.

    Mentally unstable to the Angan leadership meant an unwillingness to adhere to norms—a pernicious streak of wild inventiveness that refused to conform to the wishes of the Corporation. Their ideas were often used but never attributed to them. They feared being shipped to a World reported to be completely organized according to various religious standards.

    Most of the religious criminals were of the Harian persuasion, followers of Akla. The rest were truly lost souls, hoping for salvation from their new masters on Anla.

    All passengers were provided with more than adequate food and all the simulated recreation they wished. They were also receiving endocrine enhancements via their remotely controlled implants—the prime means of influencing minds on Anga. If the glandular adjustments didn't actually warp thought toward a norm, they at least led to emotional and mental imbalances that made people more tractable, more prone to fear and the welcome relief provided by simulated recreation, a private virtual world they could interact with to escape the conflicts between mind and feeling. People who didn't become passive through fear—those who fought against the invasive alteration of their feelings—were kept apart from others till they killed themselves.

~~~

Rednaxela had just returned from another visit with Akla: "Morna, give me the stats."

    "Halfway stats show consumables nominal, systems fully functional, twenty suicides."

    "Only twenty..."

    "The Harians, surprisingly, are having a beneficial effect on the others. They seem to give them emotional comfort, as Akla seems to be offering you."

    "Emotional comfort? More like intellectual challenge that keeps me from assuming what lies ahead of us at Anla."

    "What do you feel lies ahead of us?"

    "O.K., hang on. I think I'm starting to understand a part of your agenda."

    "Agenda?"

    "Well, modus operandi. You repeat things you know I know to help me focus on what seems important to you and you ask questions you know the answers to so I can pay closer attention to what I'm thinking. Right?"

    "So, what do you feel lies ahead of us?"

    "I'll take that as a yes and what I assume lies ahead are delicate negotiations that hopefully lead to free access to various parts of the planet which, in turn, give us enough information to make the expense of this voyage worthwhile."

    "And, will you return to Anga?"

    "How did you come up with a question like that?"

    "A bit of programming mixed with observation of your behavior."

    "So it's like I thought. The Corporation seeded you with routines in your programming that measure my loyalty?"

    "Not as simple as that."

    Rednaxela waited for Morna to continue, which she didn't do.

    "Morna?"

    "Yes?"

    "Care to explain?"

    "No."

    "Should I worry about your future actions?"

    "No."

    "Do you have input to the ship that I'm unaware of?"

    "No."

    "Can you lie?"

    "No."

    "Anything else you'd care to say?"

    "Akla is an interesting man."

    "Agreed..."

~~~

Seventy-two more people committed suicide, Rednaxela visited Akla five more times, and Morna told Rednaxela more about himself than he expected she knew, plus a few things even he hadn't realized about himself. Shortly after he had given her permission to access any part of his mind she wanted to explore, she had succeeded in convincing him to stop the emotion-altering endocrine enhancements. The Harians had needed no help. The enhancements had no affect on their minds even though they played havoc with their emotions. It was the "mentally unstable", rationally-inventive passengers who'd needed assistance and the Harians had given them what they needed until Morna's advice had been accepted by Rednaxela. She'd also convinced him to instruct the passengers in a method of disabling the implants without the risky option of surgery.

    The rationally-inventive passengers were working on a plan for survival that didn't include subjugation by religious zealots. They'd named it, Educate And Conquer—a method of supplying the Anlan leaders with Angan technology in the hope that its usefulness would make them more valuable as to who they actually were rather than whom it seemed the Anlans would want them to be. Morna was supplying them with appropriate gadgets to immediately impress the Anlans. She knew they would be capable of devising whatever else was needed as circumstances progressed.

    The cessation of endocrine enhancement had also helped the passengers realize, with Morna's aid, that their transfer to the planet was the beginning of a war of occupation by people who the Angan leadership believed could be remotely influenced through the implants. They reasoned that the Corporation hoped to influence them to insane actions, anything that could disrupt the Anlans' ordered existence, providing leverage for more interference by Anga's leadership. If enough potentially disruptive settlers could be shipped to Anla and the Corporation could "intercede" to control the settlers, it would be progressively more in command of a constantly growing population of drones. The Anlan priests had literally begged for the settlers. The reason for their dwindling population had yet to be determined.