Dadr'Ba (9 page)

He inwardly blushed and quickened his pace as he passed Fa’Na and La’Na, a couple of prostitutes not currently hawking their wares, aside from the way they dressed, but bartering with a spice vendor over some food spices.

The “ladies” being ever watchful, noticed him, and one said, “Hey Mr. Mechanic. I’ve got some broken plumbing; can you fix it for me?” P’Ko knew they weren’t serious; they were only having a little fun with him. He knew both of them and had even fixed the door latch on the apartment they shared a while back. Not yet being equipped to be a client they promised an extra good time in repayment, once he came of age and was properly equipped.

He laughed at their joke and threw back at them that he’d need to get an extra big tool for that job, and kept moving, watchful for anything that might catch his eye.

Mindful that he only had a few hours to work with, he made his way down almost to the end of the street and stepped into Mi’Ka’s Curio shop, under a glowing red All-Seeing Eye sign. The place remained much the same as it had been six years earlier, during P’Ko’s first visit, except that time it wasn’t a trading day.

That day, P’Ko was supposedly home alone sick, but in reality, he was just overly anxious to test out his modified TaC-B system, the street was quiet then, almost deserted, most people somewhere at their jobs. And that day P’Ko had spotted the sign in the near dark (even at midday) and felt a strong compulsion to go inside.

Much to his surprise, upon entering he heard a feminine, slightly cracking voice say “Welcome, P’Ko my name is Mi’Ka
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I’ve been expecting you.” At that instant P’Ko panicked, unseen and un-introduced this person knew his name and must know he shouldn’t have been there. Still not seeing the source of the voice, P’Ko turned to run away, the voice interjected, “stop! Don’t be afraid I’m not going to hurt you.”

P’Ko tried to run but found that he couldn’t move his feet. After a moment, P’Ko’s fear drained away. He turned back towards the back of the shop and ventured wondrously deeper into the darkened shop. It was much darker than the near dusk outside and was filled with all kinds of weird memorabilia and stacks of who knows what, piled up leaving only a narrow path.

P’Ko, taking his time, letting his eyes adjust, found Mi’Ka seated at her Sooth Sayers table in a back corner. She directed his attention to her robotic pet and introduced “Ku’Ma
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,” a strange looking small matt black metallic four-legged creature with one green eye and one yellow eye, sitting at her side. Ku’Ma made a hissing sound. Mi’Ka remarked, “Give her (robopets are genderless. However Mi’Ka considers Ku’Ma female) time, she’ll get used to you.”

Stranger still was Mi’Ka, at first sight, P’Ko thought he was confronting an outcast and tried again to run but again couldn’t move. Then he realized that he was in the presence of what could only be a Touch of God Survivor.

P’Ko looked at the lady seated before him, a Mi’Nr with long dark hair and smooth pale skin sitting slouched, as if exhausted, over a small rune covered table. Strangest and scariest of all, being her eyes, overly large glowing frosted orbs with electric looking arc flashes of light behind them. 

P’Ko had never met a Touch of God Survivor before and didn’t know what to do or say, so he just stood there, dumbstruck. Finally, Mi’Ka said “P’Ko it’s so good to see you. You must have some tea”.

Ever since then P’Ko always made it a point to visit Mi’Ka whenever he came to Ol’Tn. He didn’t visit as often as he is like, in spite of his parents trying to earn extra credits, were only able to schedule overtime once or twice a week, and since school and work were synchronized, he had trouble getting away unnoticed.

There’s no need for libraries to study because everything is available on your multi-book. Of course, a bigger screen is available at your desk or an entire environment through VE (Virtual Environment), but the VE is used more for gaming than school. P’Ko usually got his fill of school in the classroom and wasn’t interested extending the academic experience beyond the classroom.

The excuse of going to the park or the Memorial was difficult due to the TaC-B’s ability to track, and the omnipresent surveillance system made available to parents for tracking of children, making it easy for parents to check up on the kids. To use going to church as an excuse for sneaking down to Ol’Tn felt sacrilegious, and P’Ko was much less inclined to challenge the Church than the CA. Even though the consequences from the Church, a verbal warning from an elder, seems trivial compared to what the CA could dole out. It boiled down to the Church being respected and the CA being feared.

The offer of tea was very special; Mi’Ka’s tea is simply the best. When asked what recipe, flavor or brand it was, Mi’Ka only smiles and winks one of her large, frosted over, scorched glass, blind eyes and say only that it’s a secret recipe and chuckle.

Blindness doesn’t bother her in the least, the frosted orbs that are her eyes, at first appear dull and lifeless, but wait a moment and there’s sparks deep within. Her actions and expressions show no hint of blindness, Mi’Ka seems to know, or sense more without sight than most people can see with perfect vision.

Mi’Ka is a Touch of God Survivor; the Touch of God took her eyes but gave her what she calls “Mind’s Eyes” instead. And even though medical technology could restore her vision, she insists that she wouldn’t change a thing, not for all the credits Dadr’Ba could carry.

She jokingly calls herself a witch and a soothsayer, and whenever P’Ko asked about what it was like, The Touch of God, Mi’Ka only replies, “be patient my child, be patient.”

That first day they met and every time since Mi’Ka served up tea pouring it without sight and not spilling a drop and placing it on the table near P’Ko’s hand. P’Ko felt her “Minds Eyes” turn towards him as she smiled and took a sip. P’Ko took a sip of the tea and savored the flavor.

Food and drink flavors and textures are critically important on Dadr’Ba. The food on Dadr’Ba is processed, refined, distilled, treated and manufactured, all in automated plants controlled by the CA. No one is allowed to know the whole process which is segmented and access controlled to only approved and cleared people. P’Ko knew because his father, a mechanic, can go just about anywhere and work on anything, but he’s denied access to the food processing machinery.

Spices and flavors and food texturizers turn what many would think an unbearable existence into one pleasant and savory. The tea had a bitter initial taste which soon smoothed out and left sweetness after swallowing.

Today, setting and dipping tea, Mi’Ka asked “How is the training going,” referring to his martial arts training, she had helped arrange, shortly after P’Ko’s first visit.

P’Ko replied that it’s going extremely well, then added: “every time I think I’ve got something mastered Lu’Gs
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introduces something new.” “The latest was going down to zone three; I was barely able to stand let alone jump kick.” “I think when I come of age, I’ll need to get strength mods.”

Mi’Ka asked how things were going in school. P’Ko took a deep breath, my classmates and I get along fine. My grades are okay, but the upper-class kids still won’t leave me alone, but I haven’t used any of the moves that Lu’Gs has taught me on them. I’ve been tempted, but knowing that I could probably take them out makes it so I don’t have to. It gives me a sort of peace in mind, and the concentration techniques help me to ignore the taunts. They still think I’m strange and slow and stupid, but I know inside that I’m not.

Mi’Ka reminded him that he mustn’t forget how serious this is, martial arts are forbidden and if discovered, could result in clinical retraining, a euphemism for brainwashing, or even involuntarily retirement meaning he and Lu’Gs could be executed (retirement without passing).

Both of you could wind up in forced re-education another euphemism for forced labor in isolation for an undetermined period; it would be very long, though. No one P’Ko knew had any recollection of someone returning from forced re-education.

P’Ko felt the gravity of the consequences, risks to himself and the significant penalty that could be placed on Lu’Gs. It bothered P’Ko that his actions could bring about the CA’s execution of Lu’Gs, never allowing him to pass on to his kids and have a legacy. It weighed on him and felt like what he imagined lower Zone Three or Zone Four to be like.

P’Ko replied yes, I know, I’m strong enough and mature enough not to risk an altercation. Lu’Gs has taught me to be as the Ether, to support while yielding, to influence without forcing and to be the foundation which all things draw support from and are measured.

After another sip, Mi’Ka asked “What do you have to say about your grades?” even coming from Mi’Ka P’Ko got a little defensive. It hinted of some of the taunts coming from Dan’Zu and even though P’Ko knew Mi’Ka was testing him. P’Ko was tempted to try a harsh reply psychically, without words, but instead held back, paused and said: “half of what they teach is too easy and the other a half is wrong or worse yet, CA propaganda.” Concluding with “besides, if my grades are too high. I might not get the job that I want”.

Mi’Ka had not been able to “see” it in P’Ko although job-related questions are common for a soothsayer, it had not matured or fermented enough in P’Ko’s mind until just this moment. This was the first time P’Ko had mentioned the job he wanted. Mi’Ka had assumed, as most do, and is most often the case; the child follows in the parent’s footsteps. P’Ko was already working under the table as a mechanic and was good at it, and he seemed to enjoy it.

Mi’Ka could see it now, but still asked, “What job is that?” Without hesitation, P’Ko replied, “a Mi’Nr.” Mi’Ka paused a long moment studying P’Ko, then as if having come to a conclusion replied “Good choice, but a difficult path.”

The alarm came; it was midday in sector three. The search for intelligent life had succeeded.

The search that began on our planet thousands of years ago, decades before the technology was developed to find habitable planets and many years before the discovery of O’M.

Potentially intelligent signals were picked up from around distant stars, most well over a thousand light years away, the closest ones were determined to be relatively low technology and at much too great a distance for an attempt at communication, the time delay was just too high, and for what purpose? Any useful dialogue would take decades, centuries or even millennia.

Our planet didn’t have much time left, the people had outgrown, or more accurately, used up our planet and fate, the weakening magnetosphere and increasing solar flare activity was forcing our people to move, or risk dying as a species.

The existence of intelligent life in the universe was a certainty, but inconsequential because none was determined to be close enough to be of any consequence or help. Faster than light travel had proven to be impossible except for the theoretically possible imaginings of a few scientists and science fiction fans who assume some yet undiscovered technology can bend the laws of physics. We didn’t have the time to wait.

The odds of
intelligent
life developing on any given planet, even in the Goldilocks zone, that zone where it’s not too hot and not too cold, comfortable, capable of supporting life, had been estimated to be less than one in a hundred thousand. Those odds were based on the number of observed habitable planets plus an estimate of the number of yet to be discovered habitable planets divided by the few “suspicious” signals that could be attributed to intelligent life. Many put the odds at millions to one. 

Our goal was to find a habitable world without intelligent life, because we needed a world to inhabit, to be our own and since there’s plenty of habitable planets out there, pick one that’s not already taken, or soiled. A clean new world, not polluted by someone else’s industry or mistakes. Pure, with untapped natural resources that with our experience and care could sustain us into perpetuity.

The technology was available, to search for planets suitable to support life, many were discovered, and the best candidates monitored as potential destinations.

Final destination world selection was based on the best match, in the right place at the right time given the size and the trajectory of the long period comet that was to become the Starship Dadr’Ba and the positions of the planets to be used for gravitational assists to achieve solar system escape velocity. 

O’M was scrutinized for many years before the beginning of Dadr’Ba’s journey. Or’Gn was already going into decline, the technology needed for the trip was refined and the resources invested in constructing what was to become Dadr’Ba.

Since its journey began, Dadr’Ba monitored O’M for signs of intelligent life, it didn’t expect to find any, the experts calculated even higher odds against intelligent life developing on a world after being chosen. 

Dadr’Ba’s leadership was confident then there would never be intelligent life on O’M that they only allowed for monitoring O’M for a few minutes each day, on a “noninterference basis.” The search antennas primary mission is to find obstacles in the path of Dadr’Ba with enough time to avoid a catastrophic collision or target and destroy the obstacle.

The deep space antennas look for medium to large objects, the near space antennas looking for medium to small objects; a spare, configurable for both missions is kept on line in case of problems, failure or during maintenace of one of the main antennas. And used for spare is also used for testing and research. 

A small group on Dadr’Ba was tasked to monitor O’M and over the centuries the process had become routine. But now with this discovery, it was time to take it seriously. The SIL (Search for Intelligent Life) team on Dadr’Ba followed the established protocols to confirm the findings. They moved the antenna to a different star and watched the signal disappear then they coordinated access to another deep space antenna and verified the results.

The SIL team reported their findings to the CA. The CA didn’t notify the SIL teams in the other sectors, but waited for independent verification from one or more of the other teams. In the meantime, the CA ordered the discovery team into a strict communications blackout.

Confirmation from the other sector teams took time; it seems the signals were intermittent but finally it was confirmed… there is intelligent life on O’M.