Chapter Seventeen — Part 1

The Persimmon was forced into Realspace by sub-teselar disturbances. Because of the colony’s extensive defenses, we were forced to finish our trip without sensors — following one of the Scandivat’s automated drones. I was awed by the efficiency of the Space Colony. Hexagonal crystals spread out into space in every imaginable direction.

The size of a small moon, and made of a clear version of the concrete used on the original Scandivat home, the ship glowed sublimely from within. Ships flew around it, and as we drew closer, Guardians guarded every sealed air hatch. I took up my flute, hopeful that I might gain an audience with the Central. We opened communications, and I played quickly, knowing our lives depended on it.

“This is Captain Bit of the Persimmon, returning a stranded member of your race to the colony. Hunter Reed is ready to be reintegrated.”

“Why is it that Hunter Reed travels with humans?” The all-voice asked over an audio only linkage.

“We found him in Otherspace, adrift after an accident. We saved him and brought him here. This is his home, he belongs with his kind. He deserves to integrate.” I played my response carefully, not wanting to sound like I was telling the Central what to do.

I’m certain I had an accent, though for the life of me I couldn’t hear it. I knew I was a little more emotional than the Scandivat Collective was.

Again, I had to wait. Tiffany twiddled her thumbs nervously, and Kotian had escape coordinates already plugged just in case our first attempt at peace fell through. Without Otherspace capabilities, we’d have to fight our way out of the range of their sub-teselar field.

“Well spoken — for a human. We will allow peaceful interaction for this purpose. Prepare for ship/colony integration.” The audio connection terminated.

I smiled at my cunning. Once inside I had no intention of leaving, even if my ship did. I had to get to the Central and convince the sentience to take his people home. Tiffany and Kotian waited at the bridge while I escorted Captain Reed to the exit hatch. He clearly dwarfed the Hunters sent to wait for him, and they were in other ways built physically different from my friend. They had sharper edges and larger eyes. There were other, more subtle differences, in posture and motion that suggested something about Reed wasn’t quite the same as his younger siblings.

“The human may now leave the colony.” The Hunter on the left whistled.

“The human would like to speak with the Central.” I answered with as little emotion as possible.

Captain Reed spoke in my defense. “The Central will want to hear her words. Peace with the humans is necessary to continued survival. War will destroy the colony.”

“The Hunter Reed has been corrupted.” The Central determined. “Integration may be impossible.”

Captain Reed was led away by one of the Hunter Guards.

I played my request. “Please let me to talk with the Central.”

“Human relations have already been established. Negotiations have been made. Earth is to be the Colonial Home.” The voice of the Hunter sounded somewhat guarded.

“Without Earth, the Human Race will die.” I said.

There was a momentary pause, and the Hunter waited, frozen, as the Central consciousness came to a decision. “The Central will speak with you now.”

The second I stepped beyond the air lock, the door sealed behind me, and I felt completely vulnerable. Thousands of Harvesters shuffled around me, their hard, mindless bodies doing the routine work that our machines did for us. I don’t know how many hours we walked. I found myself wishing for my wings.

The drone of chirps and communication overwhelmed me, and I kept my flute handy, just in case some comment was directed at me. When silence did come, so many hours later, it was the result of a hatch sealing shut. And leaving the workaday world of the colony. I was inspected thoroughly. Weapons were removed from me.

“Why do you carry two vocal interpreters?”

“It isn’t a weapon, so it shouldn’t concern you.” I played, not wanting to part with the flute.

That sedated the Hunter, who left me with both flutes. After an hour, I was allowed to pass through the next door, but only with three Hunters escorting me. I found the treatment silly, because even one Hunter could have slashed me to ribbons a thousand times even if I had tried to break for the door or attack the Central.

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