MotherShip (19 page)

Just over a small rise, a small group of Mewiis strolled into sight.

Jaric's eyes opened wider.

The Mewiis were covered by a pale green skin and were completely hairless, at least their heads and arms were, which were the only things exposed by their one-piece jump-suits. The males were smaller and shorter than the females, while the latter also seemed to be the only ones carrying all the weapons. One of the females turned her head, and Jaric could see something moving.

It was some kind of tail—a head-tail!

As they drew closer, it became obvious that there was also a bone ridge that extended from the forehead over the top of the hairless skull and then to the base of the flexible appendage. Jaric's eyes opened wider as he realized that this appendage seemed to be ever moving, swishing from side to side with the alien's growing anticipation.

The Mewiis assemblage stopped before the three humans, and each took in the other with expectant eyes.

With mouth open in awe, the lead male ignored the others and walked straight to Becky. He gently reached for the blonde hair that fell around her shoulders.

“You are...Kraaqi?” He whispered in disbelief.

Becky stood very still as his hand caressed her locks. She was very nervous. Suddenly realizing that this gesture might be the human equivalent of shaking hands, she reached for the moving appendage behind the Mewiis head.

He smiled.

“If you touch it, we will have to mate.” The Mewiis male smiled wider.

Becky's hand jerked back.

She smiled nervously. “Well, I guess I won't touch that then, will I?”

A look of obvious disappointment crossed the Mewiis’ face.

“Just as well,” Minstrel whispered into Becky's ear. “They sound like they're coughing up a hairball when they mate.”

“How do you know that?” Becky whispered back.

Every Mewiis eye was suddenly focused on her. She felt her face flush with embarrassment.

“I told you, we observe sentient races.” Minstrel said, now barely audible in her ear.

“A little too closely, I think,” Becky whispered.

The rest of the Mewiis had now gathered around the three humans.

“They are like Kraaqi, but different.” One Mewiis whispered to another.

“They smell bad.” Another whispered.

“They stink!” A third gagged.

“Quiet. They understand us.” A large female held up her hand for silence. She nodded at the humans and stepped forward.

With reverence, she approached Becky and bowed her head slightly.

“On behalf of our children, I thank you. My name is Saris. I am Captain of this expedition.”

Kyle and Jaric looked at each other with raised eyebrows.

“I take it the women wear the pants in this family,” Kyle chuckled to Jaric in a low voice.

Jaric laughed.

Becky shot both of them a dirty look, but they only laughed louder.

“What is wrong with your males? Do you not train them?” The female Mewiis asked incredulously.

“Never mind the men, we have dire news for you..” Becky's voice became serious, yet tinged with sadness. “We have come to warn you of a danger that threatens all of you. It can destroy your entire civilization, as it did ours. We are the last three survivors of a proud race known as Humanity.”

Kyle and Jaric grew silent along with Becky as they surveyed the effect of their message on the faces of the Mewiis.

“We must talk more,” The lead Mewiis female said decisively.

The tragic tale of the last War of Humanity was retold with the deepest solemnity by Becky. The Mewiss listened, and not a few of the tenderhearted males shed a tear as the end of humanity came down to the three humans who stood before them now.

And now the last of the human race offered to help the Mewiis fight this same menace—offering their very lives, if necessary.

“We are not a fierce race,” Saris said as Becky finished the sad tale. “Our children are our lives. We live for them. This very mission was to begin colonizing a new planet, the farthest from the Three Kingdoms ever founded. Ours is a most important undertaking. We had even toyed with the idea that we might meet a new race. But not like this.”

Krinia, another female, spoke.

“We only fight to defend ourselves. Our ships, our weapons, are built around this concept. How can we fight?”

“Then the T'kaan will cut you to pieces.” Kyle said .

Becky held up her hand.

“We can help. Mother can give you plans for a new weapon. A weapon as powerful, and maybe more so, than even what the T'kaan possess.”

“You saw the battle cruiser destroyed, right? In a single blow,” Jaric added.

“Why did she not destroy the other two ships? Before they escaped?” Saris asked.

“I am not invincible. Neither are my weapons. But, we have also found that the T'kaan are not invincible.” The Mewiis looked around skittishly as Mother's voice emanated from the communicator on Becky's necklace. Both Kyle and Jaric carried a similar device.

“But we are not as numerous as the human race, as when they faced this T'kaan fleet. We occupy less than fifty worlds.”

“Are the Mewiis not part of the Three Kingdoms?” Mother asked, prompted by the knowledge she had obtained from Minstrel. “The Mewiis, the Hrono and the Kraaqi together can field a fleet equal to the T'kaan Third fleet.”

The Mewiis looked at each other in puzzlement. Not a few began to laugh.

“It is true,” Krinia said. “As long as there have been Mewiis, we have known the Hrono. Only in recent centuries have the feared Kraaqi longships become known to us.”

“There were wars,” Saris added in a reflective tone. “We fought against the Hrono in the beginning. Then there was the Great Peace. The Kraaqi destroyed that when they first showed up. The many centuries since have been turbulent with only short periods of peace. The Mewiis have not thrived in this environment, which is why we have endeavored to find habitable worlds far away from the Three Kingdoms—for our children.”

“Will the Hrono and Kraaqi not join us in this mighty struggle?” Jaric asked in disbelief. “Otherwise the T'kaan will destroy you all—one by one!”

The Mewiis grew silent, then Saris again spoke.

“In the Book of Wars, the Mewiis have allied with the Hrono against the Kraaqi many times. When the Hrono have acted destructively, when their leadership has been changed and they have sought dominance, we have even fought with the Kraaqi against the Hrono.”

“But
never
have the Hrono and Kraaqi fought together,” Krinia added matter-of-factly.

“They are sworn enemies?” Kyle thought out loud.

“They are sworn enemies, forever.” Saris said with emphasis.

“We seem to have a problem with our proposed alliance,” Mother's voice whispered to her children.

“We must not be dismayed by obstacles,” Minstrel's voice whispered a moment later.

“This is no small obstacle,” Kyle whispered into his communicator.

“Sworn enemies. Lifelong enemies,” Jaric added.

“Do humans always talk to themselves in this strange fashion,” Krinia asked.

Becky, Kyle and Jaric brought their heads up with a sudden jerk.

“We apologize. We were conferring,” Becky said sincerely.

“Who is this Minstrel?” Saris added.

“Oops.” Minstrel's voice said from nowhere. And everywhere.

“We are not a backward race,” Krinia said. “I cannot pinpoint the source of this Minstrel, though Mother's communications originate from the large ship of the humans.”

“That ship,” Jaric said with an edge to his voice. “
is
our Mother.”

Kyle glared at the Mewiss, deeply insulted.

The Mewiis grew silent as they exchanged furtive glances with each other.

“We know the importance of parents to children. We apologize. Ours, too, is a society where the parent/child relationship is cherished. But,” Krinia added, “we do not understand your relationship with the MotherShip.”

“With our Mother,” Becky added with a smile.

Saris and Krinia looked at each other in surprise. “We would hear more of your Mother. We must also discuss this terrible enemy and what we can do to protect our children. Please, all of you, come.”

The meeting was promptly moved to the Mewiis shuttle for dinner and entertainment. There Saris, Captain of the Mewiss ship, spoke of the history of the Mewiis race—of their heritage, and their life. Females were the leaders of this matriarchal society. It was a society that sought peace, but seldom found it in this dangerous universe.

Saris explained that the children were the most important segment of Mewiis society. For they were their future.

Mother listened intently.

After Saris finished speaking, Jaric explained their relationship with Mother; how Mother had been designed as the ultimate warship to fight the T'kaan in humanity's losing war. He revealed how the age-old dream of creating artificial intelligence had finally been accomplished and then joined together in the M Project to create Mother.

But all too late to turn the tide.

Jaric also explained how Mother's creators, Ron and Rita, had come up with a new plan in the growing desperation of humanity's last days. They had uploaded the entire knowledge gathered by the human race into Mother's vast long-term memory storage. This was to become the last bastion of knowledge, the last memories of the human species.

They had also put together an equally desperate escape plan.

Once again, the T'kaan had foiled even this frantic attempt during those tumultuous last days. In the end, during the climax of the final battle, Rita had sent the ship outward with only three young occupants—Becky, Kyle and Jaric—when they had hoped that they and dozens of others on the project might have escape, with only the MotherShip between them and certain death.

They spoke of their long years of searching while the T'kaan young grew on the desolated human worlds; the years of fruitless searching for any other possible survivors. Finally, they explained their decision to leave the dead worlds behind as the T'kaan fleet had learned of the existence of Mother and the children and begun to hunt them down. The T'kaan had dedicated themselves to finish the grisly task of destroying the last of humanity as well as Mother.

“That is the fate that awaits the Three Kingdoms,” Kyle said with a sobering tone.

“That is the fate that awaits your children,” Mother added, again through the communicator around Becky's neck. “If you want your children to live,” Mother paused, letting the words sink in, “for your children to have any kind of future, then you must defeat the T'kaan. Or they will destroy all. Only with an allied fleet of Mewiis, Kraaqi and Hrono can you hope to succeed.”

The Mewiis grew silent, reflecting on the hard words and the hard path before them.

“The Hrono will fight, they have powerful ships.” Krinia began. “And the Kraaqi will fight, their longships are strong and many.” Krinia paused. “But will they fight together to defeat this dark menace? I myself cannot conceive such an alliance. It is unthinkable.”

“You told us that the Hrono, the most technologically advanced, will be the most reasonable to deal with, correct?” Mother's voice asked.

“Yes. We must go to them first. They will listen. But their strength is also their weakness.” Saris said.

“What do you mean?” Becky asked.

“They are obsessed with technology. It is their god. They live for it. They die for it.” Saris smiled. “Technology and adventure. That is what drives the Hrono.”

“Perhaps they will be able to repair Mother's sub-light engines, since they are so enamored with technology.” Kyle looked from Becky to Jaric with a hopeful expression.

“Yes, they will appreciate her,” Saris said enthusiastically.

“Sounds like they might worship her,” Becky joked.

“No, but they would be keenly interested in just what makes her work,” Krinia said.

“Have you or the Hrono no dealings whatsoever with the Kraaqi?” Minstrel asked. Minstrel had revealed its presence at the beginning of dinner, due to the importance of this meeting and the results it would have for three entire races. But in keeping with the code of its kind, Minstrel was still reluctant to reveal it true form at this early stage of first contact.

“We trade with the Hrono. We even have some of their people living among us, and some Mewiis live on their worlds. But the Kraaqi are a strange, fierce people.” Saris looked at Jaric. “But there is one here they might welcome.”

“Who, me?” Becky asked.

“No,” Saris smiled. “Only the Mewiis are led by their females. The Hrono have both female and male leaders. But the Kraaqi are male dominated.”

“Well, that's probably part of their problem right there,” Becky said with a chuckle.

“Who might they welcome?” Mother asked.

“The Kraaqi are strongly loyal to their individual Bands. If not for the constant bickering and wars among themselves, they might long ago have conquered us and the Hrono.” Krinia looked around the room. “We are a smoothed-skin people, like humans but completely hairless, and we have many shades of green complexions. The Hrono are covered by scales, but their race is a single iridescent green in color. The Kraaqi are also covered by smooth skin, and they have hair like yourselves.”

The Mewiis looked at Jaric.

“They are most proud of their ebony skin.” Saris began. “If one of their young are born light skinned, it is a curse to the entire family. Though now that terrible caste system is almost ended even among them. Still, a light-skinned Kraaqi can never hope to become Chieftain, though they are now accepted up to the warrior class. But no further.”

“Even then, never to the rank Captain of one of their warships.” Krinia added. “At least, it has never been known.”

“True. And though he does not look as strong, nor does he have the long hair of a Kraaqi, still, the one you call Jaric would be welcomed as equal with them.” Saris smiled.

“Then we must make plans. Even now I fear the T'kaan Third is interpreting the data from the Mewiis ship they destroyed. Soon, very soon, the horned fleet will be coming,” Mother said.

The next day, plans were formulated and their outworking began. Minstrel had at last revealed itself fully, as well as its ship, to the Mewiis.