The Subjects (Caveman Chronicles)

The Index -|-

Zara sat with Viinox in Hsstak’s command center staring at a cloud of points that hovered over one of the red-tiered devices. The cloud shifted slowly as if the slightest of breezes passed nearby.

“You’re saying that this computer can predict what I will do in any situation?” She shook her head. “How is that possible?”

“Is it perfect? No, but it is very accurate. We recorded and studied your brain patterns for months, and the Xih have all of the tools to perform analysis and model your thought behavior based on a number of stimuli. This is the most secret and advanced research.”

“The Xih use this to understand the Ixant?”

“The Xih use this to understand any of their subjects, whether they be Ixant like you or even the most mundane animal. It is science.”

“Can I assume this brain-model has been sent to some secretive Xih base?” Zara shrugged. “I mean, you can see the obvious, right? If the Xih know how I think and what I will do, they will have an enormous advantage over me in any battle.”

Viinox lifted its chin slightly. “I understand, and I can confirm that this ‘brain-model’ as you call it, has not been transmitted away from Hsstak. All Xih are secretive and zealous, but Iqw Okrat was particularly so. It would not want to share research until a significant finding could be presented with it.”

“Okay. Permanently remove all of this brain data. I already know how I think, and I’m the boss now.” Zara stood and moved toward the door. “Come with me into one of the labs.”

Viinox followed Zara as she left the command center and entered the first lab.

“Show me how to operate these controls.” Zara gestured to the one sling that hung in front of the console.

Viinox folded itself into the sling. “Any one of the holding pens can be tapped into from here.” Its hands flicked across a few controls and brought up a view of a holding cell. “This is pen number one.”

The view that Zara saw was of a grassy enclosure where the ground cover was shaggy, thick, and grey-green. There was a log of some sort on one end of the room. One side of the log was hollow, and the inside was dark.

“The inhabitant must be sleeping,” said Viinox. It tapped the controls, and the view somehow changed to see through the log.

Zara still saw the log’s outline, but the inside was mostly clear. There was a small, roundish animal curled up and breathing slowly. “Interesting,” she said. “What were the Xih doing to this creature?”

Viinox pointed to the data cloud. “This one is new. It has only begun the standard battery of tests. Intelligence alteration is a primary function, and this has had only one modification.”

“Okay. Show me the next one,” said Zara.

“The next one is empty. I will show you pen three.” Viinox made some modifications, and another view appeared. “This one is absolutely rabid.”

The view displayed a rubble strewn crater. The surface was black stone with many pockmarks and sharp edges. A slow stream of lava crept from the wall, down the crater’s slope and ended at a pool that glowed bright orange. On the opposite bank of the crater, a medium sized bird-like creature basked in the apparent heat. It had cruel, tipped talons and wings of pale skin that flexed slowly as it sat with eyes closed. What appeared to be scales covered its sinewy torso with a mottled-green camouflage.

Zara certainly had never seen any bird like this, nor had she seen such a desolate and hot land, but she knew that different was not the same as dangerous. “Why do you call this one rabid?” she said.

Viinox lifted its chin slightly. “I will show you. Would you like to speak to it?”

“What would I say?”

“Anything you want. The result has always been the same. We call this creature Rog, which means ‘son of evil.’ Go ahead and speak whenever you wish.”

Zara paused to think, and after a moment she nodded at Viinox. “Hello. What is your name?” It seemed the logical thing to do, a query instead of a demand. An effort to relate instead of division.

The affect her voice had on the creature was immediate. The bird creature reared its head back and loosed a long and terrible howl-screech from its angry maw. Its wings rose high, and Zara could see glow of the molten lava through the skin. The wings came down with a violent thrust which stirred a bit of fine dust on the rock. The creature whirled and jumped in an uncontrollable vibration of wrath as it absolutely lost its mind with fury. After a few minutes, it collapsed in a heap. The only sign of its remaining life consisted of a shuddering, repetitive heaving of its lungs.

“You were right. What happens now?” said Zara.

“It will recover in time. I will show you the next pen.”

The next enclosure was a stony beach with what appeared to be a deep pool that occupied a little more than half the pen. A shape materialized out of the depths of the pool and rose to the surface. It was a large fish of sorts with armor like plates around its upper torso. When it crawled from the water onto the stone, it shook itself and then stood erect. With four waddling steps, it reached an oddly shaped, transparent globe that was resting on a rock.

The fish grasped the globe between its pectoral fins and carried it back to the water. There, it filled it full of water and then bent and inserted its head into the globe before straightening again. The globe seemed to fit tightly under its gills, and Zara could see its face inside as it gulped water.

“A walking fish,” said Zara. “That’s not something you see every day. It seems to be fairly smart and amphibious too.”

Viinox lifted its chin. “This one, we found among its family on Giirdon the third. The planet’s surface is mostly ocean and full of life.” It gestured toward the data cloud. “Kanta is her name, and her civilization has dabbled in airo-walking before she was picked up. The Xih gave her the water globe so that she could airo-walk for extended periods.”

Zara smiled at the thought of this creature strolling around on dry land. [Being given a means of breathing out of the water would be a significant advantage.] She frowned as she considered the ramifications. “Is she very intelligent?”

“Certainly. Her kind were intelligent before the Xih captured her, but the Xih have improved on this one.”

“Another unwilling captive, imprisoned and experimented on by the Xih.” Zara grimaced. “Now I am in charge and must decide how I can free each of them. Is it more benevolent to release them or destroy them? Would their families recognize and accept them if I brought them back? Do we even know where their homes are located?”

Viinox lifted its chin. “Their locations vary, but they are recorded. Some of them are a great distance and the journey will take much time to reach even at Hsstak’s maximum speeds.”

Zara sighed with the heaviness of the decisions before her, and Viinox proceeded to show her the remaining two pens, both containing beings that appeared very much like large rodents. They were slightly different but clearly were of the same species. One was darker and had what looked like a band of coarse hair running down its spine. The other was a bit smaller and lighter colored.

“These are the last subjects aboard the Hsstak. They are mates from Jorqu. They call themselves the Hkkli and have peaked out at level two intelligence.”

“I take it the Xih have studied these for some time?”

“Yes. Their study is considered complete. The records show that the efforts can produce improvements to the Hkkli that will benefit the Xi, but that project is outside of the scope of Xih research.”

“What happens to this pair now?”

Viinox tilted its head slightly and its neck slits fluttered rapidly for a moment. “Iqw Okrat would destroy them if it were in command.”

Zara sighed audibly. “I need time to think about how to address each of these beings.” She waved toward the door. “Come, let’s talk to Tiirw.” In moments they were in the Hsstak’s command center where Tiirw and Oiitr worked in front of thousands of floating points of light that hovered above the ship’s systems.

“Tiirw, how long will it take to travel to Jorqu?”

The Xi shifted its eyes away from the blinking data clouds and rested on Zara’s face. The bottom corner of the cloud morphed and changed color. After a long moment, it answered. “Four days Phaedro time. Why?”

“We are taking the Hkkli back home. I need more time to prepare to return to Phaedro, and the kerflk covering on Hsstak needs more time to grow.”

Tiirw looked at Viinox and then Oiitr.

“This is not a request, but if you have comments or suggestions, I will hear them.” Zara sat into a spare sling and folder her legs under her. “Proceed with the journey.”

“Why must we bring the subjects back to their homes?” Tiirw tilted its head to the side and looked at her in askance. Viinox and Oiitr swiveled their heads away from their data to observe her response.

Zara spoke seriously and tried to keep any hint of frustration from her voice. “If I took you from your home, would you desire to return?”

The question was rhetorical, but Oiitr replied. “Yes and no. Our family bonds are important to us, but our sense of connection is strong, even across great distance. The familiarity of home is a welcome experience for any of us.”

“My people are not able to communicate across great distances or without speaking. For cave-people, physical closeness is a vital aspect of relationships.” She frowned at her three crew members. “The fact that you cannot look past your own experience concerns me. Perhaps some of these subjects are telepathic like the Xi, but I believe that treating intelligent beings this way is an injustice. By acting callously toward every being they encounter, the Xi cause suffering wherever they go.”

Oiitr lifted its chin. “I understand, but the benefit of returning the subjects to their homes would cause great inefficiencies. The empire requires lak, and these beings are needed to retrieve it.”

Tiirw spoke up. “The Hsstak will arrive in Jorqu’s orbit in roughly four days.”

“Thank, you, Tiiirw,” said Zara. “Oiitr, the Xi take beings and use them. This causes efficiencies for the Xi, but there is a cost. The cost of collecting lak and kidnapping the unwilling is primarily paid by the beings themselves. There are possible unintended consequences.” She waved her hand. “Regardless of what the Xi have done, these beings are potential allies for me, and perhaps I will find some use for them. Even if there is no benefit to me, returning them to their homes will bring satisfaction and open future opportunities.”

“Viinox, how many of these Xih ships are there? How many subjects are there?”

There was no pause before Viinox responded. “This number is unknowable. The Xih are secretive, and the empire is huge. There could be any number, but I suspect they are in the thousands.”

“I am going to think about this. Please let me know when we are closer to Jorqu.” Zara stood and left the command center.

[My escape and the loss of the Greki will eventually bubble up to a level that will bring a greater retaliation onto Hsstak and Phaedro. I cannot exist as a single cave-girl with a stolen ship. Even with Da, we will not be able to remain safe if the Xi come in great numbers. I must think about ways to survive and to grow.]