The Index -|-

Kpleeb sighed. Above him, a complex maze of machinery was suspended in place inside a large, roundish hole. The light from below lit its innards revealing layers of parts, some small, some large. A few of the parts moved in their own gentle rhythm. The hole was on the bottom of a large plane of yellow stone that stretched in all directions just past the length of his body.

He chastised himself silently [How have I never thought of this before now? in order to stop this defender, I will have to disable it completely with fire.]

The machine above him purred with precision and focus. Each interlocking part was perfect, the result of so much research and work. He had built it from scratch and knew everything about it, and it was like a child to him.

[But it’s not Zara. I only have one daughter, and I have many of these defenders.]

He reached up and patted the surface above him.

“Kpleeb!”

Kpleeb quickly tried to sit up, and bumped his head on the flat surface above.

“What, Xir?!” he yelled gruffly.

There was a pause before Xir replied. “Distant vessel comes.”

Kpleeb scooted on his back toward the edge and after a moment finally stood and brushed dirt off his back. With his fists in the small of his back, he stretched and looked toward the west. The sky was empty. “Where?” he asked.

Xir pointed. “There. It go down.”

The trees toward where Xir pointed began rustling and bending in a violent tempest. A whine rose with the tempest as his defender detected and prepared itself. Then the ground erupted to the left of the trees with a roar. Kpleeb ducked instinctively. When he looked up there was a large angular object plummeting through the wall of energized debris. Stones, trees, and dirt ricocheted off of its surface. Kpleeb recognized the shape of a Xi vessel similar to the large one that he had brought down over a month ago.

“No!” he cried. “I’m too late!”

Another roar, this time on the right as a new arm of furious clods rose from the forest floor. The ship was not there, and it dodged, dipped, ducked, dived, and dodged forward toward the village. Kpleeb began to run. Ahead of him, another pair of violent attacks erupted into the sky as other defenders detected the fast-moving vessel.

Kpleeb was breathing heavily when he arrived at the village. There, in the green meadow outside the wall, the ship had landed and a large gap in its side was beginning to open.

A ramp also protruded out below the gap, and then from the darkness, Zara appeared, shielding her eyes from the sun.

Kbleeb’s heart leapt. [She has grown so much!]

Kpleeb began to cry as he ran up the ramp toward his long-lost daughter. She stood and waited for him with raised arms. He gratefully fell to his knees and enveloped her in a deep bear hug.

“Da,” Zara said through her sobs. “I missed you so much.”

“Me too, my love. With your Ma gone, you’re all I have.” Kpleeb pulled back and looked at Zara closely.

He knew she was older, but her childish face, while still small and round had gained some kind of maturity.

[She must have gone through hell.]

“You’ve grown so much,” he said with a tearful smile. “I’m so proud of you, and I’m glad you survived the defenders.” He looked back the way he had come. “Your ship cannot fly here until I find a way to make them ignore you.”

Zara wiped her face and gave her Da a kiss on his hairy cheek. “My defenses on the Hsstak helped us get through, but also, I analyzed your defender’s attack patterns. Do they always attack one side and then the other?”

Kpleeb lifted his chin instinctively in the way of the Ganix before nodding. “The first blow causes the ship to dodge, and the ship should head right into the second blow. He rocked back to his heels in thought. It is predicable.”

“Yes,” said Zara. “The Xi will recognize the pattern after a short time.”

“Come,” said Kpleeb. “I have built many things, but your brain and knowledge of Qon will be a big help.”

“There are things I must show you, Da. But first, I have Xi here with me. They serve me.”

“WHAT!?” Kpleeb stood and looked at the gap in the Hsstak, and he noticed that a group of Ganix trotted closer to ramp and seemed ready to pounce. The small corridor he could see ended only a few paces into the depths of the ship.

Zara put her hand in his. “Da, they serve me. I have killed those who did not. I also have a friend, someone who was captive like you and Mama.”

Kpleeb looked down at Zara and tears began to well up in his eyes again. “Did they hurt you?”

Zara lifted her chin slightly. “The overseer of the Hsstak was a cruel Xih, and it tortured me and mapped my brain and put me through many tests. It is dead now as are any Xi who served it.”

Kpleeb cried harder and swept Zara up into his arms, her legs dangling as he straightened. “I’m so sorry,” he said with a broken heart.

Zara cried too, and after a long moment, Kpleeb put Zara down. “I suppose we should have the Xi come out then,” he said. “I won’t kill them unless they harm someone.”

Zara raised her hand and spoke into a small device that was attached to her wrist. “Viinox, bring everyone out.”

The inner wall in the airlock quivered and then slid upward creating a doorway, and Viinox stepped out followed by Oiitr, Tiirw, and finally, Kanta in her helmet.

Zara gestured to her companions. “Viinox, Oiitr, and Tiirw. These Xi have helped me and continue to serve me as Overseer. Kanta is a friend. She was a captive of the Xih and has asked to stay with us.” She turned and faced her Da and the Ganix who warily watched. “I have learned much about the Xi, what they have done, and how we can fight them. You saw the ship come. The Greki was hunting us, and we are probably alive because of your defenses.”

Kpleeb smiled. “We must talk about this Greki.” He pointed. “The ship is over there, and though we entered it and killed the Xi inside, the Ganix remain nearby in case the ship is still dangerous. If we can all visit the Greki together, perhaps we can be certain that it is safe.”

Zara lifted her chin. “There is much we should do. First, I want to see Jial and the village.”

Kpleeb looked at Xir. “You always have a warrior near these,” he said with a gesture toward the Xi.

Xir lifted his chin and grunted quietly.

“Come on, my child. Let’s go discuss everything. Maybe I can convince Jial to make cobra tacos tonight.”

Kpleeb placed his big, hairy hand on Zara’s curly head and smiled gratefully.

[The work I must do will be so much easier with Zara. Together, we will be able to do more than merely sit here and defend ourselves.]

The Index -|-

With the help of Viinox, Zara put together a recorded message to convey her wishes for the well-being of each of the subjects that were penned on Hsstak. She had first suggested that she would enter each of the pens in person and speak to them, but Viinox had convinced her that this was a dangerous idea. She had considered wearing a protective suit as a possible workaround, but finally, when the trip to Jorqu came to a close, she ran out of time. None of the Xi crew were pleased by the contents of the farewell message.

The message was in form of a hologram. Zara’s own person was represented inside the pens of the Hkkli, and her voice spoke in calm and reassuring tones. It was the only way she might convince them to trust her.

“Hello. I am Zara.”

She gestured toward her right, and an image of Iqw Okrat appeared next to Zara’s form.

“These are the Xi. They stole you and I from our homes, but I have escaped and conquered them. Soon, I will return you to your family and leave you in peace. My wish is that you never encounter the Xi again, and I hope that you will consider me a friend.” She raised her hand with her palm outward. “Goodbye.”

She watched as her image appeared in the Hkkli pen first. The Hkkli pair rose and stood together as Zara spoke. There was a pause afterward then the larger Hkkli murmured something low and squeaky at his mate. The Hkkli both stomped their rear left paws twice and then returned to their food.

The Xi devices translated the Hkkli words without emotion: “More lies from the gods,”

Rog went berserk when Zara’s form appeared. It reared back and snorted a cloud of noxious fumes toward the hologram. When there was no ill effect, it leapt into the air and began to circle the pen rapidly with powerful gusts from its leathery wings. Occasionally, Rog would swoop at Zara’s hologram, but as soon as the message ceased and her image disappeared, it stopped circling and landed to rest near the molten pool.

Kanta stood near the pool and listened to the message. When it was over, Kanta pulled off her helmet and spoke clearly.

“I know you can hear me. I wish to meet you in person.”

Zara ignored the request, and within a few hours, the crew had placed the sleeping pair of Hkkli on the surface of Jorqu next to a stream that ran near to a grassy field.

“Let’s free Rog next,” she said.

It took another two days to reach a small planet that orbited the red dwarf star that was unnamed on the Xi map. It was known only as a numerical indicator: O98820A. There were three other planets in the star orbit, but Rog was from the scorched orb closest to the star. The view and atmosphere were very similar to what the Xih had reproduced in the pen.

From orbit, Viinox and Oiitr scanned the planet’s terrain while Zara watched. Every surface they saw was black shard and red fire. Lava flowed out of numerous pock marks on the and pooled in a cycle of never-ending repetition. There were a few larger lakes of lava, and those usually rested at the foot of larger volcanic peaks. It was near the largest peak that they dropped Rog- literally.

It was launched out of the Hsstak as if from a canon, fully awake, and Zara saw Rog plummet toward the ground. Its wings fluttered like torn rags in the wind behind it. Just before it met the slope, the wings unfurled, and it pulled up with a sharp banking movement. As Tiirw took the Hsstak out of orbit, Zara breathed a sigh of relief and held a secret hope that one day Rog would be grateful for the life she had given it.

The Hsstak took the small, roundish animal back to its home, which was a beautifully lush world only a day’s travel from O98820A.

By this time, Zara had decided to speak to Kanta in person. When she informed Viinox of her decision, it responded in the negative with a downward tilted of its chin.

“Kanta is very intelligent, and though we have seen no violent tendencies, its mind is not fully known. It would be very dangerous to appear before her.”

Zara frowned. “My Ma told me once that though some others may be less powerful than we are, we must treat them like family. Of course, that only applies if they are peaceful toward us. The Xih’s unwillingness to approach others with respect is what makes the them untrustworthy. My intuition tells me that speaking to Kanta is safe, and I do not want to continue Mangas’ legacy. You may provide a defense in the event that I am attacked, but I will speak to her.”

Zara stood at the door to Kanta’s pen and wrapped herself in a shield of Qon. After a moment, she nodded and drew a deep breath. Viinox, from his vantage point in the lab caused a door to open. From Zara’s standpoint, an opening appeared in the wall near where she stood. There was a shift, a pause, and then a slight hiss of pressure being released. After a longer moment, the opening slid away and the pen was visible through the thick wall.

Kanta stood next to her pool and waited.

Zara walked into the pen and up the small rise, noticing the crunch of sand on her moccasins and the odd smell in the air. Through her extra senses, she could not see any aji surrounding Kanta nor her fishbowl breathing helmet, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

[No aji means less danger at least.]

Kanta raised her right flipper as Zara approached. Her mouth made a shape or two and bubbles rose and came to rest in a pool of air at the top of her helmet.

Zara stopped at the crest of the rise a few paces from Kanta. She smiled in a friendly manner, raised her hand to wave, and spoke. “Hello, Kanta. My name is Zara. I am here because you want to meet with me.”

Kanta spoke, and the water in her helmet swirled.

Zara heard nothing, and there was no translation from the Xih devices. She pointed at her ear and said, “I cannot hear you.”

Kanta reached up and removed her helmet, the water splashing down her body as the seal broke. When she spoke again, the sounds were garbled, but the Xih device spoke the translation softly. “Thank you for meeting me.” Kanta’s small gills fluttered and then remained closed. “I have received your message, and I wanted to see for myself if you are real.”

“I am real, and I will not lie to you.”

“Are there more Xi?”

Zara nodded. “I have conquered the Xi in charge of this vessel, but there are three alive who serve me. These say that there are many more who live where they come from.”

Kanta ‘s nose wrinkled, and after a second, she spoke again. “Where are these Xi, and how do I know they serve you?”

Zara raised her hands. “These Xi who serve me are able to operate the vessel that we are on now. I have allowed them to live in exchange for their help.” She paused, not knowing how much to say. “The Xi killed my Mama, and then I was stolen from my Da. After I return you to your home, I will find him again.”

After a long moment of silence, Zara spoke again. “As far as how you may know that they serve me… You must know that this place you dwell in is not real. The Xi records say that you have been here for two hundred fifty-nine of your days. What can I say to prove that I am sincere? Nothing. There are only actions.”

Zara turned and walked toward the door. She gestured at Kanta. “If you wish, please come, I will show you.”

Zara walked slowly to Hsstak’s command center and Kanta waddled behind her with her water helmet freshly replenished, silently staring in all directions. When they arrived, Oiitr and Tiirw were standing and facing the doorway.

[Viinox must have warned them.]

“These are two of the Xi that serve me,” Zara said pointing to Oiitr and Tiirw. “Tiirw’s primary skill is operating this vessel’s flight and control systems. Oiitr supports Tiirw and also works in the labs. There is one other, Viinox who works in the labs and handles most of the subjects.” Zara looked at Kanta. “You and I were both subjects of the Xi. We were studied and hurt for their research.”

Kanta just stood there and looked around at the Xi and at the command center.

Just then, the door opened behind them, and Viinox came in. Zara turned quickly to look at Viinox, and braced herself for a confrontation.

Viinox surprised Zara by stopping at the door and clasping its hands on its chest. It bowed slightly at the waist. “Kanta. For my actions toward you, I ask forgiveness. For the actions of the Xi and the Xih, I apologize.” It looked at Zara. “I serve the Ixant.”

Zara was surprised, but she breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you, Viinox.” Turning toward Tiirw, she said, “How close are we to Kanta’s home?”

Tiirw glanced toward a data cloud hovering over a red device. “Just about eight hours.”

Zara looked at Kanta. “Come, let us talk, and we can share stories.”

Zara approached the door and then turned back for a moment. “Tiirw, notify me when we’ve arrived.

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.]