Context (18/20)
by Deb Walsh
"So, any luck?" Danziger asked when Julia, Alonzo and Yale joined him at the table. Morgan had taken a seat beside Bess, and was conferring in low tones with his wife. Mary sat with True and Uly, who were working on a sketch pad drawing Grendlers and Kobas.
Julia glanced at the others and nodded. "Morgan and Yale managed to break through the Level Five security block. Not enough to break through the Council code on Dr. Vasquez, but we're making progress."
"Well, I guess we'll be in this valley for a few more days at least, so you'll have time to keep chipping away at it." Danziger yawned hugely at that moment.
"You'd better turn in early tonight, John," Alonzo commented.
"Yeah, I know. Another round of dreaming with the Terrians. I'll be happy when it's over."
"Not much longer, John. Hang in there, buddy," Alonzo answered with assurance.
"You seem pretty sure of that. I hope you're right."
Danziger rose wearily. "I'd wish you pleasant dreams, but I know that's not likely. At least until the Terrians are finished with us."
"I will bring the children over for their goodnight stories, John," Yale offered.
"Thanks, Yale," the mechanic answered gruffly, then took his utensils over to the washing area, and made his way out of the tent.
"I hope you're right, Alonzo," Julia said after he'd gone. "I don't think he can drag on with this much longer without lasting side-effects."
"I'm right, don't worry about that. It's what'll happen after the dreams are over that worries me now."
"Why is that, Alonzo?" Yale asked curiously.
"Because we don't know what they'll do. Which of the scenarios they'll choose to follow, if any of them."
"Well, in that case, I'd better get back to the medtent - I want to check over those samples Mary helped me with," Julia announced, getting up and taking her plate over to the makeshift sink.
***
"I will stay," Mary announced firmly as Yale started to usher the children from Danziger's tent.
"Ah, Mary, I don't think that's such a good idea -" Danziger started, blushing slightly.
"I am getting stronger on the dreamplane again. I can help," she replied simply.
"Yeah, I'm sure that's true, but -"
"You have nothing to concern you, John," Yale pointed out with a small chuckle. "Her only interest is in getting onto the dreamplane and assisting you communicating with the Terrians. She could help you, John."
Danziger still appeared uncomfortable, but Yale's carefully chosen words assured him that there wasn't anything ... well, amorous ... about Mary's decision to stay. In retrospect, he doubted she saw any of the men of Eden Advance as anything other than simply humans.
Recalling all the bigotry and hatred between the sexes, among the races, and among various interest groups, he wondered if they wouldn't be better off forcing wouldbe politicians to spend some time with the Terrians for attitude adjustment.
"Okay," Danziger finally agreed gracelessly.
***
Sleep came so swiftly to Danziger, he wondered if perhaps the Terrians were anxious to get these dreams over with, too. He found himself once more on the dreamscape, Mary standing beside him. As usual, the ship was up ahead, and he made his way quickly into the interior, Mary following silently behind. They didn't get as far as the cryo-chamber, however. They found Devon sitting in the pilot's seat,ast her.
"Adair?"
"Yes, John. C'mon - the data contained in this ship's computer is incredible - Elizabeth's entire medical log, even information about the function of the biostat chips. Tests performed on the Terrians. John, it's amazing the Terrians would even consider contact with us at all after what they've been through at the hands of humans!" She swivelled around in the chair excitedly, pausing as she caught sight of Mary.
"Mary." Devon frowned. "I don't remember ... when did you join us?"
"Mary joined us yesterday, Devon. While you were still sleeping here, in this ship. Where you are now."
Devon listened silently, the creases between her brows easing. Then she nodded slowly. "Of course. No wonder I can't remember anything after I collapsed.
There hasn't been anything to remember." She sighed heavily. "So, why are you here, then?"
"You don't remember? You don't remember telling me to let the Terrians know what we all mean to each other?
You don't remember the last couple of nights?"
Devon's frown deepened again. "Vague images.
Frightening. Oh, John - what you've been through!
What everyone's been through. Have the Terrians come to a decision yet?"
Mary answered her. "No. That is why we are here. We have not answered all of the Terrians' questions yet."
"What more do they need to know?" Devon asked.
"If they cure you, what will you do? How can you change the future?"
Devon smiled bitterly. "How can anyone know that? I know Alonzo said the Terrians don't see time the same way we do maybe they don't understand that we can't see into our futures and predict how we'll react, what we'll do in a given circumstances. I only know that I've made promises, to them and to the children on their way here. And I'll do everything I can to keep those promises and provide for the survival of those children."
"At the cost of the Terrians?"
"Not if there's any way to avoid it. And to be honest, I don't see that there'd be any benefit to Uly or the rest of the Syndrome children for us to allow anything negative to happen to the planet or the Terrians. The challenge is going to be convincing the people on their way here."
"Can you?"
"Can I what?"
"Can you convince them?"
Devon drew a deep, slow breath, considering her answer for a moment before responding. "I think it's something that we, as a group, can do. This planet has changed us all, for the better, I think. We've learned a great deal. And I know as a parent that the promise of a cure for my child is a great inducement."
"Great inducement?"
"To make and keep a promise to the Terrians. I can't say I understand everything they do, and I'm not always thrilled about some of the things they do concerning my son ... but I never thought I'd see my son run and play, either. Trust me, Mary - the parents of the Syndrome children won't be able to turn away from so obviously a success."
Mary nodded silently. Then she turned and walked over to the exit ramp, disappearing beyond the hatch.
"Where's she going?" Devon demanded, rising out of her seat. Danziger shook his head, but grabbed her hand, and together, the two of them followed her out into the weirdly bleached sunlight of the dreamplane.
At the foot of the ramp stood a Terrian, its staff held at ease at its side. Mary halted before it and trilled a greeting. It tilted its bullet-shaped head and replied in its own eerie tones. The conversation continued for several minutes, human and Terrian trilling the strange Terrian language. Finally, the Terrian bowed its head and dropped back into the earth, and Mary turned around to face Devon and Danziger.
"I explained that humans are isolated in themselves, and that they must communicate verbally to reach understanding. That you have the ability to reach understanding with those that come. That your ability is unlike any other because of Uly. Unders the tribe, and they will deci de."
"Now what?" Danziger demanded.
"Now, we wait," Mary replied.
***
"Oh, brother," Morgan breathed, glancing warily around him. He stood in a pre-fab building entrance, artificial illumination casting the utilitarian lines of the room into sharp relief. A door opened, and Devon Adair came out. She spied him, heaved an exasperated sigh, and came over to him double-time.
"Morgan! You're late. Look, I really need your help on this one. Bryant's being a real problem."
"Uh, what can I do?" Morgan asked doubtfully.
"You can help me convince him, that's what you can do.
C'mon - he's due any minute."
Morgan followed Devon back into the office, snatching curious glances around him as he walked. Devon gestured toward a table set by the wall and said, "Help yourself to some coffee. I've a feeling you'll need it."
"Thanks," he agreed, taking the opportunity to mask his confusion by pouring himself a cup. He sipped tentatively, expecting the bitter taste of the fake stuff they called coffee; instead, he was pleasantly surprised by the flavor of the real thing. "Ah," he sighed with a faint smile.
"Six months of real coffee, and none of us can get used to the luxury," Devon observed, chuckling. "I never thought I'd get rid of the taste of that trail stuff we used to drink." She poured herself another cup and sat down at her desk. "So, what do you think?"
"About what?"
"About Bryant. From what I've observed, he's got quite a following backing him. Could be enough to jeopardize the integrity of the colony. But we can't afford for his plans to go through - the Terrians would view that as a breach of faith."
"His plans," Morgan repeated, hoping she'd elaborate.
True to form, Devon Adair couldn't help but keep talking. "I understand the attraction of a hydroelectric plant - certainly centralizing our power generation would simplify construction. And it's infinitely less of an impact than fossil fuel or even nuclear. But I can't see the Terrians agreeing to diverting the river to flood a valley full of sunstone deposits."
"Ah. No, I don't see that happening, either." Morgan relaxed; this was a subject he could warm to. "Nor do I see any long-term benefit to us in eliminating a source of sunstones. They've already proved far too useful to us in the past. And we definitely can't afford to do anything that would damage transmission of the dreamplane."
"That's what I'm looking for, Morgan." She glanced at her watch. "He'll be here any minute now. Sit down - you look so nervous!"
Morgan seated himself in a chair on the other side of Devon's desk. A moment later, there was a knock on the door, and Devon called a welcome. A tall man with well-defined muscles but the lingering pallor of a station-dweller came into the room. His face was set with an argumentative cast; the tension in his body radiated out into the room. Obviously, this man was ready to do battle.
"Bryant," greeted Devon, not rising from her chair.
"Have a seat," she suggested, waving toward the other chair next to Morgan's.
Bryant sat, slouching down in the chair to demonstrate his lack of respect for Devon's authority. At least, Morgan assumed it was authority - it would make sense that the first "governor" of New Pacifica was Devon Adair.
"Well?" Bryant demanded without preamble.
"The idea is low-impact technology, nothing to upset the ecological balance," Devon opened.
"Why?" Bryant invested that single word with volumes of antagonism.
"Because that's what we agreed to. That's our pact with the Terrians."
"You have a treaty with those creatures? I haven't seen it."
"We have a verbal agreement."
"Then it's not really binding. We're not required by law to follow the agreement."
"We're required by nature. The Terrians gave us the This is their world. We
live here on sufferance. We can make that a partnership, but only by following the terms of the agreement we made with the Terrians."
"You made, Adair. Before we got here. We're not bound by verbal agreements we weren't party to."
"Wrong again. You're bound by the fact that that verbal agreement allows you to survive. The Terrians, the planet itself, can reverse the biochemical change that allows you to survive. Without it, you won't last more than a few years, no matter what drugs Vasquez concocts. You're linked to the planet, and that link is what allows you to live."
"You're talking addiction -"
"I'm talking symbiosis. We give, we take. The planet gives, the planet takes. A cooperative relationship.
Stick to the terms of the agreement, both you and the planet prosper. Fail to do that, one or the other of you dies. The planet itself holds all the cards. Your choice."
"You're talking murder!"
"So are you. The murder of a planet. The murder of living things. Possibly the murder of an entire intelligent species. This isn't the stations. The station rules don't apply here. This isn't old Earth.
We're not going to make the same mistakes our ancestors did. We live in harmony with the planet, or we don't live at all. The colony ship's still here - take it or leave it."
Bryant turned a sour expression toward Morgan and fairly sneered. "You're awfully quiet, Morgan. You're a lawyer - is any of this legitimate?"
Morgan paused, considering precedents. "This is a first contact situation; there is no legal precedent for agreements between species. But human history is full of verbal pacts that have been broken by one party or the other, and the results have usually been disastrous. Maybe not in the first generation, but eventually. If we fail to keep up our end of the bargain, we could be guaranteeing interspecies war in the next generation - our children's generation. Or their children's. And the fact is, in this case, maintaining our end of the agreement is to our benefit as well."
"Because of the Terrian cure?" Bryant scoffed.
"Because of the symbiotic relationship between the Terrians and the planet," Morgan replied. "Because the Terrians have done a great deal to help us survive on G889. Because we can not only learn from them, we can directly benefit from them, from their culture, their knowledge of the planet, and their communication system."
"You really believe it, don't you?" Bryant asked, his eyes wide.
Morgan nodded. "I've experienced it. I was as skeptical as you are - maybe more so. But I've seen too much that has changed my mind over the past couple of years. We can build a future on this planet, a better future than anyone could have hoped to have had on the stations. But that future must include the Terrians, and every action we take must take them into account."
Bryant seemed to be listening to Morgan's argument, and a small smile started to play around Devon's lips. She clamped down on it, and launched into the discussion.
"Bryant, Danziger has completed his designs for lowcost solar generators. Personally, I'd rather see our society heavier on the construction end than the bureaucratic one. Solar would answer our power needs, provide profitable work for our colonists, and be in accordance with our agreement with the Terrians. And it wouldn't create an unnecessary bureaucracy to run a hydro-electric plant. And each of us wouldn't have to continually pay for its services."
"I don't think I'll ever get used to the Terrians.
They give me the creeps," the man countered.
"You don't have to party with them, simply leave them alone and respect their rights. If we plan well enough, humans and Terrians can co-exist in peace on this planet, and we'll all benefit," Devon reminded.
Bryant exhaled loudly. "Solar for each building would mean some independence," he mused aloud. "There's still tances
harmless to the eco-system. And there appears to be a vast artisan well complex beneath the colony that could be used for water. A reservoir created by a hydroelectric plant wouldn't be necessary."
Bryant nodded slowly, thoughtfully. "All right. I'll back off for now, pending how the results come out.
We'll go forward with the solar generators. And we'll talk more about the rest later."
"That's all I can ask," Devon acknowledged, rising from behind her desk. "Thank you, Bryant. I know we can all work together to make this planet our home."
"You haven't won yet, Adair. But I'll give you this one," Bryant replied gruffly.
Chapter End Notes:
Sections 1 through 19 of "Context" are available by ftp from ftp://members.aol.com/debfic. Each section is saved as a file (i.e., cont1.txt, etc.). If you find you're missing any sections, please feel free to retrieve them from the ftp site, rather than ask me to send them to you - that got to be pretty expensive for me when I was posting sections regularly.