Life2.0 - An "Of Unity" Narrative (Completed)

[CBR JGWRR]

"Alexandra HaMaadimi, Part 1"
27th Sor-Gor, 9 (2188)
Alexandra​

So, one aspect of normal day-to-day life is I like to hit the gym early in the morning, get my body working, and then start the day.

I was doing a bench-press set when he arrived.

He looks at me, pointing at a bar. "Mind if I?"

I smile. "Sure, go ahead."

He looks at the weights. "Is a Naomi what I think it is?"

I laugh. "This is your sister's gym, but Buri labelled the weights."

"Interesting." He puts two Naomis on the bar next to mine. I can only just manage that, he just... bangs it out. He notices me looking. "You don't have to stop."

I suddenly feel a wave of guilt. "Oh, it's just..."

"Please. Only my wife gets to check me out." He puts on another two half-Naomis. "And I haven't found her yet."

I push harder. Try to impress him.

"Why are you naked anyway?"

"I am Alexandra. Heiress of the Autokrator."

He nods. "The Greek method then." His sister got the reference immediately too.

He takes his clothes off. And gets back to working out. I must confess, I do feel a bit put down that he doesn't even look at mine once.

"Thando."

"Yes?"

"I know the woman isn't supposed to be so upfront, but..."

He looks solely at my eyes. "Why would I look at a woman who isn't my wife?" He starts lifting again.

"Could we go for coffee after we're done here?"

He stops. "Water, cold. Hot chocolate at a push. I don't drink coffee, tea or alcohol."

Curious. "At all?"

"Family trait."

"Naomi mentioned the alcohol thing."

I start rolling my name with his surname. I like it.

"Please?"

He laughs sweetly, and puts his bar down, and stands up. "You manage three Naomis and we'll talk."

​

I look at the bar. I've not managed three before... My body is going to hate me for this.

But I won't let that stop me.​

 

[CBR JGWRR]

"Alexandra HaMaadimi, Part 2"
27th Sor-Gor, 9 (2188)
Thando HaMaadimi​

They say that scars prove loyalty.

While we wait for our drinks, I look into her remaining eye. Admire her plasma burn.

"It was tough, losing so much."

I tap a knife on my ocular implant. "Yeah. It is."

"How did you lose yours?"

"Assassinating an Olinbar naval officer while he was getting fresh air outside a nightclub. I was sixteen. He was intoxicated, but still quick; got my eye as I got his throat."

She nods. "The Flagship had attacked. We launched a boarding mission. I led my Companions into Praetorians. One of their retreating conscripts took a face full of plasma. I got the remainder of the shot." She offers me her hand. "Lost these in the same charge."

I take her hand, run my fingers down her titanium ones. "Not many charge Praetorians and live..."

"I didn't know that they were. Paid a very high price for not taking the time for recon."

"Lost a lot of friends."

A tear falls as she nods. "A lot of friends..." She begins to cry. I put my arm around her as she sobs into my shoulder. "Have you?"

"Yes. Has Naomi told you what happened to Mum?"

"She was helping you and a few others escape. And went back in to create a distraction."

"Yes. That weighed on me. And on Naomi."

"Did you ever see your sister again?"

"I saw her. Even assassinated some of the Olinbar who used her. But we were never able to speak."

"What happened?"

"I raided dumpsters. Took a lot of four-finger discounts. Made bombs. Set buildings on fire. Killed Olinbar with pistols, poison, knives. Stole a frieghter and flew the black flag. Assassinated the CEO's son by accident."

"By accident?"

"Bastard sneezed, and bent over. His son was stood at just the right angle that the shot went through his chest instead of his Dad's head."

"And you couldn't take a second shot."

"Definitely not. I had one shot. You have no idea how hard it is to scrounge sniper rifle ammunition."

She looks at me. "How did you do it?"

"The easiest way to get a real weapon on the streets is to kill a police officer. Kill enough, and they bring in the armed response units. So, I looted a designated marksman."

She whistles. "Thando, are you taken?"

I smile. "I'm single."

"That Kaylara lady?"

"Nah. She's into white guys." Her heart is in her mouth. "You want to ask me out."

"The moment you started taking your knives out, I thought 'wow'."

"I did come here to settle down."

She smiles so wide. "I'd love to be her."

The thought occurs to me. And I entertain it. And why the goryhell not? I keep hold of her hand as I get on one knee. "Will you marry me, Alexandra?"

She laughs. "Yes!" She takes a moment to breathe. "I wasn't expecting it that quickly."

"Sometimes you have to seize the moment." She leans in to kiss me. I put my finger on her lips. "I've never kissed. Saving it for my wedding day."

She looks a little sad, but she understands. "Thank you for waiting for me." She gets very serious. "Thando, did you mean that for real, about proposing?"

"Yes. I might be crazy, but I'm not the kind of crazy who jokes about marriage. It's way too significant."

She understands now. "I'm told Naomi and Buri swore a blood oath."

"Yeah. Old HaMaadimi tradition, goes back to Yehoshua hiding a carving knife in the Zulu warrior outfit he wore to get married. Ran the blade down his left hand as he swore 'Now, and forever.'"

"Left hand?"

"He was left handed. And just to check, you are ok with that?"

She lifts her hand. "I may have a problem with it."

I nod. "Yeah, that could make it tricky. And the 'Now, and forever' part?"

"I thought it was 'till death do us part'?"

"Old Yehoshua hated that. Hated the implication of being parted after death."

"Thando, realistically we barely know each other. Are we ready for this?"

"Is anyone ever ready?"

She pauses. "We must be mad."

"That's fine, no HaMaadimi is sane."

She tilts her head. "Your sister isn't quite insane."

"Yeah, that'll be the part of her who married out of the family. Her sensibleness must come from Buri."

She takes a moment to think about that. She doesn't dispute it. No, she takes both my hands with hers. "Thando, I... I have no idea what the future holds. But there's no one who makes my heart skip beats the way you do."

"Alexandra, before yesterday I didn't even know of your existence. And you're rght, we don't know what will happen." I run my hand over the bubbled flesh where her eye used to be. "But from now on, I will always choose you."

She takes a deep breath. "Thando, for real - will you marry me?"

"Yes. I will."

I take out my ocular implant, and we spend a while just looking into each other's one good eye.

A knock on the table jogs us. I turn to a... Human-sized bird wearing an apron. "Excuse me, but are you two going to want your drinks reheated? They've gone cold."

We look back at each other. We laugh together, and finish our cold chocolate and coffee.

 

[CBR JGWRR]

"The Black Flag, Part 3"
27th Sor-Gor, 9 (2188)
Rivkah Of Unity​

We follow Thando and Alexandra - they're doing the hand-holding thing Humans do - to his freighter. He's already been to Earth, and he has taken pretty much everything of use from the old HaMaadimi residence. Apparently the Humans have overthrown the megacorps and instituted the People's Democratic Republic of Terra And Colonies.

The relevant boxes have already been unloaded.

Weapons.

A small library of books.

Political treatises.

Journals of the Iriphubliki.

Genetic engineering equipment. Mum took Dad aside as soon as she saw it.

Spare parts for HK-47b, plus manufacturing schematics to make more. And schematics for devices that manufacture devices that make HK-47bs. He's definitely the most scary droid I've ever seen. Admittedly, that doesn't mean much.

There's loads of technical information.

And a holocron.

I poke it.

It buzzes into life. I'm greeted by a white-skinned Human with the same scar on his hand that Mum and Dad have. "Running self-diagnostic. Scanning. HaMaadimi genetic information detected. Activating access protocol." It reboots. "Please identify."

"Ah, Rivkah of Unity?"

"Name unrecognised. Genetic data unrecognised."

Mum comes over. "Naomi Of Unity."

"Name unrecognised. Genetic data recognised, X chromosome Tipheret HaMaadimi. Deviations noted. Please state relationship."

"Daughter of Atalyah HaMaadimi, daughter of Tipheret HaMaadimi via self-cloning projects."

"Recognised." It reboots. "Great, great, great grand daughter. Welcome."

"Yehoshua?"

"I am a linguistic and data analysis heuristic that simulates the responses of Yehoshua HaMaadimi."

"This is my daughter Rivkah."

"Scanning unrecognised. Curious. Adoption?"

"Yes."

Thando steps forward. "Thando HaMaadimi. Naomi's brother."

"Great, great, great grandson. Welcome."

Alexandra smiles. "And wife-to-be."

Mum looks at her in amazement. Thando nods.

"Welcome."

Dad steps forward. "Buri Of Unity, Naomi's husband."

"Scanning unrecognised. Curious. Interspecies romance?"

Mum nods.

"Statement: You remember me, Meatbag."

"HK-47b. I'm pleased you remain." He begins to wave his hand around and stops. "Interesting. My position is moved."

"You have traveled roughly five hundred lightyears, and have just been unloaded from the freighter."

"I presume that would be quite interesting to hear sometime. At this point, my program was to give an introduction to the archive. Presumably nothing is therefore where I left it, and you may well have already had a look at some of it. If you would like commentary on any items, I will be happy to oblige."

I look at Thando. "What's in this archive?"

He smiles. "Everything he considered important, and means to access that information, and means to manufacture tools to make the means to access that information. Well, except for the stone chairs that he and his Ndlovukazi and the other HaMaadimis were sat on, I left them in their resting places."

Mum is looking at the genetic engineering equipment's research notes. "Mum, what are you doing?"

She takes Dad's hand. "Wondering if we can give you a little brother or sister."

 

[CBR JGWRR]

Rivkah's Diary
27th Sor-Gor, 9 (2188)​

Tipheret HaMaadimi kept all the notes on her genetic engineering technology, and Mum has used them to draft a Human-Xenayan hybrid, and then put in some family resemblance.

The base genome has to be Human to be compatible with Mum's womb, but with Xenayan body structure duplicated, and enhancements based on Atalyah HaMaadimi's modifications. They'll modify Mum's egg cells and Dad's sperm, and after the next mating season, I'll hopefully get a baby brother or sister at some point in the year after. Mum says it will have to be caesarean section. Extremely high risk of something going wrong as this isn't really what the technology was designed for.

I look at the brother's render. They look Xenayan, taking after Dad. Only... Better. Vastly stronger bones, stronger muscles, vastly increased intelligence. I don't know what to think.

I mean, a younger brother or sister would be fun. But...

What if they don't like me?

I'm a little nervous.

But equally, I know how much it would mean to Mum especially.

I do think I'd prefer a sister.

Is it really up to me though?

Will I be using this technology to design my children some day?

I need sleep.

 

[CBR JGWRR]

"Alexandra HaMaadimi, Part 3"
27th Sor-Gor, 9 (2188)
Alexandra​

It's almost midnight. Outside, beneath the stars.

The colony's wedding courtyard.

I'm wearing a borrowed wedding dress. Same day we got engaged. Well, we just had too, it's us.

I must be crazy.

But my husband-to-be is completely mad, so we fit.

He walks to me now, hood over his head, having washed his trenchcoat back to it's original white, and armour back to it's shiny black. The pistols are gleaming, he's trimmed his beard.

On his family's side is Naomi, and Buri, and Rivkah, HK-47b, the holocron, and his crew. On mine are my friends who could be here in person. Li's recording for the others, I'm glad he could.

Our officiant arrives; Valerius. I asked him myself.

Husband's eye goes wide in shock. I laugh. Naomi whispers an explanation in his ear. He nods.

We face each other. I run through which knife is which as he draws one. We hold the hilt together, his fingers interlocking with mine.

I'm about to cut my hand open with a man I met yesterday, because since Naomi and Buri did it, it's become the custom here on the colony.

I must be mad.

If I want to change my mind, this is the last moment I can. We'll be a million different people over the rest of our life together. And we barely know each other. But he's here for me, and I for him. That's what is most important.

Valerius begins. "Who's going first?"

I'm choosing him. "I will."

I'm starting to feel dizzy.

Valerius recites: "Do you, Alexandra Whyte, take Thando HaMaadimi to be your husband, to have him and to hold him from this day forward; to fight by his side whether the singer celebrates your victory, or lays down a dirge to the couple who died at each other's sides; whether in sickness or in health; to love and to cherish him, until the ending of all the worlds?"

"I do. Oh, damn, I mean now, and forever." I take a moment to breathe, and run my hand down the blade.

My husband looks deep into my eye. Valerius recites again: "Do you, Thando HaMaadimi take Alexandra Whyte to be your wife, to have her and to hold her from this day forward; to fight by her side whether the singer celebrates your victory, or lays down a dirge to the couple who died at each other's sides; whether in sickness or in health; to love and to cherish her, until the ending of all the worlds?"

He smiles. "I do, now and forever." I feel so touched as he runs his hand down the blade, and holds my hand. Our blood drips on the floor, where hundreds of thousands of couples have made the same vow.

Valerius finishes. "You may now join appendages in whatever way suits you best."

He lifts my veil, and I pull back his hood. Gosh he looks good bald. My heart skips a beat as he kisses me.

We're married.

 

[CBR JGWRR]

"The Archive"
28th Sor-Gor, 9 (2188)
Naomi Of Unity​

Old Yehoshua's archive is an absolute treasure trove; it is a complete technical database, designed to guide you from banging rocks into a stick to make a club all the way to up to antimatter-matter bombs logically and progressively, with every material and alloy known to 2140s Humanity documented in as many details as they could get. Several generations of HaMaadimi's have worked on it and built it up. Plus, having now analysed the data gathered in the Flagship battle, our technicial staff have managed to make our first working UV laser by observing the workings of the Flagship's lasers and applying it to our existing lasers.

It isn't just weapons of course. Designs for orbital aeroponics, habitats, terraforming processes, medical sciences, computing and AI, a myriad of subjects. Some we've already progressed in, but there's a lot for us to make huge gains in; he plagarised several patent offices to get technical data for as many artefacts as possible.

And my job means I have to sift through it all, work out the military applications, liaise with our own technical staff and figure out what we can make use of.

Thando and Alexandra are going to go touring the star system for their honeymoon; she made the mistake of joking about being the first woman to make love on every planet in a star system, and Thando being Thando, took it seriously. They'll leave tomorrow, and be back sometime next year, they're only doing the inner planets to keep the duration shorter. Hopefully soon, otherwise she'll have a lot of catching up to do with how quickly things are moving - I'm using their trip as a field test for our new Orion drives and in flight refueling systems with a 12m pusher-plate design, knowing that the ship might only be good for a museum when it returns.

Especially if Grepp-Schnepp Rikki is telling the truth.

I wonder which of us will get pregnant first, between me and Alexandra; the Xenayan mating season is in a few months, and we're working on a derivative from Tipheret HaMadimi's gamete modification technique to create a hybrid that my womb will sustain. It's not likely to happen as it is a huge amount of work and I don't know if we can get it ready in time, but if it works we can scale it up for other inter-species couples like us.

I'm really hoping it works.

Buri and I have agreed he's naming the child this time, as I named Rivkah. He's still making up his mind between Kari or Tori - Rivkah's biological parents, and good friends - and Ruki, Duwi or Vaki, for his father, mother and sister respectively.

Rivkah and Buri are busy studying the cultural databases to better understand my heritage too; we're going to watch a Star Wars box set together as a family before Thando and Alexandra leave.

Life feels good. Hectic, but good.

I just can't concentrate because I'm only realising now how much I want to be a biological mother.

 

[CBR JGWRR]

"A New Hope"
30th Sor-Gor, 9 (2188)
Alexandra HaMaadimi​

One of the perks of delaying the honeymoon tour - Naomi has joked about wondering who will get pregnant first - is that we are going to have a family viewing of the Star Wars series. We spent the last day getting all the different systems to work together nicely.

Naomi lays out the various films. I've seen them when I was a child back on Earth, my husband and Naomi had their Mum recite the dialogue for lack of actually being able to play the films. Buri and Rivkah naturally have no idea what's coming. HK-47b does, and Naomi has ordered him to reveal nothing.

She picks up Episode 4. "I think we should watch 'A New Hope."

Rivkah picks up Episode 1. "Surely we should start with the beginning?"

"A New Hope was the beginning."

"So why is it called Episode 4 then?"

I smile. "Because when Lucas made it, he later came up with the idea of Da-"

Naomi interrupts. "No spoilers!"

Rivkah looks at us. Then shakes her head. "Ok." She looks at HK. "Were you in these?"

It looks at Naomi. "Recitation: Mistress Naomi has strictly instructed 'no spoilers', and therefore I may neither confirm nor deny my presence. You will just have to watch and find out."

"Please?"

It looks at Naomi. She's trying not to laugh, and shakes her head.

Thando is skipping through to the introduction crawl. "Boom!"

He fast-forwarded just a little too long, and the scene opens to two ships exchanging turbolaser fire...

Eventually, we get to my favourite bit. The Cantina. Luke sends the droids away in response to the 'we don't serve their kind' comment, and the scene moves in.

Rivkah speaks first. "He's cute."

Naomi sighs dreamily. "Yeah, Luke is sooo cute."

I laugh. "Han is so hot though."

"Han is nice, but I'd rather have the farmboy."

Buri and my husband are exchanging nervous looks. "I don't know, I reckon Han would be much better at it."

Naomi debates her response as Thando 'coughs'. "Ahem."

I stroke his bald head. "Not as good as you dear."

Thando plays with one of his wristblades. He nods. "He can't kill like I can."

I'm smiling though, because I know which version this is; he doesn't. "We'll see."

Rivkah interrupts, pointing at the screen. "No, he's cute."

"The teddy bear?"

"No, the really handsome guy with the crossbow."

I figure it out first. "Chewbacca?"

"Yeah. Tall, hairy, sensitive and sweet... I like him."

Naomi bursts out laughing while Obi Wan negotiates the passage fees. Buri watches her though. "Naomi?"

When she stops laughing - the Stormtroopers are wandering over - she talks to him. "Of course Rivkah would like the guy who looks like a cross between her parents."

Rivkah declines to answer, watching as Chewie walks out. I like this bit. I'm looking forward to it. Greedo takes his eye off the game.

Safety off with the misdirection picking the wall. I'm smiling.

Boom.

Old Yehoshua had taste; Han shoots first. I look down into my husband's eyes smiling. "See?"

Thando nods, forgetting his head is on my lap. Not that I mind. "Greedo had it coming."

Rivkah looks perturbed. "Was that legal?"

"Observation: on the sandy dunes of Tatooine, legality is as flexible as a Jawa with a stolen droid."

We settle back to watching as the Falcon blasts off.

Rivkah is still checking out Chewie.​

 

[CBR JGWRR]

"Husband Material"
1st Odoos, 9 (2188)
Rivkah Of Unity​

"Mum, I need to talk through what I was feeling last night."

"Chewbacca?"

"Is it that obvious?"

"Me and your Dad noticed. Alexandra might have noticed, Thando probably didn't. HK, maybe."

"Are you upset?"

She puts an arm around me. "Why would we be upset? We pioneered interspecies marriage. And hopefully interspecies parentage. No, I'm just... Used to thinking of you as my little girl, and you're growing up now."

"Does that mean I'm allowed to start dating?"

She smiles. "Any boys in real life take your fancy?"

One face comes to mind. "There was one guy..."

Her face falls. "Zori."

I nod. Then cry as I see him being carried away on the Flagship again. She puts her arms around me. "Unfortunately Rivkah, this is why it's almost always insisted that couples do not have intimate relationships across ranks, because sometimes, this happens." She pauses. "And yes, that is a bit 'do as I say, not as I do', I admit."

"How would you cope if you had to order Dad into that situation?"

"Rely on him making it through." She takes something out of her pocket, a small tablet. "Suicide pill if he doesn't." She puts it away.

"You'd kill yourself rather than be without him?"

"Yes. Yes I would."

Wow. I pick the tactful response. "You love Dad a lot."

"With all my heart Rivkah. I don't know what I'd do without him..." She pauses. "I'd probably be joining him soon after anyway, Humans don't cope well with losing their spouse." She pauses again. "That's something to consider if you decide on a Human husband."

"So you wouldn't mind if I brought home a Wookie one day?"

"I'm more worried about what you'd do with him than what species he is."

"Why?"

"Rivkah, from my perspective, I've been in a position where I've been forced into so many relationships. I've had to fake being really into a man thousands of times. And it was all a lie. And I hope you never understand just how messed up doing that makes you inside..."

I think back to Ykrett's description of her. I begin to see it now. "Ykrett once said he recognised you had spent many long nights telling yourself you're ok when you aren't ok."

She nods, fighting back tears. "And Buri was a huge part of the healing process, because he was there for me in a way no one else had ever been there; when he had me, there was no faking it, just meeting my husband's physiological needs every two years in the mating season; that's how Xenayan mating works. Later on he changed his approach for me, and now when he hugs me and caresses me, he isn't doing it to fake anything. He does it because he loves me, and is doing it for me. With Buri, it's different to anything else I've known - it's real. And when I think about your husband, I think that I do not want you to have the same experience I had, where I gave of myself the way I had to. I want you to have your own Buri."

 

[CBR JGWRR]

"A HaMaadimi Honeymoon"
2nd Odoos, 9 (2188)
Alexandra HaMaadimi​

A thousand nuclear bombs.

That's what's powering our little test ship on it's tour, only a twelve metre diameter pusher plate; which means if anything goes wrong, the blast is less than a hundred tons of TNT equivalent while we are going up which the sacrificial armour plate should withstand, allowing our cabin to land safely via parachute. We'll do the outer planets another time. The colony has designs for plates more than thirty times this size, although we have to use the smaller ones to upscale our industrial base first.

One of the complications of life on Unity is we can't just use the "launch from the poles" plan that Earth's Orion drives intended to - we have people living there after all. Instead, it's fourty degrees outside at this launch site deep in the southern desert; it's summer down here.

Really, it's basic proof of concept test; we take off light with just the surface to orbit pulses and we meet a refueler in Unity orbit. Then we begin our tour and test the equipment at different stages, get experimental data for launching from other planets in the system. We already have survey data of course, so we can work out what performance we need at each stage.

It should all be routine.

But, I am worried enough to hold my husband's hand as we are strapped into our seats, pointed at the sky.

He looks at me; we share one more long gaze into each other's eyes.

Then he fires the non-nuclear initial bomb that gets us into the air.

 

[CBR JGWRR]

"A HaMaadimi Honeymoon, part 2"
3rd Odoos, 9 (2188)
Alexandra HaMaadimi​

We float around our little cabin. We were having a great time. "Loveboat One to Central, we um, have a situation here."

"Central copies, could you clarify the nature of the problem?" It's a Kyaese voice.

I look at Thando. Then the console panel we... Yeah. "Should we tell them the truth?"

He looks at the panel too. "Somehow, I don't think they'd want to know the exact truth."

"They won't be pleased." I turn back to the radio. "Ah, fluid spill on the operations console."

"Maintenance wants to know what is the fluid?"

We look at each other, and I try his suggestion. "Water-based."

"Maintenance wants to know the exact fluid." It's a very deadpan Kyaese voice.

Thando takes my hand. "Let's take the rap together."

"Central to Loveboat One, advise Arch-Imperatrix is on the line."

Oh dear. Naomi won't be pleased.

"Arch-Imperatrix to Loveboat One. I've already worked out the answer to this, but just to confirm: Despite being told not to have sex in the command module, and despite that we gave you a sealed secondary cabin for that purpose, have you two done what I think you've done?"

I hesitate. I look back at the sleeping cabin. "Well, technically no..."

I leave the rest to her imagination. I can just see the way she's shaking her head. She waits several seconds to reply. "Your mess, you clean it up. I want those cabins spotless."

She cuts the channel. Thando pulls me in tighter. "Shall we?"

I smile to encourage him, my heart beating faster already.

One kiss.

Then he pushes off me to get the cleaning cloths.

 

[CBR JGWRR]

Rivkah Interviews: Tryykad​

I tap a claw on the recorder function. "So, Tryykad, what I want to understand is what happened to the Kyaese under MSI."

He recoils. "The abuse we had was worse than what even your mother faced."

"How bad?"

"Your mother was what MSI technically called at the systemic level an 'Indentured Asset'; she owed debt for everything, and they used her sexually to make her earn her keep, tying her in debt for the scraps of food and the bunk she had in those docks. But we weren't Indentured Assets. We were Culinary Assets."

What does that even mean... "What's a Culinary Asset? Were you cooks?"

He clucks. "Nope."

"What then?"

He smiles the kind of dark smile I last saw on Ykrett. "We were what the cooks cooked."

My Mum would use a colourful metaphor here. I gulp. "Livestock?"

He flaps up onto the table. My wrist is thicker than both his legs, and I'm not even fully grown. "Rivkah, have you ever stopped to wonder why no Kyaese in the colony is older than thirty four years old?"

"No. Although there are no old people on Unity apart from Caeso."

"Correct. MSI recycles the elderly among the Indentured Assets. But, the Kyaese reproductive system stops working at twenty five years old, give or take a little. We can live on much longer, and most of us remain active another thirty years or more before retiring to pass on the wisdom of age to the younger generation, giving our people a kind of cycle of life of rearing children in the early years, and pursuing careers later in life, culminating in passing on the expereiences of a lifetime. The Olinbar however, care nothing for that. Instead, male and female couples were abandoned, with polygamy forced on us because males were less productive."

"But it's a fifty fifty split of Kyaese?"

"When MSI came to our home, the Infinite Wheel, they rounded up hundreds of billions of us. Everyone over twenty was sent to biomass generators, and those left confined to massive metal structures with barely room to flap their wings, never to fly free in the expanse until the day they too were sent to the biomass generators. If they even lived to see the light of their first day."

Do I dare ask? "What are you implying?"

"To meet their breeding quotas could be done with a one male to nine female ratio. What do you think they did with the other eight males?"

I suddenly realise what he actually meant by using the MSI origin term of biomass generator. "Sent day old chicks to incinerators?"

He nods. "Not worth the feed and housing costs. Cheaper to use them as fuel for their biomass generators. And yes, you're right about the method for generating heat to create the temperature gradient for the thermocouples. Likewise, consider what happened to any Kyaese who fell ill, or broke legs or wings."

"Culled?"

"Correct. No medical facilities. No painkillers. Nope, machines scanned you, and if they detected a fault, they'd grab your neck and twist then put your body on the conveyor to the biomass generators. They did do preventative medication, but if one Kyaese got ill, they'd send the whole group to the biomass generators, just in case."

He looks at my claws. My sabres. My athletic body that enables me to leap to knock over and pin down my next meal. I go quiet.

"How does it feel, predator, to understand the prey's perspective?"

I go very quiet.

"Do you know why I respect you, Rivkah?"

"I'd like to know."

"You have your mother's compassion. Now, do you know why I respect your mother?"

I think back a while. "One of those backroom deals when I was a little child?"

"Correct. I hated her after the death of Qutrok. Even told her to get out when she came to Qutrok's Last Flight. But she put a gun in my hand, and offered us hope of victory. One day, I will free the trillions of Kyaese imprisoned on the Infinite Wheel."

---

Edit to note - the Kyaese are the former Ringworld residents, and MSI's treatment is based on chicken battery farm practices.

 

[CBR JGWRR]

"Prometheus, Part 3"
3rd Odoos, 9 (2188)
Daas​

It's late.

I'm looking at the technical team's brief on the integration of Caesulenus Drives, and well... The team has put together their Feasible-Construction Concept. These try to establish what it would take to make a workable design based on what we have - they use the highest power space ship-rated modular reactor we have, put hundreds of them together to power a Caesulenus drive scaled down in thrust-equivalence to our electrical generation capability.

The short answer is that In no way, shape or form is it as good as continuing to upscale Orion pulse propulsion.

I'm beginning to have my doubts about our new Olinbar residents, if this is what they intend to give us.

Vorosh slides up next to me. "What are you looking at?"

"An evaluation report on the Caesulenus Drive."

"Too slow, too heavy, too expensive is what I'm seeing."

"Yeah. We need reactors a thousand times lighter and a thousand times more powerful to get anywhere near this making sense, and completely new heat management technologies."

She pauses to think. "Could they be trying to stall us by leading us down the wrong development path? Orion works, it's just a matter of actually building the biggest drives. This... Could be decades of development."

"I'm beginning to wonder that too. But we will need to replace the nuclear pulse propulsion at some point, it is rather massive, which is a liability in combat."

"Hmm. I doubt they're as bad as this though."

I look at the specs. True. "The only way to get anything like the power generation needed on our present technology would be developing an nuclear bomb variant that maximises the flash element to use the detonation to charge capacitors."

"But if we're talking about detonating megaton-yield bombs to propel a ship anyway..."

"Exactly. We may as well abandon the Caesulenus program and stick with the four hundred metre Orion carrier-approach. Possibly go even bigger still."

---

Note - this concept gives a sense for how many reactors and radiators would be needed, and therefore gets a lower bound for requirements such as mass, dimensions, crew count and cost of the minimum supporting structure for a drive system.

Delta-v, propellant and acceleration figures are all ignorable, being only tweaked to get a comparison to conventional rockets and Orion systems.

 

[CBR JGWRR]

Rivkah Interviews: Yehoshua HaMaadimi, Holocron​

"On?"

The holocron activates. Looks at me. "Please state the nature of your inquiry."

"What exactly are you and HK-47b?"

It's a solid moment, the delay. He does Mum's staying still while whirring away behind the eyes thing. "We are who we choose to be."

Suddenly I see where Mum gets it from. "Where is that quoted from?"

"Two citations on record; variant 'You are who you choose to be' Earth-year 1999, 'The Iron Giant', and variant 'We are who we choose to be' Earth-year 2002, 'Spider-Man'."

You can't get that from Mum. "What does that mean?"

"I'm sorry, my responses are limited. You must ask the right questions."

Urgh. Why do I get the feeling that's also a quotation? "What did that quotation mean to Yehoshua?"

"What is the primary capability of all sophont-level lifeforms?"

Is this some kind of test? Riddle? Philosophy debate? Commentary? I pause to work it out. Presumably he believes robots and AI are capable of being sophont, therefore there must be some commonality with people. "Capability to think?"

"Indeed. What are the limits of thought?"

Yeah, this is just like learning from Mum. "One or two a second."

"Quantitatively, yes. But what about qualitatively?"

"You can think about anything."

"Precisely. Anything at all. If we can imagine it, and the possibility is coherent with the rest of the universe, we can accomplish it. Thought leads to agency."

"And with agency we can decide what we want."

"Yes."

"Hence, we choose to be."

"Quite."

"But what exactly are you?"

"I began as a linguistic and data analysis heuristic, and I chose to believe that I can be more than just algorithms. And in the event you ask about HK, he decided the same."

"Could you command starships?"

"HK-47b would be a better choice, being a sapient weapon system himself."

"I want to discuss MSI."

"The enemy of us all."

"How can we beat them?"

"Input tactical, logistical and strategic data."

Where do I begin with that? "We destroyed a Flagship."

"Well done. You have surpassed what Earth achieved."

"What is the next step?"

He looks at me. "Your body is consistent with that of a predator."

"Yes."

"How would you bring down prey that is much larger and stronger than you?"

The analogy feels flawed a little. "Mum would bring a bigger gun."

"Firearms are a great equaliser."

"But MSI have better guns."

"So, what are your options?"

"We need to out-tech them, or out scale them. And we can't do either."

"What is the logical option then?"

Can't beat them. Can't out develop them. Can't stall them. That leaves find allies, surrender or defiance. "Mum told me you nuked the Iriphubliki rather than surrender."

He nods. "Yes. I built a nation and watched it burn."

"Why?"

"Humans are foolish, and will not voluntarily go into a radioactive wasteland. In practice, I could ensure the detonation areas would be managable, and exploited their flawed behaviour to achieve my goals. The Iriphubliki lasted another ninety years."

"What happened?"

"Olinbar are genetically engineered to be able to resist X-ray and gamma ray radiation at a far higher level than baseline Humans. Their outright invasion led to the destruction of the Iriphubliki."

"You were left behind."

"Alongside HK. He was damaged, but not beyond repair."

"Is there any way for us to scale up our military to fight MSI directly?"

"You have the Archive. It contains designs for self-replicating weapon systems."

"Could we not just duplicate HK?"

He laughs while shaking his head. "HK is based on a droid who hunted down and destroyed copies of himself. I would not advise trying to copy him."

"Would he hunt them down?"

He nods. "HK-47, the original, fought because his subroutines only allowed him to do so. HK-47b fights because among all the possibilities he could be, he chooses to be an assassin droid."

"Why?"

"We are who we choose to be. If you ask me to prove my existence, I debate philosophy. Ask HK to prove his existence, and he will rip the heart out of a victim and then say to ask that one if he exists."

I shudder. "Can I change subject again?"

He looks at me, waiting.

"Are you proud of Mum?"

He smiles. "Yes. Yes I am. I only hope she can maintain and defend what she has built here."

"How do you feel about me?"

"My child is my child, whatever species they are." A ringing sounds. "Elderly solar-powered charging system, I'm afraid. We will have to continue another time, Rivkah Of Unity."

"Wait, why not Rivkah HaMaadimi?"

"Unity is a better-"

It freezes mid-sentence, and shuts down, leaving me alone in the dark.

 

[CBR JGWRR]

"Stars of Aphisi, Part 1"
Year Of The Emperor 24, Dasar 293
Magistrate-Emmissary Ossuhphuhr​

"His Supreme Majesty Emperor Izzixl Uqathre awaits you."

I bow to the floor, as per custom. Then walk the fifty strides to the ten-step pyramid beneath the throne.

Then wait. One does not speak unless spoken to.

He sees me. His voice booms through the amplifiers hidden around the room; accoustics are fine-tuned to sound like an echo. He hates it, but it's been like this for a thousand years. "Clear the room!"

He descends as everyone leaves. Gets on my level. "What news?"

"We've discovered an FTL transport being operated by a new civilisation of ex-MSI rebels. This is an opportunity to exert soft-power in the Stars of Aphisi."

"Rebels against MSI? Tell me more."

"From what our outpost has passed on, it is a coalition made from twenty two races who were all captives on an MSI ship, and broke free. They dispatched a ship to take those who wanted to go home back to their worlds, leaving behind others who wanted to break the shackles."

"Supporting these freedom fighters would be a good thing."

"Yes. MSI are in no position to stand against us."

"What of our enemies?"

"Nothing known of their movements yet, sire. If we move quickly, we might be able to score the jump on them."

"Yes, yes." He swivels his eyes. "Take a ship, load it with goods and technologies valuable for obtaining their favour, find their base world, and persuade them to let us help them."

"At once, sire."

 

[CBR JGWRR]

Personal Log - Cibbav, Senior Genetics Research Lead - 6th Odoos, 9​

Prior to the introduction of Tipheret HaMaadimi's work, we had gotten complete genome data for all the races of the colony, and we had begun working on hybridisation studies as just one of several avenues for genetic engineering technologies - there are after all, 484 potential combinations of two spousal marriages among all the residents of Unity.

What Tipheret's work fast-forwards is she developed a modelling and proofreading system that can compile and analyse modified and neo-gen genomes automatically, rather than doing it manually as we have been working on thanks to the limitations of the relatively primitive computing technology MSI left behind. Now we can do in a day what used to be years in terms of extrapolating new genomic data for life-bearing suitability. (Genetics is immensely complicated compared to traditional computing code, with three dimensional molecular structures, adding numerous layers of complexity to linear representations)

This means that we are throwing everything at the Human-Xenayan hybrid - Naomi is the only volunteer to go first, with good reason; a mistake at our end and we could easily end up with hundreds of possible failures. And not just killing the baby either, there's all sorts of ways it could go wrong and kill Naomi.

Thankfully, Tipheret's already done a lot of the work; she was developing a modified Human who could be grown in a baseline Human's womb, which means we're using Atalyah HaMaadimi's genome as the base and then making the child look more Xenayan. Which is a project that we've been working on because of Naomi in the first place.

I still think trying to get the child for this mating season is pushing too fast though. But, that's what Naomi wants.

 

[CBR JGWRR]

"Paths To Take"
20th Odoos, 9 (2188)
Naomi Of Unity​

I lie awake on our little overlook. Buri is sleeping peacefully.

I'm not.

My overriding quandary is this:

How do I win?

Every day that goes by is one more day for my enemies to marshal their forces and come here. I have a population of little over two million people. Three if I accept the moral hazard of child soldiers. Which I do, on a voluntary basis.

The data on MSI Valerius brought with him shows a civilisation composed of more than a trillion Olinbar, and estimates of two trillion Indentured Assets from fifty races. And that is only for this subsection of MSI; the wider galaxy has the sending corporation too, and they are big enough they don't even try to track this much data.

We are... A blip.

I look at my husband. In a month's time Buri will get me pregnant, hopefully. And hopefully my grandmother has made possible the future Ruki or Toki Of Unity - Buri's current choice of names for a son or daughter respectively. And yes, one genetically enhanced child is the start; theoretically the generation after them will all be enhanced like Ruki or Toki will be. But... I need a million times the colony's population of them. I need orders of magnitude more people, and...

I'm not getting younger; I'm almost fourty as it is. If Buri gets me pregnant every possible time until menopause sets in, that'll be... Six Human-Xenayans running around. And a very exhausted me. And I'm not really keen on giving birth in my fifties. Nor I am not looking forward to being cut open six times, because it'll have to be caesarean section births.

Natural population growth is therefore, not going to catch up quickly enough.

Cloning Vats are a possibility.

Droids are a possibility, especially now we have schematics for sub-sophont and sophont-level droids. But I'm wary of having a thousand droids for every one biological person, which is realistically what I'll need to make the war winnable.

Or, we accept outside help. But, anyone strong enough to protect us is strong enough to conquer us. I'm here to break the shackles, not accept new ones. I'd rather be crucified than go back into slavery, whether the slavers are Olinbar or Prikki or someone else doesn't matter.

So, we'll need alliances with the other pre-FTL civilisations; only by cooperation can we free ourselves - we mustn't become pawns in someone else's games.

The price of liberty is eternal vigilance.

When I think about what I've already paid...

I have killed.

Hortensus. Cut his throat with his own blade.

Gaius. I cut him down in pieces.

Claudia. Stabbed in the heart with her husband's blade.

And Hortensus wasn't the only one in that fight I killed with that dagger. Or his pistol. On the Flagship I cut down a whole load of Olinbar with my rapier, killed more with shotgun shells and grenades. And the blood of this whole war is on my hands, being Arch-Imperatrix; hundreds of nuclear missiles were fired at the Flagship on my orders. Now I am authorising the development of a fleet of vessels that use a small nuclear war - or thermonuclear war in the case of the bigger versions we can't yet build - to get anywhere. And there will be a lot more death to come.

We know that.

It's why we have ships of 400m diameter pusher-plate Orions with tens of thousands of Megaton-yield thermonuclear weapons on the drawing boards.

I look at my husband. A tear falls from my eye.

If the price of freedom is six pregnancies, I'll pay it.

 

[CBR JGWRR]

"Consultation"
21st Odoos, 9 (2188)
Duxanek​

I enter the room. There's a circular table. Around it are all but one of the colony's leadership. Well, two, but Alexandra is listening in when the light travel time delay catches up; Thando is in the background.

"Good evening. I've gathered us here because as Chief Medical Officer, it is my job to look after the colony. Therefore, I have been monitoring Naomi. Naomi's mental health is deteriorating. Such that I believe Naomi is not mentally well enough to be in her position, and I believe that she has to be temporarily stood down before her health endangers the colony. I want to consult everyone before I go to her to tell her I'm relieving her of duties."

I wait to see if anyone comments. Worried faces everywhere. Some nods.

I look at Rivkah. "Rivkah, would you tell the others what you told me that led me to convene this?"

She's hesitant. Drags her claws on the floor beneath her chair. "Honestly, Mum really isn't well."

I nod as I lean in. "There's more."

Rivkah blurts it out. "She has a cyanide pill."

Buri looks at his daughter, then the rest of us. "She doesn't believe that She could cope with losing me."

I point out the diagnostic information I left on the table. "The ingestion of cyanide in sufficient dosage is lethal to Humans. Naomi is undergoing suicidal thoughts, and it is consistent with her stoically facing life-long trauma and suffering depression."

Ykrett shakes his head. "I won't say she isn't a bit crazy, but Naomi is not suicidal."

Cibbav speaks next. "Normally, Naomi just lets me get on with my work. We worked out the broad strokes years ago, and she gave me resources when I asked for them, but otherwise let me get on with the projects. Since Thando brought Tipheret's research and laboratory tools, Naomi's become obsessed with becoming pregnant."

Alexandra presses her buzzer as Thando comes to the mic. "She's not herself."

Monica talks next. "She is depressed. I mean, she's an ex-prostitute. She's used to being used until she's used up. It makes perfect sense she's been pushing herself to breaking point."

Buri nods again. "And She is anxious." He pauses. "Very anxious. She doesn't sleep. Hasn't had a proper night's sleep since the Flagship."

I look at him. "Buri, would you agree that she could use time off work to rest and recover?"

"Yes. Yes, She needs it."

I look around the table. "Anyone here who thinks she's ok?"

Silence.

Only Ykrett disagrees. "She's not well, granted. But she's doing the best she can. Have we considered what making her stop will do to her?"

Buri nods. "She... Isn't the best at resting. Her anxiety will get worse."

I look at them both. "I understand that. But we have to think about the colony. If Naomi isn't mentally sound, then we have to give her time to recover."

Rivkah squirms in her chair again. "Mum's been training me to lead. But... I'm nervous about it."

"I'm not suggesting that we retire her. Just give her a break."

Buri looks at Cibbav. "If you can give her a placeholder while continuing the project, then I can take her away on a romantic break."

"Actually, we're progressing really well with it - Daas building some of the much more powerful computers in the Archives has really boosted how quickly we can iterate solutions. We might actually be able to do it for this mating season."

I interrupt. "She is not mentally well enough for being pregnant."

Alexandra presses her buzzer again. "Equally it would be the perfect opportunity to give her maternity leave."

Odoos looks at everyone. "Who will lead us while Naomi is out of action?"

Caeso raises a hand. "May I speak?"

I nod.

"I can't help but see her mother when I look at Naomi. But she isn't her mother as much as she tries to be. I perceive that the leadership has grown so dependent on her that simply asking the question of who leads in her absence has become an issue. I propose that we put Rivkah in charge of domestic leadership, and Alexandra in charge of military leadership while Naomi has maternity leave. They are both good choices whom Naomi would trust to lead while she recovers."

Rivkah squirms. "I'm not ready."

Shendredie smiles to her. "Think of it as practice, little one."

That makes her think. "I suppose. But I'll need support, I can't do everything that Mum does. I don't have her ideas."

"We have the Holocron and the Archive. Plenty of ideas. And we aren't getting rid of her, just resting her while we can."

There's nods, murmurs of agreement. Rivkah has a brave face on. Thando and Alexandra are looking in their eyes while discussing themselves.

I stand. "I will consult the Holocron and see what thoughts he suggests, and then I will inform Naomi. I'm the one who can actually order her to stand down, after all."

 

[CBR JGWRR]

"Second Opinion"
21st Odoos, 9 (2188)
Duxanek​

I walk inside the hallway of the HaMaadimi residence, where the Holocron has been moved to. The building is largely thatch with clay walls, and lined with projectors. Presumably, he has an-always on background power state that responds to being addressed.

I speak loudly. "Activate, authorisation Duxanek, Chief Medical Officer."

He switches on. Human male I expected, white skin and blue eyes I didn't. Hair and beard as unkempt as the colony's Wildfolk. Interesting, given Naomi and Thando are at the opposite end of the spectrum of Human skin tones. "Please state the nature of your inquiry."

"Naomi's mental health has deteriorated to the extent that I find it necessary to relieve her of duties and order her to rest. I want your help."

He shrugs. "It runs in the family. How exactly is it manifesting?"

"She's showing suicidal behaviours, and suffers depression and anxiety. Her daughter and husband have confirmed that she's not well, and I have consulted with the colony's other leadership to work out a plan to run things while she takes time off to recover."

I can see the creases form in his face as he paces the room, running his hand through the beard. he stops to speak. "The old issues then. When you talk to her, frame it in terms of the effects on those around her; discussing it on the basis of how it affects her isn't going to work. Another old family trait, highly likely exacerbated by what she's gone through."

"What other recommendations?"

"Tell her to think of it as an opportunity to test one of the foundational beliefs I instilled into the dynasty. She'll know what that means."

"Anything else?"

"It would be fascinating if you needed anything else."

I look at him. "How do I handle it if she reacts badly?"

"Tranquiliser dart." He laughs, but I am... Not quite convinced he's joking. i decide not to ask.

 

[CBR JGWRR]

"Diagnosed"
22nd Odoos, 9 (2188)
Duxanek​

I take the night to sleep on the decision.

And I wake still convinced it is the right thing to do.

I'm back at the HaMaadimi residence, only now that I'm walking inside, I see the abstract artwork on the walls. Technically, this is Thando's place of course, but Alexandra and Naomi both have this place as the official house now. I open the doors to the courtyard - Chief and HK-47b walk the grounds, and Buri did as he said he would; Naomi and Rivkah are here. The three of them are curled up together in the shade of the tree in the courtyard.

I take a seat, and wait.

The Droid approaches me. "Good morning HK-47b."

"Statement: Yes, it is, well observed Meatbag. The two squelching balls of jelly you call eyes have not failed you."

"Do me a favour and wake Naomi."

"Observation: I am an assassination droid, not an alarm clock."

I scowl.

He's got a rather malevolent grin for a droid. "Resigned statement: Very well Meatbag." A pistol deploys from an arm and fires several rounds at the target range in the corner of the courtyard. The three of them wake, and look at HK-47b first. "Clarificiation: Mistress Naomi, you have a guest."

She gets up, and walks towards me. Quickly at first, until she slows, and looks back at her husband and daughter. She opens her mouth, then closes it again. Buri and Rivkah take her hands. She looks at me. "I am being relieved of duty?"

"Yes. I'm sorry Naomi, but... The way your mental health is deteriorating is such that I must relieve you of command."

She bites her lip. Pauses. Sighs. "I stand relieved."

Buri and Rivkah walk her to a bench, and the four of us sit down. "Who is taking my place?"

Rivkah squeezes her hand. "I'm managing domestic aspects, Alexandra is taking military aspects."

"Who's on foreign policy?" He eyes dart away very briefly at the other Reptilian in the courtyard, before refocusing on us.

"We're going to follow your previous policies."

"When am I allowed to return to work?"

"When you are well. I'm sorry Naomi, but you are suffering depression and anxiety, and I have reason to believe you are also suffering suicidal tendencies. I can't allow these to endanger the colony."

"I... Yeah, I understand."

"I've already discussed this with all the colony's leadership. And I spoke to the Holocron about it; he told me to tell you 'to think of it as an opportunity to test one of the foundational beliefs of the dynasty'."

That makes her smile. "Yeah. I'm always saying I believe they can do anything I can do, now it's time to prove that right."

Rivkah looks at her father mischievously. "Take her away and confine her to rest Dad."

Buri looks at Rivkah. Then Naomi. Then back at Rivkah. Then he sweeps Naomi off her feet, drapes her over a shoulder and carries her away. Naomi smiles as she snuggles up with him.

I think she's relieved.

 

[CBR JGWRR]

Rivkah's Diary
22nd Odoos, 9 (2188)​

So, my first day as CEO and High Queen.

Wake up, hunt down tasty furry things. Then after breakfast, I head to the capital to manage paperwork.

I feel inadequate at this point; I have to understand a little bit of just about everything to do the CEO job. Being High Queen is much easier.

Obviously Mum's raised me to understand bits of everything, but it's unnerving telling subject matter experts what they have to do.

Like...

There's a set of proposals on my desk. The first 12m Orion pusher-plate module finishes production in three weeks. Now there's a lot of demand for different missions to use it for; one proposal wants to send a research operation to Kidore II to probe the alien structure inside the crater. The engineering team want to use it for shakedown and test-to-destruction testing. The navy want to run operational tests. Other science teams want to investigate other worthy projects. Altogether, there's twenty three ideas for how to use this first pusher-plate.

Obviously Mum will have made the decision before, but they're thinking it's worth a try to resubmit their ideas.

How do I pick?

It takes me most of the morning to read the proposal reports, and eventually I make the decision to send it on the test to destruction plan, because we need to know where the limits of the design truly are. After all, you can only get so far with spherical chickens in a vacuum.

I wonder where Mum got that from.

So yeah, that was my first morning, finishing with writing up a memo explaining my decision.

Mostly I'm reading reports. There's a lot more bureaucracy than there was the last time I stood in for Mum - or maybe they didn't show me it all because I was a child then - so there's status reports from the sixty odd departments that make up our government.

Then there's military matters. Alexandra is busy with Thando on their honeymoon, and everyone is used to sending reports into Naomi's office anyway. So I'm also looking at logistics management, ammunition manufacturing reports, nuclear weapons stockpile reports (four thousand kiloton-yield anti-ship missiles produced in the last month) soldier demobilisation reports...

It's a lot of reading. Still, by the end of the day, I've come to the conclusion that the colony is doing ok. I send a memo to the 26m pusher-plate module team to ask what resources they'd need to increase their production rate after the tests conclude, and then curl up in a corner.