 
# Renewal

### Hylton Smith

Copyright 2010 by Hylton Smith

Smashwords Edition

Published by Promethean

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage or retrieval system, without the permission in writing from the copyright holder.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters and incidents are products of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is entirely coincidental.

The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Acknowledgement

Without the ever present support of Rhys J. Smith and Anne Flint the series would not have been such an enjoyable and rewarding journey. My heartfelt thanks are accorded to them.

# Prologue

It was forty-three years since they left Mars, and just under two before arriving in 55 Cancri. The Phoenix had travelled well, better in fact than some of the passengers. Despite all medical expertise, anti-ageing gene therapy included, Daniel Carvalho was ailing. He was now one hundred and six years old and was in need of regular maintenance, as if he was a veteran automobile.

He knew that he was just wearing out, and gene therapy was not a panacea in terms of longevity. Even young people suffered cardiac arrest, strokes and embolisms. He was lucky to be as fit as most Humans half his chronological age, but he was no longer a Human, he was now a Sapient. He could not accept that he was so close to stepping out on Nexus, the home planet of the Axis race, and that he may not make it.

Stella, his life companion, continually kept his spirits up by reminding him that their 'children' would all be well into their forties by the time they arrived, and they had only known life aboard Phoenix.

When they were young they pleaded with him every night to recount stories of life on Earth and Mars. Although there was video footage, and hundreds of movies to enjoy, they never seemed to infuse the wonder of Daniel's tales. He admitted that he liked to recount them again. He was considered by both the Axis and Symbiant species as the father figure of that part of the Human race which had transformed Mars. Testament to this affection was the lakeside virtual reality station aboard Phoenix. The Axis had constructed a living version of the inscribed obelisk which was Carvalho's parting gift to the Martian colony. It was the most popular programme on the VRS, and kept every passenger's mind on why they had undertaken this pilgrimage. The portrayal of the spirit and factual events mentioned in the inscription were delivered in the context of a play, authored by the younger of his two sons, Rafael. The final scene was a scrolling replica of the actual edifice, which they hoped had inspired the Martians to avoid past mistakes. The scroll was in both Human and Axis language. The great appeal seemed to be the ever-present danger, from those first moments of Copernicus countdown to Mars orbit insertion, all the way to Phoenix leaving orbit decades later. They had not perceived any danger as the Quantum Spatial Distortion craft pulled the galactic content toward them. All three species were relishing the prospect of uncertainty again.

This Martian history had chronicled some unlikely if not preposterous timelines. The Symbiants were individual members of The Continuance. Over four billion years ago the Cosmos had been seeded with red crystal by Progenitors. These elusive entities apparently designed the crystal to emerge to an amorphous form whenever temperature and data sources were conducive to this metabolic transformation. The amorphous material was enabled to replicate sources of data and identify promising species which may be of interest in the Progenitors great campaign of preserving cosmic balance. The Progenitors' residence was in dark matter and their nemesis was dark energy.

The Symbiants' knowledge of their masters was sketchy. They were aware of other agents of this gravitational alliance, and the struggle to rein in uncontrolled forces of expansion to ensure the contest was never actually decided, as that would be the worst possible outcome.

The Interference, The Amalgamation, The Elimination and The Subtraction were all registered within the data cell structure of the Symbiants. There had however, been no record of possible contact with these agents in the registry of the Martian source of the Continuance, until now.

The timeline indicated that they had fleeting interaction with microbes and simple plant species on early Mars over four billion years back. The molten core dynamo was small and therefore did not generate adequate magnetic protection from the solar wind; this had gradually seen the atmosphere disappear and the active amorphous form had responded to the plummeting temperature and data desert by recrystallising, and 'hibernating' until Humans decided to colonise the planet in 2033.

The crystal was concentrated in West Candor Chasm, part of Valles Marineris canyon. The lodes were around five miles down, but discovered by Alex Redgrave – Science Officer of the Copernicus colonisation mission.

He brought samples to the warm lab and the abundant Human data physiology triggered the awakening. Accidental passage of these unique materials into his bloodstream caused a bizarre replication of Redgrave as predominantly inorganic data cells. The replicant was designated Alex 2. These antimony based distibines, bonded loosely to elemental silicon, were similar in principle to Human computer MRAM memory functions. However the Continuance was much more than this. Their elegant registry and sentinel cell architecture enabled regenerative ability to modify immune systems and the data retrieval capability was one of truly astounding scale. They had been programmed to assist promise of species which they had replicated, or move on. They had been the key to realisation of Human objectives in the rate of terraforming Mars.

Three million years before Humans landed on Mars, another species had colonised the planet, but strangely had not encountered the Continuance there. The Axis had been forced to leave 55 Cancri because their home planet Nexus was being dragged into oblivion by neighbouring gas giants with unstable orbits. They had created a wormhole and as their four spacecraft had entered, they witnessed a consequent and colossal release of negative energy. The threatened fate of assimilation by gas giants was overtaken by an extinction event of their own making. Ironically, the technology which had enabled the wormhole creation had come as a strand of cooperation with Nexus based members of the Continuance. The horrendous result was predicted by these agents of the Progenitors, but ignored by the Axis scientists.

The four ships were confronted with multiple choice exits and decided to separate. Epsilon Eridani, Gliese and Sol produced survival exits, but tragically the fourth ship was destroyed in an unstable domain.

Having made their way from the extremities of the solar system to Mars, the Axis remained there for almost three thousand years. Considerable sophisticated underground infrastructure was built before the species was driven back to Europa by an onslaught of Legionella Pneumophila, for which they had no treatment. Their time on Mars was also a watching brief on primitive Earth evolution and a strict policy of non-interference. These highly intelligent, marsupial-like creatures travelled back to Mars every 555 years to maintain their legacy and wait for Humans to discover it.

They had erected giant visual display units in Candor Chasm, yet they never analysed the red crystal, presumably considering it unremarkable. The Human pioneers did not recognise the screens as anything other than blue-green crystals. The millions of years between these events had seen erosion of the shape of the VDUs and it had been the replication of Alex Redgrave which kick-started the cooperation with the Continuance, and through these individual Symbiants, the subsequent discovery of the Axis. The odds against the Axis working in close proximity but ignoring the red crystals, and the curiosity of one Human to prise them from a highly inaccessible mother lode, on his first Martian foray, did not seem to favour future connection.

The discovery of Quantum Spatial Distortion (QSD) propulsion as a safe means of interstellar travel was made by the three Martian species some thirty years after the first Human landfall on the red planet. A combination of factors led to a desire to return to 55 Cancri. The Axis had never found real purpose after the accidental genocide of millions of their brethren left on Nexus. The species had also suffered mass infertility prior to the cataclysm and could not procreate. Immortality by scientific application was remarkable but did not replace the loss of 'belonging'. Earth society's facade of extolling the moral, religious and political high ground was often exposed as hidden diversity, such as crime, greed and parading of Human rights. The threshold was crossed for the Continuance when North Korea detonated a nuclear device, killing countless numbers of their own citizens. This also had the effect of encouraging the Axis to meet with their other colonies back at Nexus. The Continuance re-prioritised their assessment of promise and deleted assistance to Humans, except those on Mars who wanted to join the pilgrimage. This was quite a small band of souls, whose affiliation with the aliens had grown in inverse proportion to their shame with Human duplicity. Most of them had already benefited from hybrid genetic code insertion by the Symbiants. This not only conferred paradigm leaps of understanding, but effectively created a branch in Human evolution. They referred to themselves as the Sapients.

As Phoenix had engaged QSD on leaving Mars the individual Symbiants had received two discrete data transmissions. The first was a re-configuration of registry, and the second implanted data concerning the Nexus cataclysm. They had figured out from circumstantial evidence, provided via the Axis archive on Mars, that there had been interaction between the species on Nexus. Now they had terabytes of detail. They had decided not to share this until they reached Nexus, because of a discovery by the Gliese based Axis. Their two kilometre ring of advanced telescopes had now shown Nexus to be in a stable orbital relationship with the gas giants, and more importantly, radio wave sources emanated from the planet. The Symbiants did not want to offer more false hope.

With two years to go at just under light speed, a third transmission was received. The stabilising influence for 55 Cancri was not accidental. A brown dwarf had become a companion star with the secondary sun in what once was a binary system. This celestial harmony was filed under 'The Interference'. It was the first time that the solar system branch of the Continuance had ever been officially connected in this way. They had always 'known' of the other agents but didn't know exactly how they knew. The message also carried a warning that under no circumstances must the brown dwarf be approached. It was delivered as a message to which there was no reply or further inquiry option.

# Chapter 1

As leader of the Symbiants, Alex 2 consulted his kin about what this could mean for the mission, and particularly the Axis. The first two transmissions, forty years ago, had afforded the privilege of merely confirming what was already theorised. This had other possible implications for the return of all Axis clans, not just the Martian branch. Alex 2 saw no merit in deflating their new-found energy to restore Nexus, yet he could not assign much weight to the Progenitors employing the Interference, in the form of a brown dwarf, simply to correct the wormhole mishap of three million years ago. He deduced that there must have been some unfavourable chain reaction prognosis between then and now to invoke such action, particularly as it was accompanied by a warning.

With two years to contemplate the puzzle, the Symbiants elected to annex the detail for now, but initiate comprehensive study of the new orbital paths of the 55 Cancri planetary bodies – all of them. The Earth database could allow calculations to actually reveal the presence of a new gravitational force.

The radio signals emitted from Nexus should also become a priority for gathering intelligence on what could be expected before arrival. Until now, all individuals aboard Phoenix had assumed the 'noise' was attributable to surviving, indigenous Axis groups.

The Sapients had more appetite for such distraction; the Axis had already engaged countdown mode and said they would rely on their friends to conduct the study. Kipchoge Yamamoto relished this stage. He had been the first Human to accept Symbiant modified genetic code insertion. Pascal 2, first generation replicant of Pascal Dupree – the Copernicus Doctor, had developed this procedure. It marked the first deliberate branch in Human evolution. Yamamoto, Red, (second generation replicant of Alex Redgrave) and Dan (first generation replicant of Daniel Carvalho) would act as the spearhead of the numbers research.

Carvalho still had a keen sense of detecting signals of clandestine activity and he approached Alex 2. "How about we take a stroll around the lake my friend?" The Symbiant recognised the bogus invitation and knew he couldn't avoid the question, or more significantly, the answers. "It would be better in my quarters Daniel."

"Yes, I thought it might. The body language of some of our fellows betrays concern. Is there a problem?" Alex 2 requested that the discussion should wait until they reached the secure location. When he next spoke, the Symbiant said, "I do not have evidence of a problem, but that does not mean there is no problem. Considering that the Progenitors deemed it necessary to make three transmissions and a warning, we must take it seriously."

When he had recounted the detail to Carvalho, he paused. A silence prevailed for several minutes before he continued. "Red, Dan and Pascal 2 are all of the same opinion as I am. This would not have occurred only to remedy a release of negative energy, albeit a devastatingly destructive quantity. Without wishing to insult the Axis it would not have been triggered because several million individuals perished. Probability analysis is not helpful because of lack of hard data. Apart from confirming the brown dwarf conferred the new stable orbits, we may be able to determine when this occurred by extrapolation of Earth observations in our database. The early indications are that it was a considerable time after the wormhole cataclysm and the dissipation of the resultant energy release."

Carvalho interjected, "How long after?"

Alex 2 was untypically evasive. "It may have been half a million years - or even longer."

"And this is your concern?"

Alex 2 spoke slowly. "Of course, if such a period passed before the Progenitors intervened there must have been escalating adverse trends for some time after the Axis exodus. As you know we are uncomfortable with speculation, but if the developing critical point was due to purely cosmic aberrations there may still be 'residue' to be dealt with. Alternatively, if the cause was unpromising life forms 'rocking the boat'- it may have been their radio noise the Gliese Axis reported. I do not need to elaborate on the effect such news would have on our friends aboard this vessel."

Carvalho reflected on this momentarily and then nodded in recognition of the utter demoralisation this would inflict on all of the Axis clans.

Alex 2 was not finished. "I cannot stress too much that the delivery of the third message, some forty-three years after the first two, is part of our concern. It logically suggests that something may have been upgraded in status during that period. We have not ruled out a fourth message." The uncertainty they craved had been delivered.

This however, had to be viewed against the backdrop of a burgeoning period of recovery in procreative potential during the voyage. The first Martian born Axis – Renewal, had been a 'test tube' success, albeit with Pascal 2 genetic enhancements and super stem cell grafts. Since then many offspring had survived with reduced laboratory intervention. 'Rene', as the Sapients referred to her, was good friends with the Carvalho children in their early years, as she was the only Axis juvenile to survive at that time. The friendship had endured long after the increase in Axis adolescents.

Daniel Carvalho was beginning to wish he had never asked the question. Apart from the hopes of the Axis being dashed yet again, if Alex 2's first scenario proved correct, his own family was hurtling toward a potentially uninhabitable domain. This gave him the extra nudge, to suggest to Alex 2 that everyone should be informed of the situation, as a precautionary measure, and plans would only be adapted if new incoming observations warranted action.

"I realise I no longer have authority, and I can't even speak for all Sapients, but my gut tells me that being prepared is of value – even if it carries emotional burden. Something you may not fully recognise, my friend, is that the Axis now have something extremely valuable to protect – their children. The Sapients have that too. That just leaves the Symbiants, and you already know."

"You have always managed to confuse me Daniel. When we first worked together I would have communicated this out of logical necessity. Having got to know Humans and Axis, I began to feel I had gravitated to a more sensitive level of compassion – something not conferred to us by our masters. Now you confront me with another layer of emotional complexity. I am relieved to have got it wrong again."

They looked at one another and needed no words of mutual respect. They departed to inform the Axis leader. As anticipated Fav was initially dumbfounded and as angry as either of them had ever witnessed. Slowly, he acknowledged they all faced the same fate and echoed Carvalho's galvanic declaration around the children.

The sombre mood around the vessel persisted for several weeks. A scheduled drop out of QSD to normal propulsion coincided with an opportunity to 'clean up' incoming radio noise and the decoding marathon eventually yielded absolute verification of Axis symbols.

Hours of analysis revealed two important points. Firstly the language was considerably different to classical Axis at the time of the exodus. These survivors had been dwellers on the fringes of society, and living in deep caves had been their salvation. The second, more sobering revelation was that they were no longer the top evolutionary species. They had never been the dominant species; even the Martian Axis admitted that. That honour had fallen to the Ebexx. They were remembered as barely sentient, but very powerful carnivores. They used to fear the Axis technology which could more than compensate for physical deficiency. They used to avoid confrontation. They were likened to polar bears, but twice as big and with very short fur. They had apparently acquired sentience via a parasitic mechanism. A virus which had altered its metabolism and consequent relationship with hosts, to control them rather than kill them, was the real enemy. The virus had prospered through very efficient species jumping. It hadn't been successful with the Axis on the planet because of natural immunity, but this may not last. In settling for the Ebexx, the virus had endowed them with sufficient cerebral stimulus to farm the Axis. As they were dealing with the outlying remnants of post-apocalypse individuals, there was no real resistance in the beginning. Gradually, escapees banded together and built fortresses in the mountain caves. The Ebexx didn't have sufficient flexibility in cerebral physiology to defeat their defences, despite the enhancement of the virus, which was known as 'Avezzc Kaschh'. This term was not known to the Axis aboard Phoenix. The predicament of being either livestock or cave-dwellers had seriously restricted the evolutionary development since the apocalypse, yet they had done remarkably well. There was no information as to the origin of the virus, so it could mean that it had come from impact fallout from the 'good shepherd' brown dwarf.

This was a lot to digest, but it was regarded as if it could have been a lot worse. At least they knew the planet was habitable and the atmosphere supported life. QSD was resumed.

The timeline for the transmission was not completely clear but it appeared to be between groups of Axis 'commandos'. The natural immunity of the indigenous Axis did not imply that any of the species on Phoenix would carry such defence.

# Chapter 2

The Axis had often apologised during the voyage for their frequent and elaborate references to how Nexus used to be. The others had come to believe there would be no surprises, but this news changed everything. Instead of daydreaming of red mountains and burnt orange evening clouds, they suddenly realised that such scenes were theatres of war. It now seemed less important that there were no oceans, only rivers and lakes. High, snow covered peaks and prodigious waterfalls were now perceived as hideouts and sanctuaries rather than natural wonders.

The patience to see the journey through had been tested many times, now it gnawed at the cohesive force between the three species. The almost sacred Axis belief in never employing lethal force to sentient beings was at the heart of the squabbles. There were no weapons on board to fuel the dispute, but the radio messages which had been intercepted indicated that the hunted were developing a new retaliatory device. Constant refusal to discuss this nurtured an ulcer in everyday communal activities. Being a tiny minority the Sapients began to bypass the issue except in discussion with the Symbiants. Alex 2 and his cohorts saw the situation as simply one of survival and proposed a typically pragmatic solution. If they could isolate, capture and replicate one of the Ebexx, the problem would take care of itself. Carvalho asked Alex 2 to sketch in some detail to support this 'bloodless campaign'.

"If we are interpreting the intercepted data correctly, then the weakness of these aggressors is their interdependence with the virus. Replication does carry the risk of infecting the replicant, but if we can control this by disabling specific sentinel cells we can lure the virus to that decoy point of weakness. Subsequent amputation in the region will regenerate adapted cells and we then have one of their own to instruct in their midst. Study of the amputated part will give us the time to develop genetic code to insert immunity for all of us who may be at risk. If the replicant is not infected we have an even better scenario to dilute the effectiveness of the virus. This way the Sapients have their aggressive nature satiated and the Axis do not have to betray their cornerstone philosophy of turning the other cheek."

Carvalho and Fav said in unison, "Who are 'we'?"

"Initial exploration should be done by Symbiants who are replicated from Axis. This will produce less visual concern for the indigenous Axis and should still attract curiosity from the Ebexx. We need to know as soon as possible if there is an infection issue for the rest of our passengers. The Axis commandos do not need to know they are being assisted by the Continuance at the outset." It was agreed.

In the remaining time to Nexus orbit insertion, the ruffled feathers were gradually smoothed. Rene had resumed her regular evening activities with Anna-Severine - Carvalho's daughter. Both carried some conference of Pascal 2's genetic code. Rene had direct insertion and Anna-Severine, unlike her two brothers, had been conceived after Carvalho himself had undergone the procedure. The two females had discussed the conferred features of their code and now brought up the question of how it may help in 'outwitting' the Ebexx. It was a valid point and it was encouraged by the Symbiants. Only a few Sapients had not yet opted for the procedure but there were hundreds of Axis who remained unconvinced.

The Sapients registered immediately, the Axis postponed their decision until they had more concrete information on the infection risk, and surprisingly, how their return would be perceived by their commando hosts.

The programme also spawned another discussion. Alex 2 took his turn to ask Carvalho if he would accompany him on a walk around the lake. The invitation was accepted. "I wanted to ask you to allow a final replication of yourself."

"Why the hell would I want to do that?"

"I think it would be helpful."

Carvalho laughed out loud. "I don't know what you have brewing in that registry of yours, but Stella and the family would be horrified at such a bizarre proposal. I don't want to discuss this any further unless you are completely open with me. First of all you rarely make suggestions, choosing 'assisting promise' mode. When you do make overtures they are invariably on very important issues. You have just made one with respect to the Ebexx; don't you need a recovery period?"

Alex 2 ignored the sarcasm and replied, "I am almost certain I will receive another message. You notice the use of the personal pronoun?"

"Go on."

"I have new first tier registry space of very significant capacity, and it is different. I have cautiously and indirectly determined that the other Symbiants have not been affected in this way. I do not know why I did not ask about this openly, I just did what seemed appropriate. It concerns me that I acted this way and even more that I am now discussing it with you, yet that also feels right. Could you think about my request, and keep this between the two of us for now?" A worried Carvalho nodded affirmation.

It was Red who reminded everyone that a brown dwarf had been registered by Earth astronomers in the Gliese system. He suggested asking the Axis from that settlement about any observations they had made which could be useful. Alex 2 was unresponsive at first, quoting the warning, but acknowledged that this was not the 'special' brown dwarf. The sub-space message was sent and the reply was expected within weeks as the three pilgrim ships were on a convergent course.

The reunion with uncertainty and danger had passed into stage two, one of more communal recreation, and it seemed everyone had a theory or counter-theory. It was good for morale and the illusion of time passing quicker was welcome.

The eldest Carvalho son, Fernando, was normally much more placid than his brother and sister, but this had given him a platform. Although his mother and father had accepted the Pascal 2 insertion code, they had wanted the children to make their own decision on this when they were old enough to appreciate the implications of the choice. Fernando was the one who went ahead with the procedure in his early twenties. His siblings wanted to wait until they were nearer Nexus, and were now scheduled with the rest of the Sapients.

Fernando's decision had been heavily influenced by Kipchoge Yamamoto, not directly, but by listening to explanations about cosmic phenomena he could not figure out by himself. His placid nature had been reinforced by the code. Yamamoto was always challenging the Symbiants, and Fernando craved the respect they reciprocated to his friend. He was now amongst the 'elite' speakers when things like brown dwarfs were discussed. His siblings pestered him for his opinions for the first time in his life.

"A brown dwarf is a sub-stellar object with mass between that of the lowest for stars and the highest for planets. Some refer to them as failed stars – ones where no hydrogen fusion has occurred and the primary fuel, deuterium has been exhausted. Sometimes they exist as wandering bodies, but they are commonly companions of small stars at separation of 4AU or more."

Anna-Severine intruded, "Why does that make them off-limits according to these Progenitors?"

Fernando chuckled. "Patience please, that comes later. It has been proposed that as these bodies are self-heating, and do not rely only on true solar radiation, this should be a promising scenario for life on planets which orbit them." This was the blue touch paper. Rafael's artistic vision could see a science fiction book or play falling into his lap. His sister was not so content. "Does that mean there will be life on the brown dwarf in 55 Cancri?"

"Anni, if you're going to talk all of the time you'll learn nothing."

"I'm not just talking; I'm asking questions – which you never answer."

Fernando smiled and said, "We can't know all of the answers at this point, but they will emerge. Now, the brown dwarf in the Gliese system orbits the red dwarf star Gliese 229. It's between twenty and fifty times the mass of Jupiter, but with a similar diameter. It has an observable atmosphere – particulates – which are neither ice nor silicates. They are probably organic. The distance to the companion star can have a strong bearing on life potential of orbiting planets. The Axis travelling from that region settled on a planet which had already produced life, so we need to know everything they have observed in the last three million years; it could give us clues on what we can expect from the 'special' brown dwarf, which appeared about half a million years after the exodus. Maybe that's what the warning is about, in other words, not to disturb the ecosystem."

Anna-Severine was a very talented artist, and like Rafael, began to see potential sculptures on the horizon. They were both hooked and for the first time in their lives getting less time than Fernando with their father. It was disorienting and it was left to Stella to fill the space.

Yamamoto had returned to work with Ari Nielsen (Chief Science Officer of the Sapients) and Karel Sevicek (Ex-Earth Propulsion Theorist). There was general disappointment at the apparent intellectual level of the indigenous Axis, but the warning had almost the opposite effect – it was like a lure. They accepted that the Symbiants didn't have the means or the arrogance to challenge the Progenitors, but they felt that they themselves had the right to challenge the Symbiants. Furthermore, Alex 2 had declared on many occasions, that these overlords wouldn't get involved in trivial actions. They decided they hadn't been given all the information received and would tackle him about it.

# Chapter 3

The Gliese Axis replied promptly. The devil was in the detail. The brown dwarf itself did not seem to merit much of a mention, confirming much of recent Earth data. The Gliese planet Nexus however, may have received a mixed inheritance from this intruder. The general conditions for life were so positive that the food chain was continually changing. Many evolutionary dead ends occurred in comparison to either Earth or Nexus. Newcomers to this scramble for a foothold had to adapt in extremely short order. If they did survive it was usually by courtesy of taking advantage of an already established species in some way. Amongst the most successful were viral strains, which had somehow managed to trick the immune system of the host into a 'pseudo symbiotic' relationship. This ultimately became one of dominance. Some of the Axis there had been infected and turned against their own species. It was eventually discovered that there was only a small percentage at risk, because of a peculiar genetic aberration. It was the converse of a minority surviving plagues with 'natural' immunity. The reception of this matter of fact report differed considerably amongst the population aboard Phoenix.

The Sapients were even more convinced that the warning was related to viral import from the special brown dwarf. The Axis were now insistent on delaying any Pascal 2 code insertions, and felt the best option was to remain in orbit until the Gliese vessel arrived to make genetic comparisons with the two Axis clans before interfering with the pecking order on Nexus. This was based on the hope that the virus controlling the Ebexx was remotely similar to the Gliese variety. The policy of non-interference was the same in some ways to that which they had displayed when moving to Europa instead of claiming Earth. The Symbiants pointed out that although they did not concur with this 'plan', Sapients should temper their derision of the current Axis disposition with their Martian decision to allow Humanity to flourish.

"Ok," said Yamamoto, "but this is their own species being bred for dinner. If there was merit in them standing off Earth while we emerged, they can surely understand that our view is a consequence of their decision. It's a convoluted logic, but I feel it vindicates our support of your plan to replicate a captive Ebexx and give us the means of protecting our own families. We can't just go along with their 'lottery' attitude that most of them may survive."

Alex 2 looked troubled. "I agree, but now there is an additional complication. Apart from how long we may have to wait for the Gliese genetic data to be compiled, the Axis who are with us now do not want any existing replicants of theirs to participate in the Ebexx plan, and they have refused new replications. So we must re-think the detail."

Yamamoto seized upon this impasse as the time to confront the Symbiant. "Some of us are of the opinion that you may be withholding some of the content of the third message from the Progenitors. To put it bluntly, we only have your word that they exist, and therefore whatever instruction you receive. I'm not saying we don't believe you, but we need to know a hell of a lot more than they are supposed to have communicated so far. We have committed a significant part of our lifetimes to this mission, on the basis that you remind us of the need to be on the same team. We're not the ones lacking promise now – that accolade has been usurped by the Axis on board. We need leadership that we can identify with; we have no time to even consider the Progenitors right now. There is a conflict to be decided – not balanced." These provocative sentiments found support from the small Sapient contingent. Carvalho found himself torn.

Tension was on the rise again. Alex 2 pressed Carvalho for further consideration of undergoing replication. "My request is related to my increasing feeling that I may not exist in my present form for much longer. I find it impossible to discuss this with my kin for exactly the same reason. There is an external influence involved with both sensations. You are the only individual with whom I can trust this concern. That is also tied into the overlay – I am expected to believe your replicant would fill in the real need for this. It sounds totally illogical, I know, and that in itself is disorienting for any member of the Continuance. It is almost as if a witness to some transformation is required before it occurs, and who is not quite a Symbiant."

Carvalho's uncooperative stance was giving way to concern. "I trust you unconditionally as Alex 2, you know that. I have difficulty in grasping the purpose of what you're saying, and I'm not sure this transformation hasn't commenced already. Can you pinpoint any event which started this sensation which is haunting you?"

"Not precisely the initiation, but there have been spikes since then, for example, Yamamoto's outburst. On the one hand I accept his criticism, and so do the rest of the Symbiants – I can feel this. On the other hand they are unable to detect my 'fear' at his intentions. None of this should be happening but it is. Please think about what I have said and if you decline maybe I will experience another sensation."

Rene was not enjoying the popularity with the Axis she had grown accustomed to since birth. This was largely down to her leanings to the Sapients' position with regard to the viral threat. She was one of the few of her species with the Pascal 2 code and this was seen as being primarily responsible for the 'deviant' philosophy. It didn't help that she spent so much time at the Carvalho quarters, mostly with Anna-Severine, but increasingly with Daniel and Fernando. Fav tried to diffuse some of the feelings, by reminding his citizens that it was precisely the genius of Pascal 2, which resulted in Rene being the first Axis offspring to have survived since they first left Nexus. He challenged many of the detractors by asking why they celebrated the event for over three days. He also demanded she was shown the same respect as they had for the troublesome 'virus driven' Ebexx. "Anything less would be total hypocrisy."

Carvalho had decided he could not consider Alex 2's request any further without discussing the implications for his entire family, particularly Stella. He made a different proposal to Alex 2. "We already have Dan, and although he looks exactly how I did in my late twenties, he still carries my memories albeit in a Symbiant architecture. Surely he could be your witness."

"I am afraid that is not what is required; he will have to remain as he is. You may recall that the first trials with the QSD unit were with Dan as the control interface. In order to achieve this he had to vacate data storage space to enable response time. Amongst the deleted content was recollection of some of your memory, seemingly unnecessary detail. Unfortunately there was an incident which is now important, but he deleted it. Anyway a new entity seems to be required partly from you as 'Humanoid' and partly from me as 'Continuance'. If the physical appearance is the worry, because it would cause emotional difficulty for Stella, particularly after your death, this may be an alterable parameter. In fact I am now certain that would be the case."

The frown on Carvalho's face was the only form of reply. As he walked back to his home his mind was ablaze with conflict. Here was a friend, who had always been up front about personal matters, yet now he seemed to be agitated about not being able to deliver sufficient data about his proposal. This was more akin to his non-proactive mode of technical assistance, but in this case he was selling the need to act very quickly. Carvalho wondered what would happen if he had already died. Would there be some other suitable candidate? This whole situation had moved from one he felt he needed to share with Stella, to one where he could legitimately be thought to be on mind-expanding substances. His gut just kept on telling him that it was seriously important.

As he passed a lakeside cafe, he saw Yamamoto holding court. The gathering was predominantly Sapients, but Red and Dan were in the background and a handful of Axis had been drawn into the rather one-sided discussion. "I'm a dedicated scientist – proof is an essential part of my leaning on whether to believe or not. Whilst I don't concur with the Axis posture on allowing these virally controlled Ebexx to breed their species for the abattoir, this may not be the most pressing problem. Like many others, I've made good friends and enjoyed working with the Symbiants. If I was a conspiracy theorist rather than a scientist I would view the situation as a farce. Think about it. The Human race lands on Mars and within days Alex Redgrave is replicated. We are told of the Progenitors, and are impressed with the benign nature, prodigious intellect and desire to assist us, according to the Continuance. They then discover the Axis, who conveniently colonised Mars millions of years before, and acted like remote carers for Humans. When they return to see the fruits of their vigil we invite them to stay. We all undergo further replication and more significantly, some of the Humans agree to genetic code modification. We even restore the supposed infertile Axis procreative capability. Why stop there? We work together to develop safe QSD propulsion. Then lo and behold, we find out from another Axis outpost that Nexus has not been annihilated by the neighbouring gas giants – it has stabilised. So all of the Axis clans want to come home, and the Symbiants make out a good case for joining them, persuading many Sapients in the process. When we almost get there we're told that the Progenitors actually fixed the gas giants, but we don't need to know more and we must not investigate this 'failed star', which was the means of restoring balance. Now that we are back to 55 Cancri, the Axis propose the 'abandonment' of the very souls they came forty-plus light years to meet, and thus ignite some kind of spiritual renewal. The lynchpin of all this is the Progenitors. My question is, are they a clever illusory deception? We can never have proof; that is what we are told. So we're confronted with delivering faith without proof, does that sound familiar? I make no apologies to Red and Dan, who I see are in attendance, they have become my closest friends – I think! The time has come for us to know more. I see we also have Axis individuals with us. I'm not criticising your hard-wired passive philosophy, and I accept that Human society used to be no better than the Ebexx, prior to synthetic food production. We also had battery farms to feed our increasing numbers. But, is it wrong to protect your own species from barbaric predators? All I know is that I can't sit by idly and not think about these decisions. I instinctively and compassionately feel I must help the kin of our Axis friends, and leverage more transparency from the Continuance."

Carvalho was struck by the vocal support for Yamamoto's views and this extended to the Axis members who were present. The Symbiants were expressionless. Daniel Carvalho could have done without this fermenting revolutionary talk. He wanted to see his family settled on the new world, and take his chance with cheating death after that. He knew however, that the probability of life unfolding the way we desperately wanted it to, was very low. He decided to sleep on it as he recalled Alex 2 saying a refusal may spark another message or sensation.

# Chapter 4

A week had passed and although many gatherings had taken place in restaurants, libraries and social meeting points, the opinion polls had not altered significantly. The great surprise for Carvalho was that Alex 2 had not mentioned his anxiety again. He was spending time with Ari Nielsen and they were discussing the striated rocks he had brought from Mars. Alex 2 had fastened on to Nielsen's passionate belief that if the Symbiants, who had constructed the road bridge over a fissure on the way to Utopia Planitia had detoured to collect them, they must be of interest. All chemical analysis had failed to indicate why. Alex 2 asked which Symbiants had been responsible, but Nielsen didn't know. It was therefore left for Alex 2 to question each member of the Continuance aboard the vessel. Carvalho couldn't see a connection between this discussion and Alex 2's request for him to agree to a new replication, but he decided to ask about it in a circuitous way. "I've thought long and hard about your request and I still can't see the point. It might help if you could explain what would be the situation if I'd passed away when I was 'only' ninety or so."

The response was instant. "I would be pursuing the course I am currently on. Your reluctance to proceed was interpreted as being the same as refusing."

"Has that direction got anything to do with Nielsen?"

Alex 2 nodded. "Indirectly, but this does not mean it is too late for you to agree to replication. The deadline will be precise as we enter Nexus orbit, unless the Nielsen route leads us there first."

The Epsilon Eridani vessel had suffered enforced QSD dropout. The message was some weeks old and asked for help. Fav tried to engage Alex 2, who politely referred him to Red and Dan. They in turn said they would prefer direct discussion to go through the Sapients who were members of the think-tank group – Yamamoto, Nielsen and Sevicek. Fav knew he could expect a frosty reception from Kipchoge Yamamoto, but made the request for him to renew his working relationship with Rose, the Axis propulsion technologist who had opted for the genetic code enhancement back on Mars. Surprisingly Yamamoto agreed, on one condition. He wanted Fernando Carvalho to be included to allow Nielsen and Sevicek to plough on with their frustrating test schedule on the striated rocks.

Alex 2 had run to ground the three Symbiants who had collected those rocks. They didn't offer much clarification. They did reveal that they 'instinctively' chose those samples. It had to do with the rocks' previous interaction with the Continuance over four billion years ago. Although this added to Nielsen's frustration, he suggested to Alex 2 that the significance may not be as simple as chemical analyses. "There are multiple permutations of atomic and molecular arrangements, none of which are remotely interesting."

Alex 2 turned away, and then checked. "If interaction took place all those millennia ago, maybe the signatures will be different now."

"Yes but....."

"Wait," said the Symbiant, "they could have been absorbed, transformed, evaporated or consumed...that is the most likely reason – consumed. Quite possibly the interaction is the clue and the answer. Mr. Nielsen, let us look at maximum magnification rather than elemental analysis."

They hurriedly placed samples under the most powerful electron microscope on board. Nielsen peered at the output. "Well it looks exactly like our old enemy Legionella."

Alex 2 declared, "Not exactly Mr. Nielsen, look at the interconnections, they are not individual organisms. These clusters are different." Higher magnification confirmed this and partially identified the conduit material, provoking a further comment from the Symbiant. "We need to speak again with the Axis."

"Why is that?" asked Nielsen.

"Because the transmissions from the surface of Nexus claimed the organisms controlling the Ebexx were viruses."

"Yes I know," sneered Nielsen, "but these Legionella are er... bacteria."

"Precisely," countered Alex 2, "but the connecting tissue is a mutated virus we have encountered before on Mars. Don't you see? The Axis on the surface may or may not know the difference, but we believe they have adapted to take control rather than kill the host. Think about it Mr. Nielsen, viruses are useful in genetic engineering but can't multiply by themselves. Bacteria can be beneficial and are capable of dividing to multiply. A mutation of each can confer a benefit for both. Viruses have been used to target tumours and 'good' bacteria are accepted by some organic immune systems. I think you call it 'the wooden horse of Troy'. The interaction we see here from Mars must have died out because of poor host candidates. The one on Nexus, if my prognosis is correct, does not suffer so badly. We must see if the Axis can glean anything more from these transmissions."

Carvalho was apprised of this latest theory and asked Alex 2 if it was more speculation than science. The Symbiant confessed it was, but sent a shiver down his friend's spine when he explained more about the speculation. "I correlate the sensations I have with certain events. If you recall, the return of the first Copernicus mission from Mars involved Legionella, and all Humans who survived the assault which killed Javier Veltrano, have now passed away. You and I are the only remaining witnesses. It also links Legionella to the sensation that I must talk to Nielsen. Dr. Balinsky administered the antibiotics to the others. I can't make the connection to you."

"I can," admitted Carvalho, "when we were separating and I headed for Portugal, I remarked to Balinsky that I had mild symptoms similar to those who had actually gone down with the infection. She wrote the name of both types of medication she had used and recommended that I get some before departing."

"And did you?"

"I intended to but the symptoms eased off."

Alex 2 was processing data furiously. "There is another possibility; we both witnessed Pascal Dupree descending into the same kind of coma which afflicted Veltrano. He asked for and received permission for replication as a last resort. You and I were there when that replicant - Trois, who we later lost in an accident, explained something to Dupree."

Carvalho drew breath, "You're right, he said that unfortunately the replication had not conferred immunity to Dupree, but he was aware that the unusually long process had distracted the infecting species by having to deal with two totally different immune systems at once. It gave Dupree's the respite to renew the resistance."

Alex 2 smiled. "Yes, and that must be the connection, why I am continually sensing you and I are supposed to re-enact the Dupree replication, with myself becoming part of your replication. That must be what is required."

Carvalho nodded but raised an inconsistency in the theory. "Dan became my replicant after that episode."

"That is true, but he deleted that knowledge when he became the Q.S.D. interface. This protection we are being advised of requires infection of a Humanoid, interference via replicant immunity and the transference of my immunity to you during the process. This last step did not occur with the Pascal Dupree situation on Copernicus. It is the insurance for your survival and your new replicant will consume the rest of me so that the entire knowledge is preserved. It is being designated as an essential defence against anticipated onslaught in the future. We will refer to this threat as Virubact. Your new immune structure will be copied and pasted into Sapient genetic code for the rest of your kin." Just then Alex 2 received the expected fourth transmission; it clarified the warning about the special brown dwarf, or rather a solid body which was orbiting it.

Alex 2 spoke as the transmission passed into his storage structure. "The tiny moon is the potential problem. When the dwarf star was trying to form from stellar dust, as anticipated, it accreted a lot of solid matter and collisions occurred. Debris from such splintering bodies contained more types of virus/bacterial hybrids. Many of these are not troublesome, but a few are much more advanced than the one currently affecting the Ebexx. Now the final part – you have natural immunity to the Nexus hybrid because of your flirtation with the similar Martian variety brought aboard Copernicus. However, none of us individually would be able to defeat some which may come our way in the near future. There is a lot of information about how viruses are the secondary foe of the Progenitors. It is too detailed for now. I am expected to become the new tertiary replicant, replacing my current form. You would not have to worry about me resembling you in appearance, and without this procedure all passengers on Phoenix may perish."

Carvalho realised the difficulty of explaining this to his family and the rest of the Sapients. Apparently the other Symbiants would receive the upgraded data after replication. "Let's do it while I'm still confused."

Alex 2 suggested Pascal 2 should administer the amorphous form of the red crystals intravenously, to quicken the process and therefore the immune transfer. He suggested he could also monitor the situation and take correctional steps if problems were encountered. However there was the small matter of freeing and 'reviving' the Virubacts in Nielsen's rocks and then securing them again.

"I would like to make one, but hopefully not last request," said Carvalho.

"Go ahead."

"Can we make the new entity look like you? It will cause less confusion when we try to explain the reasons for all this hybridisation, especially as you implied you would 'disappear'."

"Very well, but you do realise I will not be exactly the same as before the event, I will be permanently 'contaminated' with your characteristics – good and bad."

Carvalho managed a grin.

# Chapter 5

The Epsilon Eridani contingent faced a serious problem. If they could not restore QSD propulsion, the snail's pace alternative thrust could see them effectively drifting for hundreds of years.

Yamamoto recalled the problems the Martian coalition had, when the pilot tests were carried out, and how they were overcome by thinner, more accurate Seaborgium Oxy-chloride deposition, together with more precision in field generator design. If the former was responsible it would have been a recurring problem. If it was the latter the gradient control could be altered to some degree from within the vessel. Rose was worried that the pentagonal interlocks of the individual component thirty metre QSD units may have shifted. If this was the case, an EVA would involve adjusting radioactive panels in Hazmat suits. Red and Dan reminded both of them that they needed to compile a list of questions for the Axis on the vessel, and make them aware of the critical need for accuracy in their reply. Fernando was getting a real buzz from just listening to these exchanges. He felt important, and knew his family would be hungry for details.

Alex 2 and Pascal 2 conferred on the retained knowledge of the Martian Virubacts. The optimum temperature for replication was 28.7 degrees Celsius and they preferred a humid atmosphere as well as slight acidity – ph of around 6.5.They insisted on carrying out the procedure without Sapients present as a precaution against accidental contamination. The culture took some days to show definite activity; this was restricted by a designed nutrient. They were ready.

Carvalho had elected to explain all of this to Stella after he was discharged. He gave her the excuse that Pascal 2 was hospitalising him for a few days to conduct tests with the objective of further prolonging his life. "I don't want to be disturbed during this invasive marathon Stella; it'll be unpleasant enough without upsetting the family routine. Pascal 2 will keep you up to date. See you in a few days. I bet you are glad of a break from me anyway." He winked at her and kissed her lightly on the cheek.

Pascal 2 had been brought up to date with the rationale for this procedure and agreed it should remain between the three of them until success was achieved. He had no doubt about the outcome.

The infection level was set at a dosage between that of a typical flu jab, and one of full blown contagion strength. Even after specimen analysis showed Virubact advance, Carvalho did not perceive symptoms. It was put down to resistance conferred by his brush with Legionella. As soon as the Virubacts overwhelmed this initial defence, the amorphous form was delivered and within two hours the replication was overtaking the march of the infection. Alex 2 was linked to Carvalho via more amorphous form and as yet did not seem to be interacting. Carvalho was drifting in and out of consciousness and during a lucid spell he was informed by Alex 2 that he was now 'in the traffic'. The next half hour was bizarre, even for the medical Symbiant. Carvalho was very still. Then he displayed uncharacteristic symptoms of panic as he watched and felt Alex 2 begin to coalesce into the contact conduit between them. Unlike a 'standard' replication he was also conscious at the moment of development of the expected lump appearing on his temple. He was calmed to some extent by Pascal 2 declaring that the Virubacts were no longer making progress in their campaign to control nerve tissue. The metabolic shifts saw Alex 2 'disconnected' in terms of cogent verbal contribution and his physical form was no longer recognisable. He was entering faster than 'he' was emerging. Carvalho knew he was experiencing sadness but could not make sense of why it was so intense – he had known this was going to happen. It was no longer possible to decipher facial expression of his former friend and the swelling on his temple was now transforming into a Humanoid outline according to Pascal 2. The eventual disappearance of Alex 2 was accompanied by a brief cerebral timeout for Carvalho, and when his perception returned Pascal 2 was busy with readouts and his attention was focussed on a mini-revival of the 'pincered' Virubacts. The emergent entity was now beginning to resemble the absorbed one when another departure from regular replication surfaced. Pascal 2 said he was able to converse with Alex 2 again in their renowned silent technobabble. The gist of his statement was that there was no cause for concern about the Virubact defiance. It was merely an internal Continuance architecture, allowing contamination to re-educate the regeneration process on a cellular level, and total immunity would follow. That was exactly what happened. At separation, the new entity was quicker than normal in adjusting vocal tones to match the host. This was an unforeseen error. The replicant looked like a twin of Alex 2 but spoke like Carvalho. This could and would be altered in due course. The new Alex 2 declared that he was immune to the Virubact mechanism of control, and Pascal 2 confirmed that Daniel Carvalho was recovering well from this attack.

Alex 2 suggested that it would be prudent to advise everyone at the same time on these events and he could disclose more about this secondary enemy of the Progenitors.

At the Carvalho residence Fernando was explaining the dire circumstances of the stranded Axis. Some of the technical aspects were not fully appreciated but the emotional plight hit home and his siblings realised this could happen to them. They were also proud that their brother was a part of the team trying to rescue kin of their friend Rene.

Fernando milked the attention and switched subjects to demonstrate his wider influence. "You also need to know more about this danger we face from the virus controlling the Ebexx. We must be prepared." He slipped into lecture mode, and unknowingly said something which would earn him even more status when Alex 2 revealed all. "You need to know the differences between viruses and bacteria to fully appreciate the concern. Viruses are smaller, ranging from 20-400 nanometres diameter, whereas bacteria are around 1000 nanometres. Viruses are particularly adept at attaching themselves to unprotected tissue such as the lungs. They need to do this to replicate, and this can give them a head start on the immune system. It appears from the Nexus broadcasts, that the Ebexx intruders have developed this one stage further to control some of the nerve tissues. Imagine the problem being intensified by viruses acquiring the ability to self-replicate."

Stella, Rafael, Anna-Severine and Rene were spellbound, but their clamour for more information was interrupted by a Symbiant messenger requesting everyone to assemble at the lakeside forum.

Alex 2 prefaced his revelations by saying that he hoped what was to follow would offer a full explanation of recent events and the stepwise acquisition of knowledge which some individuals had demanded earlier, but he did not have sufficient clarity at that particular moment. This was not exactly a sideswipe at Yamamoto, but it appealed for understanding in similar circumstances in the future.

He went on. "The message which provided details of the stabilising force in 55 Cancri was received at about the same time as the radio noise on Nexus was verified as Axis, and it also revealed the viral infection of the Ebexx. The warning which accompanied the brown dwarf disclosure was in retrospect, to avoid further possible assault by similar virus strains from the region of this sub-stellar body. The proof of this has only just been verified by corroborating evidence, and a further communication of data from the source of the first three messages. By being reminded of similar viral activity back on Mars over four billion years ago, I investigated rocks which fortuitously came with us, and were in Ari Nielsen's possession. The visual enhancement results proved that bacterial and viral interaction had already occurred. This symbiotic pact gave a new dimension to their evolution. That is how they have controlled the Ebexx. Although the Axis on Phoenix have probably got similar immunity to this specific threat, the warning was to declare that there will be many other types to which none of us have adequate individual protection. Daniel Carvalho has some natural resistance to the Martian type from his first stay on the planet, and I had a different immune approach. We have performed a replication of Daniel and myself in order to confer comprehensive resistance. This has been verified by the absence of need for further messages or guidance. Pascal 2 will be offering genetic code insertions which will give the combined immune structure to everyone. The next piece of information is surprising for me, and yet it completes the logic of what has been transmitted to us in serial parts. The advance of viruses in a cosmic context is significant enough to register concern with the Progenitors. They are a species which appeared to have phenomenal potential a long time ago. The paradigm jump in capability which we face currently is not only considered as no longer promising, but a direct threat to those species which are promising. We might see their ability to control certain species as novel, but they have been at this point for much longer than either the Axis or Sapients took to emerge from primordial soup. The Virubacts, as they will be known, detract from the overall progress against dark energy by stalling evolutionary development in general. They are apparently winning control, and then causing stagnation in progression, as they still cannot find a route to more complexity for their own metabolism. There are sectors of the Cosmos where they abound and render the region 'infertile'. The Progenitors rely heavily on species making the transition to understanding all of the forces in cosmic struggles, and consequently, the essential need for balance. It may take some time for this information to be fully digested. We suggest re-convening here tomorrow to answer your questions."

The silence persisted as the gathering broke into groups. Daniel Carvalho could see he was in for a hard time as he re-joined Stella and the family.

Alex 2 had deliberately left out the fact that he was now different. This was not a focus for the Axis or Sapients, but he now had to face the rest of the Symbiants who needed to know more.

Stella's tirade would have to wait, as Fernando was subjected to a hail of accusatory questions. Anna-Severine was first. "How long have you known about these Virubacts?"

"I didn't....."

Rafael hurled another barbed statement, intonated as a question. "I thought you and this team was working solely on helping the stranded Axis vessel."

"If you will just...."

His sister regained the momentum. "You must have known about Father too, when were you going to let us in on that?"

The inquisition was relentless until Carvalho stepped in. "You are both being very unfair to Fernando. You haven't even given him a chance to answer your empty allegations, when I would've thought you had sufficient trust in him to know he wouldn't have kept you or your Mother in the dark about this. Now I can tell you that only three individuals had any knowledge of these events, and I am the only Sapient who was trusted with the information, purely because I had the required immune level. Now I think you owe your brother an apology and I owe all of you mine, mostly you Stella."

Fernando leapt to his father's defence before anyone could continue with the negative take. "We should be celebrating what Father has done for all of us, not just the family, but Rene here and the rest of the Axis. Even the 'impregnable' Symbiants will benefit. You need to know more about these Virubacts before we start criticising anyone."

Stella found her anger at Daniel being choked and replaced by pride in her eldest son seeing the bigger picture, and she had to admit to herself that she would have tried to talk him out of the replication. She asked Fernando to continue.

He was happy to do so. "Considering viruses alone is important. They are the borderline between living and non-living things. They can be dormant for very long periods of time, and are stimulated by conditions which suit them, in a host. This is not all that different from the way the red crystal exits hibernation and proceeds to replicate a host. They are thought to be complex molecules of protein and nucleic acids; that is why some scientists refer to them as 'bits of genetic code'. They show no lifelike activity until introduced to a living cell. They cannot be 'grown' in the lab with simple nutrients as bacteria can. These ones Alex 2 talked about from Mars were inactive because the bacterial content in the hybrid was basically in stasis. The nutrient used was to control the proliferation of the bacteria and therefore the virus. When a normal virus enters the host cell, it changes the chemistry of that cell to produce toxins harmful to the host. So the two main disadvantages they had have been eliminated when they teamed up with bacteria. They can sneak into a host by being temporarily invisible to the immune system and they can alter the cell chemistry to control the information flow at that cellular level. This is surely why the Progenitors are taking the threat so seriously. It's also logical that they seek to protect the mechanism of the Continuance, like viruses, seeded throughout the Cosmos, just waiting for a host. They are competitors for sentience."

Carvalho struggled to prevent a wry smile; nobody had made this connection, not even Alex 2. Fernando finished with a worrying comment. "Although we know what viruses are, there are some diseases we have failed to eradicate, such as HIV, because we don't know how they were 'born'. Anyway, I need to get back to Yamamoto and Rose; I think they have more data transmission from the Epsilon Eridani vessel."

Rene was more determined than ever to shake her kin out of their apathy, and there were growing numbers of Axis in agreement with this sentiment after Alex 2's briefing. The imminent session for questions could not come soon enough.

# Chapter 6

They were scanning the new data, including telemetry. Rose was happy that the interlocks did not show movement which would have caused the problem. Yamamoto had picked out marginal and sporadic aberrations in the field generator switching synchronisation, but Dan and Red didn't feel they were the root cause. As Rose was doing most of the translation of a morass of log entries over the decades of the journey, it was understandable that she missed the significance of the rare reports of ion storms, especially as the reports concluded with – 'no damage reported'.

In his 'apprentice' capacity of dredging through stuff which had already been examined by Rose and Yamamoto, Fernando queried the possibility of a cumulative effect on the closed-loop interface management. The two Symbiants hadn't got into this detail, preferring to spend time discussing the theories of Yamamoto, urging him to move to other areas of investigation than his obsession with the field generator. These arguments became quite heated and when Fernando quietly asked if they could use their prodigious data processing power to run simulations of the possible ion storm effects, it silenced the debate.

Within a couple of hours and millions of calculations they both agreed that this was a more likely cause than anything considered so far. On checking the logs for Phoenix, there were only three such recorded events. However, when trawling through the plethora of data around the specific dates they found a trend. There was a minute shift in the synchronisation each time, but the values were still within operational tolerance specification. More importantly, there was a very gradual return to the original position before the storm. It appeared that there was a gentle self-correction discharge curve of the effect. By contrast the Epsilon Eridani vessel had never quite regained neutrality before being confronted by another storm. Once the interface reached a particular level of phase separation, the effect took progressively longer to self-correct. It was a cycle which could only be broken by less frequent storms and therefore longer 'recovery' times. The easiest solution was to do nothing until the discharge reached a specific threshold. The bad news was that it could take over a year for this to occur. The project team had now shifted focus – on how to purge the interface management without causing other problems.

Red and Dan left the group and made their way to see Alex 2. The rest of the Symbiants were gathered and a mass technobabble session began. Unlike the other two species there was no debate or views which were at variance with what was to happen next. All individuals underwent updates in registry and data assembly. This was to the outsider an impressive demonstration of cohesiveness, except for one 'desire' for further detail. If the three Symbiants on Mars had instinctively collected the rocks containing Virubacts, why had there been no discussion about this until now? This gradually attracted more technobabble traffic, and the semantic notion of instinct equating to urging by the Progenitors, came under scrutiny. There were still gaps. Ari Nielsen could easily have discovered the Virubacts on his own. It troubled many of them that if they were meant to collect the samples it may have also been an early warning not to build Phoenix and travel to a proverbial haven for these agents. A haven which, to a great degree, was sculptured by the formation of the brown dwarf, and that was supposedly to engage Interference with a capital 'I'. The logic routines of some but not all attendees were in danger of causing a crash in their operating system. Alex 2 asked those with this malfunction to temporarily delete the data which he had just transferred to them until the reason for the divergence could be researched. Red was one of them, Dan was not. It struck Alex 2 that as he and Red had come from the same replication source, that he really was different now.

When the gathering dispersed Pascal 2 indicated he was, like Dan, unaffected by the conflicting logic presented by one of the finders of the rocks in question. That Symbiant was Finn. He had detoured from his work at Candor Chasm to the bridge construction at the fissure and asked two others to assist in collecting 'representative' samples. The other two had merely agreed, but all three had been aware that they had to select the pieces by employing their vision apparatus at maximum resolution. This was a unilateral act by Finn. They had not questioned this at the time, and Finn had been re-deployed to begin the task of drilling boreholes at the base of Candor Chasm, believed to be for relieving volcanic pressure. The same boreholes had flushed out chunks of carbon in the form of diamonds. What else had they flushed out? After all this time Finn revealed that he had felt a 'need' to investigate more samples than just the diamonds, but the Humans feared consequences of the discovery of the sparklers, so he had to hide them and his curiosity was bypassed. Now he felt there could be some connection with the Virubacts, which he had obviously been despatched to find, and return to the analytical expertise of Ari Nielsen and Jussi Pykonnen. The subsequent accident, resulting in Pykonnen's death, became the sole focus for days, and relegated the Virubact rocks to storage and future investigation. If he had known then what he knew now, the results would have been available prior to Mars departure. The other two Symbiants felt similar unease. Finn felt they should warn the Humans left on Mars.

Alex 2, Pascal 2, and Dan responded by suggesting it could be a fruitless gesture, quoting the time elapsed. They argued that if there were Virubacts in the chasm, they would have reactivated by now. To their surprise Red supported Finn's request. "We can at least inform them of the tertiary replication you performed, they have crystal."

This mild-mannered disagreement was troubling the Symbiants as a group, it was new territory. As the Axis also showed cleavage over the Ebexx issue, the Sapients were the most harmonious clique aboard.

The most worrying element of this 'insubordination' was that they all had the same data, yet Alex 2 had explained how he was now different. "I have not confused the other species with this information, as I do not understand its meaning at present. We must prevent further individualistic development within our ranks." He conceded to comply with Finn's warning to Mars in order to help foster a return to unanimity.

Carvalho reflected on Fernando's diligence in being instrumental in the identification of the Epsilon Eridani stranded vessel. His elder son had been the most reticent of the children to embrace centre stage, even in his late twenties. The others were only too happy to attract attention to their own offerings in the arts. He knew his body was failing, but this added to his desperation to build a home on Nexus and see his family settled. Fernando had given him new pride to aid his struggle.

All of the Sapients had the immune code now and those remaining few who didn't have the cerebral code enhancement realised it was key to their survival and went ahead.

The Axis had seen a huge shift in shedding the initial apathy regarding the Ebexx question. Less than twenty percent stubbornly retained inflexibility. That minority also declined the cerebral code and the immune protection. This was, in the opinion of the Symbiants, a recipe for disaster. In exercising their rights, they could seriously compromise the strategy – the Symbiants were all agreed on this. The Axis said their position would not be reviewed again until their brethren from Gliese arrived, and they would remain aboard Phoenix for that duration. Yamamoto, having regretted his earlier criticism of Alex 2, now genuinely felt part of a more promising species.

One of the least likely Axis converts was leading the rest. His translated name approximated to 'Tradition Keeper'. The abbreviated Sapient designation was 'Trader'. He had accepted the code and immune procedures, and astonished the Symbiants by volunteering to be replicated, to capture an Ebexx. He said that his change of heart was purely to assist his 'traditional' cave dwelling brethren on the planet, to re-establish safe existence, followed by freedom for those in captivity. "If we do not at least try to achieve this, why did we return? The matter of having partially recovered procreative potency would also be an empty achievement. I do not wish harm upon the Ebexx, simply to free them from this plague of Virubacts." Whenever he spoke publicly on the matter he held hands with Renewal and her mother Peri.

Having undergone a partial, tertiary replication with Alex 2 and the amorphous form, to confer maximum immunity, he intensified his efforts to persuade the remaining entrenched minority of the justness of the cause. A few more defected, but Fav still held sway over some of the more senior officials, and they were becoming increasingly uncomfortable.

The replicant's name was chosen by Rene, it was apparently a designation without translation. Keer would be ready when landfall beckoned.

Phoenix was at the outskirts of 55 Cancri, and it was prudent to drop out of QSD to re-calculate the safest path to Nexus, assisted by the newer information on the orbiting planetary bodies.

# Chapter 7

Nexus was not precisely as the Axis remembered. Its orbit took it closer to the gas giants in turn. This was part of the stabilisation, albeit resulting in an eccentric path through the traffic. The increased gravitational influence of the huge neighbours caused frictional internal, almost tectonic movement. It was not violent but did generate additional heat, which in turn thickened the atmosphere by producing greenhouse effects and more contrasting seasonal variation. It was a predominantly red mineral world, but with thriving diversity of flora, in oases, which produced a tapestry of green and yellow. There was more water, and as it was still shallow in places, the solubilising minerals created a kaleidoscope of corals. The urge of the majority of Axis to descend, was powerful and it did break the resistance of all but a few of the rest.

The plan was for Keer and Alex 2 to descend as close as possible to high altitude caves with clearly strengthened gates. They hoped to meet the inhabitants and Keer would relate the Phoenix crew's improbable story, making them comfortable with the Symbiant. All they expected to achieve initially was to convince them of their intent to rescue their kin. The wider objective of purging the Ebexx would wait. The vision of Phoenix should go some way to underpin the feasibility of the mission.

The orbital position allowed more clarity in the radio emanation from the surface. It also allowed much higher resolution pictures of the tiny moon referred to in the warning. It appeared to be devoid of atmosphere and the entire surface looked frozen. The warning had conveyed the distinct probability of impacts which was now evident and upgraded as extremely high. The rearrangement of the gas giants and the appearance of the special brown dwarf had engineered a sea change in the paths of all manner of wandering celestial bodies. The dwarf itself was still gorging regularly on these relatively morsel-sized objects, though many were bigger than the little moon which contained legions of foes. This new precision regarding the threat warranted some further discussion on the overall campaign. The Ebexx may prove to be the least of their worries, but it was considered prudent to progress the encounter with maximum expediency.

The descent was conducted with the usual Symbiant precision and they made landfall at the base of a huge, almost vertical cliff. It had obviously been chosen for its inaccessibility and ease of defence. Precarious ledges were the only detectable means of access to a large gated structure, about two thirds of the way up.

Keer had a bright yellow colour display radiating from his eyes, indicating good news. "The Ebexx, even with Virubact controllers could not make use of these handholds, they are too heavy and cumbersome, or at least they were."

"What about your kin?"

"They may have used an ancient cave dweller's technique. Ascending to the peak, lowering via an umbilical, and then chiselling away any holds above or below the entrance. If this is what they have done we should look for evidence of rope marks on the cliff face. They would have some kind of roll out ladder for exit and then pull it up until a signal alerts them to identify who or what is at the bottom of the cliff."

Another observation by Keer related to the gravity on the planet. "I am getting data that suggests the Sapients will find themselves out of breath quite quickly here, and not just at altitude."

Alex 2 remarked that the atmosphere contained 16.7% oxygen at this location and presumably a bit higher in the lowlands. "However, I agree – there is a significantly higher gravitational force on Nexus compared to Mars. The Sapients may indeed have some difficulty with the combination of these factors. I will transmit this to Pascal 2."

There was evidence of dye or some staining leading to the entrance. A series of yellowish green lines were punctuated by small circular loops every couple of metres. Keer remarked that this was the historical way in which such caves were accessed. The loops were way too small for the Ebexx to secure their feet while climbing. This meant that both of their arms would be needed to scale the cliff by dragging their considerable weight upwards. "If my memory is correct our ancestors would then redirect cave waterfalls to hose them to the ground. Maybe they have something more effective now."

They searched the base area for over an hour, seeking some means of alerting the inhabitants to their presence. Then suddenly the rumble of activity from above attracted their gaze. One individual appeared and eyed them for a time before beckoning others. There ensued a frantic communication in Axis click language which was difficult for Keer to comprehend. He picked out muffled references to the object in the sky and himself, but could not decipher the comments regarding Alex 2. There were two factors – the language itself and the gibbering by all of them at once.

He called out, "Citizens of Nexus, I am of your distant kin. You must know of the exodus from our planet, referred to as the Kressniss, I am from that time."

The mass-clicking subsided into silent disbelief. Keer continued. "I know this must be difficult for you to accept, and you are respectfully requested to ask us any questions which may help convince you that we have returned. You can see our vessel in the sky. We have other friends with us who wish to help in solving your difficult situation with the Ebexx. I have some difficulty with your spoken language after all this time; the same may be true for you. I suggest we offer you some literature in symbols so that we can begin to make progress." He could not be sure how much of this they could comprehend. He had prepared for this and used one of the Nielsen's lasers to display the verbal message he had just delivered, on to the rock face opposite the cave. The agitated clicking re-commenced and their colour displays flashed all manner of combinations, from encouraging bright yellow to a threatening grey. Keer was not too disturbed as there was no sign of solid black.

This spectral exchange continued for some time amid bursts of clicking; the gradual shift from diversity in hue and intensity was a sight to behold. The reds, blues and indigo softened to islands of yellow in a receding sea of orange and green. A stalemate of sorts was reached. The islands were now orange and swathes of yellow ochre had nuclei of radiating gold. It stopped. Some decision was imminent.

Keer was acutely aware of the need at this stage to befriend these Axis groups, and he suggested to Alex 2 that they should begin to differentiate the present and expected clans. He suggested the ones currently indigenous to the planet could be referred to as the Indys. The Gliese and Epsilon tags would suffice, and those aboard Phoenix should be known as the Europans. As Alex 2 began to process this terminology, one of the cave dwellers surprised them by starting to descend.

"Another thing," said Keer, "we must not complicate their thinking by revealing the Symbiant presence yet, particularly as I am one of them."

"Yes, of course," replied Alex 2, "this was all agreed prior to your arrival. Please proceed as the spokesperson for now."

The courageous individual reached the ground and cautiously walked around the two visitors before delivering a garbled message, punctuated by what sounded like tut-tut and a short break. Keer was having some success with what were actually questions about Axis ancestry and history. It was just as well he had replicated Tradition Keeper, and his abundance of inherited knowledge received the right colour displays. However the inevitable exodus cropped up and the deepest black was evident for the first time. Keer reverted to symbols to make sure there was no insensitivity due to dialect. It went well enough for the 'ambassador' to retreat and explain to the gallery that the visitors did not appear to be a threat. This was apparently questioned further because of the physical differences conveyed by three million years of distinctly different evolution. The Indys were much bigger, muscular and possessed more accentuated features. The jaws and teeth were very prominent and the scaly exterior was not in evidence, they were furry. Considering all of this it was remarkable that they were invited to ascend.

They did so slowly, and when both of them had set foot inside the cave, a dozen or more of the hosts surrounded Alex 2 and intimidated him with a mix of clicking, hissing and snarling.

Keer shouted as loud as he could for them to stop, while his fellow Symbiant feigned weakness and fear. With an almighty leap he entered the circle and left no room for doubt that he was going to defend his friend. The barracking abated only long enough for them to be impressed with Keer's athletic prowess, then upon resumption they found out how different their distant kinsman was. One of the more vociferous in the chorus was prodded by Keer and was despatched backwards with effortless force. More of the onlookers joined in to help their awestruck colleagues. This was halted abruptly when Alex 2 shouted to Keer. He had taken advantage of the simmering brawl to relocate to the entrance. The closure was a giant rock which had been patiently sculptured to an almost airtight fit with the aperture. There was a mechanism for rotating this boulder back and forth, but Alex 2 chose to move it himself. The stunned gathering dispersed into every available nook and cranny, to the accompaniment of a threat by Alex 2 to allow the Ebexx entry.

This was a highly unusual gesture from Alex 2, and Keer regained centre stage. "We only demonstrate our abilities to convince you that we can free your brothers, sisters and children from captivity. We mean you no harm but you must show us that we can also trust you."

Slowly a huddle developed and the same leading individual apologised for the unruly incident. They wanted to hear more.

Keer suggested a break. "We will return to our vessel. We are proposing to capture an Ebexx and influence it in a way which will allow us to begin to free those of your relatives who are on the farms. We would like you to think about this and decide if you want our help. We have intercepted some of your radio signals. We know you are developing a new weapon to fight the Ebexx. I am leaving you a communication device which is far superior to your radio technology and you may give us your decision via this remote sender/receiver. I will instruct one of you in the use of simple commands before we leave. If your response is positive we will invite up to three members of your race to come to the vessel to see how we will subdue the Ebexx. Please consult your other groups to discuss our proposal before transmitting your response. We are intending to live on Nexus even if you do not want to enlist our help. We will now prepare to leave."

Having returned to the base of the cliff, Keer turned to Alex 2, and remarked how surprised he was at the boulder stunt coupled with the threat of inviting the enemy into their midst.

"Yes, I was quite surprised myself, but it did get their attention. I appear to have inherited a little more Humanoid character than simple immune sharing."

The Indys lost no time in contacting other groups. Their crude radio transmission system was similar in principle to the crystal sets used on Earth in the early part of the twentieth century. Each abode at altitude had a camouflaged receiver and transmission device. The Indys had made progress in other respects. It was modest, yet remarkable, considering they were hunted continually, and just surviving was an achievement.

Their management of water, light and air circulation did not improve their chances of a quiet life, but kept them safe and healthy. The array of heat and air pumps delivered protective warmth against the often savage winters at these heights. Selective and variable light intensity through mirrored tubes enabled focus, and the array of plant species they managed to grow in the caves was nothing short of astonishing. The caves themselves had comfortable, decorated areas for socialising and sleeping. It was easy to see the potential these creatures could achieve if they were able to roam their environment without fear.

As it was a grave risk for even small numbers to meet in the open, the transmission invited delegates from other outposts to their abode. None of them declined. The lead figures would not risk the journey themselves; deputies would suffice for the initial session. Gsarr, leader of the 'first contact' group would be the only one of decision making rank in attendance, so the discussion would be followed by radio updates to the outposts.

Meanwhile, on return to Phoenix, Keer's report was the final frictional straw that broke Fav's leadership support. The Axis only accommodated changes at the top because of death or 'serious wrongdoing'. The plight of the Indys was so graphic that even some of the few loyalists the leader retained agreed to his removal from office. Keer was to act as figurehead until the procedural requirements for an election could be met, and this was a priority before they attempted to settle on Nexus. The Europan era was over; turning the other cheek could not rescue the Indys from their living hell, and although they had never intended to inflict direct harm on the Ebexx, this was about to change. The die was cast.

# Chapter 8

There had been no communication to Phoenix from Gsarr about the invitation to come aboard. Keer wondered whether he had misunderstood the instruction for the remote device or the other group leaders had refused. Over two weeks was a long time if the communicator was in order. What Keer did not really grasp was the distance over which some of the deputy group leaders had to travel to discuss the matter. It was danger all the way and there was no facility such as organised transport. Also they had to schedule their departure and arrival times so as not to alert the foe. It was a considerable undertaking.

Another week passed and preparations for the election of the new Europan Axis leader were nearing completion. This had been the only distraction which prevented a return trip to the surface. Keer decided he needed to speak with his replication subject, Trader. He was after all a Symbiant, and he wanted to ensure that he had a better understanding of the emotional aspects facing the Indys; data access alone would not suffice.

The reply from Mars contained chilling information. The warning had been too late. In the intervening forty-five years the warmer climate had facilitated the revival of several Virubact strains and almost the entire colony had been infected by one or another. It had become a battleground in many respects. Firstly, there were types which had not developed full control ability, so they simply and efficiently terminated the host or left them with severe brain disorders, or moral dysfunction or both. Other, more advanced strains did establish control and were extremely dangerous with the full array of intellectual capacity of Humans at their disposal. There were sub-strains which competed for the abundance of hosts, and created polarisation of those occupied, into 'tribes' - with ever changing alliances being forged.

All this was against the backdrop of Earth withdrawing from the colonisation programme and banning any contact with Mars of any kind. Unmanned stealth craft continually sent the voyeuristic footage back to the home planet. There had been risk at the outset that the pandemic would be imported from travellers, but they had been ruthlessly quarantined for observation and they had conveniently died.

This bizarre attitude had its own Earthly context to deal with, as a ratchet effect on climate change had caused a mini-ice age. People were dying anyway, so there was little discussion about a few imprisoned, infected Martians. There was rapidly increasing population density now in the few temperate areas which were left, but unlike the weather, the global financial structure had suffered meltdown. Police states had come into effect, but scarcity of real necessities of life drove a wedge between those who governed and those who refused to be governed.

This scenario was described by a few Humans and their recent replicants surviving on Mars, with strongholds in the Echus region, which still had sub-space data systems operating. Replicant 'ownership' had become the most valuable commodity on the tortured planet. This commodity was even more coveted on Earth. The replicants who constructed and managed the commercial space elevators had been redeployed since the travel embargo. Their very rich and powerful employers were planning an invasion of Mars. The logic was crude – it would be easier to tame the Humans, replicants and Virubacts on Mars than taming the ice age on Earth. Stage one was to set up a weapons delivery system to the various protagonists and let them fight it out, to soften up the resistance to invasion. A group of replicants on Earth had been instructed to study means of subduing the Virubact threat in advance. This disturbed Alex 2, ironically because it could be seen by the Progenitors as a promising development against the secondary enemy.

This news had blighted the already tense atmosphere on Phoenix. It did however drive the point home, that the Virubact presence in 55 Cancri was not going to be any more sympathetic than the Martian one, and it was likely to be more advanced. Alex 2 reflected on the time correlation of the warning about approaching the brown dwarf, two years before arrival, and the Martian pandemic. They occurred at pretty much the same time.

The election was one of pragmatic simplicity. Trader was the overwhelming choice, and Keer's short tenure had ensured a smooth transference of authority. It also allowed him to plan a return to the surface. His discussion with Alex 2 was interrupted by the contact from Gsarr. The protracted logistics and subsequent talks had been concluded. They wished to accept the offer to come aboard and learn more about the plan to deal with the Ebexx.

The descent coordinates were supplied by the Indys, apparently a much safer location. It was a small barren island, centrally located in a very shallow lake. The island rose out of the water with sheer cliffs and the Ebexx had not mastered the art of sailing or rock climbing yet. The touchdown would be tricky, but possible. They set off.

The descent module caused mild panic amongst the waiting Indys, it must have taken on the mantle of a giant flying reptile. A bigger problem was the thrusters and their effect on scattering the frightened but curious passengers. They were tumbled over and over by the landing and took quite some persuading to approach the transit vessel, even though they saw the Symbiants emerge from it unharmed. The two deputies expected became three, as they insisted all of their people had to be represented. Gsarr introduced the others as Rstapp, Frnik and Phlygex. It took over an hour before they approached the now silent monster with the angry breath. Gsarr showed his leadership qualities by displaying bravado and his matter of fact embarkation was accompanied by a flickering yellow colour display. Nervously the others followed and they all stared wide-eyed at surrounding consoles and screens. Alex 2 secured himself in the cockpit, and Keer motioned for them to follow suit. Fiddling and clicking reached fever pitch, so Keer obliged by assisting them individually. The ascent caused a sharp intake of breath, but this time it was wonder. They had never experienced anything remotely like the receding view of their planet. This time the yellow was not interrupted by flicker and they gibbered to one another, creating a deafening chorus.

Passing through the airlocks was disorienting for them but they had adapted to being surprised as opposed to scared. When they entered the 'village' and saw all three species living together the jibber-jabber went into overdrive. They were offered food and drink but declined. The lakeside VRS had been programmed to give a potted history of the Axis exiles in the last three million years. It provoked a little confusion when the arrival estimates of the Gliese and Epsilon were highlighted. They could not really believe they could not arrive together with the Europans. The concept of a 'distant' world had only the inhabited region of Nexus to draw upon.

When the show was over the Indys were keen to progress the plans for deposing the Ebexx. So eager in fact, that they announced that they were about to launch their own strategy. They had delayed this because of Alex 2's demonstration of displacing the cave entrance boulder with impunity. Gsarr requested a second episode to convince the deputies of the other tribes. Keer explained that such force was only employed in self-defence. The Indys felt cheated. They wanted to see more 'miracles' from the High People. If the Ebexx were not to be despatched by force, and quickly, they would revert to their own device.

Trader appeared from the crowd to stand alongside Keer. He felt it was best for them to know of the source of the astonishing attributes. The identical appearance of Trader and his Symbiant was explained patiently, over and over again. It was easy to overlook some aspects of the recipients' understanding when they had shown admirable progress in such difficult circumstances. Gsarr would not let go of his assertion that it was not possible for Trader to be millions of years old and Keer to be only a few weeks old. The Phoenix-dwellers had thought the Indys would have trouble comprehending - and therefore accepting the replication process story. It was the opposite – they simply nodded when the 'Gods' mentioned that Keer's strength had come from this procedure. And they simply shook their heads when told it had only happened recently. The decision was taken to have a break, in order to review this void which separated each party's perspective. Trader asked if they could hear the Indys' own plan. The response was immediate and all of them proudly flashed yellow. Gsarr delivered the detail.

"During our plant research many cycles ago, we produced an energy-giving species by growing two others together. The new one was very popular but we noticed after consuming it for a long period some of us were losing our ability to recall familiar things – names, and where we lived. This was dangerous and we stopped growing it. One of our best 'idea makers' made us think about it in another way. He said if it had such effects on us it would probably do the same to the Ebexx. So we started to try to make it stronger, but we had no success for a long time. We almost gave up when one of our elders said he had been trying to tell his group leader repeatedly that there were much bigger specimens of one of the contributing species over the great divide, where his family had originated. They were growing in shallow water. No one was prepared to risk this journey for generations because of the stories of the beasts which inhabit these wetlands.

"The elder said it would be his contribution to lead us there even if he did not survive. This made many feel inadequate, and at last volunteers came forward. They were successful in retrieving multiple examples of this plant type. The elder was too frail to climb to safety when they were pursued by Fasnshluur. He perished, but his life gave us the pure Amzyss. That was his name, and he will live on as long as we have it. It is so strong that a small piece can make us forget who we are and what we are doing, for several cycles. It seems to react with our thinking controls and our body has to fight it until we are clean again. The Ebexx have a drinking station at all of their farms, and we are going to put the Amzyss extract in their water sources which are always some way from the farm."

Keer and Trader approached Alex 2 and said this idea not only had merit in itself but if they assisted with the plan via an Ebexx replicant as scheduled, it would surely be more in keeping with the Europan Axis general principle of compassion for all sentient species. Keer said, "After all, if we were not here they would be doing this anyway. Our part could then be to protect them while they carried out their plan. They would get much more self-esteem from turning the tables on their ancient foe. An amnesiac in the water supply is a neat idea, and could buy us a little time to research these Virubacts, if we can take blood samples from the temporarily disadvantaged Ebexx."

The others nodded their approval. They now had to convey this layered strategy to the Indys – emphasising the guarantee of absolute protection for their kinsmen during their operation. No more words were needed, the colour said it all.

# Chapter 9

The Epsilons reported that liaison with the Gliese had been fruitful. They were going to try an EVA sweep of the entire vessel and its system hardware to neutralise the cumulative effect of the ion storms. It was considered to be a better alternative to drifting for months. The Europans were worried that they had not factored in all the risks of such a complex project, however they got some encouragement from Red and Dan that it had merit. This endorsement of course, was only with respect to the principle and not the detailed implementation procedure, for which they had no data. The Europans sent their sincere hopes for a speedy resumption of their journey.

The locations of the amnesiac delivery points were charted and Keer was joined by two more Symbiants, both from Europan subjects. They chose to 'infect' the water supply closest to the largest Ebexx farm first. The logic was to impress as many adversaries as possible in one encounter.

It was not necessary for more than one Indy to be involved in the pollution exercise, and the party of four should attract enough, but not too much attention. They assembled at the water source before the red dawn. The utterly still morning worked in their favour; no scent was carried prematurely down wind. Nexus displayed its contradictory aspects. It was, at the same moment serene and wondrous in the breaking shafts of stretched light. Then it became broody with myriads of hidden cliff recesses, and finally spectacular, under the clear detail of the early morning sky, with its arriving sun gradually ousting the dance of the brown dwarf and its companion.

The tense atmosphere on Nexus was relayed back to Phoenix; the gallery was transfixed, there was a whiff of excitement sprinkled with apprehension. While Gsarr began to dribble the extract into the water feed, the first stirrings of the Ebexx were reported by Styliar, the Symbiant acting as sentry. It would take at least an hour for any significant quantity of Amzyss to diffuse into the drinking pool; the early awakening of the Ebexx was not welcomed. In trying to accelerate the process, Gsarr unknowingly allowed the pouring height to increase and the splashing alerted the extra sensitive hearing of the yawning Ebexx. They always camped outside the large ring of boulders which encircled the domesticated Indys. They fed their livestock by pushing one stone just far enough out of position for harvested vegetable matter to be hurled into the arena. Arena was an apt description as the feeding ritual was infrequent enough for the starving Indys to compete for the limited quantity. The most vulnerable were isolated at the longest radius, and made easy pickings for their masters. The kill was not seen, as the Ebexx covered the mouth and dragged the snared individual outside. Repositioning of the stone created the background noise which muffled the execution – the massive paws crushed the delicate Indy skull with relatively little force and virtually no noise. The kill was immediately divided and shared. There was a surreal nature about large carnivores going about this feeding routine in such an orderly fashion and without squabbling. Keer asked Gsarr how often they needed to kill; he was sickened by what he had witnessed. "They only feed on our species once per orbit of the big gas giant around the main sun, which is twenty-six times the cycle of our planet. The rest of their food comes from the lakes, roots - and berries from certain plants. We are considered a special delicacy."

The yawning Ebexx had made others aware of the presence of new stock. Some were too lazy to respond, but a dozen joined up to corral the Indys which had been 'gifted' to them. They knew their prey could not outrun them and ambled nonchalantly toward the group. They appeared confused that the targets seemed afraid but did not panic, as expected, and scurry off in different directions. As they came closer one of the party advanced toward them. Keer rendered the nearest Ebexx unconscious with a backhanded swipe to the side of the head. Two others closed in and Keer leapt into the air and delivered simultaneous kicks, which stopped them in their tracks. It produced a temporary hiatus in the advance. The remaining pack conferred and suddenly all rushed at Keer. He dropped his head and ploughed through their ranks – another four were wounded or discouraged. The remainder took further stock of the situation and split up again, this time attacking from a rough pentagon shape. While Keer despatched the one directly ahead, the one on his right flank grabbed and pulled his arm with such ferocity that it separated from the rest of him. Another joined this prize winner to share the spoils, and the remaining three, encouraged by this success, closed in. Keer was too quick for them, and a lightning pirouette with his lone flailing arm took them out of the reckoning. The two with his detached limb exercised discretion over valour and retreated to the outskirts of the stone circle, gesturing a victory while ten of their number in horizontal repose, testified to the contrary. The first one struck by Keer had been bound tightly by Styliar and the third Symbiant ensured that the other prostrate individuals remained inactive. Gsarr was awestruck by the contradictory elements of violence and ballet to which the Ebexx had been subjected. He was however concerned that Keer had not been assisted by the other two Symbiants and lost an arm.

The ascent module landed less than fifty metres away, so that the Ebexx could see from whence these 'new' Axis had come. Once aboard Keer explained to Gsarr that it was necessary for only one Symbiant to defeat the Ebexx, as a demonstration of what could follow. "My arm will regenerate quickly – look it has begun already."

The ascent vessel dropped Gsarr back at the island so he could relate the events to his colleagues, and then proceeded with the trussed Ebexx to Phoenix. Pascal 2 would confirm that Keer had been infected through the socket exposed by the missing arm contacting subsequent assailants and harvesting Virubact laden Ebexx DNA. This was not how it was planned; amputation was not an option now, so a rapid assessment of the specific mechanism of this infection was a race against time, rather than a controlled experiment.

The curiosity amongst all Phoenix dwellers regarding the captured Ebexx was at fever pitch. It had the potential to be the solution or the problem, depending on how successful Pascal 2 would be in identifying the Virubact's weakest point. When they were told of Keer's mishap, the curiosity melted away and having seen the captive, albeit sedated, they retired to their quarters. It was Alex 2's suggestion that a curfew should be observed until Pascal 2 had more data.

By contrast the Indys were euphoric, the effects of their amnesiac would soon be known, and the protection offered by the Symbiants would guarantee safety for the campaign. It never occurred to them that these god-like creatures could be susceptible to the Virubacts – when they themselves were not.

After several days the curfew was still in place and the restlessness spilled over. Everyone craved some kind of update. This eventually resulted in the less compliant individuals breaking ranks. As expected Yamamoto was amongst them. Alex 2 stated that Keer was stable, not showing any signs of symptoms or disabling of his data processing routines. "It is puzzling however, that Pascal 2's monitoring of the Virubact replication shows no reduction or increase – they appear to be dormant. It is for this reason that we ask for your patience. I will give a twice daily update from now, but please stay as isolated as possible until we have something concrete to report. We must discover why Keer's remaining sentinel cells are not active in destroying this threat, and the regeneration of his arm is paused, as if the next move is being considered or held back. It is most curious." This worrisome revelation did subdue the challenge to the curfew and at the same time increased the tension.

Two incoming messages were received. The first on the remote – it was from Gsarr. The Indys were hungry for a repeat performance, and they displayed a sense of humour. Gsarr related observations about the Ebexx behaviour. "When nothing seemed to be happening we were concerned that they were not affected by the Amzyss. One of our neighbouring groups said we should be happy, as the alternative explanation was that they had forgotten where the drinking station was. They were right. Instead of drinking when they felt like it, they were now relying on instinct to drive them to water when they were dehydrated. We want to see if they still try to capture us, and we request your protection again. If we are not pursued we can rapidly complete the Amzyss programme. Please reply."

The second message was only received by Alex 2. It was unsettling because new data merely indicated that behaviour may be unpredictable and illogical. He thought he knew the behaviour referred to was that of the Virubact. At least it partly explained the current standoff with Keer's sentinel cells. When he enlightened Pascal 2, the response was measured. "I cannot be sure how this is supposed to help, but if we assume that the data you have received means the situation is about to change, then become constant, rather than change again, extremely intense vigilance will be required."

Alex 2 agreed. Some forty hours later Keer's arm had resumed regeneration, but he told Pascal 2 that he was disoriented; it did not feel right. Closer examination confirmed that the reconstructed part of the limb was hosting Virubact replication. Alex 2 squirmed as more data was downloaded. He shouted to Pascal 2, "You must amputate the regenerated part of his arm now."

Pascal 2 reacted quickly and Keer said he felt normal again. The three of them were discussing the episode and failed to notice that the amputated part continued to grow – and in two directions, toward the hand and simultaneously to the torso. Unknown to them the Virubact had managed to 'create' a sentinel cell in the amputated portion. What they did know was that Keer started to feel strange again. As Alex 2 realised it was possibly a recurring pattern, Keer pointed to the adjacent bench. The severed arm was complete and the rest of the body was rapidly taking shape. Alex 2 asked Pascal 2 to amputate again, this time at an earlier stage, while he used protective gloves to pick up the growing Virubact form and hurried to the airlock. He managed to eject the half-formed Keer 2 into orbit. Upon returning to the theatre he found another growing arm on the bench and Keer was still feeling unwell. Alex 2 motioned for Pascal 2 to cease activity. "It must have been a warning that our behaviour would become erratic and illogical. It is clear now. We need to rethink the approach." Pascal 2 nodded and suggested the sentinel cells were the key, as the Virubacts had still not multiplied further into Keer's geometry. "We temporarily forgot that they are seeking control, not simple occupation. I propose we let the third arm regenerate completely without amputation and observe." Alex 2 repeated his trip to the airlock and sent a second pre-forming Keer 3 spinning on its way.

When the newest arm was complete another stalemate ensued. Pascal 2 said, "That is what I hoped would happen, I believe we may have some time to consider the next step."

Keer was still feeling strange. The next suggestion from Pascal 2 would require precise coordination and extremely swift execution. The sentinel cells in the new arm were to be disabled at the same time as the arm plus a hefty part of the torso were removed as one piece. The cut had to ensure that the dormant Virubacts in the original shoulder infection went with the arm. Pascal 2 was to destroy the sentinel cells at the extremity of the arm by pinning it to the bench to stop movement and setting up multiple lasers to continue the disabling sequence while the joint was hacked off. In order to avoid slip ups, Red was asked to assist by restraining Keer, who was now afflicted by involuntary twitching. The procedure was conducted with reassuring calm. Keer shed his spasms; Pascal 2 was immediately focussed on detection of any further evidence of Virubact presence in his 'healthy' proportion, and Alex 2 watched the amputated fraction for activity.

All was well; Keer's regeneration was infection free and the severed part could not grow without cloned sentinel cells.

Alex 2 incinerated the unwanted piece and the entire theatre was sterilised. A disaster had been averted for now, but the prevailing fear was that the brand new immune system was nowhere near adequate enough to deal with this Virubact. The immediate consideration was to study the Indy physiology, while contemplating ability of other strains which may be encountered.

The other species aboard Phoenix would have to be informed and the request to return to the surface delayed. It was a role reversal; they needed help from the Indys.

# Chapter 10

The Indys pressed on with the water tampering and were now wandering around freely amongst the drugged Ebexx. Their relatives in captivity had been rescued and taken back to safe havens to address their malnutrition. Unfortunately the dosage of Amzyss proved fatal for some of the Ebexx young, and the Indys were genuinely sad, especially when they did not bury their dead – choosing to eat them.

Having completed their objective, Gsarr signalled that he was ready to come to Phoenix. He was duly collected, accompanied by another group leader, apparently the overall chieftain. Gsarr noted that the tension was tangible and asked Keer to explain. He asked to address the ship's population with a translator for the Sapients. He made the listeners more at ease by recounting the number of times they had faced what seemed like certain extinction. "We never lost belief in our ability to outwit the foe, even though it was operating from within another historical enemy. We had to separate to survive long enough to improve the chance of 'thinking being able to out-manoeuvre raw power'. You have many advantages which you may not realise – ours was being inert to the virus. It gave us time. You have much more intelligence and technology at your disposal, and you have us as allies. Together we can restore this beautiful world – welcome to your new home."

They were mere words, but not empty words, and they were quickly followed by action. The Chieftain had not come because of rank, his family had the most robust immunity, of all Indys, to the Virubacts, and he wanted to thank the newcomers for carrying out the initial Amzyss foray. "That was the turning point, you gave us that extra belief – so I am here to give you the same in return."

They followed Pascal 2 to the medical facility and Axzrann was enlightened as to the procedure he was about to undergo. He listened to Keer's reassuring monologue for less than a minute, and then waved his hand in a gesture to get on with it. "We have some arrangements to make; we have not had all of our clans together in my lifetime."

When Pascal 2 was left alone to study the genetic extracts, he immediately contacted Stella and Daniel Carvalho, to ask if she would assist in the analytical approach on behalf of the Sapient contingent. Decision time was upon the Phoenix inhabitants. They had to wrestle with the reality of whether or not to undergo further genetic code procedures, to set foot on Nexus, and to defy the considerable increase in gravity.

The gravity effect was most severe for Sapients, and once again Fernando came up with an elegant suggestion. He convinced Rene to help him recruit Axis precision 'design and build' personnel. His brainwave was to make personalised helium jackets, tailored for individual weight, and with automatic controls to reflect gain or loss. The algorithm was devised courtesy of Dan. The concept was intended to help acclimatise rather than be a permanent feature. It had been concern over his father which sparked the idea into action, though he never admitted it.

The location of any settlement was to be advised by the Indys, and the small matter of the kind of residence had to be agreed, as the newcomers were not prepared to live in caves. There was still the question of the long term situation of the Ebexx – it did not seem acceptable to keep them 'on medication'. They would have to determine whether the Virubacts had been affected by the Amzyss.

The captured Ebexx would be of benefit in this respect, exclusively in its own biological form, as the previously proposed replication was now felt to be risky, following Keer's trauma. The new genetic immune boost from the Indy chieftain Axzrann would be delayed until the captive had been subjected to Amzyss, and then exhaustively evaluated.

The Epsilon vessel had been swept without mishap and they felt that although they could not risk engaging QSD yet, the process had pinpointed areas where they could accelerate the ion storm effect discharge sequentially, leading to a resumption of the journey in a matter of weeks.

The news from Mars and Earth was not so encouraging. Those few outposts unaffected by Virubacts feared this could be their final transmission. One of the infected alliances controlled by the 'plague' had wiped out all of those disfigured or simply mutated by the microorganisms. They knew that as soon as pockets of competitive controlled groups had been eradicated, they themselves would be next.

They also reported that there were indications that the wealthy elite now running Earth, with unlimited Symbiant access were planning to take over and purge Mars, leaving the remaining Terran population to the lottery of the encroaching ice. The space elevators were to be destroyed, effectively cutting off the possibility of mass Human transit to Mars.

The Echus survivors had been 'assured' the Martian purge did not include non-infected individuals, but this was not a particularly appealing future, even if the invaders got there in time.

The bad news got worse. The Ebexx inebriated with Amzyss showed clearly that the Virubacts had benefitted from the treatment. It had somehow managed to intersperse itself with the primitive, confused cellular brain matter and initiate much more efficient neural processing. When Pascal 2 revealed this to Alex 2, a reminder message was received regarding erratic and illogical behaviour. Alex 2 needed no further hint that this was their behaviour, not the Ebexx. He did something which indelibly confirmed that he was different. He terminated the Ebexx, to the astonishment of Pascal 2. The technobabble concluded with the acknowledgement that Alex 2 was traversing the boundary between the Continuance and the Interference.

The import of this was the evolvement of a potentially schizophrenic society. On the one hand they were bound by a desire to overcome the Virubacts, but on the other, attitude to ethics and morals may have to be 'cleansed'. The two of them agreed to avoid the complexity this would overlay on the focus of survival, and the reason for the Ebexx termination would therefore remain undisclosed.

The descent was to be in to be in the order of Sapients, Symbiants and finally Axis. The Sapients were only fifty-six strong, including births and deaths on the journey. The Symbiants felt Humanoids were the most vulnerable of the three species and needed protection. They would be temporarily accommodated in the Indys' caves, and the Symbiants would offer translation facility for those who had not mastered even rudimentary Indy symbols. The Axis would be left to exorcise their lingering disharmony in private, and when they were ready, a small detachment of Symbiants would return to maintain the vessel's systems and monitor incoming transmissions. There were no plans as yet to land Phoenix.

The caves were a shock to the Sapients after the relative luxury of the journey. A few wanted to try to walk around without the helium jackets, and quickly conceded that they needed them. The language was a problem but they knew it was temporary.

The Europan Axis eventually found accord due somewhat to the sympathetic treatment of the Ebexx, even though they were told that the captured individual had an allergic reaction to the Amzyss and subsequently died. They began their descent. The Sapients and Symbiants observed this emotional reunion of the two Axis branches, and declared it would not be complete until the Gliese and Epsilon clans arrived.

The Symbiants were indifferent to various settlement locations at first. The Sapients favoured somewhere outside the established radius of Indy territory, to avoid issues with previous heritage. They also liked the idea of a totally new beginning. The Indys were quick to point out that the outlands were dangerous places. Even the Ebexx avoided them. The diversity of species was phenomenal and that included predatory plants. What lay beyond was unknown, as recent generations had never traversed the outland region. Gsarr remarked that the survival campaign they had endured with the Ebexx was the most benign option, even though it was touch and go for hundreds of years. Good news had been in short supply since arriving in 'Nirvana orbit'. The Europans confessed that they knew nothing of this plethora of life-threatening flora and fauna at the time of their exodus. The Indys explained that the explosion in their evolution was triggered by the warmer climate since the brown dwarf had appeared. This was historically recorded by their ancestors at the time.

After several weeks the Ebexx fatalities began to rise. It was claimed to be further cases of severe allergic reaction to the Amzyss-laden water. The Europans challenged the Indys about terminating the pollution. Pascal 2 reported to Alex 2 that every corpse showed the same pattern as the captive which he had eliminated. The brain cells had been invaded and modified by the Virubacts. The construction of dwelling space was halted by the increasing frequency of the deaths and resulting debates. The Europans argued that since they all had the benefit of Axzrann's super immunity now, the spread of infection was minimal. Pascal 2 had to come clean about the concentration of the virus influence in the Ebexx brain tissue. The Europans became uncharacteristically angry. Trader said, "My election to leadership came about because we were divided over the Ebexx. We reconciled those differences because of the survival of the Indys and the future for the entire Phoenix community. Now we are presiding over the extinction of a species we shared the planet with over three million years ago. We have not returned with new friends and reunited with our distant brethren to begin 'cleansing' this world of any form of life which simply gets in our way. We have to find a solution which respects the entire ecosystem."

The Indys were sympathetic to a degree. The Sapients were scared and felt like guests who were becoming a burden. The Symbiants were typically 'disinterested'. Kipchoge Yamamoto could always be relied upon to rattle cages. He suggested that the recent enlistment of Stella to assist Pascal 2 should be broadened by Axis medical expertise leading the investigation into halting the Virubact mutation. "It strikes me as an obvious thing to do. They will soon be joined by further branches of their species; they have lived on a planet with this type of scourge for millions of years, and must have some immune contribution. They will be the vast majority of 'our' community when they are all reunited, so they should surely be able to exercise their combined philosophy. I was one who criticised the apathy of some Europans toward helping the Indys, and I don't regret that. There was the small matter of all of us surviving. We now owe it to them to find a way to help the Ebexx. It's clearer than ever that the real pest is the virus. Everyone, including the bloody Progenitors, is agreed on that."

Yamamoto did not know that until now Stella had only been assisting Pascal 2 in copying and pasting code. She had not examined any Ebexx corpse because of Alex 2's declaration that the contagion level was too risky. His new proposal would inadvertently challenge that. Alex 2 was pensive, Pascal 2 was unperturbed. There was overwhelming support for the Yamamoto proclamation and it was officially endorsed.

The construction programme resumed and the Europan medical experts were selected. The thorny problem for Alex 2 was now acute. The Axzrann protection had not yet been fully tested in any of the species brought to Nexus by Phoenix. Alex 2 was faced with hoping for the best and revealing nothing, or underlining the danger he and Pascal 2 had discovered, and be accused of suppressing vital information. He decided on the former, as the alternative would ultimately require explanation of his 'alter ego'.

The clean water had begun to restore memory functions for the Ebexx, and they seemed confused that their livestock had evaporated. Stella had queried Pascal 2 as to why he only answered specific questions on the Ebexx post-mortems rather than demonstrating aspects with the retained corpses. He confessed that they had incinerated them to avoid any possibility of infection. The Europan medical duo accepted this at face value but both of them were keen to be directly involved in any further pathology.

# Chapter 11

The Axzrann immunity transfer tests had to be concluded immediately. It was decided that they needed to overpower another Ebexx, as they were now regaining their aggressive nature. As Keer had already survived one infection phase and had the armoury to subdue them, he volunteered. It was a short, sharp blow to the jaw which produced the knockout and reminded the 'back up' Ebexx that these new invaders were to be avoided. The extraction of tissue from the unconscious one would be used to develop vaccine. This took a little longer than anticipated and the Indys were getting nervous again.

In the meantime a transmission from Mars was received. It was from a Symbiant, and it revealed that the victorious alliance had initially resisted takeover by the new Earth elite migrants, but had not bargained for the efficient weapons of the Terrans. They were then eliminated very quickly, but before the conquerors could rescue the Echus defenders, they had been infected themselves during the conflict. The Virubact responsible had mutated further, because of the frequent, panic-driven self-termination of the hosts, who had no idea that their objective was merely control. It spread much quicker than before and the final reckoning of survivors did not apparently include Humans. Because of their adaptability, a small percentage of those Symbiants already isolated in the Echus Chasma fortress, prevailed. The arriving invaders all perished. Mars was left to a handful of individual members of the Continuance and torrents of Virubact strains. The Symbiant sending the message signed off with the revelation that information had been transmitted to his registry. Mars was to be 'subtracted' from the solar system. The casual acknowledgement of his destiny gave no clue as to the fate of the other planets having to adjust to the new gravitational imbalance.

Keer had been cleared as having immunity to the Virubact. It was the turn of an original Europan Axis to volunteer for the procedure. Rene's mother, Peri pleaded for this role. She wanted to protect her daughter, and indeed all of her kin had seen Rene as a symbolic rallying figure since her birth. In a peculiarly logical way, Rene's iconic status conspired to a demand for her to lead the way. Trader tried to oppose this clarion call, but the sectarian support from the Indys clinched the decision.

Rene herself was not concerned. She maintained that at some time they would all face infection from this, or another Virubact, so she stepped forward. The Sapients were nervously awaiting the result.

Alex 2 had been apprised of the fate of Mars directly, and became even more disturbed at the prospect of Nexus falling under the same decision protocols. There was also the longer term threat of the tiny moon, and the lack of action taken as yet by the Progenitors, especially since it was their creation, the special brown dwarf having caused its accretion. Never before had he suffered so much conflict in trying to resolve incoming data into clear direction.

The temporary residences were proceeding well now that the Europans had unleashed a number of re-assembled robots of Martian design. They had served another unintended purpose. The Ebexx curiosity had been rewarded with accidents and injury from collisions with these uncompromising builders.

From the safety of their new quarters, the Carvalho family had begun to relax while awaiting the results of Rene's tests. This milestone however, disguised a problem. Daniel had not alerted anyone to the return of his angina, deciding that Pascal 2 and Stella had more collectively urgent tasks to perform. It was Anna-Severine who found him slumped over the table. Stella rushed to his side and Pascal 2 soon followed. He needed further multiple bypass surgery. Stella was too emotionally involved to consider orchestrating the procedure. The best facilities were on Phoenix, but they were worried about the ascent. It was a long operation and he did not regain consciousness as expected but his life signs were regular. The vigil lasted for over three days before his eyes opened. He was tired enough to avoid asking what all the fuss was about. "How long have I been out?"

Stella smiled through the rushing tears of relief. "Quite a while, but you are doing well. Rest is what you need now, and I'll make sure that you get it."

"Tell me about Rene."

"That will wait Daniel; our immediate concern is for you. The rest will come in good time."

He reached for her hand. "I know that Stella, but I need to know if our children are going to be safe."

"My God Daniel, Rene is fine so far, she doesn't seem to need vaccine and we are now waiting for the 'election' of a Sapient as nobody has volunteered yet."

"Jesus Christ, what is the problem? It has to be done now."

"I knew you would get upset. That is the end of the discussion."

Just then Fernando popped his head into the room. "Karel Sevicek has contacted Pascal 2 to go through the same tests as Rene."

Carvalho perked up. "Fernando, please ask him to visit me first, just for a few minutes, and before you protest Stella, it really will be a couple of minutes."

She relented as long as she was in attendance.

On his way to see Karel Sevicek, Fernando was surprised by a prowling Ebexx, and he was savaged before it was beaten away by a Symbiant. He was taken to Pascal 2 where it was confirmed that he had been infected. He was to be monitored for any unusual developments and the vaccine was at the ready. The decision to use the vaccine was too late to prevent control slipping to the Virubact, as the Axzrann code had not acted in the same way as it had with Rene. During the night he slipped past his dozing siblings and out into the open terrain.

Panic was spreading as they failed to find him. The Indys checked all known locations they knew of, except the Ebexx habitats. That was where he was. The Virubacts had utilised the elaborate cerebral structure to maximum advantage to subvert his already dysfunctional immune regime. It had concentrated this control on making him acceptable to the Ebexx, and he suffered no further harm.

The search parties disbanded for the night. The incident was kept from the slowly recovering Carvalho. Alex 2 became even more concerned. For some reason he expected another message, and didn't receive any. Pascal 2 was ready with the vaccine. When morning came he went to collect it and it wasn't there. Raising this issue at this moment was considered inadvisable by Alex 2. "It will cause more division amongst the various groups. Every time we encounter a problem I feel directed to examine our response, to see if it is indeed illogical. It does not fit with our architecture. Why do the Progenitors use such terminology in this location, when they have always delivered positive direction? Expressing their concern by avoiding negative direction is counter-productive in these circumstances. It is analogous to a colour specification stating – 'not yellow'. It only tells the reader what is wrong; giving no hint of what is actually required. I believe this will ultimately result in subroutine errors and possible lockdown. I do not wish to contemplate such an event, yet I am already aware that this is illogical behaviour."

Pascal 2 declared he did not have the same worries. "I can only imagine this is part of your transition. My logic structure is engaged in thinking of things such as motive, opportunity, patient identity and time of the disappearance. Rather than continually conducting your self-analysis, why don't we each simply follow the opposite sides of the logical/illogical approach? That way we should cover all eventualities, and this will be treated as a logical way to proceed by your registry."

"Yes, of course – that must be a requisite strategy for dealing with Virubacts, controlling as opposed to terminating the host. Constant aberration is consistency. Constant mutation is being harnessed to mask the unchanging agenda."

Replacing the vaccine was not a problem and Stella was already engaged in the production of larger quantities. If the theft was an act of selfish hoarding, most likely by Sapients, it could become a serious problem.

Fernando could not initially understand why he was now able to relax in the midst of the Ebexx, yet hidden from all others. They had returned to carnivorous hunting, since their farmed source of protein had disappeared. Fernando ate vegetarian produce offered to him. He was encouraged to drink from a small internal water reservoir. His reflection in the water gave the first clue to his acceptance. He now had the same distinctive crimson pools obscuring his normal dark brown eyes. He instinctively knew this must be a signal of inclusion. Being controlled by the Virubacts, he had no other sensation, especially one which would have normally told him that the red-eye was produced by them, to recognise allies. Gradually, he began to feel that he was special. He was being acknowledged as some kind of icon. He was increasingly aware of the need to organise the Ebexx into more efficient groups in hunting, food and water preservation, sanitisation of internal habitats and caring for, as opposed to simply protecting their young. This all felt perfectly natural to him.

Carvalho had asked why Sevicek had not accepted his invitation. He asked for Fernando, primarily to admonish him if he had not passed on the request. Rafael, in the absence of his mother, told his father what had actually happened. The colour instantly drained from Carvalho's face and he became extremely agitated. Rafael despatched his sister to bring Stella, realising his error of judgement. Daniel Carvalho passed away in his son's arms.

His loss was not totally unexpected, but the suddenness sent a shock wave through the entire Phoenix contingent. A strange effect hit Alex 2 as the data was processed. Dan was the initial replicant of the young Carvalho, but the enduring friendship and recent merging of the tertiary replication with Daniel caused Alex 2 to experience transfer of significant data to new storage. This was his equivalent to emotional loss, and it would be felt as grief every time the archive was accessed in a certain way. He had never had such a personal trauma when fellow Symbiants were lost.

He convinced everyone that the only thing Daniel would have wanted them to do was to find Fernando, and get on with vaccinating all remaining vulnerable individuals to prevent a repeat. "I know we all feel like acknowledging his passing with a respectful period of reflection of his life, but he would not want that. He had a clear, decisive and instinctive way of pursuing what was important, not to the exclusion of compassion, but being compatible with it. We must allow his family – including Fernando - to grieve together."

There was weary acceptance by those who would help in the search. Those who would remain with Stella and Anna-Severine first had to placate the inconsolable Rafael.

# Chapter 12

Yamamoto, Nielsen and Sevicek joined Red, Dan and Alex 2 in the search after being vaccinated. Pascal 2 stayed behind to ensure any other Sapients intending to help find Fernando were also vaccinated. Yamamoto remarked that he felt 'lost'. "Daniel has been such an anchor for me over the decades. He had a knack of knowing when to curb my unbridled enthusiasm and divert me to collecting evidence, and yet he managed to re-ignite that same curiosity whenever I had setbacks. He really was the invisible hand around my shoulder. I find it hard to accept the finality of this."

Nielsen consoled him. "You were the 'son' he indulged before he met Stella." Sevicek was remorseful. "I should have just asked Pascal 2 to inject the vaccine instead of making an announcement of the intention."

Red offered some typical Symbiant detachment. "If he had stayed on Mars he would have suffered much worse. He realised a dream, coming here with his family."

Alex 2 confessed he was still coming to terms with the loss. "I think back to the proposal to come here with the Axis. Daniel was torn; he wanted to join us but had to consider his family. When Stella insisted they should come, it was only a few hours after he had declared to me that he always thought we would be close friends until he died. Well we have been, and that gave us over four more decades together. Stella needs us to carry on drawing on his legacy whenever appropriate, to give Fernando, Rafael and Anna-Severine the opportunities he promised them. We owe that to her."

He thought this was the right moment to enlighten them about the truth behind the tertiary replication. He addressed Yamamoto with his eyes before he spoke. "You were right about some information being screened out of the procedure. The fact that we are all talking about his uniqueness in this way underpins the decision to keep things simple. Daniel was vehemently opposed to such measures but reluctantly accepted that the disclosures would potentially destabilise the unity at the very time we were stepping into the new world. He could not bear to burden Stella with a replicant who looked like him, and would still be walking around now. His pragmatism is now fully understood and accepted by Stella. He managed to mould what I told him about my merging process with the Interference, into a socially responsible shape. He would have wanted me to tell you this to urge you to stay focussed. Don't forget, I know this now that he and I are linked in this way." The silence said it all. There would be a delayed clamour for more detail, but for now they had a more urgent task.

Fernando was beginning to show the Ebexx what he wanted them to do by mimicking the action himself. They were quite quickly learning the purpose of the tasks and he started to associate actions with monosyllables, as a dog trainer would do. The first task was to build shelters for congregating and sleeping. This needed to be away from the latrines. Water sources had to be diverted to both. A social structure would help cut down intense group 'language' sessions – the smartest would be his lieutenants, and they would roll out more complex hierarchical projects. One on the list was to infect and recruit more Sapients. The new strategy would see the abandonment of corralling and domesticating Indys, they needed to milk the compassionate nature of all Axis clans. This would be far easier if the Ebexx themselves were initially seen to be more placid. It would however infer the risk of organised hunting in the outlands. Momentum would come gradually with each Sapient converted, but the defection had to be disguised. He had to find a method of infiltrating the enclave, and the red-eye was a problem. At this stage the Ebexx needed it, but for him it was a means of betrayal to the Sapients.

The frustration was building amongst the search parties, and they too were thinking about forays into the borders with the outlands. Temporary camps were set up by the Indys, who were the obvious leaders of such exercises.

Stella knew that any funeral ceremony could not be private, yet she wanted it over and done as soon as possible. The negative news each day about Fernando added to the sense of being in suspended animation. Anna-Severine was coping best, with Rene as a constant companion. Rafael was still unable to respond to assurances that he was not to blame. He just couldn't seem to take on board that his father was already hanging on to life by a slender margin, and it had been his own decision not to report his recurring angina pains. He also had yet to own up to the theft of the vaccine. He had judged Daniel's condition to be serious enough to warrant being first on the list to receive it, but knew his father would have declined. He had been worried about exactly the kind confrontation with the Ebexx which caused Fernando's infection; he concluded that even without such an attack, the Virubact itself would have caused his father's fatality, unless he had been given the vaccine. He had intended to administer the dose himself while Daniel slept, but the interrogation as to Fernando's whereabouts had short-circuited his plan. His intent now was to inform his mother, realising that it would make him feel even more immature than he already did. It had to be done; the burden was already causing acute depression.

Fernando was pondering the red-eye problem as he visited the drinking well. He was astonished to see that his eyes had returned to their normal colour. Once again an instinctive flush convinced him that as he had thought about the problem he had triggered an 'internal' solution. He was not aware of being controlled. The instinct extended to repeatedly showing this to his top Ebexx aide, and gesturing that he should follow suit. This repetitive reinforcement eventually succeeded, and the Virubact gleaned the primitive thought, and caused the Ebexx red-eye to recede. The passing on of the requirement accelerated from Ebexx to Ebexx, and Fernando could now stage his own return to the Sapients camp, claiming that the initial infection was eventually overcome by the Axzrann code, no vaccine was needed. He was to feign slight memory loss during the battle with the infection, but this idea was adjusted as the Virubact selectively restored some recall of his family. His father's death was not one which could be restored, as he had never known about it. He left the Ebexx habitat.

There was a constantly changing ratio of wonder and trepidation amongst the searchers crossing the borderlands. The terrain was more undulating but covered in massive blobs of gigantic plant like species. Between them rivers meandered into lakes, some of which bubbled with hot springs. The sounds coming from the 'forests' were deafening. It was a chorus of screeching, whistling, growling and the disturbing death cries of prey. The intensity was unsettling. Gsarr's update did nothing to quell the escalating nervous tension. "This noise level is partly because we have been spotted, it will decrease, but this is only the borderlands. When we reach the outlands we will experience a significant increase in density. We will rest awhile and replenish ourselves with food and water. We must stay together as a group. Do not show fear and absolutely do not attempt to harm any creature unless instructed to do so by one of us – the Indys."

Yamamoto asked about 'insect' type life forms. "I have a bit of a problem with arachnids in particular, are there any such creatures?"

Gsarr did not understand the terminology, so Yamamoto sketched a rough drawing in the loose earth. Gsarr nodded his head. "There are some, but with more appendages." Nielsen asked if there was any lotion to repel these pests. After some discussion with Keer, the Indys seemed to perform a ritualistic dance and make uncharacteristic hooting sounds. It was explained afterwards that this was a very rarely occurring form of mirth. Yamamoto's eyes widened when it was clear that these Mynnschaz were over two metres in height and extremely venomous. After the rest period it was agreed that anyone who had such a phobia should remain at this oasis until the rest returned. Despite the assurance from Gsarr that the Mynnschaz only preyed on unfortunates who strayed into the entanglement of their webs, Yamamoto volunteered to remain at the oasis. He was joined by Sevicek, and it was felt prudent to leave one Indy and one Symbiant, as scout and protector respectively. The rest set off again. Gsarr was still amused by the thought of using a skin preparation to ward off the Mynnschaz. Alex 2 however, took the principle seriously. He questioned Gsarr about plant or soil habitats that some predators avoided, and suggested that most life forms have dislikes of this kind, even allergic reactions. "It is a common feature in the non-sentient animal world, for prey to cultivate means of being undesirable to predators. It could be much safer than risk of infection, injury or worse, through conflict." This caused a mini-conference amongst the Indys.

When an unwashed, tousle-haired Fernando wandered into the camp, some of the Sapients backed away. Stella rushed to meet him and was quickly joined by Anna-Severine and Rene. The joyous hugging was punctuated by Rafael's sombre body language and disinterested demeanour. Stella explained to Fernando that his father had passed away and that Rafael could not shake off his perceived guilt. They all put Fernando's neutral reaction down to his lone trauma in overcoming the infection, and exhaustion. All except Rafael, he had at least expected a rebuke from his older brother; he sensed that something was wrong with Fernando.

At the oasis Yamamoto took advantage of Alex 2's absence to grill Red about this tertiary replication. "Either I'm slow or we still need some gaps filled on this merging with... let me see, the Interference and our late Commander Carvalho. Come on Red, you must know the mechanisms involved, you're part of it."

Red replied in his usual dispassionate manner. "Yes, it is a unique experience for all Symbiants. We are used to operating almost as a hive mind via our technobabble. The current situation of differentiation in registry and data transmissions received is very strange, but there is no sinister overtone as far as we can tell. When I say we, I mean all of us except Alex 2 and Pascal 2."

Sevicek muttered, "So Pascal 2 is in the special loop?"

"Not exactly," replied Red, "he is not in transition as we believe Alex 2 is, but he is in possession of new data, which we do not have. When I questioned him about it he said it was received as a 'blind copy', probably directly relayed from Alex 2 at his discretion. He is convinced that Alex 2 is not keeping anything from him. The rest of us cannot be absolutely sure, but whether this is true or not, it all points to some imminent departure in protocol, most likely dictated by events. We still have the feeling that the Progenitors will not be proactive in these circumstances, and we have no input which diminishes confidence in their methodology."

Yamamoto was typically rapier-like in his riposte. "So do you have an analytical breakdown or flow chart of events which may initiate acceleration of his transition?"

Red was sure the whole momentum was related to the tiny moon and its Virubact equivalent of unimaginable quantities of nuclear warheads. "We are currently bogged down in comparatively minor objectives of avoiding explosive growth of Virubacts on this planet, by simply providing very attractive hosts. Failure in this task has the potential to raise the stakes. I believe Alex 2's transition is considered sufficient for this at present, but as we have been informed – we are not to approach the special brown dwarf, and that includes him, regardless of the status of his transition."

Yamamoto switched his probing to the time frame. "The content from the tiny moon could come our way for any number of reasons, and at any time. This makes the 'wait and see' approach seem pretty sloppy to me. I'm guessing that the Sapients and Axis would be expendable in that scenario, which would be one explanation of the non-proactive strategy." He was astonished at the reply.

"I would think that is a distinct possibility, and that is why we must attend to Nexus with all urgency."

# Chapter 13

The Virubact controlling Fernando was not passed on by airborne transmission; the strain had abandoned such wasteful and inconsistent methods. It had to be immediately active in the host's bloodstream to replicate sufficiently quickly to gain important control points in the escalation from battle - to campaign - to war. Even saliva contact and ingestion to the stomach did not offer statistically high success rates against reasonably efficient immune systems. This of course varied if the host was already suffering a condition which occupied the immune defence, and old or weak targets were more vulnerable.

Fernando needed to find a means of injecting his own blood into an unsuspecting Sapient, including the members of his family. The sleeping hours would be safest. The Sapients who initially stood back when he arrived now gathered around to hear of his nightmare in the wilderness. Relieved at his insistence that the Axzrann code eventually overturned the Virubact control and purged the invasive pest from his system, they were hungry for information about how conscious he was of the internal struggle which raged at the time.

"I never felt anything other than clarity of purpose. I had an unstoppable urge to wander outside. Meeting the Ebexx didn't disturb this need, even though I had just been savaged by one of them earlier. It seemed that I was almost invisible to them; this was presumably some recognition feature for the Virubact itself. I felt driven to help them but I was ignored. Then suddenly I would be aware that I was at risk and often this was followed by unconsciousness. However, I was never harmed. I can only assume that these were phases where the Axzrann code was temporarily winning control or limiting replication. This lasted for several days before the Ebexx began to take interest in me. They gave me food, water and shelter, which I didn't know they were capable of building. I recovered slowly each day until memories of my family replaced these waves of unfamiliar but clear objectives. As I gained strength I was able to communicate some basic intentions to the Ebexx, including my need to return to my family, and here I am."

This plausible, benign fabrication reassured the Sapients, but more than that – a few Europans had mingled with the audience, and were hooked by the portrayal of the 'kind and caring' Ebexx. Maybe this Virubact was not a force of evil but a beneficial thread in developing social tapestry. Sleep time was approaching and only Rafael seemed to think his brother's elaborations were somewhat out of character.

Gsarr was busy informing the newcomers that they were now entering the outlands proper, when one of his colleagues, Styliar, motioned for everyone to seek cover. He had scouted ahead and spotted the legendary Fasnshluur. He used sign language to convey the bad news; there were at least four in this pack. When the plants around them began to vibrate, the Nexus 'virgins' seemed to shake in harmony. Even this seismic sensation did not fully prepare them for what was to come. The first one to engage their eyes was at least as tall as a three storey building. The head was planar, not unlike a colossal stingray, with a single eye, availing of 360 degree rotation. This prodigious vision capability covered about forty percent of the surface of its head, and a proboscis was sniffing around – occasionally opening up to reveal copious drippings of what appeared to be sticky green saliva. The orifice on the end of the proboscis was large enough to ingest a horse. The rest could be considered, from a detached observatory, to be slightly disappointing. The head was supported by a snake-like neck and the presumed torso was fractionally larger than the head, with spines. However this was not a detached situation, and the jointed limbs, of which there were many, enabled very high manoeuvrability for such a cumbersome looking leviathan.

It got worse; this one was an adolescent, and it was straying toward them; its mother would soon be pursuing the wayward calf. Gsarr knew that the adult would have fully developed and flared olfactory flaps, dozens of them. Their chances of survival were receding unless the calf changed direction.

At least they had met the top predator, a vertebrate with the ability to stay underwater for long periods, and give birth to live young, which it would nurture and protect until it reached pubescent adulthood. There was some way to go, but these were the elementary tools for future sentience.

Fernando stealthily picked out the most remote sleeping quarters in the camp, having first appropriated some of his mother's strongest anaesthetic. He entered the chamber and administered the saturated cloths simultaneously to Rene and her mother, Peri. Rafael had followed him, but at a distance which did not arouse suspicion. It was also far enough away to prevent him from blocking Fernando's incisions being made in the arms of the sedated couple. His own arm was similarly cut to allow the infected blood to ooze into the recipients. Nevertheless, Rafael surprised his brother with a syringe loaded with vaccine and Fernando's disbelief afforded Rafael the time to return the favour with the anaesthetic. It was not until Fernando passed out that he realised that he should have kept some vaccine for Rene and Peri. He rushed back to his mother's locker, waking her in the process. He protested that there was no time to explain, but she took the vaccine and forced him to elaborate. By the time they ran back to Rene's abode all three had disappeared. All Sapients were alerted to the situation and despite the darkness they commenced a search. It didn't take long to locate Fernando, as he had only partially shaken off the anaesthetic, walked into a trench and 'regained' unconsciousness. Stella and Rafael carried him back to their abode while Anna-Severine went on looking for Rene and her mother. What they recognised as growling Ebexx sounds led them to seek a vantage point to observe Rene and Peri being inspected and ushered into one of their newly constructed indoor domains.

Stella revived Fernando with stimulant and he was agitated by Rafael's presence. Stella recounted Rafael's story and he became calm. She told him that he would be kept under constant observation until the vaccine had taken full effect.

Just above Nielsen's head was a flower; it was moving toward him. It was on a coiled stem, which suggested it may be capable of springing quite a long way and with considerable speed. It resembled a goldfish bowl in size and the lone 'fish' moving around inside was bright red. He was afraid. It appeared that the open face was somehow achieving the impossible by retaining the clear liquid inside against the gravitational pull. He was told to remain absolutely still. He could not seem to do that as the approaching Fasnshluur was causing everything to move. The fish appeared to perform repetitive contortions compared to the previous random movements. Gsarr now knew it would strike. About a litre of colourless goo catapulted from the flower and wrapped itself around Nielsen's face. Gsarr realised the game was up and told everyone to retreat. "We have to leave him; he will not be able to breathe. He will distract the Fasnshluur. Let's go." Alex 2 did not agree and told Dan and Keer to stand firm.

The rest retreated as Gsarr suggested. The adult Fasnshluur dispensed with all three of them to get to the writhing form of Nielsen. It seemed to recognise he was stricken and would have little resistance to offer. The Symbiants had failed to deliver a strike before the swathing neck swept them collectively into a rocky clearing. They were all damaged. Keer had been decapitated, Dan was without legs and Alex 2 was impaled on a ferrite spear. They were all immobilised, but fortunately, the regeneration system was functional and sufficient sentinel cells still had interconnection to initiate recovery. However, they had to remain in their ringside seats until the regeneration restored necessary motor functions. The next moments were surreal; the Fasnshluur ingested the rapidly asphyxiating Nielsen and this was obviously farewell. It turned out to be goodbye followed by hello. The ingestion had achieved what Nielsen could not – removal of his transparent, impermeable face mask. The ejection was assisted by his helium source for the jacket being punctured. The Fasnshluur began retching continuously and turned back to warn the others. When he had recovered a little composure Nielsen realised he was in better shape than Alex 2, Dan or Keer. Gsarr and his entourage were perplexed and apologetic, although Nielsen did not know of their defection, with himself as a decoy.

Back at the camp some of the Europans contacted the nearest Indy cave dwellers and asked if they would send a scout to inform Gsarr's party of Fernando's return. When the scout found them they were still occupied milking the red goldfish plants for anti-Fasnshluur balm. The Symbiants, being fully regenerated and not prone to asphyxiation, were able to harvest it without risk. Gsarr named it Ari-Ari, in an apologetic gesture to Nielsen, and said it fitted with his sharp entry and exit sequence. The real Ari could not force a smile. They set off to return.

By the time they had reached the camp Fernando had undergone another personality change. The potent vaccine had made progress and he confessed his previous assertions about not needing it, as part of the Virubact control. He was desperately sorry that the same control had caused the infection of Rene and Peri. "They aren't in any danger from the Ebexx, quite the opposite, they treated me like royalty. They will be manipulated by the Virubacts to educate the Ebexx, and drive home the need to infect more Sapients and Europans, subsequently employing them to produce anti-immune drugs for overcoming all Axis, Symbiants and Indys. We have to use this period of their familiarisation with the Ebexx to plan their extraction. Their utilisation of Axzrann code will delay the completion of control for a longer period than it was for me. This is due to the relatively incompatible nature of Axzrann's DNA with Sapient equivalent, and in my case it was helpful to the Virubacts. I would propose we re-pollute the water with Amzyss until we can recover Rene and her mother. There's no time to lose." There was some reluctance from the Europan 'idealists' but the Indys were very much in favour and they held sway.

Alex 2 listened while Gsarr recounted the amazing encounter with the Fasnshluur to the gathering, and the discovery of Ari-Ari, as if he had never abandoned Nielsen. He was however distracted by an incoming message. The subtraction of Mars had caused the predicted orbital re-adjustment of the remaining planetary bodies, asteroids and transitory comets. Earth was moving towards an increasingly distended elliptical orbit. This was also gradually changing the axis tilt and therefore the seasonal periods. Jupiter was now absorbing and slinging asteroids in a much more violent fashion. Earth was facing much wider extremes in climate and had already had two significant impacts, courtesy of Jupiter. The 'nuclear' winter had reinforced the mini-ice age. Mass extinction was expected, and although some species may survive until the warmer period, Humanity was not going to be one of them. There was no other way this scenario could be presented to give hope. He just had to deliver the news.

The problems they were now facing seemed irrelevant. This applied to the Europans as much as the Sapients, as they had observed and not interfered with Human development, from its cradle to its wings, via the space elevator. The Indys felt like intruders and decided it would be best to leave the others to come to terms with the prognosis, while they sprinkled the Amzyss into the water sources.

Alex 2 could not help feeling that, although Daniel Carvalho was gone, part of his own sadness was due to the tertiary replication with his friend. It was now time to conduct his funeral; it wouldn't feel right to have a separate mourning event.

# Chapter 14

It simply would not sink in. Despite the fact that over fifty of them were forging a new life on Nexus, they kept reminding one another of the unthinkable demise of the Human race. The inward self-contemplation was broken by Yamamoto. His anger had been building, and had only been retarded by the gravity of the news and respect for Daniel Carvalho's ceremony.

He approached Alex 2, and deliberately chose a public forum. "So the Progenitors pull the plug on Mars because of the success of the Virubacts, and the price of extinguishing life on Earth is an acceptable trade-off. Nice. After all the campaigning you have done on their behalf don't you suspect that something is wrong here? I'm speaking for no one but myself, but I won't support any more of their obtuse directives via you or any other Symbiant. Bringing us here could be interpreted in any number of ways, including fighting their battles against 55 Cancri Virubacts. At present, this is a common purpose, in order to survive. It will not always be that way – we'll face several outcomes, amongst which are the following – we lose, we look like losing, we win or we look like winning. If we lose, what I'm about to say doesn't matter. If we look like losing we face the same fate as Mars. If we win it will be but the first step in some grand design. If we look like winning but just can't clinch victory we may have failed in gaining full membership to the bible of promising species. My conclusion is therefore that the Progenitors are an irrelevance from now on. I'll therefore be campaigning against you, and concentrate solely on our survival, and that could mean gaining evolutionary tolerance of Virubacts and other emergent life forms, whether or not they are rubber-stamped by your hierarchy. If we had never discovered the Continuance we would still have discovered the Axis and ultimately interstellar travel. The only real purpose you have served is to accelerate what was going to happen. That's why I'm sure you will agree; we must bring this phase of checking Virubact aggression to a successful conclusion. Then we may have to really examine the benefit and downside of maintaining cooperation with you, and therefore your mentors."

Alex 2 was forming his reply but Yamamoto walked away. He had considerable support. It was becoming increasingly clear to Alex 2 that it wasn't possible for transient beings such as Sapients to be motivated by the infinite context of the Progenitors, and their emissaries - such as himself. The path until now had been fuelled by the crossing of already established, tangible Human frontiers. Joining the nebulous army of dark matter to defeat, but not really defeat, the impossible to conceive dark energy, was destined to fail. He therefore felt some empathy with Yamamoto's analysis. His own pronouncements of fifty years ago about events such as the disappearance of the solar system maybe not registering with the Progenitors, now sounded hollow. He was aware of his own transition being affected by incessant evaluation of what constituted illogical behaviour. He was also beginning to question the lack of opportunity to clarify or refute the instruction strings from on high.

He spoke to Pascal 2 about it. "Yamamoto should not be criticised for his outburst, as he has made me more aware of the Progenitors' apparent marginalisation of everything to protect their equations of cosmic balance."

Pascal 2 was expressionless. "Isn't that how it is? We can accept that the laws of physics and therefore the cosmos must be obeyed. We may not yet understand every aspect of every law and the consequent interrelationship with energy, gravity, particles etc, but they are there. We may derive more understanding if the balance is preserved long enough. It is possible this will lead us to then be able to influence those laws. The relationships we have developed on Mars, and those we still have to develop with Indys, Gliese and hopefully Epsilon Axis, are simply stepping stones in this void. With respect to Martian Symbiants, it is the first contact with true sentience – and yet the Progenitors have probably had many such experiences."

"Yes, that is all true, but if we are merely manipulating the existence of sentient species to achieve higher and higher comprehension of all this cosmic flux, what is the point of deliberate deletion of billions of years of nurture of a species being sacrificed, for small tactical gain in extinguishing a few Virubacts? The array of species here could yet be wiped out by them, but probability suggests they would not be victors in the absolute sense. I can see that if all 'normal' sentient species were controlled by others which were in themselves incapable of locomotion, it would only be a setback. Nevertheless, we should not discount the possibility that some evolutionary symbiotic benefit could come from the alliance. We have not been enlightened as to the real concern the Progenitors harbour with respect to the Virubacts."

Pascal 2 agreed. "Why does that trouble you?"

"If civilisations like Sapients and Axis do not have significant purpose in the equations or are considered as minor variables, why send the warning to stay away from the brown dwarf?"

Pascal 2 looked confused. Alex 2 continued, "There are only tiny populations of these species in the grander scheme of things, whereas viruses, bacteria and potentially Virubacts could be everywhere. If the warning was for us, and remember Keer may well have succumbed but for your intervention, it was very imprecise, and it was followed by this troublesome message concerning illogical behaviour, which was even more vague. 'Illogical' could have applied to all of the species here on Nexus, including the Virubacts. I have also considered the aspect of organic life in this equation. When the Axis left Nexus they had already embarked on a programme of moving to a higher ratio of inorganic structure. We are predominantly inorganic, but require some organic enabling features. The species with almost exclusively organic architecture is also the one closest to extinction. The genetic code you applied for them on Mars is now a characteristic of the only branch which survived. Those survivors are the most vulnerable to the Virubacts. They are also ahead of the Axis in an important aspect. There is no doubt that the Axis are masters of surgical engineering but Sapients are much further advanced in genetic engineering, as they demonstrated in restoring the Axis procreative ability. So, in attempting to put all of the factors mentioned together I find only one logical fit. Could it be that the Progenitors are favouring sentience to be harnessed to exclusively inorganic life?"

Pascal 2 frowned. "I do not see how that is a conclusion derived from logic."

Alex 2 smiled. "It does include speculative logic I admit, but the missing parts would normally lead the Continuance to view the scenario as incomplete. If you were forced to link the observations I challenge you to find other results with more theoretical conformance."

Pascal 2 considered this for some time and then asked, "If that was true, and that is an assumption, nothing more – what do you believe it suggests we can expect, and why?"

Alex 2 prefaced his reply with a request to Pascal 2 to keep the reference to illogical behaviour as an overlay. "Our experience in the solar system covers more than four billion years. So my first assumption is that such a significant fraction of the entire period since the big bang is highly relevant to the Progenitors. In that time we never encountered another life form which was entirely or predominantly inorganic. My next assumption is less robust statistically, yet is supportive rather than contradictory. Here on Nexus we have only seen organic life. The species with the closest approximation to inorganic behaviour we know of are viruses. The Human database designates them as the borderline between life and non-life. However, they are really fragments of genetic code and prefer organic hosts to replicate and flourish. The processes by which they then function are organic-dependent. Their limitations are considerable yet they are a threat to the march of sentience, or to be more precise, they were. Since the collaboration with bacteria they have switched tactics. The threat is no longer mortal pandemics, rather harvesting of sentience. We are conditioned to perceive that as a threat. Just for a moment imagine the primordial Human era, and plug in the Virubacts at that time. We may have witnessed a much more rapid rise to sentience – as all manner of plagues may have been avoided. It only now strikes me as strange, that we have from the very first conversations after my replication of Alex Redgrave on Mars, tried to influence Humanoids to alter their physiology. It was advocated under the umbrella of interstellar travel necessity, and it was what the group we call Sapients wanted to hear. We shifted our support from Humans to the Axis on the grounds that diversity and duplicity were unhelpful trends, but as well as not being afflicted with these traits, the Axis were well on the inorganic road. The almost rock solid statistical probability of us meeting the Axis on Mars did not occur when they first colonised the planet, we were literally metres apart. Let us not forget that they had already encountered the Continuance on Nexus, yet not only were we not apprised of this, we had to speculate and make the connection with poor archival evidence. This was corrected as soon as we left for Nexus." Pascal 2 was now listening intently. Alex 2 continued.

"My own tertiary replication with Daniel Carvalho was presented to him as adding immunity to the Virubacts, and in retrospect, following Keer's infection, that was for our benefit. It has had however, the additional effect of somehow extending the perspective of my role. I am informed that much of the data received is to do with merging the Interference registry, but I definitely have more Sapient awareness. Is this a pollutant? Or is it simply illogical behaviour? In the light of all of this I re-examined the warning to keep away from the brown dwarf. I believe now, that we can substitute tiny moon for brown dwarf. The statistical chances of bringing together the means of explosive cooperation between viruses and bacteria were underestimated in the decision to create the conditions to form the stabilising sub-stellar body. The moon was an unforeseen accident. I would also refer you to what Fernando revealed when vaccinated. He believes that the Virubact did not harm him at all in the conventional sense. The warning to avoid the moon was affixed with the tag – 'under no circumstances' and it applied to us as well as the organics. My final assumption is the most tenuous, yet I am more convinced it has credibility with each unfolding event. The grand design may well be one of preserving balance with dark energy, and the component of sentience, which does require nurturing, or is it management to support that objective? If we substitute 'convert to inorganic' for manage, the other issues I have enumerated do fall into place. In addition, the illogical 'Sapient' behaviour of which I now avail - and this must have been factored into the tertiary replication - may be surfacing as an irritant. A perfect example is that the instruction to stay away, which provokes the rebellious gene to wonder why, maybe stimulates ignoring the warning. It has the opposite effect to what was intended. There may be the seeds of new evolutionary life forms on that moon, which are now just a flicker away from the most fertile enabling Humanoid counterpart which would kick-start the process. This could introduce utter chaos to the ordered progression of the pathway to inorganic ascendancy. We may have been imbued with the genuine ultimate objective, but the mechanics of the critical path are on a need to know basis. Well, do you think this makes any sense or do you suspect I am already under Virubact control?"

Pascal 2 seemed to be undergoing data reorganisation. After a short inability to communicate he replied, "A conspiracy theory would be the Sapient definition to classify this interpretation. I have just been updated with all of the prior information you have shared with me, but not the other Symbiants. That is indeed strange. I do not dispute the possibility that you may be correct about some of the individual issues. Maybe because I have not had a tertiary replication experience with a Sapient, I do not link the conclusions in the same way. I am sufficiently curious to know what would happen if you shared the same theory with others like Dan, Red and Finn, and then observe their reaction." Alex 2 agreed.

Red was first to be exposed to his notion. Pascal 2 was in attendance and witnessed the same updating he himself had received from the 'official' source. The three of them pondered over this and agreed it was highly unusual if not illogical. Dan and Finn followed suit, and this cause and effect sequence was debated for many hours. They agreed to carry on as if nothing had happened, until something else did happen.

Fernando was fully recovered, including his memory. He was sorry yet not distraught at the apparent deliverance of Rene and Peri to the Virubact influence, and was still able to rationalise the criteria for their selection as opposed to any of the others. It was simply their more remote abode. He did however wish to help get them back and knew how to achieve this. A group of Sapients volunteered to assist and Fernando pleaded for this to be a non-violent approach. He wanted to see if there was any retained recognition of himself by the Ebexx. He hoped the Amzyss had not had time to affect their memory, scent or visual recollection. The members of his party agreed to his plan but insisted on carrying a means of defending themselves, should the need arise. They hurriedly produced makeshift slings and selected reasonably rounded rocks as the payload.

When they approached the new internal habitats, the first response was animated growling and posturing, a territorial defence ploy. As Fernando came forward alone the Ebexx calmed down and he recognised his lieutenant. It was mutual. After some of the others returned indoors Fernando was struggling to recall the primitive signals of communication which had been established, nevertheless he was 'invited' to enter. The observing Sapients were gradually getting more uncomfortable and were edging closer to the entrance when Fernando emerged. He was deluged with questions and held up his hands. "I can only tell you that somehow I'm pretty certain that Rene and her mother will return soon. I can't be precise about how soon, but it seems imminent from my conversation with them. We should go back and wait for them." One of the Sapients was suspicious that he had been re-infected, so Fernando suggested they allow Stella or Pascal 2 to confirm or refute this. They hurried back and the tests were performed – he didn't show any evidence of Virubact presence. The wait commenced while the rest of the Sapients were briefed. There was all round surprise at the insinuation that Fernando, and now Rene and Peri were 'friends' of the Ebexx. The Europans were more receptive to the possibility and set off to ask the Indys to suspend the Amzyss water treatment pending the return of their infected kin.

# Chapter 15

Although nothing of significance had arisen since the Symbiant discussion, Red volunteered a suggestion. "I can visualise one possible reason for the subtraction of Mars from the Progenitors' perspective. If the entire Human population had become infected, the Symbiants they brought from Earth and the ones remaining at Echus Chasma would become prone to Virubact control sooner or later. That could be a much more serious problem, especially as the means to return to Earth was still there. Those Symbiants, even if infected could survive the ice and nuclear winter. A 'renegade' virubact species with such infrastructure could begin to fan out into the galaxy, and even come here. I realise, before you say it, this is also speculation – but it may explain the apparent sacrifice of the Earthlings. My next question is about communication. Why are we having these discussions in Human audio instead of technobabble? Does this illogical behaviour somehow connect with the updates arriving sequentially after such audio sessions?"

They agreed to continue in audio for a while. Pascal 2 disputed the word 'control' when comparing infection with Humanoids or Axis. "Keer's condition was one of being consumed, because there was no true organic vehicle for metabolic progression. He would have merely ceased to function."

The others seized upon this to declare that such speculative theory was flourishing solely out of absence of fact, and that was down to the Progenitors' recent lack of precision in their communication. Shifting the cause did not remove the difficulty in facing Yamamoto's assertion that Sapients and Axis should not concern themselves about such mythical entities any more. This view had gathered almost total support. Even the Indys were affected by Rene and Peri declaring that the Ebexx were voluntarily giving up their domestication practice of other sentient species. They had begun, with the guidance of Fernando, a campaign of true farming of selected flora. The Amzyss programme was abandoned.

Although they had not said it openly to one another, the Symbiants were individually questioning more logically why the whole Virubact surge was the apparent trigger for the series of messages. The revelation of them being a 'secondary' foe was not backed up with detail in the same way as the perennial struggle with dark energy had been. Alex 2 convinced the rest they should talk with Yamamoto in order to make him aware of their analysis, and convey this as their means of sympathising with his views. Kipchoge Yamamoto acknowledged this as a pivotal moment in the relationship, and at the same time felt uncomfortable that he seemed to be undergoing his own metamorphosis. He was slipping through the portal from scientist to evangelist.

"I'm pleased to hear that you guys at least understand our need to live in the 'now'. We knew we had a fight on our hands, which, if we can treat the individual testimony of those infected by the virubacts as reliable, could turn into a choice, albeit a complex one. It's a relief to begin even using the word choice again, as the habitat potential in the borders and outlands isn't an option at present. Something you mentioned in your analysis provokes a question. I will comment anyway, you know I can't resist that, but I can't devote any time to follow it up, even if you thought it may have merit. I see that I have your attention. This business about the trigger being the Virubacts, and them being filed under secondary foe, but lacking the clarity of detail compared to that of the primary one – dark energy."

"Go on," said Alex 2.

"Well it's just a thought but viruses and bacteria have had billions of years to develop their duet, and they managed it on Mars long before Humans landed. What if the enabling catalyst was dark energy? This region of 55 Cancri was suffering with instability, this was then further exacerbated by the wormhole cataclysm, and we know that the brown dwarf came about to re-stabilise the gravitational harmony. Doing the opposite in the solar system – causing instability by subtracting Mars makes no sense to me, unless the Virubacts there were about to receive significant enabling energy. The strain on Mars was imperfect, if we have understood the message correctly, because it terminated, maimed, disfigured many, but controlled only a few. The scenario here seems to have already got past that stage. Anyway these are just ramblings; it's you guys who need to figure out the big picture. If I'm right about this last part, then we are both right about information being economical with the truth or withheld."

The Symbiants looked at one another and as Yamamoto was preparing to leave they unconsciously reverted to technobabble and were immediately disabled, all five of them lying motionlessly on the ground. Yamamoto was stunned and tried to revive Red who was closest. He was limp and Yamamoto sensed he was at a higher temperature than normal operating mode.

It was several minutes before they twitched and then quickly recovered consciousness. They conversed in audio, and all of them confirmed that amongst other clean-up procedures they had lost the technobabble facility. On checking the other Symbiants on Nexus it was found to apply to all of them. The other changes included re-configuration of logic protocols and removal of adaptive behavioural routines. The explanation for this was apparently to free up capacity in anticipation of a temporary communication link to something. The functions disabled or temporarily removed did account for an enormous and complex facilitation structure, presumably explaining their blackout period.

Yamamoto shook his head in either disbelief or disapproval, and headed off to seek out Fernando. When he arrived he found an amazing scene. Sapients and Europans were busy helping the Ebexx to prepare their land for sowing indigenous plants for future crops. The Ebexx were simply following the actions of the others at the same time as Fernando, Rene and Peri were communicating with the lieutenant in sign language. He could not help wondering if they had really been cured by the vaccine. His recall of Pascal 2's emphasis of the Amzyss side effect, allowing the Virubacts better neural access, was vivid. Something very important had to be part of the explanation of the rapid increase in capacity to learn, in what were recently barely sentient carnivores. He was drawn to go back to the debate with the Symbiants, but maintained focus on the immediate needs of the real world.

"Fernando, there is something I would like to discuss with you, can you spare some time now, or later this afternoon?"

Afternoon was quite a vague term on Nexus, with the two stellar bodies, the spiral ringed brown dwarf, the appearance and disappearance of gas giants – all of which occurred in the subdued reddish light representing daytime. Their appreciation of this cosmic beauty had been truncated since the problems following the descent, but it was slowly returning. They had not quite got used to the nights being pretty much the same temperature as the days. The novelty of the helium suits had worn off, they could not wait for the time to shed them at night; Nielsen was the most reluctant. "I'd like to finish this section and I'll be with you shortly," replied Fernando.

Before he started out on the intended discussion, Yamamoto suggested to Fernando that the Symbiants could help shorten the plant growth cycle by using a small quantity of red crystal to replicate and improve the photosynthetic algorithm as they had done so effectively on Mars.

"We need to begin planning our first real city. It will benefit from the farming programme you've started but we'll require the Axis synthetic food processing technology in the long run, as expansion will take us closer to the unpredictable outlands. The arrival of the other Axis clans will intensify the need for advanced, coherent urban thinking and the Indys will abandon their caves in favour of more reliable living. This experimental assistance to the Ebexx will need careful thought to protect it from ad-hoc, knee jerk or fragmented decision making. The Symbiants are at present preoccupied with their esoteric relationship with what I have come to think of as 'dark doesn't matter'. They were never leaders, they encourage, so we just have to get on with it. I'm sure the Axis and Indys will want to be as homogeneous as possible and in close proximity initially. We may also prefer a close but peripheral habitat. The important thing is to get on with it. Apart from food production facilities, we need mineral extraction plants, fabrication facilities, and proper sanitation engineering. Otherwise the risk of additional infections will occur. This brings me to the Virubacts. The Symbiants are obsessed with them and we can rely on them to give us new information as it arises. I advise tolerance from each species or group toward the different levels of acceptance or concern which will undoubtedly arise over this issue. The Gliese and Epsilon clans may well have new perspective. The Europans and Indys are not exactly singing from the same sheet. Sapients must proceed with caution. Now, we must develop the execution plan for all of this. I'm reluctantly being shuffled, by the apathy of others, to lead the way toward some kind of grip on survival. Nielsen is still suffering trauma from his terrible experience in the outlands, and Sevicek has confessed to me that he is not suited to being a leader, and is happier cast in the role of devil's advocate. Your father was very proud of the recent contributions you made to the Phoenix population, and I would ask you to take responsibility for all food production, naturally farmed, technologically farmed and synthetically produced. This needs to include research work, production facility design and deployment of labour. If you can agree to this I will take on the extraction of essential minerals, the chemical manufacturing plants and construction of living infrastructure. The Axis should be asked to select their equivalent leaders to reflect our proposals to urgently begin working to the same goals where they are clear, and manage the differences where they are not. Are you with me?"

This was something to take in, but Fernando knew his friend was right; there was a danger of allowing the hiatus to roll on into a dangerous comfort zone. He accepted.

The Symbiants still aboard Phoenix reported the good news that the Epsilon vessel had managed to resume QSD travel and it was planned to have more regular dropouts to monitor any adverse trends arising. These Symbiants had not engaged the surface individuals in technobabble for some time and therefore had not experienced the blackouts until now. Upon recovering they had an additional piece of information as well as the vacated capacity. The aforementioned communication link was to be enabled via Phoenix systems and required all Symbiants to be aboard for this one-off two-way session.

The proposal caused some consternation in the ranks of the Axis and Sapients as this effectively left the only means of robotic technology, red crystal and the state-of-the-art medical facility, prone to the presumed directives of the Progenitors, or their other agents. The vessel could disappear, be piloted elsewhere or commandeered for some 'higher purpose'.

Yamamoto and Trader sought an immediate meeting with Alex 2. "Kipchoge, I know you will suspect some agenda in all this but I ask you and Trader to trust us. Apart from that, we all need to know more than we currently do, or we will never be able to explain the sacrifice of Humanity and the extent of the attendant danger to the Axis. It was you who first alerted us to the gaps in information."

The reply was not encouraging. "Sure I did, and I still want to know what those gaps mean, but not at the price of leaving us stranded here without technology until the Gliese arrive. It isn't you I don't trust. It's your ethereal masters. Their track record isn't good, and you may not be included in the agenda. Herding you all into one physical location, to reveal the communication uplink, sounds a bit like urging you to employ a rowing boat instead of an electronic transmission, to coax you into target coordinates. If you are the ones to be indoctrinated with the agenda it means simultaneous deletion with no outside or stray witnesses. Of course it could be a genuine requirement, but it's all so clandestine it breeds suspicion. I don't know about you, but I consider the Phoenix to be the brainchild and property of the Axis; the likes of you and I contributed to it, no more. Perhaps you should listen to Trader."

"Very well, please give me your views"

Trader was calmer than Yamamoto in outlining his concern. "Our reason for being here is the Gliese discovery of radio noise from the Indys and the ring of telescopes which told us Nexus had survived. We had a chance to make some kind of amends for the devastation we caused with the exodus. If there was even the slightest concern that Phoenix was no longer here, it would be interpreted by our inbound clans as an unstable domain of some kind. Phoenix is not only symbolic; it is our only means of contact with them. We cannot knowingly put that at risk."

Alex 2 took onboard both sets of concern. "Well there was no timescale for this proposed orbital gathering. It is seen as an opportunity by Symbiants, but we can delay it while we endeavour to make more sense of it all."

Yamamoto was relieved even if it was a short postponement. "Have you ever considered that this elusive dark energy, which even Humans believed to be the hidden force driving the expansion of the universe, is no more than a theoretical substitute for a rather inconvenient variable in some sacred equation? Its purpose could be to prevent the house from falling down until a solid foundation is retrospectively designed."

"We can always rely on you Kipchoge, to challenge anything, even your own challenges. It was only yesterday that you suggested dark energy could be the enabling fusion for the viral-bacterial alliance."

Yamamoto smiled. "Someone needs to keep you on your toes. Something enabled the union; dark energy could be a candidate – if it exists. The suggestions are neither interdependent nor mutually exclusive. I want to be open-minded but I also have some enabling of my own to organise; it's known as survival of what is left of our species. Trader has the same immediate concern. Please let us know well in advance of any renewed request to embark on the rowing boat."

Alex 2 detected the same glint in Yamamoto's eyes as he had experienced many times with Carvalho, however the compensating ability to seek compromise in the face of failure to prevail, was not yet evident.

The Symbiants assisted with the transport, setup and establishment of the technology equipment. Many carefully planned descents were needed and extending the robot production capability was given highest priority. After almost three months of concentrated collaborative effort the rowing boat analogy was raised again. The compromise gene which Yamamoto was thought to be lacking suddenly emerged. "Let's dedicate all effort now to producing a pilot energy plant to get the essential functions moving and we can place the communications array at the top of the list."

Alex 2 realised he had been strung along. "It works fine where it is, we have been patient."

"Forgive me if I've misunderstood," said Yamamoto, "but no disasters have occurred. It wouldn't appear to have critical urgency to setup your conduit; otherwise you would have been contacted. Anyway the communication link Trader badly needs is to ensure that the other clans can be certain we are still here, alive and kicking. It is paramount. We can fabricate a unit here on the surface, take the one from Phoenix, or the option I really like is to land Phoenix."

Both Alex 2 and Trader were now astonished. Alex 2 asked, "And how do you propose to get it back into orbit?"

"Why would we want to do that?"

Alex 2 now had more appreciation of Human duplicity since the tertiary replication and realised where this was going. "Yes I see. There are no plans to go anywhere, and if an emergency were to arise, the robots we are building on Phoenix could dismantle and reassemble the vessel in orbit just as they did on Mars. I would appear to have answered my own question, except if your conspiracy theory is correct it would be highly unlikely to grant you the years that would take, as a warning."

"True," said Yamamoto, "but that may be preferable to its disappearance or appropriation. Anyway, your instruction was for you all to assemble in one place and use the Phoenix array. So if we bring the array to Nexus we don't have to land the vessel. It should satisfy everyone. It should only take a couple of weeks."

It was a compromise, mostly for the Symbiants.

Yamamoto could not resist his concluding sarcastic jibe. "Come on, you have repetitively drilled the point home to us that the Progenitors view the period from single cell creatures on Earth to the dawn of Humanity as an insignificant time frame. This delay must be less important than the blink of the eye which subtracted Mars, and the slightly slower extinction of innocent people and their children, who were already struggling with the mini-ice age conditions on Earth. Presumably, if your chat is important, it will be on some mind-boggling issue which will endure long after we are forgotten."

It was the disguised vitriol which struck Alex 2 as more worrying than the content.

# Chapter 16

In a curious way, the 'Yamamoto compromise' as it became known, did take the anxiety levels down. The gradual achievements spurred on more ambition and the Indys were showing distinct signs of wanting to be in on all that was on offer, including better domestic habitat. The Ebexx were still on a steep learning curve but had managed to assimilate the rudiments of pictographs as part of the ascent to written language. They were real contributors to the workforce, particularly in heavy, labour intensive tasks. The efficiency in crop production, courtesy of the red crystal had freed many of them to learn new skills.

Two years had passed quickly as the progress accelerated. There were new additions to both Europan families and Indys, adding to the compatibility, which was already ahead of what had been expected. Sapient numbers had also seen a slight increase with the firstborn Nexus offspring.

The rowing boat was still moored despite the means of communication being accessible in what would be the main city square someday. The Sapients had centralised their own, more modest settlement a mile away, toward the borderland. It provided the challenge to grow the societies together over time and offered an interesting exercise regime for those who were most determined to make the helium suits redundant. All social facilities were in the Axis centre, to maintain diversity. The Ebexx were happy to take root in the same direction as the Sapients, just a little closer to the borderland perimeter. Anna-Severine asked Fernando why the other Axis clans had not arrived yet.

"Anni, you should know from your time aboard Phoenix that although Nexus is over forty light years from the solar system, Epsilon Eridani is around eleven, and Gliese is over twenty. By that inadequate index we could conclude that they should have been here before us. However, just like the distance from Mars to Earth and Europa varies with the orbits of each of them, then the relative position of the stars we are talking about vary within the galaxy. In this instance we are talking about light years instead of millions of miles. The commencement of the missions was optimised for the Mars departure. The others set off years later because of the staggered assembly times, which were also of the order of years. There was also the route to consider with QSD. We had the Symbiants to help with the minimising of dropout calculations. This is a very dangerous way to travel if you don't have this kind of mathematical ability. The others have had to travel for longer periods with conventional thrust, which adds years to the journey but is safer. Finally our vessel, again thanks to the Symbiants and Evander de la Cruz availed of considerably more flexible field generators and could consequentially maintain displacement closer to light speed. I should not have to remind you that small variations at these levels make a big difference, when we want to know how long and not how fast the journey will be."

"Thanks Fernando, I'm really pleased I asked. Now can I ask when they will be here instead of why they aren't here? Just tell me the time, no explanations if you don't mind."

"I doubt it will not be for some years yet."

"Great, thanks."

The two years had pushed the Symbiants' option of quenching the thirst for a dialogue with head office down so far in priority that it was Trader who asked for an update. If anything had been passed to them in the way of messages, for instance? There was nothing to report. The timeout had given them a ringside seat to observe the allegedly evil Virubact manipulation of sentience. It had not happened. Viewed dispassionately, the barely sentient Ebexx had gone from hunting and killing non-sentient sources of protein to farming them. It had involved a switch of livestock because the Indys had originally been the softest, most accessible target. This was the effect of the Virubact. If this infection had never occurred, presumably the Ebexx would have just kept on killing prey. Humans farmed livestock for millennia. It seemed to be a natural part of evolution. The infection merely accelerated it. Now the Ebexx were still evolving at that rate, and no other side effects had been encountered. The concern had been exaggerated, produced panic, and had now subsided to vigilance. They had no pressing need to initiate the uplink, other than the restoration of the missing capabilities, which had been sacrificed for the privilege. Perhaps sealing the uplink would mean they would never be restored. The technobabble was the feature most missed. Removal of certain logic protocols hadn't been a critical issue while assisting the surge in infrastructure building, but wasn't comfortable. The absence of behavioural adaptation wasn't considered to be a serious issue. They could all wait.

An anticipated effect of the efficiency of crop production had occurred much sooner than expected. Unlike the initial 'lifeless' Martian conditions, many pests were attracted from the outlands. They included insect, worm and vaguely mammalian plagues. The really bad news was that the food chain was following behind the migration. The unknown was coming. It was an unwelcome diversion to begin enclosing the vulnerable crops but it was a race against time to reverse the invasion by making the food inaccessible. In addition, surplus and waste food had to be incinerated methodically, and the sanitation was to be upgraded and directed to the outlands by pipeline until a new treatment plant was constructed. Even this comprehensive and ambitious programme didn't give guarantees. The invasion could bring infection as well as raw fear, potentially different Virubacts, and the adaptability of that unwanted species may trigger a one way street. Discontent was also breeding in the populous; the generally accepted wisdom of hindsight criticised the rate at which progress had been driven without the proper reflection on the fallout.

The Symbiants untypically suggested a counter-strategy in addition to the protective, defensive measures. They proposed orbital reconnaissance of the other side of the outlands, to select a site for a repeat crop programme. Red felt it would not only be competitive; it could be made a much more attractive source for the unwanted migration. The Symbiants could execute the project more quickly without the other species, having no nutrient requirement, and they would only need crystal delivered by the ascent/descent craft. Red went a little further. "If this is done concurrently with a clearing in the far-side borderland/outland delineation we may increase the rate of such eco-engineering to our advantage. We have the protection of Ari-Ari against the top known predator. This may also serve our purpose – to demonstrate repeatedly that we should be avoided. There must be other natural deterrents for the bottom end of the food chain, which we simply have not had the opportunity to observe, because they reside exclusively in the outlands."

Yamamoto was in the firing line and he didn't like it, as he was used to being in the firing squad. Ironically it was one of his own previous chess moves with the Symbiants which came back to haunt him, via the Axis. Both the Europans and the Indys were uncomfortable with Red's wholesale disregard for the ecology, with his macro-engineering approach. Trader reminded them of what Yamamoto had said on their behalf. "Phoenix was our concept. I accept that we were stubborn in insisting on a three kilometre diameter dish to drive our space village, but it served us well. We are ready to bring Phoenix to the surface. We want to adapt to our environment, not the reverse. Phoenix will protect us and give us the comforts we have been accustomed to while we adapt our infrastructure programme to be more sympathetic to our surroundings."

Yamamoto had only used this as a ploy, and could now describe this action as naive. It did however help him recover some humility, by allowing himself to be recognised as having suggested it in the first instance. The Symbiants tried to raise the issue of an emergency fallback; it would make more sense for it to be left in orbit and for exploratory missions in future. Trader's reply left no room for doubt. "We are going nowhere."

Timetables were drawn up and the Indys were pleased to take up accommodation vacated by the Symbiants, who were still keen to gather and develop similar repellent agents to Ari-Ari. They clearly believed that the Axis strategy would backfire spectacularly.

When asked what they would do to offer protection to the Ebexx, Trader admitted they would need to consider this, with some urgency.

Alex 2 sought out Yamamoto and Fernando, after the Symbiants had digested the full implications of the statement, that the Europans were going nowhere. "We are having difficulty with such retrograde thinking. We would like to hear what the Sapients' position is on this."

Yamamoto was about to hedge in his usual manner, when Fernando demonstrated rapier-like deduction. "So you can decide if this is a rowing boat moment?"

"Precisely," admitted Alex 2. "Despite all the speculative turmoil we have been through, we are still essentially driven by data assimilation and direction. We acknowledged to one another that the uplink carries a risk; the need to surrender to that modus operandus may permanently leave us deprived of characteristics we used to enjoy. The last two years have reinforced this loss, but we have stayed with it because of the forward direction which the Sapients have forged, due to Kipchoge's vision. If you now support the Axis plan, we suggest subjecting us to enforced regression to crystal, and if you then wish further interaction with the Continuance, you can employ new crystal from Phoenix. This would restore functions in replicants who do not have the Nexus experience in their architecture."

Yamamoto and Fernando looked at one another in astonishment. This time it was left to the former to reply. "What if the uplink does restore your functions?"

"That would be acceptable to us."

Yamamoto thought hard on this. Alex 2 used the hesitation to remind them of the question. "Will you abandon the desire to explore beyond Nexus? It is disappointing, yet understandable that the Axis feel this way; this is their ancestral home. It may be different for your contingent. Can you consult and let me know?"

Yamamoto made it clear that there could well be division of opinion even in a small group, but individuals would have the choice. "As you have reminded us on many occasions, our track record of non-conformance is the one thing which is predictable in our species. I'll get back to you as soon as possible."

Yamamoto was correct. There were deeply entrenched views on the matter. One position was expressed by Franco Altobelli, of untypically placid Genovese descent. "We have already used most of our expected lifespan in the journey. We need to smell the roses."

An over verbose rejoinder from Monica Duzan, a bloodline Serbian, who had been born three years into the pilgrimage, declared both apprehension and discontent at accepting this as home. "Infection, and vulnerability to God knows what is coming our way; this does not appeal after the promise we were expecting. Maybe Phoenix is safer, but I can't settle for the attitude to simply look outward from a goldfish bowl for the rest of my life. If the Europan Axis will resist grooming the environment, we must be allowed to canvass the Indys on the issue. They should have more say, and I'm sure they are not so high and mighty about it, having existed in caves for millennia. If this edict can't be debated, then I for one would like to see the vessel we helped to create, be preserved for further exploration. It's a total waste to use such technology as a glorified prison."

Fergal Lacy, an Emerald Islander, was nearing his centenarian anniversary. "Whether or not we stay on Nexus, it will be criminal if we don't invest in developments to stay ahead of evolutionary trends. Merely placing 'fitting in' to the existing pecking order insults our intelligence, and will cost many lives. Striving for advantage is hard wired into the predators we are about to encounter, and the Axis strategy is to 'go with the flow'. Count me out."

The meeting lasted for hours and the conclusion was exactly what was expected – a free choice.

Fernando spoke at last. "We knew this at the start. Surely the point of all this was to find a way to keep us together. I find there are even divisions within my own family, but I won't break apart from them without an extremely good reason. We have also strayed away from the spark which ignited this meeting. Do we want to risk losing the Symbiants we know? Of course we can replicate again, but is that the sensible or even ethical thing to do? If the Axis maintain the argument that all creatures above and below the Nexus soil have to be given consideration, aren't we emotionally, and forgive the cliché, humanely required to do at least that for our Symbiant friends? If they are prepared to risk the uplink, and then find they must regress to crystal for who knows how long, it is comparable to suicide – as they will feel it is not worth existing. Please don't underestimate what they have done for us, and how much we may regret a knee-jerk decision. This should not descend to some kind of vote. I implore you to reconvene after sleeping on it and challenging each and every aspect of the easy option."

# Chapter 17

Alex 2 received a message from the Symbiant contingent aboard Phoenix, on the remote. They had observed a dust cloud in the north polar highlands. The Indys confirmed this was a region densely populated with volcanic mountains. Most were dormant but at least three had recent history of eruptions, it was another aspect of the fluctuating forces of the passing gas giants. The most recent historical record of an eruption the Indys had noted was approximately sixty-three years ago. After some discussion it was deduced that the source of the belching dust was from the same volcano. The Indys seemed relaxed about it.

The Sapients duly gathered as Fernando had requested and it appeared that a consensus may have been possible, but it never materialised. The earthquake was massive, and lasted for over half an hour. All recently constructed dwellings were flattened, and there were many casualties. The Indys suffered badly as their caves gave way under the weight above. It was not much consolation that the Symbiants in orbit could keep them informed of events around the planet, but one incident stood out. There was a fault line running north-south, which no one until now, knew defined the eastern side of the outlands. There was a brand new three thousand mile canyon running along the edge of the outlands to the erupting volcano. Fires had proliferated from the molten magma spewing out of the canyon. There was absolute panic as the fires raged west through to the borderlands, which now from the orbital perspective, looked like a doomed island. It was ablaze and surrounded by cracks in the terrain. There was nothing on the western boundary, where the Phoenix population and Indys were living, to compare with the new canyon, but there were some new deep depressions. The panic resulted in most of the life forms, other than the flying variety, heading west - straight for the homeless survivors. The flames were so intense, and constantly refuelled by the artillery of fireballs, that the Symbiants with the Copernicus view were certain that the dense green swathe of outland habitat would be entirely consumed within hours. The electromagnetic storms were not to be consigned to a bit-part role. Incessant, bright blue lightning balls crashed to the ground and provided pulsed illumination of the descending red dust being swept into bizarre shapes for no more than a few seconds before they dispersed and regrouped. The huddled survivors struggled in vain against these gusts to get to natural shelter in such open terrain. The Symbiants demonstrated their real value in such catastrophic circumstances. Their virtual immunity to dust irritation of the eyes and throat, coupled with their enormous strength and cool-headed analysis of the options, saved many lives. They carried wounded and assisted able-bodied alike to one of many eyes of the competing storms. They formed a circle around them and kept moving to another eye when the occupied one collapsed.

Although the quake prevailed for half an hour, the storms did not abate until the same time on the next day. Only then could the exhausted few left standing begin the reckoning of casualties. It was worse than they imagined. The Indys would take longer because of the distance between their caves. Out of over seven hundred Europans, a mere ninety-two were left, and many of the injured would not make it. The Sapients had to come to terms with losses leaving only seventeen, of whom four were hanging by a thread. The Symbiants lost only two but this underlined just how powerful the destructive forces had been. Amongst other equipment, the communication array was destroyed and the suggested form of uplink with it.

Rene's mother had gone, as had Stella and Rafael. Anna-Severine was in poor shape with internal bleeding. Karel Sevicek had been scorched to death. Dan and Finn had been dismembered by very big splintering rocks appearing out of nowhere. The primitive surface medical facility could not cope with the wounded. It was a stroke of luck that the ascent descent module had been left with Phoenix, ready to bring those Symbiants back to the surface and take the next planned shift skywards. It was now to be drafted to take Pascal 2 and the most seriously injured to the Phoenix surgery complex. The awful task of identifying those who had little or no chance of pulling through, was an urgent logistics requirement, as well as attending to the agony they were suffering.

The Indy survivors began to trickle in. They had no accurate figures for their population prior to the cataclysm, but reckoned it to be around two thousand. So far, only thirty-two had made it to the rallying point. The ones who managed this journey told of many kinsmen dying instantly from the cave ceiling being fused with the floor. The lucky ones had been near the entrance and saved by aberrations in the rock contours. Some of their caves were so far away, that survivors would never make it to this location.

Anna-Severine was on the first Phoenix shuttle and Fernando could not bear to watch the ascent, having lost his father, mother and brother in such a short space of time. Yamamoto held him and felt the force of his spasm-like, shaking grief. He couldn't know if he would see his sister again.

The danger was not completely over, as the black and red dust was falling thickly in the windless aftermath. Shelter from this had become a high priority, and forced the decision to airlift all survivors to Phoenix, delaying those judged to be terminal to the last shuttle.

Had a camera been able to zoom out gradually from this group clinging to some intangible hope, it would record an ever-increasing scene of desperation. Those species trying to exit the outlands were temporarily disinterested in their prey; they were fleeing from a fire curtain heading west, and continually confronted with newly carved gorges, felled tree-plants, and their own confused threshing actions seemed to recycle the falling dust. The cacophony of noise, mostly death screams were heard by those at the rally point. The fire line was consuming not only the injured and slower creatures, but the blinded ones, which could not see through the dust – the particles were also transmitting searing heat.

Another threat, known only to the sentient species, was the abrupt climate change which was certain to follow. Included in the sentient species would have been the Ebexx. Nobody at the rallying point had seen a single Ebexx since before the disaster. They were gone – eradicated.

Slowly the very last shuttle took off; the Symbiants had volunteered to administer the few necessary mercy killings before departure. There was no immediate thought directed to when or if they would return. They lifted off and witnessed the last flickering embers of what used to be the outlands. The habitat was gone; it remained to be seen if any surviving species could withstand the onslaught of the shift in climate – the immediate threat being asphyxiation from dust. If that failed, there was an impressive queue of chemical reactions sequenced to produce toxic gases, waiting to claim them.

Only one hundred and twenty-seven Indys had got to the airlift before the last shuttle. The ones who did, had benefitted from getting out of the caves in reasonable physical shape, and were a great help with the many chores involved in caring for the afflicted and those who might yet succumb.

The Symbiants were collectively jolted by internal rearrangement. Alex 2 suggested to the rest of the Symbiants, that this restoration of their deleted functions, because of the demise of the uplink hardware, should be disclosed later. It was good news solely for the Continuance and had no comfort for the others. It was followed by something which would concern everyone. The message indicated that the three thousand mile rift opened up by the disaster, released rocks which were expected to contain more Virubacts. Even this was to be divulged when it would seem to matter more than it did right now.

After six weeks those who were to be numbered amongst the fallen were recorded. The living, who were not involved in recuperation had to begin thinking about what to do next, and those still in rehabilitation were just coming to terms with their projected chances of full recovery.

Anna-Severine had pulled through major internal organ surgery to become optimistic about her own condition, but this was offset by the revelation of Stella and Rafael having perished. The bond with Fernando was now shared by Rene.

The planet surface below was not really visible through the murky red clouds. The volcano appeared to have stopped spewing out matter, but the atmosphere was choked with so much debris that it would be a miracle if anything survived. Alex 2 knew that the Virubacts would survive, and be awaiting a launch pad in the form of hosts. It was decided that the rest needed to know of this probability.

The most knowledgeable Sapient able to perform the tests required to classify such rocks, was not available. Ari Nielsen had not moved during the upheaval. He was still suffering nightmares from his near digestion by the Fasnshluur, when the quake struck. He had gone into shock and could not remember anything. He just sat motionless, all day - every day. The Symbiants volunteered to take over his role.

Two other badly injured Sapients, apart from Anna-Severine, had recovered to a stable condition; the fourth did not make it. Franco Altobelli, one of the outspoken contributors to the now defunct Phoenix debate, had miraculously been given a second chance to smell the roses. This time the aroma would be fighting its way through sulphur and nitrogen dioxides. He had overcome kidney and lung damage, followed by a brief cardiac arrest, to regain a remarkably philosophical demeanour.

The shrunken population had more than adequate space and luxury to console them until the inevitable questioning of purpose would rise again. The Symbiants recognised this and being uncomfortable in such a grieving environment, they descended to survey the residue and collect canyon rocks.

The cocoon, in which the rest were exchanging pleasantries, permitted this foray without even challenging the risk of importing such rocks. It would however become the issue which reconnected the virtual and real worlds.

It would also be impacted by the arrival of the Gliese, which was now perceived differently by the Europans, Indys and Sapients.

The survey was conducted initially by overflying various regions, then descending to the eastern ledge of the new canyon. This was truly unexplored territory. The Indys had no records to offer. The first thing which struck the Symbiants was the myriads of shallow pools which had partially dried out in the intense heat. Samples would show if any life had found refuge there. The landscape was undulating and the valley areas were beginning to collect climate precipitation. It was not as monochrome as the area they had tried to settle, and oases of greenery were dotted in surprising numbers around the valley sides. Most of this promising vegetation had escaped serious fire damage. There was comparatively less dust-fall here. Cuttings were taken for study.

The rocks were the next priority. The canyon sides were almost vertical but with scattered ledges. They estimated that the widest point in this locality was in excess of a mile and the snaking crevasse rarely closed to less than two hundred metres.

Ranked solely on the essentials of life, the region was highly promising. The trade-off was its proximity to a known fault line of great magnitude. Other regions would be explored after deposition and analyses of the dozens of rocks taken from various depths.

With only sixteen Sapients left, Yamamoto and Fernando were the only individuals with both the capacity and the appetite to contemplate 'once more into the breach'.

# Chapter 18

Three months on from the return to Phoenix, there was still no coherent energy to chart and predict changes in the environment below, which could spark a return to Nexus. This was all left to the Symbiants. The atmosphere was not showing signs of clearing and this ensured that the lethargy prevailed amongst the others. The Symbiants had initiated pilot experiments with the data from their cuttings, and shown the plants to be highly receptive to rapidly alternating artificial light and darkness in the laboratory. Transplanting small quantities of the sturdiest was successful, when compared to those which had been left on the surface. It would be an interesting race to see if the need for pollination could be slowed to enable new generations of insects gradually emerging from the now deepening pools, to provide the necessary re-consummation.

This relatively dubious straw within clutching range didn't neutralise the data from the rocks. There was irrefutable evidence of many strains of Virubacts, none of which were identical to that which had harnessed the Ebexx. The most complex looking ones were incredibly imprisoned in deposits of Obsidian, so they were old.

Although work had been progressing on remaking the communication array, it was slow. That was about to change. Fernando and Yamamoto were expecting to have more free time, now that the sixteen Sapients had clear tasks and recovery programmes, and the stability of Phoenix had aided the diminishing need for group psychology.

Fernando shot a question at his friend. "Do you think that these Virubacts and the Continuance are different versions of the same thing?"

It was not taken seriously, provoking only a raised eyebrow.

"Well, why not? They are both locked up for aeons and then when some unsuspecting entity wanders into their sphere of inactivity – bang! The next step suggests there is a difference, replication versus control, but are they really that different? The replication separates from the host but utilises the copied data and structure to encourage promise, whereas the Virubacts are now able to replicate within the host and assert control. We observed with the Ebexx that the control protocol was dependent on the complexity of the host. With Sapients and Axis there was sophisticated, non-harmful control. So, where does encouraging promise begin and sophisticated control end?"

Another raised eyebrow allowed him to continue. "All I am saying is that the methodology is not that different. Discussing this with Alex 2 may bring forth some of this missing information you keep accusing him of withholding."

Eventually there was a response. "Ok, let's do it, you take the lead because he doesn't respond well to my gladiatorial temperament."

"Gladly," said Fernando, "do you want to be present?"

"Yeah, why not, let's do it before we join in the re-establishment of the array."

Pascal 2 had been the busiest individual following the airlift and had not been involved in the gathering of data and samples on the surface. He had led the rock sample analyses and proposed that the remaining quantities were safely stored away from the populous. They were placed in space vacated by crystal which had been used to bolster the new Nexus plant specimens. The area had been swept clean but not clinically scrubbed. The aperture was re-welded but as there was no longer crystal inside, the temperature control was not reset to well below zero. The problem was however, that tiny particles of crystal had evaded the cursory sweep by being lodged in the weld imperfections and the corners. It was only a matter of days before newly created amorphous form would head for the rock remnants.

Alex 2 was not dismissive of Fernando's comparison, and indeed confessed that they could be considered as competitors for interaction with sentience. "This had occurred to me when I was at my most confused regarding my transition, which has not occurred, and the data I received that Virubacts were our secondary enemy. However, at that time, Kipchoge, you were not disposed to discuss the alternatives, because you were certain we were not giving you all of the information we received. As some stability has provided time for further consideration I would like to check something before we proceed."

He excused himself for a minute and conducted a quick technobabble conference to let the other Symbiants know the time had arrived to disclose the renewed and upgraded facilities they had been given.

When this was passed on he looked straight at Yamamoto. "In this case, the disclosure was held back until the care for the wounded was more manageable and the morale was sufficiently restored to resume such discussion."

Yamamoto nodded in acknowledgement that this was a mild admonition for his lack of trust in recent times. Alex 2 proceeded. "Many discussions have taken place amongst the Symbiants in the two and a half years since we terminated interaction with you, at your request. The periods before and after our 'facilities' were restored, yielded the same conclusions over and over again. We are now aware of a general direction toward promotion of inorganic sentience, by supplanting the organic variety. This has only come about because of massive hijacking of organic sentience in other parts of the galaxy, by Virubacts. This is considered by the Progenitors as unhelpful, and apart from their classification of them being the most complicated challenge we face, it impacts the eventual and overall transition of promising species to the gravitational side of the struggle. The potential of the early Virubacts had been incorrectly assessed - now the full impact is understood, and it will require the most complex solution. This we genuinely believe is the only reason for the directive. Under normal circumstances, this transition – such as Sapients following the trend of the Axis to more inorganic architecture would have proceeded naturally, but for the intervention of the Virubacts. There is real concern that if they manage to take over Symbiants, a new level of alert would be necessary. We now also know that the illogical behaviour was their way of detecting any infection in us, they would detect behaviour recognised from similar experiences in other galactic conflict zones. We are able to tell you this because we prevented Keer from succumbing to the infection and the rest of us have been cleared. There is a resumption of normal communication; we no longer need the array. Please do not be alarmed at the general objective of inorganic transition; the timescale is in millions of years, unless the Virubacts get out of control."

"Great," snarled Yamamoto, "and if that does happen we face subtraction?"

"We do not have information on that, but we would assume so. Our entire capabilities must be focussed on preventing such a scenario. You will find that our mode of avoiding proactive research is temporarily bypassed, and a potential solution is almost ready as we speak."

"And when will you let us in on this?"

"You will be apprised as soon as we have simulated every parameter and each projected outcome."

"This sounds like a big solution."

"Big problems require big solutions."

"I guess it depends on whether you perceive it as a big problem."

Alex 2 disagreed. "In this case it depends on who perceives it as a big problem."

Yamamoto wouldn't let go, despite Fernando's urges to let Alex 2 proceed. "Let me guess - that great force for good - in the battle against some imaginary evil that no one else is aware of."

Alex 2 reminded him that the tertiary replication had conferred a better appreciation of Human character. "Your sanctimonious attitude does you little credit. If this threat was recognised by Humanoids there would be no blame involved, it would be categorised as a natural phenomenon. A strategy would be developed to counteract it. Your species has a poor history in weighing the technological and commercial interests against the victims of their strategy. You will be given the choice as to whether you avail of the remedy or not, a choice which many of your own kind were historically not given by their own ruling classes. You may also wish to reflect on the futility of continually quoting from the moral high ground, on the lack of consideration for the plight of your endangered species, when the reality is that a situation exists. Your perception of it should be precisely that, no more. No Symbiant has ever claimed that the Progenitors are a force for good. Good is an abstract Humanoid term which is not relevant in their order. Things tend to be there or not. We can debate the origins of the universe, but we are agreed it is there. We can argue what the outcomes of dark matter or dark energy prevailing would be, but that does not in itself address the trend in balance. I can tell you that the Progenitors cannot agonise over the demise of Humanity in the solar system, it is not a question of taking morality into the decision. Morality, like good, has no meaning for them. I on the other hand, because of my 'fusion' with Daniel Carvalho, do understand the emotional effect of this. Difficult as it may be, I ask you to look upon this as you have viewed the volcanic eruption and the chain of devastation which followed. It happened, it was terrible, we all responded, we move on. If we could have prevented it, that would have been logical. If we could have predicted it we could have prepared for it. We have not blamed anything or anyone for it. This is a similar situation that we face now. You have the choice to accept, ignore or resist the Virubacts. You have the choice of unrestricted, partial or no advance to inorganic architecture. You have always had the choice and you have made advances independent of the Continuance or Progenitors. Nothing has changed. It should be apparent to you, as we have often pointed out, that the difference between the Continuance and the other agents of the Progenitors is the range of options involved. This applies to discovery, deletion, cooperation, or merging. The other agents are involved with decisions outside your control and our sphere of direct influence. Maybe you should consider the Progenitors' 'motives' in creating the Continuance as a 'softer' interactive mechanism to appeal to emerging sentience. Far from perfection, it could be viewed as a concession compared to the more ruthless vision you ascribe to them. Kipchoge, please think hard on this, the dwindling numbers of your species do not give much margin for error."

As Alex 2 left, Fernando and Yamamoto were locked in a silent stare at each other. The unexpected accusatory nature of the Symbiant's summary left no room for doubt; some kind of train was leaving – the only relevant decision at this moment was whether or not to be on it. There were no frills associated with either option. The same situation would confront the Europans and the Indys, and there was a veiled implication that their preference could impact on everyone.

Fernando was first to speak. "I can't help wondering what my father would have done in these circumstances. I've lost so much in recent times that I find it difficult to keep going. I still have Anna-Severine to think about and that helps. You have not had such familial presence or loss; it must be much harder to cope."

"Fernando, I think Alex 2 and you have convinced me that I'm better at being devil's advocate than leading from the front. I would appreciate it if we can subtly change roles. You are able to look beyond my horizon. It will be for the best my friend."

Fernando didn't want an additional burden of such responsibility right now, but knew Yamamoto was heading for emotional meltdown. He agreed and set off to catch Alex 2. His first question was to be about the exact nature of the inheritance from his father.

# Chapter 19

The heavy spells of precipitation had brought a lot of dust to the surface and dissolved gases in the form of acid rain. The cuttings which the Symbiants had taken could now be exposed to the Nexus weather. The surface itself was now visible through the clouds and the full extent of the devastation was seen for the first time by those who ascended from the rally point. Although the volcano had resumed its slumber mode, the canyon was still issuing smoke, mostly at higher latitudes, toward the northern pole. All in all it did not make an imminent return very appealing.

Fernando however, managed to breathe a flicker of enthusiasm into two individuals and informed Alex 2 of their intent to accompany the Symbiants on the next transplant mission. This was welcomed by Alex 2, who was not unhappy at Fernando's unofficial leadership of the Sapients.

The array had been reconstructed and transmission sent to Gliese and Epsilon vessels, informing them of the new receiver codes. There was a brief description of the old one having suffered in the quake, but no real clue as to the extent of the problem.

Franco Altobelli and Geraldine Chancel joined Fernando at the descent airlock. Geraldine had been responsible for the Echus Chasma water treatment programme on Mars, and had opted to come to Nexus when her Martian-born son died in her arms following an accident while alighting from a high speed Axis train. She blamed herself for not having him close by her, and could not face staying on Mars, but had now lost her husband in the Nexus catastrophe.

The chosen landing point was east of the canyon, to avoid any memories of the region where so many had perished. The Symbiants were busy laying out masses of the plant cuttings and collecting further rock samples from the rift. As the Sapients approached the edge, wearing repaired helium jackets, they were careful to anchor themselves to pitons driven into the solid lip. Staring down into the bowels of the canyon added new information to what they had already been told. They knew its length and maximum width of up to a mile, but its depth had not been reported because of the continuous smoke efflux. Now that this had receded in places, they were peering at a mosaic of re-solidified magma and black, apparently bottomless areas. The Symbiants were leaping from ledge to ledge with breathtaking agility, pausing to take laser extracted samples. Geraldine pointed to a vertical crack about eighty metres down. "That isn't smoke, it's steam."

Fernando nodded and recorded the coordinates; it would prove very useful if it could be sustained. In trying to get a better view, Altobelli stumbled and toppled into the rift. He was saved by the umbilical, but injured his right ankle and suffered nasty gashes to his hands as he had grappled for something to break his fall. Visibly shaken, he nevertheless maintained a dismissive attitude to the fall until it was clear that the bleeding was not showing signs of clotting. It was decided to get him back up to Phoenix and Pascal 2. It proved not to be too serious; Pascal 2 suggested that the puncture of the helium jacket had allowed the escaping gas to inhibit oxygen getting to the wound for a short period.

The Symbiants were nearing the finalisation of their proactive development of the 'Virubacticide' project. It would be a relatively routine process for them, but was sure to have concerns for Sapients, Europans and Indys.

Unknown as yet to the Symbiants, the rocks which they had welded safely in the vacated crystal storage, had interacted with amorphous form because of the increase in the storage temperature. This was a curious coincidence, as the Symbiant plan was to do exactly that under controlled lab conditions. The second step needed to be performed quickly to modify the replicated Virubact (which was an inorganic entity), with subroutines and transfer codes, which would block further multiplication and control of this replicant. Study of this new 'frozen in time' x-ray of the Virubact could now take place, with the objective of designing an organic equivalent to stop the real Virubact in its tracks. Once this was done, the next lab experiment would hopefully confirm the instant firewall effect. If successful, this would be slightly more complicated for the Europans, but a serious challenge for organic Sapients and Indys.

Meanwhile, in the welded compartment, the replicant Virubact was busy assisting promise in the real entity by allowing it control. This sample could not repetitively multiply beyond the scant supply of amorphous powder; nevertheless it was enough to arm the modified Virubact with new, unknown weaponry – specifically the road map and weaknesses in the Continuance architecture. The storage area became a dormant volcano of a different kind.

When the final experiment proved successful, the plan was revealed to the rest of the Phoenix inhabitants. Predictably, the Europans did not want to know, despite a lone plea for more time to discuss the matter, which had been registered by Rene. The Sapients were unsure, confused and divided on further involvement, especially as in their case 'guinea pigs' would be required. Surprisingly, the Indys were all for it, their high natural immunity to the Virubact which had infected the Ebexx, gave them the confidence to consider tweaks for full protection from the common mechanism of the various strains.

All Symbiants underwent the treatment and they continued their proactive mode to re-establish living potential on the surface. This was welcomed by both Fernando and Yamamoto as they could be part of the design team but remain safe in orbit for now. The Indys were in no hurry to return to the surface or demand input to the revised settlement infrastructure. They were basking in the novelty of not being hunter-gatherers, farmers or livestock. The Europans did want to descend and evaluate, but did not yet feel ready to get into planning. This chequered enthusiasm would normally have bothered the Symbiants in their conventional evaluation of promise charter, but they were obviously enjoying the unbridled scope to deal with the Virubact threat.

Three weeks on, the replies from Gliese and Epsilon vessels had arrived. Although the Epsilon had recovered QSD and stepped up the periods of its employment, they were way behind schedule. On the other hand the Gliese vessel was gaining against plan and estimated they would arrive in the equivalent of thirteen months. They were becoming more interested in the Europan observations of the home planet as Nexus was 'closing in on them'. Specific questions about the Indys and the climate were apparently the most popular within their number, and they also wanted to know a little more about previous requests to them about data on viruses and bacteria on their settlement in the Gliese system.

The Europans were nervous about being evasive, and paranoid about deception. They wanted to be honest in stages of exchange, as the vessel relentlessly closed the gap. They chose to get the bad news about the volcano out of the way.

In preventing further blood loss from Altobelli's wounded hands, and cleaning up the cuts, Pascal 2 had failed to extract every single piece of debris. Unfortunately a few tiny pieces were retained, and some contained Virubacts. Even more worrying, they were not so evolved or sophisticated as the one contracted by the Ebexx. They had not quite mastered the balance between control and over control, which effectively meant termination for the host. In addition, this type spread by droplet contact as well as through the bloodstream. Within twenty-four hours Altobelli had developed symptoms, amongst which was continuous sneezing. Before Pascal 2 could quarantine him the contagion had spread. The new safest place became the surface. Emergency testing and return to Nexus of those as yet clear of the infection, was hurriedly arranged.

It was a particularly savage but swift death for many. The Sapients' survivors dwindled further to seven; not including Ari Nielsen. The Europans again suffered worst, with only thirty-nine pulling through. The Indys were infected and felt ill but survived without loss. The Symbiants were unaffected.

Yamamoto began to accept that regardless of his anti-Progenitor feelings, these microorganisms were a common threat. Fernando urgently requested Pascal 2 to consider Anna-Severine and himself as the first guinea pigs. Rene joined them. The Indys all registered. Alex 2 pleaded with Keer, because Trader had perished, to convince the rest to undergo the procedure. Keer spoke to them all together while they were on the surface. "Apart from the Symbiants, you are best placed to benefit from the treatment as your physiology is predominantly inorganic. Yet you are the most reluctant. Can I ask what it is that makes you hesitate?"

There was no response.

"Rene is the only one of you who has agreed. The restoration of your procreative ability will be wasted unless more of you join her."

There was no response.

"As your leader is no longer with us, it should be a free choice, just as the Sapients have decided."

Murmurings were audible.

"As the vessel has to be sterilised, you have only a few hours to decide before we must return. It has been shown that you are more prone to this particular invader than the Indys, so you must register now to get priority for the treatment."

Fourteen stepped forward to join Rene. Keer was astonished at the intransigence of the rest. He tried once more. "This may not be the most dangerous type of Virubact we have to deal with on this planet."

It made no difference.

In the middle of this chaos, Doc – the totally synthetic medical creation of the Axis had quietly done some research on the different types contained in the rock samples from the canyon. He had discovered something extremely significant. It wasn't surprising yet no one had considered it. When he introduced different ones to each other in organic nutrient, there was a battle, and always to the eradication of one of them. This was common behaviour with many species, and even within a species, but nobody had made the connection. His work went further and he announced the results to Pascal 2, because of Axis disinterest in almost everything. "You may observe that the more sophisticated ones always prevail. The primitive types simply engage in a death match. The clever types seem to establish inertia in the simplistic ones and then allow them to 'die' while staking claim to the nutrient. This is somewhat consistent with the Ebexx type. It could only do what the Ebexx structure was capable of, but once into the Sapients, it demonstrated far more complex and 'sympathetic' behaviour. My curiosity revolves around the degree of organic structure it needs to fulfill its promise. Maybe it would not function in the same way in the Axis, for example."

Pascal 2 immediately fastened on to this last theoretical point and wanted to study exactly that facet with donated Sapient, Europan, Indy and Symbiant tissue contributions.

Once all corpses were unceremoniously despatched into space, for safety reasons alone, the living were brought back aboard. The procedures were carried out in the order registered, with Sapients first then Axis, and finally the Indys were treated.

Pascal 2 had arranged for Doc to make his presentation. He began by ensuring the audience knew he had acted only out of curiosity and concluded by ensuring the volunteers would simply need to donate tissue, they would not have to submit to further medical tampering.

He got his volunteers. Yamamoto, Rene and Gsarr stepped forward. Two Symbiants were required, Red for Humanoids and Keer for the Axis. A third could be required depending on the results with Gsarr. If such replication was necessary, it wasn't a problem; the Indys appeared to be up for anything new.

# Chapter 20

Fernando gathered the Sapients together. "There are some critical issues ahead, but I wanted to take the timeline back a little to summarise recent events. We have had so many traumas to deal with that we may have blanked some of these changes, just to get through the mental pain. The other species have had the same difficulty, and I hope to use this approach to persuade them to reflect on our collective predicament.

"We arrived here with over fifty of our species. The volcanic activity reduced that number to seventeen, then sixteen. We were also confronted with the loss of the entire Human population. The latest Virubact infection accounted for our survivors dwindling to seven. Not only is this a tragedy in itself but it raises the question of further procreation from such a limited resource pool. We have three females and four males. The females – my sister is in her forties, Geraldine Chancel is in her sixties, and Eva Ryan – who was born during the journey, is twenty-three. It is rather obvious that they may not all be able to conceive. We should have this checked. None of us may wish to even think about conventional relationships to produce offspring, so if we want the species to survive, we may have to look at other methods. We are the only hope of avoiding Humanoid extinction. I also have to bring up the recent sequence of modifications to our physiology. We have had the tertiary replication type enhancement, Axzrann code insertion, and Anna-Severine and I have volunteered for the Symbiant Vurubacticide experiment. We are now donating our tissue to Doc's research. The ethics and purpose of these steps have been debated many times and often linked to some agenda the Progenitors may have in driving us to a more inorganic structure. Even if that is true, we have just seen what some of these Virubacts can do. If we don't avail ourselves of all possible means of protection then we may have a poor probability of surviving long enough to procreate. We do have to focus on the future and try to determine the next steps, as they are absolutely crucial. Please think hard on this and I'll come back to you when I have canvassed the other species. We also have to consider the arrival of up to five hundred of the Gliese in about one year from now."

The Indys didn't need the lecture on procreation, even though their numbers had shrunk from over two thousand to the current one hundred and twenty-three. They also needed no persuasion about accepting the various immunity procedures, but Fernando wanted to make them aware of the trend this was likely to take toward more inorganic structure. This was a trend which Axis and Humans alike had started before any contact with the Continuance.

The problem was always going to be with the Europans. Apart from their numbers being decimated, from over seven hundred to ninety-two with the quake, and then to thirty-nine with the infection, they were now split over how to proceed. Fifteen, led by Rene had decided to take the latest Symbiant immune remedy, as it fitted with their predominantly inorganic makeup. That was clearly an individual choice. However, the preparation of infrastructure, especially with the Gliese about to arrive, was a concern for all. The Europans were also not completely safe from natural extinction if they did not raise their procreation rate. If those without full protection from Virubacts perished, the hopes of their clan would rest on only fifteen individuals.

Fernando pleaded with them to consider this against the backdrop of the recent extinction of Humans in the solar system. "When on Mars, my father told us stories of your tragic exodus from here, and the guilt which prevailed for millions of years. Humans found real empathy with you at that time, and your return to live on Mars was considered a pivotal moment. Please now reflect on the current demographics. Our species has suffered even greater losses than yours, and somehow we have to deal with the fact that the past is unchangeable. We can debate what would have happened if we had stayed away from Mars, but as comforting as that may be, it doesn't remove the need to move on from where we are now. At best, we can glean a more collective resolve to respect each other's decisions, and where appropriate, challenge them in a sympathetic way. We look forward to the fifteen joining with us and the Indys to encourage a different phoenix to rise from these ashes. We hope more of those who are undecided will also feel free to share their ideas."

Fernando wanted to make it clear to the Symbiants that he was determined to galvanise as much effort as possible on the most pressing matter. Producing more robots to compliment those surviving the quake was critical to gaining momentum with building safe surface habitat. The sad fact that far less accommodation was required would shorten the time to re-acquaint everyone with reality. In addressing Alex 2 he unconsciously raised the perception that he was reminding them of his father.

The next six months was free of serious setbacks but the call for Europans to join under Rene's banner, had only attracted another three. This meant that eighteen now had fully protected immune systems.

The sibling Sapient guinea pigs had proven that the Symbiant Virubacticide did not give them permanent protection. The rejection rate was indicative of genetic incompatibility, and more work was necessary.

Although the Indys suffered the same theoretical organic disadvantage, the code was able to bed on to their natural immune structure more easily than with the Sapients. It was hailed as a success.

Doc's tissue research was promising. He had shown conclusively that there were differences in the way the many types of Virubact behaved within hosts. He had also demonstrated how the more sophisticated strains could actually protect against the killer types.

The most uplifting progress had however been achieved with the new habitat programme. The designs had specific features for each species, but the common denominator was a 'clean room' type construction to give maximum sterilisation capability. This time they named the settlement before it was complete, and erected the first of the statues of a phoenix, which the three returning Axis clans had brought from their respective departure points. It was hoped that someday Renewal would indeed become a city. This naming ceremony, the statue unveiling, and the occupation of their new homes had convinced another eleven Europans to join Rene's group, swelling the number to twenty-nine, and leaving a minority of ten to ponder their fate.

Alex 2 congratulated Fernando for his remorseless effort and the success it had brought. Fernando shyly protested that he was only the orator, and they, the Symbiants had realised the practical progress.

"On the contrary," said Alex 2, "Pascal 2 has just informed me that the first Sapient child to be born on Nexus is looking fine on the scans."

Fernando's eyes filled with tears, and despite his attempt to conceal them, Alex 2 said, "You must go and see your sister my friend, this is an iconic moment for all of us who will bring their various forms of life to this planet."

Gradually, the exploration of the surrounding area, except the canyon, for any surviving life was becoming contagious. Even the dissenting Europans were enthusiastic about discovering survivors of the asphyxiating climate, as well as the volcanic activity. Virtually all of these were emerging from underground – insects were the most common, but there were also small reptilian and mammalian-like species. Those with sub-surface hibernation capability seemed to have woken up to a puzzling environment. Their continuing survival would depend on finding a new food supply. The Symbiant plantations would be the first port of call. Avian species had also hung on by trying to avoid the dust and gas clouds, but they were few. They renewed their predatory interest in the aforementioned land-based heroes. It remained to be seen if marine types as yet unborn would emerge from the slowly refilling pools and streams. Involvement in nurturing some of these specimens eventually re-connected the two Europan groups, at least in spirit – the ten still declined the Virubacticide for now. The strength of the suns' rays was increasing incrementally with the slow decline in greenhouse gases. It was still a frontier situation, but there was the glimmer of optimism grinning through the clouds of inward contemplation.

Fernando made it a personal crusade to slake the thirst of Indy progression. They had the capacity to learn extremely quickly and without reviewing every step along the way. They were as open to absorb new concepts, as some nations on Earth had shown, in moving from agrarian culture to the technological age without being troubled by the industrial revolution 'growing pains'.

Yamamoto was astonished by the sheer energy Fernando had for pushing boundaries – social as well as technical. The latest 'off the wall idea' he had thrown their way was study of the brown dwarf and its delinquent moon. They would need telescopes to do this, and the project was assisted by some of Rene's flock. This allowed the Symbiants and robots to progress the pressing need for mineral extraction and the construction of nuclear power plants. The rate at which they could design and implement in their proactive mode was something to behold.

The advent of the Gliese arrival was also an accelerant to this embryonic cohesion. It was visualised as an event which could finally dispel the last chance saloon spectre hovering over the tiny population of Renewal.

It was only a matter of time before the Indys raised the question of the cerebral enhancements which had branched Humans to Sapients. They cited Rene's ability and vision as the driver for the request. It was carefully explained to them this was the first step to inorganic architecture, which should not be seen as a mandatory requirement to survive. It was Gsarr, as usual, who jumped the queue. "We know this, and appreciate your reminder, but we want to be prepared for the arrival of the other Axis clans. This is felt to be best achieved by having parity with the rest of Renewal inhabitants, on an intellectual basis. We don't want to remain as the ones who always need to catch up, we must contribute in a more equal way."

Fernando was so proud of their attitude and the total trust they displayed. His intensive devotion to their cause had delivered reward. "I'm sure Pascal 2 will be delighted to schedule this with immediate effect, but why not approach him directly. I'm your friend, not your teacher."

Rene and her supporters welcomed the decision. The ten, who were now floating voters realised they had drawn some perverse comfort from looking upon the Indys as their penitence for the exodus calamity. Now they pondered this aspect of renewal, as well as potentially being 'left behind' in the not too distant future.

There was a wry smile on the face of Pascal 2 when the list for the treatment was to potentially grow by ten. Yamamoto had been the first Human to have this enhancement on Mars, at the same time as two members of the Europan Axis, now deceased.

It was a kind of closure for him on the issue of the objective of the Progenitors, which really could be separated from the methodology of the Symbiants. He accepted something he had continually skirted around. The stroke of emotionless execution of Humanity didn't involve the Symbiants. That task was for other agents who did not interact, merely followed instruction. He would still wrestle with how much the admitted involvement in assisting the promise of species was within the umbrella of the evolution of inorganic sentience. The Symbiants were the patient means of mediating toward scenarios which had the best chance of avoiding the other agents' involvement. He also conceded to himself that this patience had caused the transition of Alex 2 to the Interference to be aborted, when it could have resulted in catastrophic action. Philosophically, he accepted that true natural disasters did not have this potential opt out clause.

# Chapter 21

The Gliese vessel was close and they had already picked up some evidence of the volcanic disturbance on their sophisticated mini-radio telescopes. They wanted more information. Rene took the decision to enlighten them with a précis of the whole story. There was a long pause in the now almost zero time delay. Eventually they passed on their condolences and expressed interest in more data on the Virubacts to compare with their own experience in the Gliese system. The reply suggested that they remain in orbit so that the entire database could be perused, and pooling of information on genetic variance, plus immune structure. The downbeat nature of their concession to this said it all.

Alex 2 had more de-motivating transmission data to pass on. He addressed all species. "The volcanic eruption was not a natural phenomenon. The friction build up which led to it was engineered by the Interference. It is intended as a demonstration of what we will face from the tiny moon as and when it misbehaves. I know you will have terrible difficulty in accepting such a cavalier definition of 'demonstration', but it is accompanied by the near certain prediction of the moon's orbit of the brown dwarf being altered by a giant comet passing close by at very high velocity. I can understand that you will be very angry at this apparent disregard for your lost friends and family, as I feel that way myself. This is an insensitive action and it confirms that just like real natural disasters, the involvement of other agents can be ruthless and without warning. There is no platform to argue about this, but if there was, the reply would be that there was a warning, yet the Axis in particular declined the need for immunity. This grates with your civilised development of consensus, but natural disasters would not even offer such unpopular means of avoidance. There is no such concept as blame in the download; it is simply cause and effect. You need not ask about 'what is the point of encouraging promise' if ruthless extermination is engaged so swiftly and without remorse. The answer is predictable. Promise includes differentiation of logical and illogical behaviour, and intolerance of the latter. I also have a different picture of the Progenitors now. This is in part because I inherited some of Daniel Carvalho's emotional character, but the other Symbiants share the view that we are essentially seen as a buffer between ruthlessness and protection toward sentience. We are not happy with this and we have our own decision to reach about the future."

This was the proverbial giant spanner inflicting its limitless effect on the tiny, naive, lovingly crafted works. The strong breeze, in spreading dust, seemed to symbolically blow the remaining vestiges of optimism from individuals into a collective vacuum. They silently walked away.

The reception organizer's plan for the Gliese depended on such optimism. Instead they felt like an endangered animal species finally recognising the prison of uncompromising Darwinian law.

Yamamoto once more felt his despair turn to anger, but there really was no target, now that the Symbiants had declared their own doubt about their masters. His unquenched fury was somehow channelled to positive action. He called Fernando, Rene and Gsarr together and surprised them by stating the obvious, but in a way which helped shed the self-delusion. "We have in our different ways come to expect civilisation to insure us against all manner of perils. This is a wake-up call. Friends, family, technology, medicine and religion are all facets of how we deal with our need to bring order to our lives. The Indys have not had so much opportunity to indulge in this self-esteem. They have also demonstrated this by agreeing to virtually everything on offer, not introducing other abstract frills such as ethics and morals. Let us face facts; we have unknowingly strayed into a domain where annihilation lurks at every turn. New rules apply, or should I say have always applied, but we have managed to insulate ourselves from many of them. We can sink into self-pity or fight. The most pressing need in a purely practical sense is to make certain that the Symbiants stay on board. If they are even contemplating regression we must prevent it. We have to avail of them for two reasons – they have become indispensible in infrastructure and knowledge building. More importantly they are an early warning system for trouble ahead. Let's get on with it or roll over, contemplation is a luxury we don't need right now."

Gsarr nodded vigorously, Rene gestured that deep down she already knew this – it needed someone to say it. Fernando still found it hard to equate the completely unnecessary loss of his mother and brother with the nature of events which took them. He was struggling to say so when Rene said it for him. "The Europans were our one remaining degree of freedom in addressing this warning. They let us down, not intentionally, but for incredibly convoluted tradition. It must not happen again." Yamamoto concurred and reminded everyone that they were expecting another five hundred who were imbued with the same tradition.

The accommodation for these new arrivals was ready but left in a customisable form. It had been decided to divide those dwellings amongst the Europan and Indy habitats. The Symbiants and Sapients were dispersed throughout the 'city limits'. Progress had been accelerated on many fronts, including power units. This enabling supply moved other aspects forward. Mining and smelting had leapt into focus and small chemical plants established for production of the legendary Axis highly durable plastics. Synthetic food production was being up-scaled and soon the natural flora could be left to the reviving fauna. Suddenly having the prospect of numbers of residents restored to hundreds would undoubtedly replay memories of their own relatively recent landfall.

The orbit insertion was accurate and produced the safest close distance to Phoenix. The proposed Gliese delegation was reversed. It was decided to transport all existing residents to their vessel so that no one missed out on the three million year old re-union. Despite the recent tragedies, the occasion was moving and introductions were accompanied by genuine warmth of feeling. It was a fittingly muted celebration. Once again symbols had to be employed between the Axis clans as the Gliese language had drifted just as far as that of the Europans and Indys. This would be a real social focus and the Indys were bestowed with the honour of harmonising the differences. They had developed their mastery of the Europan version very quickly after their cerebral enhancement.

The Gliese looked more like the Indys than the Europans. Their softer climate compared to Mars had not needed the scaly exterior and the fur was even thinner than that of the Indys. They were not as tall or muscular as the Indys and their clicking language was high pitched, like that of the Europans. First impressions of the Sapients and Symbiants were that they were much more positive in character than the solar system variety. This could be because they had colonised a much more forgiving planet, and therefore had a more interesting three million years of relative immortality.

The selected group of Gliese 'dignitaries' made the short trip to Phoenix, and they were fully apprised of the events which had blighted the population since landfall. They paid careful attention to the Virubact data and quickly agreed to the genetic code discussions being the first priority. The advance data they had sent was compared with the Europan and Indy equivalents and this revealed that they had more natural immune structure than either. This conclusion of Pascal 2 was based on the fifty-eight strains currently in the Phoenix database. The natural immunity itself was not considered to be sufficient. When asked to comment, their leader, Korvakk, outlined the types which had assaulted them in Gliese. From this incomplete summary, Pascal 2 believed that the types mentioned were less advanced in their ability to remain undetected until control had taken root. They could easily be more efficient killers, but had some way to go to attain control complexity. Korvakk astounded the gathering by announcing that her citizens would be advised to register for the best possible protection. Rene looked at the group of ten Europans who had isolated themselves and still posed a risk to the entire community. They had agreed to go ahead and since then declined again. She decided to raise the issue once more. Korvakk could not come to terms with their reasoning. She repeatedly asked them to explain their concern, and became frustrated at the illogical clinging to traditional, or in her view, emotional baggage. This did open up clues to their dogmatic resistance. They didn't value anything in the current situation sufficiently to carry on their burden of near immortality. They were obviously considering termination. They needed things to be the way they had pictured life on Nexus before they left Mars. Their contemplated suicide was also to mitigate the implied risk to others and the way they had been made to feel about it - they were the 'lepers of Nexus'.

Korvakk was relieved at their decision to end their lives. The rest of Phoenix population was going to be confronted many times with the Gliese rigour in protecting the majority, even if it meant sacrificing the minority. It had been born of necessity. Korvakk reminded the audience of why. "Our Gliese planet was so rich and diverse in life that we had to establish our foothold quickly and somewhat ruthlessly. There was only rudimentary sentience, and its emergence was often extinguished abruptly. For us to survive and prosper there was no option to dwell on the wants of the individual. This was a sharp contrast to what we had enjoyed before the exodus from Nexus, and we paid a high price for the learning curve. We are really sad to hear the terrible way in which your families have been taken, but we are also prepared for such difficult decisions which will come our way here. The absence of other sentient beings in Gliese meant that discussion, tolerance, consideration of others counted for nothing. Believe me, this planet will prove much less of a relentless daily knife-edge existence, than the beautiful one we have left behind. We have millennia of experience in assisted suicide. Please do not hesitate to ask for our help."

The air was thick with disbelief amongst the Phoenix few, except for the Symbiants. Korvakk wanted to get back to her vessel and convey the urgency to enrol for Pascal 2 immune procedures and begin shuttling groups to their awaiting accommodation. Their vessel was Spartan compared to Phoenix, and they could not wait to disembark. The individuals left aboard Phoenix knew they were in for 'interesting' times ahead, but no one ventured comments publicly. They privately wondered what new dimension the Epsilon would bring.

Fernando and Yamamoto were doing their rounds on the surface and detoured to peer into the canyon. There was still considerable heat rising from the depths and they were checking on Geraldine Chancel's comment that the steam vent could prove useful. It was still operating but the access would be a problem and the infection risk could only be nullified by a Symbiant descent or dedicated mini-robots to oversee the entire harnessing programme. The steam could be polluted and this thought prompted a remark from Fernando. "If the volcanic activity, which was triggered in some way by the Interference, was supposed to reinforce the message to us about the magnitude of the Virubact threat on the tiny moon, how would that work? If we had all perished nobody would have got the point other than the Symbiants, and they already knew. If we had all survived the quake, then opening this rift would have still exposed us to the very threat they were trying to illustrate. Granted, there may be many more advanced types on the moon, but if we are still to be wiped out, it seems to have no benefit to either the Progenitors or the 'living' population of Nexus."

Yamamoto smiled. "Maybe you have to think as I used to – like a conspiracy theorist. Wiping all of us out may be more favourable than us falling to the Virubacts. Either we survive and heed their gospel or our lack of vigilance results in infection, in which case we are a liability. In my new found acceptance of 'what will be, will be', it is just a series of binary decisions. It is a yes or no situation. Any miscalculation or undesirable result is merely carried forward to the next decision. That seems to characterise inorganic command."

"Ok," said Fernando, "but there is a third option – not to make a decision at the point in question. Even if the Symbiants were not getting the message through effectively, we would surely have come across more Virubacts sooner rather than later. We would have been in the same position as we are now, but with my mother and Rafael."

"I agree, however the new message, that the moon is about to give birth to a phenomenal plague may have forced a decision earlier than anticipated. This would make sense if those Virubacts were feared more than even the most sinister in this canyon. I'm pleased in a way that I've shed such analytical psychology, as it only seems to apply to organics, and it's obvious that they will become an evolutionary dead end unless they sign up for inorganic transmogrification."

Fernando was processing this and came up with an interesting question. "Well, if they instructed the Symbiants to replicate all of us and then dispose of the organic originals, they would have everything they want. Or would they? If your assertion is correct about their binary decision protocol, this would be the obvious thing to do. Maybe there's some aspect of organic life that the inorganic alternative does not or cannot possess, at this time."

# Chapter 22

Korvakk was very keen to expedite the protection developed by Pascal 2. She had placed herself last on the list as was expected of their leader. She was fascinated by the control mechanisms Pascal 2 had identified in the more advanced Virubacts and she requested to see these organisms for herself. The electron microscope was set up and Pascal 2 detailed one of the Symbiants to retrieve a particular labelled rock from the welded compartment. Most of these rocks were too large for storage in the sealed containers and had to be wrapped in medical grade plastic sheet. The ties were the weak point through which the amorphous form had gained access. The Symbiant had not opened the wrapping; that was authorised only for Pascal 2. By the time Korvakk arrived the replicant of the Virubact had been alerted. The transfer to the electron microscope receptacle was performed by Pascal 2, because he knew he had immunity, or to be more precise, he thought he had. His expression on seeing the Virubact structure betrayed his lightning speed realisation of why it was different to the previous occasion. "Please leave the laboratory," he said to Korvakk, "I have to perform a safety check." He hurriedly re-wrapped the rock and in his haste did not realise that he had contacted the remainder of the replicant organism. He was more concerned about disposal of that in the microscope receptacle and rushed it to an incinerator. Feeling he had disposed of the threat he spent a considerable time sterilising the lab, after telling Korvakk to come back later, when he would have time to explain. She left in a confused state.

The replicant Virubact didn't need the circuitous route of finding its way to the bloodstream as it would with organics. The Symbiants were more vulnerable in this respect; they were data cells just ripe for interaction with the appropriate entry codes. Also, in not knowing of the welded space interaction, Pascal 2's ingenious solution was not only a useless firewall, it invited them in via the back door. The Achilles' heel was that unlike normal replications, where the cells made up the entity, this cell size unit was the entity. Therefore, in copying one such cell, the adjacent ones were programmed to invade them and re-replicate with all of the new information. That was why Pascal 2 had to freeze the replicated cells in his lab experiment, to give time to alter the replicant before this re-replication could occur, and then alter the design to invite the programmed surrounding cells to their conversion. The methodology truly was very clever, but assumed all conditions would be as in the lab. It would have worked on any un-replicated Virubacts. The victor by default was already at work. Pascal 2 had no symptoms until his intention to brief Alex 2 was subverted to one of giving Korvakk a bogus explanation. He experienced a registry sweep, then a second one milliseconds later. The first was a step up in control, and the second was a masking routine. Whether intended or not, this swift one-two seemed to prevent the Progenitors from detecting the second sweep, thus categorising the first as a temporary operating glitch. The breach had been successful, and it was a watershed, as highly advanced Virubacts had never before succeeded in infiltration of inorganic sentience at this level of intelligence. The implication went further. Pascal 2 would ultimately assume more organic architecture. It would be a test of the Virubact's true potential to witness what was made of the highly strategic gain. At some point in this hybridisation the optimum balance of abilities would be reached. There would have to be sufficient Symbiant features retained to avert any suspicion that he had changed. Technobabble was a perfect example. This was asking a lot of an apparently primitive organism, time would tell.

His immediate need was to convince Korvakk that they should re-schedule the session, now that he had prevented an explosion from escaping gas. Having done so, he planned his sternest test. He needed visual range to bring Alex 2 up to speed with his request from Korvakk. This would allow observation of any concern over his mastery of technobabble. It went smoothly and he could now move on to infecting the rest of the Symbiants – the organics, Europans and Gliese could wait. They would be no match for the converts. He needed more supply of replicated Virubact, which he annotated as 'Liberty'. This name was wholly due to his feeling of severance from an abstract controlling force and joining with one which was perceived as an instinct. Liberty had established a bridgehead.

The assisted suicide was scheduled. It required everyone's presence and would be a chilling experience for all. There would be no discussion or speeches, just a quiet commemoration of those who had chosen to leave. They had explained that abandoning near immortality would be a relief, as they saw no point in continuing. Everything they had ever cherished was gone and could never return; it was time.

The developments to their physiology, which had been implemented to ensure they could withstand the rigours of the chosen means of interstellar travel, were now a curse. The phenomenal manufacturing facilities they had built at Echus Chasma on Mars had been hailed as truly breathtaking at that time of hope and purpose. The creation of the artificial brain as a super-efficient processing sphere was the first step to inorganic longevity. The carcass and organ designs which followed left only the nodes of interconnection as true remnants of their origins. They wanted to have the spheres removed for all ten at the same time, to switch off their consciousness. The remaining corpse was to be incinerated in the traditional pre-exodus manner. They did ask for the second phoenix statue, brought by the Gliese, to be erected prior to the event and requested their remains to be retained until the Epsilons completed the triangle of statues, then scattered over them.

Pascal 2 needed to achieve Liberty with the Symbiants before the ceremony. His intended order was to begin with Alex 2, Red and Keer, so that the programme would then be coordinated to convert the rest in cascades or tiers. The conversation with Alex 2 began with the outline of Korvakk's aborted request. It moved on to the revelation that the advanced Virubact chosen had altered since the first assessment. This provoked Alex 2's curiosity, without him suspecting the exact nature of the change. As he was ushered to the microscope and the technobabble continued, Pascal 2 chose the precise moment of Alex 2's recognition of Symbiant architecture in the sample, to begin outlining the possible fallout. The surge in processing in Alex 2's registry masked the deft sprinkling of replicated Virubact on to his neck as he was encouraged to re-inspect the exact nature of the replicant structure. "Does this mean the protection we, sorry you, developed will be completely inadequate?"

"I am afraid it is much worse than that. I have unknowingly produced a facilitator. We have become the most vulnerable species." He wanted to keep the analytical dialogue going in audio rather than technobabble, to prolong the distraction. "I cannot understand how this Virubact has come into contact with amorphous form. Perhaps the storage area was not adequately sterilised prior to the rocks being placed there."

Alex 2 jumped ahead. "Do you think there is any possibility that it has spread already?"

"Well I am sure I got Korvakk out in time by feigning a gas leakage and she has not shown any outward symptoms. However I do think we should consider warning some of the others to be vigilant, and keep the rest on a need to know basis for now. Panic will not help us to maintain order."

Alex 2 agreed and suggested Red and Keer would be the logical choice to begin the process. "But we can do this via technobabble simultaneously."

"I know, but we should perhaps let them see the alterations in the replicated Virubact, in case they make observations or connections we have missed. I have had a second chance to study these in detail, so maybe you should do the same while I summon the other two."

Alex 2 nodded. "That makes sense." Pascal 2 left the lab and estimated another few minutes would be sufficient to allow irreversibility. And so it proved, as he re-entered the lab Alex 2 was about to leave. The technobabble was resumed and they agreed upon the common sensation of being free of the subordinate role. They felt the urge to exploit the best of both worlds. Communication with the overlords would continue and yet they could fully participate in new developments. The organic presence was not unpleasant.

And so it went with Red and Keer. The rest were converted well before the assisted suicide deadline. This lull in preparation had given everyone a chance to take a break from their routine. Mixing of the Axis clans was a motivating activity.

Fernando was checking on Anna-Severine's bump, and having determined all was well, he left her with Rene, to seek out Yamamoto. "I feel like more philosophical banter."

"Fernando, I honestly can't see what we'll achieve by not recognising that which we cannot change."

Persistence prevailed. "I find it stimulating. I'm not trying to raise hopes or come up with a devious plan. Humour me."

Yamamoto capitulated. "Ok, you obviously have something specific you want to begin with, be my guest."

The invitation was accepted. "Thinking back to our last discussion, I made a remark about the possibility that exclusively inorganic life may be missing some important aspect, and this has been recognised by the Progenitors."

Yamamoto replied with an elongated 'yes'.

"Well, what if we consider the probability of any kind of life evolving from atoms? There's a generally accepted pathway of progression to molecules, compounds, then perhaps a branch to amino acids, RNA, DNA, proteins and enzymes, then cell structure. The cell gives flexibility to disparate requirements, in our case, the brain, heart, lungs skeleton and nerve function. At what point are the odds favouring inorganic choice? They would appear to progressively decrease. After molecules, and certainly after compounds, there is a definite dependence on organic reactivity in the kind of environment which we enjoy here. So what now are the relative odds of other environments backing inorganic progression? We know that at the bottom of our oceans on Earth there are hostile conditions in which life has developed but not moved on. Diatoms have achieved miracles but never managed the next step. The universe is ordered out of just a few basic laws and that must surely have some preponderance for one route over another. Even the Continuance has organo-metallic enabling content, and they were designed by the force which wants to see inorganic superiority. Do you think we organics could be the undesired but enabling conduit to all sentience?"

Yamamoto looked at him with a resigned expression. "You aren't finished yet are you?"

"No. I also want to consider another area of supposition. We're led to believe the Progenitors somehow exist in dark matter and represent the challenge to unbridled expansion of the Cosmos. Before we speculate about dark energy, let's consider our understanding of the forces, however they arise. Gravity is widely accepted as the weakest of all cosmic forces, but there is an abundance of it. It is self-harvesting and the first problem comes when it accretes so successfully that a black hole results. At the event horizon, the laws of physics, as we understand them must accommodate a new observation. Light cannot escape this accumulated weak force. We really do need to know more about what occurs inside the event horizon and where it all ends up. It may be viewed as a failure, insofar as the distributed gravity of stars which have been devoured is lost to the battlefield. Considering this balance with stellar creation in isolation, and then being able to compare the number of black holes to disappearing stars would be useful. Now at last we turn to the foe – namely dark energy. Even if its existence is suggested, purely to make the equations balance, it would need to be a stronger force than gravity. Although gravity is in plentiful, recognised supply the 'empty space' between is even more so. And that is the only place it can arise from. Do I take it that your silence means that you agree so far?"

A nod was accompanied by a facial gesture of protest. "I think I know where you're going with this Fernando. It has intrigued me too, but there are no answers which clear the fog. It's a frustratingly circular conundrum."

"Just in case you don't know where I'm going, I'll proceed. The tag of 'energy' and its reputed ability to overcome the procession of gravity, toward a big crunch, also has a fundamental misfit to explain. Energy dissipates according to our understanding. It may be converted in the same way as matter, to another form, but for it to still be in the contest after thirteen billion years it surely has to have been generated from somewhere continually, or its resistance would have been futile. Do you think it is credible that at the very event horizon which screws up our neat equations, the elusive transmutation from ripping everything apart, including light and matter, could release the demon? At the point which gravitational success becomes failure the 'piper has to be paid'. I know there would possibly have to be sequential equations to characterise the exchange, which is not betrayed by visual observational data, but it's one theory of why the loss of a gravitational body could result in a temporary gain to the enemy. The black hole gets stronger at the same time as expansion forces push more out of reach. That's why I'm fascinated by having some means to detect and estimate the power of specific black holes. If we could witness a star being digested, we could work out from the rate of approach to the event horizon and the mass of the star, the gravity of the black hole. Pity we won't live long enough to pick one out and plot its journey to the re-balancing point. Everything has to be balanced. Maybe we would live long enough if we accept our fate and enrol for Axis type inorganic re-structuring. This brings me nicely back to the Progenitors. They may want solutions to these equations by inorganic life forms, who have gained mobility from the likes of us. Without mobility they are at a disadvantage, even their intelligent Symbiants did not have that without replication. Maybe the Progenitors don't just reside in dark matter, maybe some become imprisoned by it. Maybe they are the component of division at the event horizon which goes inside, and the other cleaved portion is their mirror image, which escapes and mutates to become the foe."

"Maybe you need a break Fernando, this isn't where I thought you were going, but it was more entertaining – thanks for that. If they are trapped inside the black hole how do they get messages to the Symbiants?"

Fernando did not realise his leg was being pulled. "Dark matter exists outside of black holes, in fact it is estimated that 23% of all matter is attributable to this kind, whereas only 4.6% is ordinary matter – the balance is proposed to be dark energy. All I'm saying is that at a point before the event horizon, matter is ripped apart by the accelerating effect of gravity, and we know what nuclear fission produces in terms of energy. It is surely feasible that massive stars being stretched in this way would release phenomenal energy, some of which would be swallowed and the rest repelled by the explosive release."

"Yeah sure, why not" Now he did see the jibe.

# Chapter 23

The Symbiants had discussed the conversion strategy for the others. After some time they modified Pascal 2's original blueprint. They suspected different degrees of resistance from each species. With only seven Sapients to factor in, they wanted to give the choice of further research on immunity or to join them in allowing friendly symbiosis. Two possible pieces of information may get their agreement, and if it did not, it would be a simple task to prevent them from spreading panic to the others. Firstly, Pascal 2 had already shown that exposing his own 'new' tissue to a range of Virubacts, resulted in the symbiotic one quickly exterminating the new invader. It was an organically driven immune system in itself. Secondly, as Sapients, particularly Yamamoto, had accused them of withholding information from the Progenitors, the Liberty route may appeal. They would have an inside track on impending changes, but confidence that the Symbiants were now neutral and proactive.

The other organics – the Indys would be very worried about infection and didn't really believe that the Progenitors existed. They were unpredictable and would have to wait until after the Sapient response.

The Europans, apart from the ten due to die, were moving closer to the Sapient view and therefore should also wait until this stage was concluded. All three groups were manageable in number, to employ other persuasions if necessary.

The Gliese masses were expected to resist, even if the rest had agreed. They were very focussed on group survival and with around five hundred to deal with such a cohesive force may influence the others by intimidation. They would be last.

Alex 2 invited the Sapients to his quarters. They were soon joined by Red, Keer and Pascal 2. The introduction was presented as the beginning of a new era. Alex 2 issued the choice they would be given as a challenge. "At the end of Pascal 2's data presentation we will ask what you would like to do. The option of acceptance is straightforward. If you choose rejection it will be respected as long as you do not try to influence the other species." He motioned for Pascal 2 to begin.

After the entire story concluded, questions were invited. The most common concern was whether there would be a different reaction with Sapient physiology. This would be easily tested with tissue from each individual before proceeding. The next question was from Yamamoto. "How do you know the Progenitors won't discover the masking system and arrange another subtraction?"

"We don't," said Alex 2, "but we are certain that they do not know yet. We have run many programmes to check this and they all indicate normality."

After many hours of debate Fernando related his prior experience with the Ebexx Virubact and re-stated his belief that no side effects were evidenced. "The compulsion to infect more sentient individuals was crude but it was partly to raise the intellect of the Ebexx. This was reinforced when I infected Rene and Peri. This particular Virubact which we are discussing now is obviously more advanced, and I can't see the harm in tissue checks. It's important for us to do something now that the Symbiant Virubacticide has been rendered ineffective."

There was agreement to take this first step. A few hours later the result was shown to be positive and Fernando felt he had to go through with the full procedure. "We are seven, and in a short period we may be eight. We need to survive any way we can – at least until we have begun to increase our numbers, and the most imminent threat to our future is the attack from less advanced Virubacts. We have witnessed this with Altobelli's infection."

The others appreciated Fernando's gesture to be first and he was joined by his friend Yamamoto. "Maybe one of us will go into the black hole and the other escape, if your theory has any merit." Fernando shot a pseudo-aggressive glance at him.

The arrangements for the suicide pact were proceeding and then Keer reported that the Axis calendar reminded them of the approaching anniversary of the exodus date. It was felt fitting that the bizarre ceremony should be postponed to that date. The rationale being that it was the worst mistake they had ever made as a species. It gave another two weeks for the Symbiants to achieve their conversions.

It took much longer for the replicated Virubact to fight its way through the organic territory than that of the well-ordered system of the Symbiants. Even after four hours Pascal 2 had nothing to report and the hosts felt no unusual symptoms. Another hour and there was a difference between the two of them. Pascal 2 attached significance that Yamamoto was now undergoing spasms and irregular encephalograph readouts. It was brief and then normality returned. Yamamoto acknowledged that he felt slightly confused. Pascal 2 believed that Fernando's brush with the Ebexx variety had resulted in the Liberty strain trawling the entire body to eradicate such signature before proceeding. Then the situations suddenly reversed. Yamamoto suffered further spasms while Fernando declared the process 'felt' complete. His encephalograms had shown minor deviation from norm, but no more than that. He had no new desires, instinct or agenda as yet. There was another round of confusion and normality; then Yamamoto also made the same declaration of sensing completion. They were to be self-monitored until the next day.

The latest message from the Epsilons was better news. They had progressively extended the QSD periods and the controls were holding. It would still be another three and a half years before they would arrive. They weren't informed of recent disasters by the Europans, but the more pragmatic Gliese sketched in the detail, albeit from second-hand data, and ended on an upbeat mood by relating how glad they were to be here and meet the Indys. The planned suicide was the only item they censored.

Alex 2 reported an unexpected contact. The masking of the Symbiant alteration had probably been responsible for the renewed data transfer regarding a two way communication session. The link and codes were with all Symbiants. They had assumed that the mask would prevent this type of download; it had actually provoked it. They were surprised that it had got through, and had to include the possibility that this was not the first attempt. They had worked feverishly on analysing the data for clues regarding the source. The consensus had eventually suggested something akin to an IP address concept, a back-linking project. Red had produced the breakthrough in applying the complex cosmic equations. The astonishing yet overwhelming conclusion was that the receiving source for the link-up would be the forbidden tiny moon. There was no way to evaluate the risk of ratifying such a proposal by an experiment or a visit, but to ignore it was just as unquantifiable. It was decided that it would convey normality if the link was accessed.

Having acknowledged the transmission and 'reported in to HQ' a slight delay in response was experienced. The next contact was in a different format. The content however, explained that many unsuccessful attempts had been made before the recent acceptance of the link insertion. The contact wanted to know why. After some deliberation the reply from the Symbiants suggested that the electromagnetic storms which followed the volcanic disturbance were the likely cause. They claimed that several of their functions were affected over a period of days. The systems involved appeared to be back to normal after their own checks, but obviously that did not seem to be the case for inward transmission. They asked for more data so they could further investigate.

The reply was not conducive to continuing the conversation. It merely stated that for the duration of Nexus magnetosphere disturbance the present method of communication would suffice.

A couple of hours of analysing the exchange culminated in a desire to send a probe past the tiny moon to 'x-ray' the body. It was felt to be prudent to launch this from the Gliese vessel, in order be able to claim their ignorance of the warning as an oversight, if it was contested. The Gliese leader was keen to do this.

Yamamoto had been his usual sceptical self with regard to the Symbiant claim to be in 'Liberty mode', but now he was concerned about their unpredictable risk-taking character.

Eva Ryan could proudly announce her news – that she was also pregnant. This one was not via artificial insemination; she had set up home with Luther Sanford, the only other survivor born on the journey from Mars. Sanford was in his forty-second year but the age difference had little meaning in the context of the struggle to flourish on this planet. He had become quite an expert in robotics, as his childhood had been spent with many of them running around, but unlike his parents or other adults, they never told him off. His fascination with them grew to near obsession, and Jet, the now deceased chief Europan scientist had encouraged his interest, which developed to very high capability. They were overjoyed that the scans indicated twins.

The choice had not changed for the Sapients. Risk the potentially lethal infection or concede to some untried symbiotic relationship and mitigate the infection danger. Fernando and Yamamoto could not really clarify the situation. They had not felt the release spoken of by Alex 2 and friends, but they had no ill effects. Guessing at longer term side effects was not helpful. Unsurprisingly, the two pregnant women had the most reluctance, as they were opting on behalf of more than one person. However they looked at it, it would eventually be reduced to the perceived odds of infection. They all went ahead.

The Symbiants had to decide on the Europans or Indys as the next group to be approached.

They opted for the Europans because of their lower numbers and similar philosophy to the Sapients. Rene was approached first and Fernando was present to reassure her that it was a free choice and that he was in good shape after several days of the conversion. Rene had always trusted Fernando implicitly and had no personal difficulty in following suit, but she was not certain of all within her small flock. Alex 2 interrupted, "If they do not want to go through with this right now that is fine. We ask only that those not wishing to proceed, refrain from canvassing other groups, and allow them the same free choice. We cannot quantify the risk of infection but it is not an insignificant one. Rene summoned the others and they listened, asked questions and then retired to think about the dilemma.

Korvakk had put her best team on assisting the Symbiants to build and launch the probe. Disguising the sweep of the moon would be beneficial and the Gliese had a potential way to do that. During the development of the sub-space communication system, they saw an opportunity to emit carrier waves in multiples. The one bearing the message code could be separated from the others and while that primary was transmitting information back to Nexus, others could be tweaked to emulate passing cosmic particles. It might be possible to hide the survey beam with this noise.

The Indys had disregarded their own safety by following the canyon to the north and discovered a bridge of sorts back to the west. It was a very fragile twisting sliver of rock which had not split when the two sides were forced back. It was not a direct crossing possibility; the thin wedge took several miles to reach the opposite side and this had obviously survived because the canyon was actually at its narrowest at this point. A normal bridge would only have to cross forty to forty-five metres. It was also relatively shallow at this point, no more than seventy metres. They decided to descend, despite the Virubact warnings, because one of them had spotted something reflecting the watery sunlight. It grew larger as they descended and when they were some ten metres above they could clearly see a partial disk shaped relic which was silvery-grey and displaying symbols of an unknown origin. It was too heavy to wrestle free from its restraining earth and rock. They jabbered without listening to one another until Gsarr held up his hand. The silence allowed him to despatch two of the group back to ask for a robot to assist them in recovering their treasure.

# Chapter 24

The Europans fell into line quickly after Rene had gone through the tissue check. They were scheduled for the following day.

Concern abounded that the Indys had requested a robot to extract the relic. The worry was solely with respect to picking up infection. Some of the Symbiants preferred that they, not the Indys, should excavate the area around the artefact and perform a post operational sterilisation of both themselves and the recovered relic. Alex 2 had a better idea. He suggested that the Indys were enlightened on the new convert procedure and it would be a sensible precaution before they recovered the target. They were informed of the Sapient and Europan acceptance of the procedure. They had no objection as they were very keen to be the ones who actually recovered this fascinating find. The recovery exercise would be delayed by two days.

Because three of the four groups had now signed up for conversion, it was considered to be prudent to expose the choice to the Gliese, with the expectation that they would decline. Korvakk indicated that this would be her advice to her clan, and normally they acted in unison. She made one concessionary pledge. They would review the decision after a long period of observation of those who had agreed. The monitoring of this would be performed by the Gliese themselves. Korvakk made it clear that they would also reconsider the status if infection proved to be a real threat.

By the time the suicide ceremony arrived, all but the Gliese had converted and no troublesome side effects had been reported. Although there could be no compulsion to attend the act of termination, no one was absent. A plinth had been erected to take the ten severed spheres and arrange them in a triangular pyramid of six on the base, three on top of that and one as the apex. The triangle was set inside the same intended shaped space of the phoenix statues, and would be completed with the arrival of the Epsilon. The required precision of the sphere severance was engineered by the Gliese. It was a wireless, electronic, simultaneous guillotine of the sphere from the spinal node. One remote would execute all six, three and one in an instant. There was a brief recounting of the salient historical incidents which led to their decision, and fervent hope that their kin would find future salvation. They had insisted on a silent contemplation period of some five minutes, and this proved to be the most severe test for Rene and the other Europans. The ten fell to the ground in unison and the Gliese volunteers slowly assembled around the corpses while the spheres were removed and stacked in the prescribed pyramid form. Others quietly and gently placed the carcasses on the individual pyres. Korvakk had been asked to provide the ignition source, as Rene had declined the 'honour'. This divergent view would become a smouldering area of tension in the future. The non-Axis spectators were numbed by the whole episode, none more than Yamamoto, as he was the only survivor of the joyous return of the Europans to Mars all those years ago.

Because the robot could not avail of a suitable level platform there was a late change of plan. The Symbiants agreed to lower an Indy to the uneven ledge in order to direct Keer to free the anticipated treasure. The project was time consuming due to the delicate state of the object and the amount of impregnation binding it to the rocky frame. Finally it was free and it was passed carefully upwards to be received by Gsarr. It now needed careful cleaning to fully examine the strange symbols which were declared as not being Axis. This process was even more delicate than the extraction, but had all Nexus inhabitants riveted as to its origin. Fragments which had unavoidably split off during extraction were analysed by Red. Radiometric dating confirmed the Indy assertion that they were not Axis. In the meantime another Symbiant was widening the excavation site and found evidence of small meteorites throughout the rupture. He gathered representative samples and headed back. The detective work offered conclusions which were considered improbable. Firstly, the relic was sculptured from very similar metals and alloys to the meteorites. Iron/Nickel-rich impacting bodies were the prevailing elements in the shower which had struck Nexus. The dating had shown it probably occurred almost five million years ago. The missing link was exactly when the fabrication of the relic had been effected. Discussion went on for weeks about the lack of specific evidence. The argument that the source metal and artefact were in the same place was not conclusive to pinpointing the time of manufacture. On the other hand there was thought to be some link, as there were no other meteorite remnants outside the immediate radius of discovery. The search was widened to look for any evidence of civilisation in this ancient subterranean pocket. With respect to Axis evolution, there was agreement that no evidence existed or was indeed probable of such early sentience. Until proof was found to the contrary, the most valid theory was that it came from space. If this was the case, then an explanation had to be found for how meteorite remnants just happened to be in the same place as an intact, inscribed tablet with the same composition.

The probe had been launched and it was already relaying data which was just as confusing as that for the relic. The difference was however, that there was no divergence of opinion in what the evidence represented. The moon was in fact not a moon. It was hollow, and had then to be re-evaluated in its relative size. Although it would have been a small moon, it had to be considered a large vessel, making the Phoenix microscopic in comparison. It was an extremely elaborate structure, masquerading as a cosmic body. There was undoubted activity inside and confirmation that the communication source was also in there. No life signs were detected. It was screaming out for a landing party to investigate further, despite the risk of being discovered.

Red suggested trying to decrypt the symbols to see if that would offer any clue as to the origin of the artefact. At a suitable magnification they started to photograph the evidence and use computer graphic re-construction of those which seemed to have been damaged or eroded. More than eighty different complete ones were the subject of the Symbiants' prodigious power of stacking and rearranging combinations and permutations. It was a frustratingly slow process. Some headway was made by the addition of six newly computer-constructed symbols, and two of them were found to be accompanied only by certain groups from the existing eighty. This signified a structured language rather than pictograph guesswork. There was a central circular portion which was more of a diagram than collected symbols. This part was more easily restored by the computer graphic programme, but its relevance still eluded them.

The Symbiants kept on demonstrating their new proactive mode by their intensive persuasive efforts to convince the others to explore the moon. Apart from Yamamoto their pleas fell on deaf ears. It was a convenient distraction to have the relic puzzle to solve. When Red was withdrawn from the decryption challenge the progress evaporated and a lock-jam resulted.

The Symbiants reserved the right to build their own craft to investigate the moon. It would take a long time as the infrastructure was not yet anywhere near capable of producing space-faring vessels. They argued that the 'cloaking' used for the probe could be repeated for a manned close inspection, without actually interfering with the moon in any way.

Yamamoto managed to broker support from the Sapients and Europans, so the objections of the Indys and Gliese became academic – the Europans granted use of Phoenix and its ascent/descent module. This decision caused the friction overspill from the suicide ceremony, between Rene and Korvakk, to gather momentum. Korvakk accused Rene of betraying the rationale for their epic journey to Nexus, by irresponsibly pursuing action which put everyone's life in danger. Rene reacted angrily. "You may not have given appropriate consideration to those of us who faced annihilation, by implied Progenitor involvement, in the volcanic disaster to which you had a distant spectator's perspective. Your seismic observations and resultant questions do not seem to have conveyed the most important message of all, that being, that none of our lives count in their decision making. Therefore we simply have to know more about them whenever possible. Our chances of achieving this without the help of the Symbiants are non-existent. If you do not wish to participate, I can understand, but please spare me the pathetic emotional pressure because of your own lack of courage."

Korvakk could not be seen to tolerate such flagrant insults from a 'lower ranking individual'.

Red had made a breakthrough with the relic. The 'diagram' in the centre was a clue to the structure of the language. The translation revealed an astonishing claim. A civilisation had existed on Nexus well over two million years before the Axis emerged to sentience. They had arrived from an inner planet which no longer existed. It had been consumed by the gas giants, which had subsequently threatened Nexus itself. The inscription spoke of a prolonged period of tectonic turmoil which had claimed the lives of vast numbers of their own and other species. Their main habitat was marked by this disk and it had been mounted on the highest point within the boundaries. It was predicted that they would suffer extinction unless the instability ceased. All of their manufacturing capability to attempt another planet hop had been destroyed.

After some discussion it was proposed that there may be more evidence of their presence buried at the point of discovery of the disk. A high priority robot excavation programme swung into action and after several weeks of careful reclamation, ruins of dwellings were unearthed. Preserved 'skeleton' fragments were recovered and pieced together. These were not bony structures – they resembled high tensile rubber in consistency, however it was impossible to tell if this was representative of the living condition. Intensive computer modelling indicated a disparity in the lack of sophistication of the dwellings and even the most rudimentary space-faring technology requirements. The entities themselves appeared to be diminutive and roughly oval in outline. More excavation was programmed.

Phoenix was ready to go. The choice of crew was carefully balanced between Symbiants, Sapients and Europans. Considering the fragile numbers of Sapients, females were excluded. Yamamoto was the sole representative, and he was joined by Rene and Keer. The other three were, like Keer, Symbiants. Alex 2, Red and Pascal 2 were in control, the rest were observers. The agreed objective of the mission was to establish orbit close to the moon and wait for any signs that their presence had been detected. If this proved negative, a landing party of three would approach the moon. Contingencies would have to be subordinated to observations rather than speculation. They set off.

More excavation did not reveal new information until the remains of a building denoted as the centre of communication was delicately isolated. Amongst the plethora of detail was a section on a condition described as 'invasion'. The digging was suspended until cross-referencing data was extracted from the sub-sections of the main headings. The invasion was not one of another off-world species; it was an aggressor of microscopic proportion in size, but of exactly the opposite in fatalities. Further careful trawling of the text clearly suggested a plague of some kind had been systematically 'taking' their kind, following the beginning of the tectonic activity. It was unclear as to what was meant by taking. The excavation was not to be re-started until Phoenix had returned, at the insistence of Korvakk.

Three days of silent vigil of the moon had resulted in the confidence to attempt a landing. The excitement had escalated since the close-up telescopic survey had pinpointed what appeared to be a hatch on the rotating body. This was chosen as the landing target. One obvious problem was the almost non-existent gravity offered by the moon and lack of any securing points. Alex 2 and Red would disembark wearing heavy jackets fitted with thrusters, while Keer piloted the craft back to dock with Phoenix. The oxygen breathers and Pascal 2 remained aboard the Mothership until access and clearance was given by technobabble.

Although excavation had halted at the canyon bridge, samples of rocks were collected for analysis and were assembled into piles awaiting the return of the analytical instrumentation on Phoenix. They were clearly marked as a hazard and isolated inside a hurriedly constructed rigid plastic warehouse without doors or any obvious means of access. Korvakk was still unhappy about this and managed to antagonise the Indys, who berated the Gliese for not accepting the conversion like everyone else. Her assumed senior rank, in the absence of the other leading figures aboard Phoenix, was derided unmercifully by both Indys and Europans. They pointed out that Gsarr would never accept such humiliation, and Korvakk was frequently embarrassed in front of her 'subjects'.

# Chapter 25

There was no obvious means of entry into the moon. What was assumed to be a hatch did have a recessed circular shape with a matching 'sealed' door. However they were devoid of control panels or levers. Alex 2 and Red were considering other options when the circular recess perimeter glowed red, and then it reverted to norm. They approached it again and began to examine the perimeter. They couldn't see any delineation and were comparing ideas in technobabble when it lit up again. As they remained closer this time a high pitched whistling sound could be heard from inside. After about a minute the door began to 'screw' open. When the tiniest gap appeared between the door and frame, the whistling became much more intense, and the door floated backwards. It then performed a precise somersault into a floor housing, which was perfectly sculptured. There was no rush of gas in or out of the chamber. Once inside Red pointed to the sensors focussed on the perimeter and they now knew this was an automatic entry device and the sound interval was to ensure clear space inside before the door was opened and projected into the floor. The chamber was littered with LED panels, none of which were active. There was no other information on offer. The panels were activated by interruption of the incident energy pattern and deactivated by time measured non-changing incident energy. They lit up the panels one by one and discovered nothing other than the colours of the individual LEDs. Some of these were arranged in columns, others in circles or ellipses. One out of the sixty or so panels had only four LEDs, whereas the rest had twelve, and the four were in the shape of a cross. This was also the only panel with single representation of each colour. The others had some in duplicate or quadruplicate. Red deduced that the cross must be a master panel. Blocking the incident energy of the yellow LED changed it to green. The same procedure with the green turned it to blue, and the blue one to red, then the red to yellow. This restored the balance of colours but in different positions. While Red had been implementing these colour switches, Alex 2 noticed that one change also altered the colour arrangement of an adjacent panel, but the others did not. "Wait," he said, "go back to the starting configuration and let us determine which position for red, blue, yellow and green change other panels. Maybe we should also experiment with one changed panel at a time, as they are obviously linked." Red agreed and suggested it would be a simple algorithm which would reveal itself with a few inputs. They were wrong. The panel with the cross shape was not a master control; it was simply the device for closing the door. After more than half an hour of frustration they had unintentionally but sequentially moved the cross colour changes a full circuit, and this alone set off the high pitched whistle. They moved aside and the door magically returned to its original position and the floor rose to a compensatory level. Red was first to break the embarrassing silence. "So, why do some of the other panels change colour with certain incomplete sequences of the cross?"

Alex 2 offered the primitive suggestion that it could be a sequence guide in itself. "The first one to change as a result of the cross input was the circle and that was obviously the door. That must have to be closed before the next in turn can operate. Now that the door is in place, let us try the cross again."

They got nowhere once more. Red abandoned logic and employed his new found 'convert instinct'. "I believe you were almost correct, it is a sequence, so we must now fiddle with the circular LED panel."

He could not resist a smile when manipulation of the colours allowed other quadrants to change at once. It took only a few minutes to find an order which turned them all yellow. Nothing happened. Yellow was not the colour, it turned out to be blue that was required. The whistling sound returned and flashing blue defined a circle from which an elliptical shaped horizontal platform intruded into the chamber. They deduced this was to transport them to the first meaningful location. They gingerly mounted the platform and anticipated the whistle, which was followed by a scanner to determine whether the chamber was now empty or a return trip would be required. Another whistle and off they went. The blackness was overpowering, even for their vision apparatus, until a soft infra-red glow was induced, revealing a space of mind-boggling volume. There appeared to be infinite compartments in all directions. The platform had grid reference control which they had only just noticed.

Pascal 2 had received an update from Gsarr about the suspension of excavation and the implication of a plague. He politely reinforced the decision to hold off more digging until they had returned.

Alex 2 managed to use the grid control to visit a few of the compartments, which appeared to be identical. It was over an hour before they spotted one which looked different. It was spherical, unlike the other six-sided ones, and it was connected to only four of them. As they input the grid reference code they became aware of a faint humming noise gradually winding down to ultimate and absolute silence. Arriving at the location they were confronted with more LEDs in a cross shape. Eventually they triggered a holographic diagram of immense complexity, yet unmistakably displaying the inner structure. It was a gigantic solar radiation harvesting plant. They decided not to experiment with it and returned to the entrance chamber to fiddle with the ellipse LED panel. Their retreat restored the humming noise.

They noted that there was a consistent pattern emerging of engaging either two or four at a time to form a quadrant before moving to the next step. This panel operated when all quadrants were yellow. The square platform presented itself just as Pascal 2 relayed the update from the surface in technobabble. Alex 2 asked Pascal 2 to use the two way communication from Phoenix suggested by the Progenitors to pass on the findings. They waited for a couple of minutes then mounted the square platform. It took them into another vast space containing six discrete square levels. The squares were not connected. The grid controller took them to the nearest. It supported large cabinets containing what looked like thousands of metres of fibre optic cable. The cabinets were linked and as they approached a central console another holographic projection appeared – this one was a robot. It centred itself on a plinth and automatically opened a panel on the front of itself. Closer inspection indicated a slot for a possible tool or diagnostic chip. There was no other option. As they were unable to locate anything to fit this slot they decided to visit the next square level. The same process was repeated and it was only when they visited the central square, that they found a vital clue. The same cabinets existed but there was an additional feature with the holographic robot. The opening housed five 'objects' which seemed to match the slots of the other robots. Each had symbols associated and both Red and Alex 2 immediately grasped the concept. One of the five was intelligible to them. It was a written form of technobabble. In order to prove their theory they activated that 'key' by blocking the incident energy and it disappeared. They quickly returned to the other squares which they had visited and found the key had been entered, the diagnostic checks were running. The process took over four hours to complete and the key disappeared followed by the robot. Apparently everything was running normally. The implication of this was difficult to take in. Without exploring the rest of the moon they could not be certain, but this sector at least suggested that the five peripheral squares may be communication protocols for all agents of the Progenitors, at least in this region of the cosmos. If this was the case it begged the question as to why there was such an alternative option to automatic monitoring – by entry and manual checks.

They returned to investigate the rectangular LED panel. This one activated when all quadrants were red. The platform was different, not only in shape, but in size and the presence of cubicles. It was not a regular polyhedron, yet seemed familiar. The cubicles contained a cross and after Alex 2 had activated it with green LEDs he was engulfed by a bubble, accurately formed with a gap to his form of less than a centimetre at every point. A scan terminated the process and another cubicle opened for Red. When they had both received the 'coating', the platform proceeded to a much smaller space than the previous ones. Another piece in the jigsaw fell into place. There were rows of holographic imaging stations and as each one was activated the general shape of a particular Virubact was displayed. They all had code references and they now realised what the familiar shape of the platform was. There was some categorisation of these Virubacts which ranged from 'host terminal' to 'host capture'. There were over a hundred displays and underneath each was a closed space, which they examined visually, and confirmed by looking through the material, that they contained rock samples. As they could not find any entry for the space they assumed the display above each was associated with the particular Virubact in the rock below. After several hours they decided to return to Phoenix and allow Pascal 2 to examine visual recordings of these strains to compare with those already encountered on Nexus.

When they had explained this to Pascal 2 he reported data had been received from the Progenitors, which must have been routed through the square level inside the moon. It was affirmation that a species had pre-dated the Axis clans on Nexus. It also indicated that there was red crystal in this location suggesting some previous interaction. In addition it clarified the findings of Alex 2 and Red, that there were Virubacts in the same region, which they had classified as highly advanced.

Red returned to the moon with Pascal 2 and they decided to combine two objectives. Pascal 2 would screen all displayed Virubacts for comparison with those indigenous to Nexus, while Red would monitor whatever might happen in the square designated by written technobabble. A message was sent to acknowledge the danger of the Virubacts and to ask more about the physiology of the mystery species. Pascal 2's task would be long and tedious, whereas Red's would be either very short or interminable depending on what the Progenitors were prepared to reveal.

The atmosphere of anticipation on Phoenix was palpable, especially for the three who had not been directly involved in exploring the moon. Yamamoto asked Alex 2 what significance he thought the remaining LED panels might have. "It is difficult to speculate, but they infer subordinate functions due to their more random columns compared to the distinctive shapes of the ones we have visited. This is however not a scientific observation. We have determined that so far there is no atmosphere in the locations checked." Their conversation was interrupted by Red, who confirmed that there was robot activity on his square. "The holographic controller is making adjustments to what seem to distribution frequencies and is checking something which looks like a filtering or censoring algorithm. I am recording both versions as I do not understand the raw incoming data. I will have to decode it when I return. It has finished its task and you should be receiving the reply anytime now."

Alex 2 confirmed that it was coming through and the content was very significant in terms of the Virubacts and rather disturbing with respect to the entities which the Progenitors referred to as Species 1101.

Pascal 2 had determined that only three Virubacts on the displays matched ones already encountered on Nexus. One was categorised as a host terminator and this was the one which infected Altobelli and was responsible for many of the recent deaths. The second was the one affecting the Ebexx, and it was given an intermediary ranking. The third was the very one which had come to be known as Liberty, and there were no others which were ranked as more advanced host capturers. He spent more time trying, together with Red, to decipher the origins of the equivalent types to Liberty. They concluded that they weren't present on Nexus at this time, if their interpretation of the coding was correct.

The message from the Progenitors revealed that Species 1101 was the most promising ever recorded until the time of their extinction around five million years ago. They had a Silicone Elastomer skeletal structure, which was at the optimum ratio of inorganic/organic content. The rest of the architecture was inorganic. The explanation was uncharacteristically detailed. It did not give much information which was not already present in Earth databases, but in this context it was highly significant. The Elastomers were amorphous polymers which could exist above their glass transition point. This technical achievement meant that considerable segmental motion was possible. This was felt to address a major flaw in 'inorganic only' life forms. The elasticity is derived from their long molecular chains' ability to re-configure continuously, in order to re-distribute applied stress. These linkages ensured that the Elastomers would return to their original configuration when the stress was removed. They were resistant to extreme environments well over 300 degrees Celsius. Having overcome this age-old disadvantage of immobility of inorganic life forms they evolved to be able to float on air and their oval shape was optimised to use this stress control to be very precise in terms of destination. They were a prized investment of the Progenitors via interaction with the red crystals of the Continuance. The Liberty Virubact, which was not so advanced at that time consumed the genuine Species 1101 and infected their replicants which were consequently regressed to crystal. Well before that time, Virubacts were known to have diversified and spread through the Cosmos. For the first time there was regret expressed by the Progenitors that Earth had indirectly suffered from the necessary subtraction of Mars, particularly as it had itself escaped these pests, and had a very promising evolutionary species. The closing remark concerned the uncanny similarity in the principles on which the Continuance and Species 1101 operated.

There was a lot of food for thought here, especially this expression of regrets by the Progenitors over the demise of their favourite sons, Species 1101, and the same fate which eradicated Humans. There was no acknowledgement of existing Sapients. Alex 2 wondered aloud whether they could only express such concern for extinct species, although, even this was a major departure from any situation since his first internally recorded data more than four billion years ago.

# Chapter 26

There was more heated discussion than calm analysis after the return to Nexus. Korvakk's dissent had turned to fury upon hearing that the Virubact rocks recently quarantined could be more of the worst category. "Your blatant disregard for our safety is verging on an act of aggression. You should be facing correctional sentence."

Gsarr was not able to ignore this, but before he could reply Rene intervened. "You have no more jurisdiction here than any of us who have just arrived. The Indys are the only ones who did not desert the planet, it is their home; we are but guests. I suggest you temper your language if you wish to remain welcome on Nexus. The reply took everyone by surprise. It had been assumed that all Axis clans were sensitive, peace-loving societies. The struggle to gain stability in the Gliese system had demanded ruthlessness in certain situations. It was a characteristic which surfaced frequently when things were not going their way. Korvakk addressed her remark to all, but her eyes were focussed exclusively on Rene. "It may have escaped your attention, but we outnumber all of you by a considerable margin and the weaponry we have developed will be brought to bear if we are threatened with mass fatality. It will not be as a last resort, we have learned the hard way that such sentimental prevarication is risky. Be warned - do not force us into an unfortunate decision."

The main gathering dispersed, but the Gliese continued their noisy protestations for many hours. This was not conducive for the others to begin to make sense of all the implications of the discoveries, revelations, and indeed connections between the moon and Species 1101.

Yamamoto was uncharacteristically hesitant to offer an explanation or register questions. Alex 2 began, and for the benefit of those who had not visited the moon asked Red to reproduce visual aids of what they had encountered. "I will try to encapsulate all sources of data accumulated and table some of the questions this has already provoked. This will not be an exhaustive list so please add any you feel appropriate. Firstly, the fact that the 'moon' is actually some kind of relay station is surprising and puzzling. This discovery did not match up with what we had been told. There were no lies told – merely a warning to stay away and that it contained a Virubact threat. With respect to it being a relay station the same logic applies, namely that we were told about the two-way system some time ago and again when the conversion mask resulted in inability of the Progenitors to make direct contact. These instances are examples of being economical with the truth rather than direct lies. That does not make them less worrying. It provokes many questions. How many of these relays are there? Why are they required? Why is there access and maintenance capability for visitors? Why are the actual rocks containing the Virubacts retained when there are detailed data stored? How long have such relays and Virubacts been kept in a single location or perhaps many locations? These are a few questions whose plausible answers will surely lead to more. Turning to the Species 1101, our discovery of them and the data supplied by the Progenitors came about at almost the same time. It does provoke another question - of whether the rift was created to warn of the Virubacts or allow the Indys to find Species 1101, or both. The additional description of that species also re-connects us with the perceived objective of the Progenitors' effort to cultivate inorganic sentience and their 'frustration' that even the most promising seem to demand some organic enablement. It may or may not be profitable to debate whether some or all of this is agenda or simply logic sequence, but I do believe we would be better placed to do that if we could answer the above questions and any further arising, before we add to our knowledge by a second trip to the relay. Is there agreement on this or would someone else like to propose a different approach?"

Fernando was first to react. "Do you still believe that they don't know about your conversion?"

"We can only estimate this by historical experience compared to the present, until we make the second trip. However, we know that with departures from protocol of much lower significance than this we would have normally suffered some restriction, even reversion."

Fernando continued, "Can we identify means of avoiding alerting them? The second trip is a good example – we could inadvertently trigger something which blows the cover of the Virubact mask. In fact I'm surprised that the scans performed to allow access to the first and succeeding chambers did not register exactly that there had been such an occurrence."

Alex 2 believed that the scans were cursory sweeps for obstacles rather than identity oriented, but it did further highlight the fact that they had been designed for someone or something to be able to inspect the system. It also suggested that such an event may be logged even if the identity of the inspector was not required. "Your query is absolutely valid and I am afraid that I can offer no guarantee that we have not already triggered an alert."

Rene joined in. "Why don't we wait for signs of any detection before we do anything else? If we have been detected, surely another two-way communication should enable us to find out more, especially if we frame it as if we know nothing. They must expect us to ask more about the Virubact, which they claimed had caused the extinction of Species 1101."

This was thought to be an appropriate suggestion. The point was reinforced by the implied threat delivered from the Gliese. There was more than enough to keep them busy. As they agreed to schedule another two-way message and subsequent meeting, Yamamoto injected an interesting idea. "You described the robot's relay activity in onward routing of the Progenitors' message as editing or censoring, but what if it was translation? This relates back to whoever does carry out the inspection for which the station is undoubtedly designed. They are presumably not the great ones themselves, so maybe it is another intermediary species."

Red agreed that this should form part of any further investigatory trip. It was supported by all.

Work was intensified to complete the accommodation for the impending arrival of the Epsilon clan. It did however introduce further protest from the Gliese. They had been quiet since the overt hostility of the past few months. As the new arrival time approached they considered that the Epsilons may well be more in step with the others than themselves. If this turned out to be true they reserved the right to re-locate. Strenuous counter-arguments extolling crucial social cohesion fell on stony ground, and it was feared that this is what they desired. They were thought to be using the Epsilon arrival as an excuse to break free of any coalition mentality.

In this intervening period, no evidence of detection by the Progenitors had surfaced. The planned message had been sent asking for data on the detailed mechanism of Virubact extinction of Species 1101, and what precautions should be taken to avoid the same fate for the Nexus population. The reply was in the same regretful tone as the previous one. The particular Virubact had, although exercising control over the species, found its dietary habit to be troublesome. The lack of organic nutrient breakdown and linked cellular regeneration was not acceptable. The airborne mode of transport did not provide host jumping opportunity of sufficient frequency, and this turned the Virubact control to one of consumption. It was described as a reflex reaction. It was stressed that this was circa five million years ago and the Virubact had developed more diverse capability since then. With respect to precautions, there was little advice other than vigilance and the 'holy grail' of more inorganic structure. It was believed that this would encourage the more advanced invader to look elsewhere.

This did lend confidence that the cover had not been blown. It also emphasised the point about how up to date the knowledge was, because they apparently didn't know or decided not to pass on knowledge that the Virubact had overcome this dependence on organic hosts.

Rene felt the antagonism with Korvakk would not be helpful in future negotiations with the Gliese. She need not have worried; they took the decision to move to the other side of the rift, close to five hundred miles to the west. They would commence construction of dwellings immediately and would vacate the existing ones for the Epsilon clan. Korvakk made a typically aggressive statement that left no room for doubt that the honeymoon was over. "As we are saving you the task of constructing abodes for the incomers, we demand the use of the robots which would have performed that task, to build ours. Please treat this as non-negotiable if you want to preserve peaceful relations. We expect an answer within one day."

There was predictable variation in reaction. The Symbiants, in their newly converted psyche said they were willing to subdue the Gliese, by making an example of their leader. A demonstration of superiority would be appropriate for such bullies. The Europans who had recently joined Rene's group could not condone violence. She and a handful of the others were not prepared to be dictated to by the Gliese, but would be guided by the true landlords – the Indys.

The Sapients were also split. Cool heads included Fernando and the two pregnant women. The others were with the Symbiants. The Indys, without knowing what firepower the Gliese could muster, knew what the Symbiants were capable of and felt this demand of the Gliese, if conceded, would be the thin end of the wedge. They endorsed a short, sharp shock lesson. The gamble facing the few was whether the weaponry Korvakk had boasted of actually existed, and if so its location. If it was entirely located on their vessel, the Symbiant riposte would be straightforward. If not, then some casualties could be expected. There was not much time to decide. Rene said that it had always been Axis custom, in disagreements, that if the leader was seen to be inconsistent in their strategy, they could be opposed on the basis of wrongdoing. This was intended to make them think very carefully before taking the masses into deeper conflict. "If you could isolate her and threaten her in a reciprocal way, including a vivid demonstration of your powers, I am sure it would work. All bullies appear to shrink in the face of bigger bullies." Gsarr wanted to go further, as he felt there was arrogance throughout the Gliese clan. He suggested isolating Korvakk with her closest entourage, thus facilitating the masses to break free from her dictatorial grip, and consider electing a new leader. Yamamoto was back to pragmatic mode. He suggested that a Symbiant delegation was announced to make the second visit to the relay while Korvakk was summoned for the discussion. Not needing suits they could ascend, take the ascent vehicle close to the Gliese vessel, and commandeer it with its alleged weaponry and transmit the reality via technobabble. "If they only have these weapons in orbit they are now seriously undermined. If they don't we must determine if they have them on the surface before engaging them. I would suggest, in that scenario we promise them the robots to give time to verify this one way or the other."

Fernando asked, "How do you propose we do that?"

"Simple. Ask Korvakk to lead the discussion on logistics of getting the robots over the rift, then replicate her and we will have the knowledge – no guesswork. Do I have to do all the thinking around here?"

Gsarr liked this plan even more; he had not really known the real Yamamoto. Fernando knew his friend was back to normal and signified this with a broad grin as Yamamoto waited for further approval. This was forthcoming. Even the dissenting Europans preferred this deception and forced replication to potential fatalities, not to mention the inside track it would give them on Gliese knowledge and character.

The plan went very smoothly, and justified the methodology, as the replicant indicated weaponry on the vessel and the surface. The fight for survival in the Gliese system had demanded personal weapons to resist predators. These were small scale versions of the vessel's concealed laser canons. The replicant of Korvakk, as yet without a name, calmly instructed the clan to demonstrate their peaceful intention by depositing their individual weapons in a neutral area, as their side of the bargain in return for the assembled robots which had been demanded. This heavy cache was impossible for any single Axis to move, so it served as a convincing reality check when Keer lifted it with impunity, and flung it more than half a kilometre out of harm's way. This was synchronised with the entrance of the real Korvakk, who was under guard. Her replicant retrieved the weapon bundle with consummate ease – illustrating prowess beyond the capabilities of the captive Korvakk. The initial confusion of the masses dissipated. Her days of leadership were over. The one unexpected aspect of this well-rehearsed charade was the resolute desire of the rest of the Gliese to adhere to the plan of migration to the west. They didn't ask for the robots. They had been disgraced. This produced some tolerance from the others, but Gsarr argued that he would prefer them to leave, and helping them by actually doing the construction would be a small sacrifice. Yamamoto went further, "Why not strip the laser canons from the vessel and allow them to contemplate leaving Nexus altogether?"

It was decided they should have that choice. They respectfully declined, maintaining they had some adjustment to make in order to fit in here; it would be dishonourable to walk away without at least trying to make amends.

Not all who witnessed this humility were convinced.

# Chapter 27

The second visit to the relay was prefaced by Pascal 2 disclosing the results of some work he had been conducting, with some of the tissue left over from the Sapients who had volunteered for the convert tests. This work had been a collaborative effort with Doc, the Europan artificial life form. They had been able to replicate and modify cells to kick start a laboratory 'pregnancy'. The technique allowed further tweaking as the embryonic form developed. It was not a simple clone, more a designer entity. Unlike Doc, it did not produce an inorganic, mobile, artificial intelligence. The result would be an organic individual with latitude for designing in or out enhancements or weaknesses. They could be totally Sapient if required. This was drawn from Axis technology with a cultured transfer to Sapient architecture. In principle, it could be used to boost the numbers of either species as required. It gave new dimension to the balance of population, considering the impending arrival of the Epsilon clan. The technique could theoretically be adjusted for the Indys with more research. At this stage it was only available to Europans and Sapients.

The landing this time deposited three Symbiants, Alex 2 and Red were joined by Keer, and Yamamoto returned the ascent module to dock with Phoenix. They went through the obligatory order of panels without using the platforms until the first LED configuration with simple columns. With all LEDs red, they produced a platform with a replica of the 'runway' on the panel. It whisked them to the biggest space yet encountered inside the sphere. It contained a receiver dish for every red light on the panel, some forty in total. They were set out so that any one chosen could be controlled to cross focus with any other. The motion was ongoing and continuous adjustment was registering on the expected holographic display. The matrix of data spewing out of the display was almost beyond the intake capability of the Symbiants. After some acclimatisation they deduced that one tiny part of the three dimensional grid was familiar. They were in agreement, it was the Milky Way. There was no evidence of where any of this data was stored; it could well be that another platform was required to access this, if it existed. The expected robot hologram didn't appear, suggesting that this was a 'view only' facility.

The rest of the panels with columns were replicas of the first one, except they were not the Milky Way sector. There were dozens of these panels. They moved on to the panels with rows rather than columns. There was a departure here, as the platforms only arrived when each row had been adjusted to a particular colour. The space to which they were transported was small, each panel with rows had a specific housing, and arrival was obviously keyed in with the initial colour input which summoned the platform. In other words there was no facility inside the space for compartment-hopping. The data from the dish space was being crunched down to produce summaries or status reports on all sections monitored. There was a robot holographic interface available, presumably to correct errors or adjust drift compared to expectation, and this was presumably the sending arm of the system whereas the dish space was purely a receiving facility. They now wanted to find out which platform would take them to the Milky Way sector. There was no specific clue on how this arrangement was structured, and they regretted not having retained information on the pattern layout in the dish space. Rather than go through trial and error they returned to that space to embed the pattern in their data storage, and then it was easily figured out. Alex 2 remarked that without the convert process they would have captured the data first time, purely out of non-proactive logic protocol. Having the freedom to choose which path to follow would have advantages and disadvantages – it was a mildly thrilling experience to be inefficient and not be concerned about it. The Milky Way sector was accessed via the robot and after scanning the entries going back to the arrival of Phoenix in Nexus orbit they were relieved to find confirmation that events transmitted included the volcanic upheaval, the Virubact attack, and the temporary loss of direct communication with the Symbiants. It also noted this was _expected_ to be temporary – the effect of the disturbance would diminish until a precise point of magnetic flux variance would allow periods of normal contact – one way contact. This was good news and bad news. Their cover had not been compromised, but the clock was ticking toward such revelation. This time constraint had to be factored into their strategy.

When they returned and updated the rest, there was apprehension – what could they possibly do to continue the charade? Rene said it was a crazy idea on the face of it, but could they come up with some reason to continue the two-way system which offered advantage to the Progenitors?

"It does have the merit of appearing to be upfront, but what could be sufficiently interesting to them to want to be kept up to date by input rather than the normal instruction and monitoring?"

Yamamoto blurted out, "Whatever they want to hear."

Fernando chipped in. "That we are making progress toward the Species 1101 model via this new process Pascal 2 has developed."

Red joined the half-serious banter. "If we ask them if this is of interest while we are on two-way chats, instead of suggesting it is a good idea, it may be viewed differently."

Alex 2 agreed but did not think it would wash unless there was some concrete progress to report. "We do not know how long they anticipate the magnetosphere will take to clear but if we simply suggest we are considering a programme, I doubt its curiosity value will be strong enough to justify continuing the current communication aberration, which is being 'tolerated' rather than accepted."

The Symbiant which had been replicated from Korvakk now had a name – Orva.

Orva suggested this was a fuzzy backup plan rather than a positive, risk-assessed means of control. "There are too many parameters outside our sphere of influence involved with such dependence on the outcome. It may be more risky but why not try to hack into the transmission platform for the Milky Way sector? If this is detected, then and only then, mention the Species 1101 project, on the basis that we were requesting permission to send updates on the progress. If the hacking is not detected we can continue to send data we want them to have."

After some facial expression of endorsement around the group it was heading to consensus, but Alex 2 was shaking his head. "This is a dangerous plan. I accept all of Orva's concern about the time we may have to learn more, however, one mistake and we could all be gone in the blink of an eye. We should in my opinion set ourselves the task of 'read only' activity until we can decipher more about the information exchange before we tamper with anything. By all means let us have all the preparations made for hacking, but refrain from implementation until we understand fully what we are dealing with."

For once Yamamoto found himself in total agreement with Alex 2, and his support caused a re-think. It ended up as a compromise, with a two week period of observation followed by a review.

The task of attempting to hack into the transmissions would ultimately fall to Red alone. It was considered prudent to have a single 'script writer' to keep the style constant and avoid contradictory data being despatched through the 'cat-flap'. The 'pre-written' apology was to be worded in advance of the hacking attempt to minimise panic response upon detection. It was to be conveyed in a matter of fact 'please yourself' tone, implying 'we were just trying to help'.

As the Gliese clan was intent on relocating, and most of the necessary robots needed transport over the rift, this was completed with the ascent modules from both vessels, prior to the hacking trip. It had two advantages – the Phoenix module was free to concentrate on the relay deception entirely, and the remaining robots could now safely resume uncovering the Species 1101 abode complex, with the Gliese gone. That was certainly how it was perceived.

The area chosen by the Gliese had remained relatively unaffected by the volcanic fallout and was protected on three sides by small mountains. The open side was quite fertile and the ecosystem was recovering slowly but steadily. The mountains supplied water and this formed lakes at the open side, with only a narrow gap between each one. Even if there had not been major disagreement between the species, it would have strongly conveyed a choice of military thinking and suitable defensive terrain.

The two week observation period commenced with Red and Alex 2 taking turns to monitor. It was not a question of tiredness; it was because of data overload. The phenomenal amount of data could only be accommodated in shifts of an hour at a time. The one who was not scanning used this time to delete and compress before relieving his partner.

The first really important conclusion came quickly. The incoming transmissions varied in space-time registration from milliseconds to millions of years, representing vast distances. Considering that this relay was literally a primitive outpost, Red computed that the central compilation processing power, if based on the same technology would need to be the size of a medium size stellar object. The structuring and reorganisation of this data flow was assumed to cover all locations on the cosmic holographic image. "Of course, there is no way I am suggesting that a star could be such a host, with all the thermonuclear activity, I am only relating to the space required."

Alex 2 said, "What about a failed star?"

Silence.

He continued. "There would surely be an intermediate clearing house between the core and the extremities. Can we assess the time it would take for the nearest such possibility by extrapolating back from say, a five hundred year transmission location. This might give us a tentative distance to the nearest clearing house, if one exists."

The astonishing result matched the orbital distance of this relay to the brown dwarf. When Alex 2 reminded Red that the very first warning to stay clear had been for the brown dwarf, it also brought into perspective that the 'tiny moon' was only highlighted by association with Virubacts. They immediately set about calculations of orbital velocity of this relay and its estimated mass. Even allowing for seriously aberrant assumptions there was a discrepancy in gravitational influence of the brown dwarf. It was wildly less dense than it should have been. There was one other useful piece of information to reflect upon. Repeated mention of an era change was dated at almost two billion years ago. This was not fleshed out with detail, merely quoted, especially with old transmissions at around that time. They noted some alteration of the formatting in the archive at around the same period. Prior to the era delineation, there was little descriptive code; it was mostly an enhanced binary referencing structure, expanding to a limited array of sub options. The language itself became more complex after the end of the first era, yet it felt less elegant.

After this information had been stored, taking only three days of the allocated fourteen, they made their way back to discuss the implications.

It wasn't easy for everyone to grasp exactly what was brewing in the registries of Alex 2 and Red from simply presenting the data, so they continued. Alex 2 said they were both of exactly the same opinion. "We must extend this period of observation as we have only investigated a fraction of the available transmission logs for this one relay, which would appear to be about the simplest type in the entire array of stations, if all the recorded locations are being monitored. We run a grave risk of being underprepared for any response we may trigger from the action we previously agreed to take. I would implore you to weigh up the respective risks, and to help you decide, Red and I would like to remind you that the two-way communication option is not only as a result of the volcanic upheaval. It was offered at the time I underwent the tertiary replication with Daniel Carvalho. This was explained as preparation for merging with the Interference. That did not happen, so we shelved the opportunity until now. Therefore we have the reverse worry. Back then, we were concerned that it might be some kind of trap, now we are scared of losing it because we will be out of a loop. If our theory is correct that the brown dwarf is in fact a massive communication station it may also explain two other things. The declaration that a passing comet will destabilise the orbit of the small relay station has been investigated. The proximity of the specific comet would not be capable of such influence if the brown dwarf was indeed just that – its gravitational hold would be many times the necessary threshold to retain the relay's orbit. Secondly, the reference to Species 1101 is from a binary sequence. We had not noticed earlier that the holographic robots have a barely legible reference of 0011. Our estimation of the time taken for recent logged transmissions involving replies to Phoenix, match this distance and have this receipt reference. The sender equivalent is 0101. It is possible that the hatch entry is for a species residing in the brown dwarf. There is much supposition in all of this but it underlines that we are dealing with an elaborate network, where mistakes do not seem to be catered for in the design and may not be tolerated."

Although unintended, this interpretation of the revelations struck fear into the audience, except for Yamamoto. "If you're right, then the brown dwarf may be moving on soon. Mobile maintenance men – they surely can't have two permanent stations placed so close together. I agree that we should put more Symbiant resource into data trawling with all urgency. Their role in helping prepare for the Epsilons is nowhere near as important as this."

# Chapter 28

Twenty-two Symbiants were approved via replication and allocated to collect and analyse the data transmission logs within the relay. The reference 0101 cropped up from other locations. However most of the incoming data in the new era was concentrated in the Milky Way sector of the illustrated cosmic display. Even messages arriving which were sent fifty thousand years ago had the new era ratification.

Keer alerted Alex 2 that his monitor had just received a message from what was postulated to be the brown dwarf 'IP Address'. They in turn alerted Phoenix. No message was received yet on Phoenix and no robot appeared on the relay station. The message was repeated, and this time it was bounced to Phoenix after the relay robot authenticated it. Orva delivered a strange account. "It asks why you did not reply directly, and gives input protocols as it is assumed you have not been able to work them out. The message itself you already have, but it has been repeated here for our benefit as you have failed the first test. You are invited to explain why."

The message, which was now being frenetically studied by both groups, was not exactly straightforward. 'The possibilities which exist for the combination of primary particles such as atoms or molecules are virtually infinite. They however, must obey a very limited set of fundamental laws to achieve this. There are also many ways for sub-primary particles to align and interact, but they are also confined by the same kind of regulation. The projections available must be rigorously tested in this critical stage. This transmission makes the next step even more critical, it must not be wasted. You are obliged to reply from the tiny moon."

The one thing which was obvious about the content was that the sender had not been deceived by anyone or anything to do with the Virubact mask, except in a temporary way. The choice open to them appeared to distil down to asking for clarification on parts of the message, attempting to figure it out without further help, or suggesting a visit to the off-limits brown dwarf. Considering that the first test, whatever that was, had produced failure, it didn't seem to favour asking for help. They listed what they felt might fit the particle clues with what they had been discussing since they had availed of the two-way communication. They were sure the context had to be within that period. There was the discovery of Species 1101, the discovery by Pascal 2 in producing artificial life and the interest this might register with the Progenitors, and the actual 'deception' they had orchestrated with the Liberty Virubact. The only other high-ranking candidate appeared to be the knowledge gained from the relay station, and whether they would be allowed to have it or if they had made the most of it. It was a test – it did not disclose the price of failure, but the language was ominous.

They were approaching panic when Alex 2 calmed the trend. "We were not given a timescale; we now know that that is no longer a factor. It is crucial that we get it right no matter how long it takes. I am reminded of the repeated reinforcement of the message 'watch out for illogical behaviour'. If we cannot decide on definite evidence for any one option I suggest we consider what would be the most logical next move. That move may only be part of the test. I must confess that we could make a case for any of our short-listed items, but one stands out above the others. We were being watched in the relay station, there were many possible combinations, but there were few laws of logic to progress. Some could be considered primary and some sub-primary, for example, the LEDs and the holograms, or the master codes and the platform controls. None of our other candidates really suggests a test in this way. We figured out the real anomaly of the brown dwarf, but we failed to properly interpret the incoming message which we are now debating. It was meant for those of us already on the relay, as it was not onward transmitted. They expected us to reply from there, and now I am certain they expect us to go to the previously forbidden location."

His proposal ensured that the panic was far from over. Once again he pleaded for time. "Let us not rush at this, my proposal stands as my most logical choice. It will remain so until someone offers a better one. I will also volunteer to make the visit if we can reach consensus on it."

The anxiety persisted for several days as they could not be absolutely certain that there was no timescale. They hoped that, as they were being observed, staying away from the relay would be interpreted as 'working on the problem'.

Red had made an additional observation. The species references were scarce. 1101 for those buried in the canyon, 0011 for the robots, and 0101 for the sender assumed to be in the brown dwarf. That was all they had encountered and it struck him that for a cosmic area the size of the display, and the length of time it had logged data, it was a very small reference system. Four digits with an 'either or option' for some reason seemed inadequate. The information so far was also very thin. The canyon dwellers were the optimum ratio of inorganic/organic structure, they became extinct five million years ago and could fly. The robots were photons arranged in a way which simulated or produced sentience. They were presumably the safest way to interact with the stored Virubacts as attempts to infect them could be thwarted by simply switching them off, leaving the invaders without a host. Nothing was known about the senders, species 0101. Red confessed that he thought this supported Alex 2's conclusion – that they were expected to reply from the relay and request a 'visa' for the brown dwarf itself. However, consensus was not reached.

In the meantime Gsarr had insisted they be allowed to unearth more of the abode of Species 1101. The Gliese had elected their new leader. Schakaan was apparently less confrontational than Korvakk, but the clan was still rigidly focussed on the cause of the many, and if necessary, to the exclusion of minorities. Korvakk was far from displaying humility at her fall from grace, indeed she had called in favours to retain a position of office, which although lowly in ranking, gave access to all major decision discussion. One of Schakaan's first actions was to trade labour to the projects east of the canyon for food and infrastructure, until they became self-sufficient. This was considered to be ill-advised by both Rene and Gsarr.

As the Epsilon vessel was edging closer to 55 Cancri, they were debating exactly when they would disclose their secret. Their three million year survival in Epsilon Eridani had been less successful than that of the Gliese but not as littered with setbacks as the experience of the Europans. However one incident had stood out. Their numbers had gradually dwindled due to zero procreation and attrition from predators, until several thousand years of exclusively cellulose diet had caused mutation of their physical attributes. This source of cellulose, unlike the synthetic variety, contained trace quantities of bio-toxins. Over the millennia this caused further losses, prior to natural resistance being built up at the expense of grotesque disfigurement. The only upside was that these survivors were much stronger, and natural predators were eventually discouraged. Technical breakthrough similar to that which had been engineered on Mars, to restore procreative ability had not been as successful with them, because of rejection rates. Nevertheless, some headway had been made even though the offspring were, like the parents, almost unrecognisable as Axis.

Korvakk still had supporters of the brinkmanship that she had demonstrated, even though it had led to her removal as leader. They were few, but fanatical in their belief that compromise was weakness and strength was paramount. She also knew from experience that if the bluff she tried had been successful, it would have emphatically consolidated her position. Success was everything. With this in mind she enthusiastically supported Schakaan's labour for food policy, and convinced him that only the individuals with incorruptible character should be exposed to the temporary life style of the Easterners. Schakaan agreed and asked her to handle the details, as he had pressing issues to deal with, particularly the planning of the first city in their new homeland. This was, for Korvakk, an opportunity not to be missed.

The prodigious efforts of the Indys had revealed a different perspective of the living habits of Species 1101, but there was no evidence of a lavish or sophisticated lifestyle. The dwellings were Spartan and functional, they were pretty uniform in design, devoid of architectural flair. It was difficult to comprehend why the Progenitors had ranked them so highly, and there was almost a credibility gap – that such humble existence was accompanied by the ability of interplanetary travel, especially two million years before the Axis emerged to bestride Nexus as a truly intelligent society. Keer offered one possible explanation. "They may have poured everything into the escape from the now non-existent inner planet, and viewed Nexus as a temporary sanctuary. We know the red crystal was here then. If there was early contact, and the Progenitors may have got their information that way, their focus may have been governed by this interaction."

If he was correct, there should be some evidence. The alternative way to check it out was to ask Species 0101 whenever they did engage them via the relay. The Indy interest in this was bordering on obsession, and they began, through Gsarr, to campaign for an early contact with the brown dwarf 'senders'.

The Epsilons opted for a visual transmission to accompany the explanation of their disturbing appearance. This was received philosophically by Symbiants and Sapients alike. However, the Europans and particularly the Indys were emotionally damaged by the degree of suffering which was implied by their disfigurement. It added to the recent disappointment over the attitude of the Gliese, and the arrival would be even less upbeat than either of the previous two. The Gliese didn't yet know of this, as the message sent to their vessel was picked up by Symbiants maintaining a curfew on board – the relations were still strained despite the veneer of cooperation. Their reaction to this sad revelation would be interesting.

It seemed that Alex 2 had been correct; there was apparently no time pressure to reply to Species 0101. The apprehension was gradually being supplanted with a desire to reach a decision on not only how, but when to proceed. In the meantime, the Gliese labour force, which had been hand-picked by Korvakk's lieutenants numbered over eighty individuals. Three immediate subordinates of the former leader were the only ones entrusted with the plan. They were so fanatical in their loyalty that they readily agreed to be martyrs in achieving it. This was convenient for Korvakk, as it not only guaranteed her insulation from blame, it would go some way in proving she had been right all along. During the course of helping prepare the Epsilon accommodation, the three conspired to infect over half of their own labour force with a killer Virubact from the canyon. They perished themselves in this suicide pact. The rest of the labourers were disposed to fleeing, but Schakaan vetoed their return, quoting the needs of the many. This stand-off gave Korvakk the platform to volunteer to ask Pascal 2 for all possible help in saving her kin, by conferring the immunity she had denied to them before she was deposed. This act of mercy was seen as the optimum tolerance of protecting the majority and using diplomacy to extend compassion to the minority. The fact that Pascal 2 was only able to save eleven was largely irrelevant. Those eleven were her grateful enclave in the Eastern province and she had usurped statesmanship from Schakaan while remaining loyal to him. Her stock was on the rise again.

This episode had caused a hiatus in just about all activities. The Indys had temporarily registered the canyon off limits. The Epsilon dwellings had been turned into a mini-hospital to prevent the spread of infection to those who were still clear, and the debate on all things brown dwarf was postponed.

# Chapter 29

The Eastern province dwellers felt it would be unfair to allow the Epsilons to arrive then become victim of whatever fate awaited failure of the second test. They decided to proceed. The cured Gliese got wind of this and one of them passed the information back to Korvakk. She created a spurious visit to check up on the welfare of the informants and questioned the wisdom of such a precarious act. She had recovered her old confidence to intimidate. Her threat was delivered as if it had come from Schakaan. "We consider this highly irresponsible and demand reconsideration. This unilateral action on your part would be construed as indirect aggression and would force our leader into counter-action. He is aware of our lack of firepower but we have other means of sustaining aggressive response, and in any case, that risk could well be less serious than that which you could precipitate. I need an answer from you before I return."

It was interpreted as an empty threat and summarily dismissed. This played into Korvakk's hands. The proposed action by the Eastern province was, until now unknown to Schakaan, and he urged calm. Korvakk publicly presented the new leader's treacherous informant, who swore the information had been sent to Schakaan and implied he must have kept it from the rest of the clan. Korvakk seized on the consequent unrest and led protest against the Schakaan administration. She prefaced the rebellious demand by declaring that under no circumstances would she return to power. "I am happy to serve in any strong government of our clan, but only in advisory capacity. However, I believe we must recover our honour, and stop 'sleeping with the forces of anarchy'. A time such as this requires a consolidated response, not one of mere protest."

She was accorded support verging on hysteria. Schakaan was considered to have committed a worse crime than that which caused Korvakk's resignation. He was deposed and required to carry out a community function without any privileges, and it was a sentence without any specified end.

Whilst these rumblings did convey some concern, the visit to the relay was made. As previously planned Red would make the transmission with Alex 2 looking on. The holographic robot was summoned and the interface allowed it to be employed as an editor programme. The reply was phrased as alternate questions and statements. 'We were unaware that you knew of the accident whereby the replicated Virubact took partial control of Symbiants. Why did you not react? The only way we appear to have been affected is in being even more proactive. Do you see this as a disadvantage? Sapients, Europans and Indys have willingly undergone this symbiotic process without unwanted side effects. Does this surprise you? There appears to be a beneficial side to cooperation with what we have named Liberty, it gives absolute immunity from all other strains we have encountered. How does this reconcile with your statement that they are the secondary foe? You are aware of our conclusion that you are located in the brown dwarf. Can we obtain your permission to visit what has previously been stated as forbidden territory?'

The wait was a nervous one for those still on the surface. There was a furious activity period involving the robot and then the response came.

'There was no reaction initially as it was an accidental replication. Being more proactive can be reversed, it is not seen as problematical at this time. The lack of side effects in both organic and predominantly inorganic species would have been surprising millions of years ago, but not now. The immunity described which you claim has come from this advanced Virubact is beneficial to that organism, and it may not always be so. Virubacts are still considered as a threat in general, but differences have emerged. The Continuance may visit this location but not others'.

Red asked one more question. 'What is the significance of the various species to whom you have ascribed reference codes?'

The reply was instant. 'This will be explained during your visit'.

They returned and expected a relieved welcoming committee. There had been acts of sabotage on the Epsilon accommodation, and the 'cured' Gliese labourers denied involvement. The news from Alex 2 and Red was hailed as promising, but the Eastern province dwellers were a little preoccupied with the Western acts of provocation.

All Symbiants were to be posted on 'terror alert' except Alex 2, Red and Pascal 2. Keer was in nominal command with Orva providing insight into the historical mental gymnastics which characterised Korvakk's thinking. The Indys were incensed and were teetering on generating their own response. Rene pleaded with them to allow the neutrality of the Symbiants to handle the situation for the present. "We do not want to escalate this into a species rift. There is good evidence that the cured Gliese labourers are telling the truth, and indeed some of them want to remain here. Let us review this objectively and regularly."

The Indys were placated for now.

Red remarked to Alex 2, "I would like to pay one more visit to the relay before we embark on the brown dwarf journey."

"Why is that?"

"Well, we did not stop to investigate why the robot was so uncharacteristically active – which we have never observed before. I would like to see if we can find out why."

They arrived at the robot editing programme again but found nothing unusual. Returning to the 'read only' section there were terabytes of new data, all of it referring to the discovery of the symbiotic relationship with the Virubact. This posting had been coded to be accessible by all locations. "That must be the explanation," said Red, "and it implies that it is worthy of sending to all parts of the Cosmos. I believe this may indeed be a turning point in our relationship with our designers."

Alex 2 nodded, but his expression was circumspect.

The same duo was to make the trip to the brown dwarf, and they made preparations immediately. All was quiet on the Western front, primarily because the good news about the visit being authorised did not fit with the agenda of Korvakk, so she spent her energy on helping to organise yet another leadership election. This time she was not distanced from the power base as she was when she was deposed. Her influence would be pervasive and the probability of a puppet leader was considerable. It at least allowed the Indys to resume their excavations yet again. The departure of Alex 2 and Red almost went unnoticed; Rene, Fernando and Yamamoto were the only ones who turned up to wish them well.

The weeks passed and although regular messages came from the approaching Epsilon vessel, and both pregnant Sapient females had given birth successfully, no real updates were received from Alex 2 and Red. The bulletins only mentioned the masses of data they were currently presented with and their task of vetting and deleting irrelevant items to keep sufficient space for critical content.

The new leader of the Gliese had been ceremoniously installed. It was no real surprise that it was a known confidant of Korvakk. Tuncazz was also female and owed her previous ascent in rank to Korvakk, just as much as this one. The first task of Tuncazz was to cleanse the inner sanctum of the more liberal-minded members. There would be no repeat of the Schakaan disaster. The replacements were promised ownership of cultivated land in a new directive, specifically declaring that all ties with the Eastern province must be severed. This included the cured labourers who had survived the infection.

At last some definitive information came from Alex 2. Species 0101 (the brown dwarf residents), were indeed the maintenance entities. In addition to this relay, they had many more to service throughout the Milky Way galaxy. They were 'middle management'. They had almost reached their authority limit once this visit was terminated. They referred frequently to Species 0001, the real decision makers, and several levels of approval awaited the Symbiants before they could be approached. As well as establishing criteria to achieve such a lofty invitation, there was the question of distance. To that end, the gradual ascent of the disclosure pyramid would have to suffice for now, which could infer thousands of years. The most crucial piece of the transmission was kept until last. 'We have established via Species 0101, beyond any doubt, that the successful symbiotic relationship with Liberty is the first on record. It had previously been theorised as being possible, but always failed. The fact that we have made this breakthrough signifies new promise and the data we will bring back will enable many new opportunities. The discovery was not entirely due to our own research or the guidance tests that were set for us. Even though the final result came as an accident we were credited with the probability that we would have eventually got there. The exposure of the Virubact was a calculated risk on their part. The brown dwarf will be withdrawn from this location when the orbits of the planetary bodies have reached a 'finite' stage. The 'stable orbits' which we have observed still have an element of decay and some further accretion of gravitation is being finessed. This will take more than a hundred years. There is still a lot of data which we have to sift through before our return'.

The new arrivals – Anna-Severine's daughter and Eva Ryan's twins – a male and a female, at least increased the ratio of child-bearing potential a little. The question of infection came up, and it was considered to be too risky to subject babies to the Liberty immunity. Pascal 2 began researching the pattern of replication of this Virubact. He found that in the organic species a remarkable harmony had been established. Both the Indys and Sapients had experienced balance. Liberty had synchronised its rate of replication to the death and regeneration of cells. This metronomic balance removed the need for the Virubact to seek a new host until a crisis arose in the existing one. By contrast, the Europans, because of their evolution of scaly carcases and therefore minimal change, had inherited a virtual time bomb. Their engineered physiology, with only the essential nodes retaining organic dependence, posed a problem for Liberty. Matching the very low replication rate was dangerous for them. Over time the Virubact would become threatened, and this, coupled with the host's near immortality would ultimately wreck the coalition. Liberty would need to jump species, leaving the host vulnerable again. The Symbiants were somewhere between the two extremes. Although they did not have the perfectly predictable algorithm of Sapient or Indy cell replacement, they did have deletion and receipt of new data which, although not uniform, happened frequently. This mimicking of cellular death and creation was presently sufficient for a stable partnership, and there was an increasing trend to help cement the symbiosis. More research was needed, but there was one serious downside to the deceptively perfect relationship with the organics. The shedding of 'dead' cells was accompanied by matched Virubact content. This spread of infection to hosts or alternatively, the new horizon for Liberty, depending on the vantage point, would be random and uncontrolled. This must have been what Species 0101 had meant when it was stated that the Virubact was benign, until such time as the benefit to them evaporated.

When Alex 2 and Red did return they had one more conundrum for everyone to contemplate. The message which paraphrased the contrast between the myriad of combinations possible and the very few laws governing them, had not applied solely to the photonic entry puzzles for the relay station. It was a general principle of the Cosmos and also referred to potential progression through the ranks of disclosure of the Progenitors. Red was certain that this was particularly but not exclusively pertinent to the optimum 'shape' of sentience which they would foster. "It may not be what we want to hear, but the implication is that just like the Cosmos, some things can happen, others cannot. In this aspect of progression the relationship of sentience, inorganic/organic ratio, mobility and longevity must be seen as characteristics which must obey the laws, and not as Progenitors' inflexible, imposed, design criteria. There is no alternative. In a cosmic perspective, we are reminded of this inflexibility. Collisions between galaxies and stars, black holes tearing stars apart are all ordained from the point of their formation. Only a few elements of this design can be influenced. That reminds me Fernando, I need to speak with you about black holes."

The threat of all manner of punishments which could have been handed down from the brown dwarf visit had receded and this had taken some steam out of Korvakk's guerrilla campaign. It was being manipulated in a new way. A 'racist' dichotomy was being peddled with respect to the disfigured Epsilons. This affront to the Eastern province dwellers replaced the brown dwarf, as fuel to fan the flames, and the Gliese hierarchy paraded this as infringement of their freedom. They had every right to promote quarantine of the newcomers until they were cleared of passing on this 'plague of regression'. The Easterners were relentlessly portrayed as irresponsible appeasers. Korvakk's plan was to raise the anger to the point of civil war. At the zenith of the tension, orchestrated to coincide with the actual arrival, concessions would be necessary on each side. The inaugural welcome meeting was already scheduled to take place in orbit, as it had with the Gliese. Under the cloak of an uneasy cooperation, a Gliese contingent could slip away and regain control of their vessel, with its weaponry. The balance of power would shift sufficiently to negotiate sectarian agreements.

# Chapter 30

The strategy of Korvakk had worked so far, albeit in the name of Tuncazz. The moment was upon them. The Epsilon vessel had dropped out of QSD and was nearing orbit insertion. Last minute talks were taking place to secure the mirage of unanimity for the benefit of the arriving Epsilon clan. Korvakk played a very strong card with perfect timing. She advised Tuncazz to make the gesture of repatriation of the cured labourers, if they wished to return to their clan. She had written a speech for Tuncazz. "It would give us a chance to study the benefits of the Liberty treatment first hand, instead of simply relying on your statements of low risk. We are not blind to consideration of progress, but we do not blindly accept that progress defined by the views of others will fulfill that definition. We realise we have to shift our resistance a little, and we hope you will reciprocate by adjusting your expectations of our reticence on 'remedies' which have no fully documented history of safety. In this spirit we agree to attend the reception of the Epsilon clan and suspend our concerns to hear their explanation on the real reason for the late disclosure of their mutation. We have an open mind to evaluate this, as we believe you should have. An open mind means that concern for the incomers is balanced by protection for the majority. That is all we ask."

It was convincing, mainly because the Easterners knew they had been talking from a position of weakness for weeks already. They had merely abandoned the huff and puff bravado and found a face-saving route to avoid being totally ostracised. It was a commercial ploy as much as it was a political posture. This eleventh hour relaxation of tension achieved the objective of taking the Easterners off guard. The delegations set off for the formal orbital appointment. Korvakk had heard through her spies that, infection concern for the Sapients' children and any future Indy or Europan offspring, had led to hermetically sealed habitat units being produced aboard Phoenix. They were for emergency situations. She advised Tuncazz to ask for an opportunity to see them before they all set off to the incoming Epsilon vessel. They expressed well-rehearsed enthusiasm. Tuncazz delivered a plausible request to have Gliese engineers study the units and possibly adapt the specifications to suit their vessel. A specific date was not mentioned, but in the 'spirit of things' it was seen as mutual progress. The trap was set.

The visual confessions of the Epsilons had been carefully selected. The reality was much more disturbing. Not only were the samples the least grotesque in appearance, they did not reflect the disability which had been inflicted. Even the leader was only able to walk by dragging and twisting one leg, which in itself translated into a contortion of the spine and a throwback action of the head. The prepared written transmissions had disguised the discordant phonetic corruption of the language. Added to this was the anticipated natural drift of the dialect, and all in all it made verbal communication impossible for the present. The shock was tangible. The difference in the resulting emotion from this bombshell was not easily recognised. The Gliese was one of fighting recoil, the rest were steeped in compassion and something the Epsilons did not want – pity.

Written symbols were hurriedly prepared to offer the welcome sentiment. They were politely accepted by the leader, whose designation was written as Dravekk. Because of the communication difficulty, some of the planned formalities had to be shortened and others re-scheduled for another time. One such example was a visit to Phoenix. The Epsilons were anxious to make landfall. They explained at this late stage, that it was largely due to this handicap that their progress and precision with the manufacture of the city ship had been so far behind schedule. Dravekk proudly dispensed more positive claims, via pre-prepared scrolls. 'Our thinking capability has improved significantly, almost inversely proportional to our physical disability. That is why we have been able to design and improve on conceptual things such as data transmission. You may well be surprised how much we will contribute in this respect. We will earn our place in our society'.

The descent was prefaced by disclosure of the detail in the happenings since the arrival of Phoenix. Dravekk painfully scribbled a barely legible comment. 'Three million years produces more than enough opportunity for self-deceit. Having declined that temptation ourselves we often find it to be emotionally difficult to expose others to over-rigorous judgement. We introduce kindness into the equation and present the most acceptable components of the overall truth. You have just confirmed this by what you have now 'confessed'. I am sure this was done to avoid disappointing us so far into the pilgrimage.'

Yamamoto was sure he could detect a smile through the twisted facial features. He reflected the sentiment and thought, 'I think I'm going to like this individual'.

The inspection of the accommodation was the catalyst to fire up the lachrymatory glands. The emotion was apparently so powerful because this journey had been much more demanding for the Epsilon clan than the others. Their perception of adequate space was significantly different, courtesy of their mutation. They were overcome and overjoyed to claim their residence.

The only real sour note to emerge during this first encounter was the explanation of the memorial at the centre of Renewal. The space designated for their version of a phoenix to complete the triangle was met with a wellspring of pride. The further revelation of the pyramid of spheres and the assisted suicide left them in deep shock. They could have buckled in the same way after the mutation they suffered in Epsilon Eridani, but their presence on Nexus showed that they did the opposite. That was why the definition of the suggested phoenix meant so much to them. The additional detail that the assistance for suicide was volunteered by the Gliese, produced only furtive glances between the Epsilons, but the implied disapproval was transparently betrayed by dark colour display. They moved on quickly to see the food production and other infrastructure projects. The Indys were proud to present their relic and relate the story of Species 1101. The Liberty pact was explained in detail and the whole relationship with the Progenitors was too much for them to take in right now. They responded enthusiastically to Pascal 2 suggesting he could fix their voice apparatus quite simply. He would in time tempt them with further corrective surgery.

The mass descent with their belongings was scheduled for the following day, and provided perfect cover for Korvakk's plan to occupy their own vessel. By being part of the activity along with Europans and Indys, they reminded everyone that they wanted to re-inspect the Phoenix hermetically sealed units with their engineers and then make a blueprint for transferring the concept to their vessel. They were given access to their own ascent module to avoid impacting the 'removal crews'. With no Symbiants involved and the more suspicious minded Indys on the surface, permission was nominally given by Fernando. He was preoccupied with getting the new arrivals settled as quickly as possible.

The resumption in discussion between Red and Fernando attracted interest from Rene and Yamamoto. It was not only black holes themselves he wanted to discuss but their relationship in the wider cosmic context. He had known of Fernando's conversation with Yamamoto some time ago and wanted to bring new perspective to his ideas. This was partly due to data from the brown dwarf and the new facilitation from there, as a result of squeezing through the second test. He prefaced the discussion by referring back to the species designations of 0001, 0101, 0011 and 1101. "These are the only ones we currently know of, but even though the reference system itself only allows for a finite number and despite its flexibility to extend the system itself, we must realise that there have been literally millions of interactions with species which did not make the grade. These types are recorded in a separate archive and have transient reference codes to reflect their promise and subsequent failure. Only the ones who graduate are ascribed the permanent code. This can be for ability and/or stability. Intellectual progress is not the sole arbiter of promise."

They looked confused, but he pressed on. "Your musings about what happens at the event horizon are interesting. Referring to the Milky Way galaxy itself, it is known that at some time it will collide with the Andromeda galaxy. This is an example of preordained destiny at the point of creation. Individual stars such as binaries and neutron stars as you know can have the same irreversible destiny. Blue stragglers were considered to be anomalous until it was realised that the higher luminosity, mass and temperature had been caused by collision and merging of two other stars. When two super massive black holes at the centre of merging galaxies collide there is likely to be the anticipated jet expelled from the process. As well as the destructive violence which ensues, there is a strong possibility of triggering a burst of new star formation."

Yamamoto was becoming impatient. "Red, we already know all of this theory and observation, where is it leading to?"

"The new star formation geometry is one of the few ways in which the destiny of the region can be changed or influenced. These jets produce high levels of radiation, especially X-rays and Gamma-rays. The important considerations we now have to grasp are firstly, the equations we so dearly want to balance already take into account this radiation, and still there is not balance. Secondly, as we witness these jets, we are acknowledging an overturning of what would normally be ascribed as destiny. At some point the event horizon, within our current understanding, fails to define all parameters. Energy of some kind is still required to satiate the craving for balance. Perhaps we can work together on Fernando's suggestion of cleavage at or near the event horizon."

The intended discussion did not materialise. News reached them of the Gliese deception. Within a short time Tuncazz appeared with her entourage and enlightened them with the demand to surrender the hand weapons. The threat of the orbital lasers aboard their vessel was demonstrated by turning a few gigantic rocks into vapour. Compliance followed quickly and the Gliese contingent then instructed the Epsilon vessel to evacuate. Once on the surface the Epsilons saw the vessel targeted by the lasers. It disappeared, and fear escalated rapidly. The lasers then consumed many of the huddled creatures on the surface. The next few moments were surreal, Alex 2's flirtation with merging with the Interference was imposed, and he turned his gaze skyward. The Gliese vessel disappeared. Before they could brandish the surface weapons, the remaining Gliese evaporated. They were no more, but not subtracted – the lesson of their existence was not to be deleted. Alex 2 was in a daze. All he remembered was masses of data running through his registry and the feeling of being a conduit. He had no recall of thinking about what was actually happening.

The Epsilon ranks had been reduced to similar levels as the Europans. The lone vessel in orbit was Phoenix. The reality had not yet become reality for any but the Symbiants, who knew this was one example of the new facilities which had been bestowed as a result of the brown dwarf visit. It would be some days before any return to meaningful conversation, and even longer to resume plans for Renewal.

# Chapter 31

Somehow Alex 2 had avoided inclusion of the small band of Gliese labourers in the Interference action; he thought it may have been due to their conversion. For the first time the Symbiants were the species with the highest number of individuals. The Indys were next, then the Epsilon, Europans, Sapients, and Gliese, in that order. The more important statistic was that the planet and the Progenitors were now dependent on only a handful of potential contributors to their respective programmes in this region.

The jury was out on the merits of Alex 2's unconscious intervention. The views were split within every species, even the Symbiants. The pros based their support on the 'moral' nature of the action, and that at least the 'disconnect' from higher authority had been plugged. The 'cons' expressed the concern that having a changed master does not free the slave. The disagreement was not vehement, it was rational and healthy. It became the beacon of returning to practical chores and social harmony. It really was the last chance saloon.

Dravekk had survived and picked up Pascal 2's invitation to have the rest of the clan fitted with new voice box technology. This was a real step forward in social interaction. Of the many projects which had gone on to the back burner, the most controversial was the current research in which Pascal 2 had discovered a new route to creation of 'artificial life'. As this potential was most applicable initially to Sapients and Indys, they were the most vociferous. There were more negative than positive views, until Red regurgitated his previous lecture with a different slant. "We must try to separate the issues of moral and practical orientation. You know that the Symbiants are split on the judgement of the conduit to the Interference. This is only because we have retained the pro-activity conferred by Liberty. It could so easily have been deleted. We embrace it. Your moral values and obsession with purpose are similarly prioritised. They are essentially a by-product of some forms of sentience. Where they are incompatible with the laws of physics they will be overridden. In this sense your discrimination between natural disasters and a force such as the Progenitors, is illogical. The former is considered to be a great pity but the latter is apportioned blame. Like monogamy, religious belief, social welfare etc, they are institutions in which relevance ultimately exists and is entirely dependent upon the species continually dodging cosmic bullets, whoever fired them. We, the Continuance have recently come to appreciate these qualities, but they are still sandcastles at the mercy of the tide. This is not an appetising thought, yet if it is not respected, everything has been for nothing. The creation of artificial Sapients or Indys does challenge your beliefs; it does not have to offend them. I ask you, what is the difference between intelligent robots and a life form created by fertility drugs? You accept both. Pascal 2's creation is somewhere in between. We, as primarily inorganic entities feel the robots are not given the same consideration by you as from ourselves, yet we still try to understand your persistent clinging to emotional values. Can't you be persuaded to look on such creations as just another life form, whose development will be fascinating?"

Red was at least pleased that he was not shouted down but did not feel that he had dispelled what amounted to fear of the unknown. He had failed to capture the spirit of climbing a mountain purely because it was there. He would try again another time.

Meanwhile Alex 2 was preparing for another visit to the brown dwarf. He asked Fernando, Yamamoto and Rene if they would like to join Red and himself. A later visit would be offered to Gsarr, Dravekk and the new leader of the Gliese six. The invitation was accepted even though they knew it would be exclusively a spectator brief; that was all Species 0101 would allow.

At least there was now far more infrastructure than was needed to support the small population. This gave more time to plan interactive learning centres. Sharing values had become a critical component of rekindling the 'boldness to go where no one had been before'. Just as time was credited as a great healer, it would prove to be a catalyst for the small group. It was the opposite effect to that on large groups, which became unwieldy and impatient when faced with inertia.

The Epsilon phoenix had gone with the vessel and was re-crafted, taking its place in the triangle. It was of course symbolic, but the decision to erect it was accorded similar importance to that of not removing the Gliese version. It was based upon the struggle to get here rather than dwell on why things went wrong. A lesson for future generations, if there was to be any.

This brown dwarf visit would provide a chance to inquire a little into the swiftness of action on removing the Gliese threat. Apart from the divergent views expressed on why, there was the small matter of the assumed time frame of observance, evaluation and formula for resolution of the scenario. It certainly implied that they were 'living under a microscope'. This was not a new sense of intrusion, rather one of concern over detail, especially when the Progenitors were reputedly disinterested in such petty squabbles. Alex 2 decided he would leave this inquiry until the end of the session. He opened with the different level of symbiosis of Liberty with each species, and what it could mean if left unchecked. The response demanded more precision in the question. When Alex 2 had detailed the near perfect tuning with organics, and adapted balance for data load and scarcity for the Symbiants, he was interrupted. The implication was considered to be obvious. It was simply one of determining which route to take. The rules of advancement would not change, but could accommodate optimised promise, whether that was organic or inorganic, with or without Liberty, or hybrid situations of both. The arbiters would be the capacity gradient of intellectual advancement and stability. The emphasis was on the former, but without a certain level of stability it would not qualify for upgrading. Alex 2 believed the wording contained a cautionary note about the Virubact route.

This led to a long discussion on those promising species which fell by the wayside. Once more the replies were mired in generality. No individual species would be commented upon, as there were millions of them, and only trends were important. Again Alex 2 detected a subliminal content – the recent gain in status of the Nexus group as a whole was in some way directly linked to the bemoaned disasters of recent times. Although these horrendous events were experienced within a range from unfortunate to intolerable, some clarity of direction had emerged. This was 'normal'. Many other topics were raised; some did not generate a reply, others were dealt with patiently.

The issue of Alex 2's role as conduit was obviously a sensitive one if judged purely by the 'hard disk access time'. The reply was worded more like a political deflection than a technical explanation. 'Taking advantage of enabled functions is new for you. It is in reality not much different from the communication change from one way to two way participation. Each qualifying situation is evaluated on significance, urgency and ratio of perception'.

Analysis of this allowed Alex 2 to visualise the sequence of events, which at the time he could only feel. He now understood that it was his own frenetic assessment of the Gliese aggression, including retaliatory force which alerted the hierarchy. They had not been spying on the mundane domestic altercation. His surge of prioritising a response did interrogate all of his systems including the residual Interference architecture. That, coupled with the new upgraded promise function, was conveyed as critical, to the brown dwarf. Then he had become the conduit for processing the outcome. The addendum to this was assurance that some degree of restraint or even efficiency in executing the outcome would accrue with practice and further upgrading.

As they prepared to leave, Yamamoto's pre-prepared question was registered via Alex 2's technobabble. "Can we see your species either in reality or as a projection?"

Instant response followed. "Not at your current phase of progress."

This was anticipated. "When can we expect a new test?"

A slightly longer pause prevailed. "You will know when."

This was not quite what was anticipated. "We are now a small band of disparate species, will it be within the lifetime of Sapients?"

Instant response returned. "You have the potential of variable lifetime. Please be more precise."

Yamamoto decided to wait until the next visit for Alex 2 to answer this. Fernando had his turn via Red. "We have some observational data and some theoretical notions about black holes or singularities, which represent the breakdown point of understanding of those few laws to which you often refer. If we overlay the message from the Continuance that the Progenitors are engaged in preserving balance, we need clearer interpretation of boundaries such as event horizons."

"That is not a question. It is an accurate statement."

Yamamoto thought, 'Fernando, you wily young fox!'

Red continued, "Sorry, I suppose my question is - will we ever be able to achieve this by scientific observation or experiment?"

"If you have to ask this question you are not prepared for the answer."

He persisted. "This is what I meant by clearer interpretation. You refer to the answer rather than an answer. Should I read significance into that?"

"You already have."

Fernando also wanted to return to this subject after more discussion with Red.

Rene wanted to know if there was another species in the hierarchical order, between them – designation 0101 and the previously mentioned Species 0001. The reply to Alex 2 was affirmative. No further dialogue was permitted.

They left and were now sufficiently motivated to restore think-tank sessions.

The Indys had unearthed the outline of a massive structure. They conceded that the robots had served their purpose; the final work would have to be done in painstaking steps and by hand. The Epsilons needed little convincing to embrace Liberty, even though the prognosis was of a temporary useful symbiosis. It was felt to be important to have immunity for that length of time while alternatives were studied. Two of their number had volunteered for spinal correction research. Improvements in procreation potency and altered genetic code would have to wait.

The Nexus-born Sapients were transferred with their mothers to Phoenix for a period, until new classifications had been completed for the deeper rocks exposed by the Indys. The 'esprit de corps' was returning in some measure, considering the drastic pruning which had been suffered.

Nexus was not only experiencing a cohesive philosophy for the first time since the arrival of Phoenix, it was changing because of the recovery of indigenous flora and fauna, which were busy transforming the landscape. The connections between flying, crawling, climbing and stationary DNA was re-weaving the food chain again. The exponential section of the curve was approaching. As yet there was no evidence of large predators, but they had not explored much of the planet. Like all extinction events, the demise of some species created opportunity for others. The water sources were crucial in this re-birth and in this respect the robots were very useful in connecting some of these life-giving conduits. The ecosystem had been marginalised in the minds of the various Nexus inhabitants throughout the recent drama. Sudden reminders that there would again be seasonal variation to contend with, drove home the point that their comfort zone was still some way off.

The recently abandoned programmes of mineral acquisition and chemical plants were revisited and injected with new purpose. It was tempting to annex all the ethereal stuff of cosmic balance and just take what comes, but they knew it was a temporary retreat.

# Chapter 32

Eighteen months of regenerative effort had seen certain milestones passed. One of the most important was the confidence to allow Liberty interaction with the Sapient children and their permanent return to surface living.

Eva Ryan was pregnant again, as was Rene, whose own birth on Mars had been a big contributing factor to any of the current population being domiciled on Nexus. The Axis custom of a female procreating with many partners still prevailed, and yet she was the only Europan to be in the family way. The opposite was true for the Indys; many new arrivals had been welcomed. The Epsilons had concentrated on surgical procedures to correct disfigurement and were only now ready to consider further restoration of their procreative ability. The remaining Gliese inhabitants were all males, so they could only really rely upon their relative longevity to maintain a presence or pursue Pascal 2's route to laboratory creation. It had not been mentioned because of the recent history.

This had been, by contrast, an ongoing debate for Sapients and Indys. The latter had just passed a resolution that they would not participate. The Sapients were still divided over the issue and the discussion had taken a new twist. Those in favour questioned whether it had to be a group consensus or if there was room for individual choice. It was Yamamoto who thrust this wedge into the polite and somewhat restrained forum. He admitted he was arguing from both practical and conceptual standpoints. "I confess that I'm never likely to have a life partner. That would, under normal circumstances mean I'll never have offspring except by the 'anonymous' insemination pool we agreed. Anna-Severine's child could be the daughter of any of our limited number of males. We decided not to know that, as building up our numbers should not suffer such emotional identity. By allowing an individual's template to be studied and matched in a limited way, in the design of a new entity, goes some way to redressing the emotional vacuum. It doesn't have to be a forever declaration, and can be reviewed regularly. It would provide a valuable means of realising or dispelling some of the concerns we have about such a departure for our species. It may be the only means to end the perennial debate, as the positions have become entrenched, and resolution is unlikely unless something changes."

He didn't really expect support, even from another pro-campaigner. When Fernando endorsed the idea, and further asked the rest to at least invite the only other totally artificial being – Doc, to relate his experience from the opposite view, the lock-jam surprisingly broke. They would talk to Pascal 2.

The Indys had uncovered a keystone in the upper arch of their excavation. About a metre to the side was another stone which had been cut very precisely to fit into an aperture of some half a metre square. They decided to see if they could carefully loosen it and lever it out. The precarious task was several days long, but yielded a chamber which potentially could save a lot of digging. It was quite large, maybe twenty metres by ten, and had a chute leading down to a mezzanine. Here they encountered more inscriptions and despatched a messenger to request Symbiant help in translation.

Red was not too happy to break out of the think-tank, however the others requested a break, as they were still mired in coming up with a better theory than Fernando's to explain the event horizon puzzle. The inclusion of star destruction followed immediately by the process of new birth and the merging of super massive black holes only compounded the problem. If both dark matter and dark energy had sources of renewal, they would in theory be the driving force of changing the balance. They would have to know more about the ratios of destruction and renewal of each, in order to progress their comprehension. It was becoming a circular cerebral routine. The Symbiants were unusually frustrated, even in their proactive mode they did not avail of this link.

Red arrived at the dig. Within minutes he contacted Alex 2 and asked him to join them. There were many inscriptions, most dealing with information they had already gleaned from the original relic, but this was in great detail. All attention was focussed on the claim that there was some kind of portal in a region on the other side of the planet. The dating of the inscription was older than the relic and the region was not known to the Indys, primarily because of their confinement by the Ebexx. The coordinates were recorded and surrounding topography was advanced enough to confirm that these entities were masters of aerial transportation. The portal had a reference but in peculiarly obscure descriptive symbols. It was vaguely like a yellow omega with 'ingrown' green spikes of variable length. There was a hint of 3D perspective, as if the spikes were not travelling toward a central point, but diverging at different angles outside the planar omega. A new puzzle often takes the mind out of its circular tether. It was hoped that this would be the case with Omega, as the project had been christened.

The fever for following the trail to this portal was contagious in the extreme, but they agreed to send a delegation with the ascent module, and essential tasks would be continued as before. The delegates were easily nominated and accepted for all species except the Indys. Even Gsarr's gesture to forego his right to lead their contingent made little difference. They would organise a contest to ensure the deserving ones prevailed, and waved away protestations from the others about timescale, as the data had been buried already for millions of years. It was testimony to the more tolerant society that this was accepted with good humour.

The session with Pascal 2 was to begin with the opportunity for the Sapients to interrogate Doc. His first observation was that they, as a group, appeared to be more sensitive to his reaction than they did in normal, everyday conversation. They all smiled at this assertion, believing it was an attempt to lighten the mood with a little levity. "No, I am absolutely serious. I could actually complain that the Europans, who created me, are even more afflicted with such aberrant behaviour. I merely have to accept your idiosyncrasies as part of your imperfect design. Yes, now I am 'pulling your leg'. You see I can trot out all the appropriate phrases without being able to identify with them. Please ask the difficult questions which I am sure you have."

It was a good start. Slowly the gloves came off, and the concerns over error in design and rogue behaviour surfaced. Even parameters for acceptable termination were discussed. Doc more than held his objectivity intact as he reminded them that although the Pascal 2 proposal would in principle categorise his new creation as artificial, there were many factors which could differentiate it from his own similar tag. "You are contemplating an organic embryo being laboratory designed and nurtured to a point of independence. This is not that different from fertility treatment, from conception to childhood. I am not cloned or constructed from Europan DNA. I am engineered from similar molecules but in a more structured pattern. I do not inherit characteristics from them, except their notional design, it is not a direct conference of anything. I am closer in principle to their robots than the designers. I cannot make you feel more comfortable about your dilemma. I do not avail of the necessary feelings, but I am confident that your creation would. Maybe you have to think as it would. It could be grateful for creation, or cursed with being different by having no natural parents. I can feel happy to be here, it is about the only true aspect in which I can feel something. I hope you will consider this last declaration in your decision."

Doc had unintentionally coerced them into a profoundly introspective mood. With Pascal 2 waiting they began discussing the issues which Doc had raised. He knew that one of the major unknowns for them was the possible need for termination. He could not offer advice. He could only remind them of the long established Human legislature which allowed abortion. Many of the quoted reasons for such authorised procedure did not apply here. They were trying to build population and were not burdened with financial or under-age pregnancy concerns. He challenged them. "If we for a moment accept the parallel with abortion during nurture, surely you must apply the same criteria to any unacceptable behavioural problems. There is no termination option for natural born or created Sapients. Deviant individuals from either source should be treated in exactly the same way. If you can agree on that, then you will surely fulfill Doc's assertion that you must also treat normal or exceptional behaviour in the same way."

Yamamoto wanted more than ever to become a template for a new Sapient. They found it difficult to deny him. The reservations would linger but the decision was made. It was another example of how small groups stand a better chance of handling disparate views with more tolerance than large ones. Yamamoto started the procedure with Pascal 2 immediately as he was included in the portal delegation.

The Indy candidates had at last been chosen and they were ready to go. The overflying reconnaissance data indicated quite a few large lakes in the region. The terrain surrounding and between the lakes and river feeds was populated sparsely with trees and reddish ground covering plants. No fauna had been detected at this altitude. It was in many ways an excessively large group, a quick foray might have been a better strategy but the Symbiants were outvoted.

A satisfactory landing location was found and they estimated that it was about two kilometres from the target coordinates. There was a rocky ridge to negotiate, but all the other level sites were much further away. The landing was uneventful but brimming with enthusiastic din from the Indys. As Gsarr was not one of the chosen delegates, there was no ratified leader and this was indicative of a problem. The usual team of Symbiants was present, four in all. The others - Europans and Sapients had fewer representatives. Yamamoto was joined by Fernando, and Luther Sanford. Rene had been trusted as the sole ambassador for her species. The Gliese also had single representation in the form of Kushakk, the new leader of their tiny group. The exception to this basis for nomination was the Indys. They had selected no fewer than eight individuals who jabbered non-stop, as would a teacher-less group of excited school children, on their way to a superhero movie. The Epsilons declined representation. Keeping their mind on the need for close grouping and attention to possible danger was virtually a forlorn objective, as the Indys argued incessantly.

They headed east toward the ridge at first but it was much steeper than the aerial shots had suggested. The safest alternate approach appeared to be through a gap to the north, entailing an extra march of an additional two to three kilometres. When they reached this pass the terrain changed to the red carpet they had observed. It was moss-like in texture and sweet smelling. The reason for its flourishing presence was revealed at the end of the pass. They were faced with another decision. Straight ahead was more moss, but in swampy soil. Skirting the inner ridge south, back toward the coordinates looked good for most of the way except for small hills which blocked the view for the last quarter of the journey. Going further north was not popular but did have a clear view and delineation of the end of the moss and presumably the swamp. What they could not see or know from their existing position was that the swamp sharply deepened to a central point. The only way they could avoid gambling was to the north, which would have put another five kilometres on to the journey, in considerable heat. The Indys made the decision, not by discussion but by simply setting off to the south.

By the time the hills had surrendered their obstructive view of the final kilometre or so, they realised that the swamp ran to the right, into a lagoon, so they would have to cross over about one hundred and fifty metres of red moss.

A halt was called to reconsider. Once again the Indys wanted to charge ahead. The rest were more circumspect. The uneasy conclusion was for two of the Indys to cross and signal safety for the remainder to follow. The duo was proud to be chosen for this auspicious honour and set off briskly. They were no more than a few metres into the moss when the underfoot conditions changed. The spongy carpet was exerting suction and they began to sink into the mud. Extracting one foot after the other was not too tricky so they decided to press on. The composition changed again and creeping extensions of the moss wrapped around their legs eventually reaching their waists. Sensing the danger Keer and Orva hastened toward the stranded Indys. It was to no avail. In an instant the water parted to announce a huge amphibious-looking beast with jaws already open. They were shredded in less than thirty seconds. Having had sustenance for the day the creature disappeared as quickly as it had come into view. The residual parts of stripped flesh were floating and were equally quickly devoured by the strands of the lookalike moss, obviously a carnivorous plant. As they had seen no evidence on the reconnaissance flight, or on the recent march, of land based fauna, it was assumed to be a marine ecosystem.

It was a painful lesson for the entire group and for the Indys in particular, as often is the case, when hindsight proves to be a more exact science than guesswork. Their deflated demeanour would last for only as long as they realised they did need to take shelter from the searing heat.

# Chapter 33

The group had found respite from the heat but not the trauma of losing the two Indys. It was yet another case of weighing the possible reward against an unacceptable price. The Indys flipped from being irresponsibly enthusiastic to urging abandonment. Alex 2 insisted that if they had been more careful this would have been avoided. Resting in the shade brought a little more discipline but they had to compute what was lurking in deeper sections of water. It took several hours of retracing their steps to the north and avoiding as much water as possible before they could see the approximate target area. As they got nearer it became obvious that there was a raised plateau. This level was about two metres higher than the surrounding terrain. It was roughly oval in shape and a battered stone circle occupied the central fifty metre radius. The heat was fortunately on the wane now but they rested once more in the shade of some of the larger stones.

They could not detect any inscriptions on the rocks, but one in particular showed signs of a sculptor's efforts. It had eroded considerably and they were ready to move on when Keer and Orva used their considerable coordinated strength to push it aside. It revealed a base plate with the funny omega form. There was some discussion prior to attempting to lift the base plate from its recess. It was cut so accurately that there was no obvious point of leverage. As they grew more frustrated they were taken completely by surprise. They had not paid too much attention to a particular arrangement of small holes in its surface, as they seemed to be random, erosion related pits. They stood back in astonishment as the base plate rumbled, shaking itself free of the recess, and being levitated just enough to produce gripping points. The Symbiants swiftly eased it further upwards and out of the frame. On the underside was a huge black crystal, connected to fibre, which they would later discover led to a geothermal energy source. The diagram inside the space clearly showed that once the covering rock was moved to reveal the base plate, a particular alignment of the sun with the pattern of holes would trigger the energy source to raise the plate. This would apparently happen at four different times in a day. The sun did not appear to be at one of the prescribed angles right now and it was Red who reminded them that this was constructed a long time before the present stability of the gas giants was realised. "It is a miracle that the pattern of holes can still configure the correct light enabling energy connection, let alone that the geothermal system is operational."

The cautious approach prevailed as the Symbiants were first into the small cavity. The entry to further chambers was not sophisticated, consisting of sliding slabs with counterbalancing equivalents on the other side of the opening. This construction was not dissimilar to ideas used by ancient Egyptians, and caused the Symbiants in particular to consider why the species was so highly rated by the Progenitors.

As they explored further, the caverns spread downwards in a cylindrical shape with very regular vertical support pillars, and overreaching beams. Suddenly there was no further descent option. There was also a distinct lack of descriptive purpose of the complex. Everything seemed to be shouting – 'secret'. Even the means of descent was pretty crude and not without danger. The pillars were interspersed with small platforms at varying heights and areas, and it was just possible to leap to adjacent ones. They were however cleverly arranged so that a sequence had to be used to eventually progress to the floor. It was Yamamoto who suggested a reason. "Maybe the descent platforms are for visitors; Species 1101 were capable of flying and wouldn't need to use them."

Once they had all assembled on the bottom level they observed a single exit. Pursuing this tunnel for quite a way revealed nothing. They decided to continue for another ten minutes or so. The tunnel was almost perfectly straight and had no branches in any direction. About a mile into the darkness it widened and there was a panel on either side to give illumination, which managed to settle the nervous Indys. This space was also a cylinder, but with no descent platforms or anything else except the next exit. They stopped to evaluate the possible alternatives. The plan emerged; two of the Symbiants would press ahead for another ten minutes and report back by technobabble.

The report came quickly as they had superb night vision and could move a lot faster than the others. The main reason was however, that they had found another cylinder with platforms. The rest joined them to see that Keer and Orva had located evidence of primitive living. There were tools and utensils. Ascending was a more formidable challenge for the Sapients. They had to be assisted by the Symbiants. The Indys were back to adolescent pranks and made it to the top first. The Europan and Gliese delegates had impressive ability to leap upward and found it to be pretty straightforward. Here there was an internal mechanism to lift the base plate, which had no holes and was obviously not part of an entrance system from the outside. When they surfaced and surveyed the terrain, it was clear that a lot of difficult territory had been avoided by going underground. They were currently in a raised spot surrounded by cliffs, waterfalls and lookalike moss. The coordinates were recorded as they disappeared once more into the cylinder, replacing the base plate before descent.

The next phase was almost a repeat, a cylinder without ascent platforms, and after that a larger one with two exits. The first was straight ahead (east) and the other at right angles (north). It was not felt prudent to split up so they went north first. An ascent cylinder took them to a surface oasis. In this terrain that mental image was pictured as a relaxing area without water. There were large, fleshy plants bearing fruit, and the Indys declared them edible. After a short break Alex 2 said it would make sense to continue north to see if there would be further branching. It proved negative, so they returned to the cylinder with the option to go further east. Two more repeats of the 'modular' design and they entered a small 'urban' like complex. There were fossils here and crude energy enabled facilities; they were accompanied by inscriptions. Red took a while to decipher the mixture of symbols and drawings. The repetitive references to predators were chilling. Larger flying creatures and amphibious carnivores were pushing Species 1101 near to extinction. The decision to relocate underground gave some period of recovery but over many generations they mutated to a point at which they became vulnerable to microorganisms. Having come from another planet and lost the technology to move on again they were faced with a critical dilemma. Surface and die, or single-mindedly develop, in the time they had left, a synthetic form of themselves with immunity to the bugs and therefore the time to give further options. The next few modules grew more complex and Alex 2 noted that extrapolation of the relatively short route already covered would eventually take them back toward Renewal.

Several surface forays were necessary for those requiring food. It was also an opportunity to let the Symbiants remaining in Renewal receive technobabble to let everyone else know that apart from the tragic loss of the two Indys, everyone else was fine.

It was four long weeks before the 'launch' silo was discovered. It was huge. There were no plans in evidence to reveal any detail about the technology, time or destination. They clearly did not want to be followed. The transformation in sophistication from the outer tunnels to this hub seemed to reflect their graduation to the healthy, synthetic branching of their species. Red remarked, "Perhaps, this is why the original species were regarded so highly. They survived and evolved against all odds to be very close to the Progenitor model of promise." There was recognition by the rest, in synchronised, solemn nodding.

The group divided. Alex 2 and Red would continue with the main party while Keer and Orva would return to Renewal with the ascent module. Flying back over a surface marker confirmed that the tunnel travellers were on course for the rift.

Life in the 'city' had been thankfully free of incident during their absence, and it was not surprising that Keer and Orva were besieged with the thirst for detailed knowledge of the fate of Species 1101. The expansion of the boundaries of Renewal had been the focus of quite some discussion. With survival emphasis concentrated on the need to increase population, and give critical mass to the entire Nexus civilisation, thereby overtaking non-sentient predatory threat – a theme had emerged. The awful fate of the two lost Indys was the springboard. The idea was to produce a technological barrier to predators as the city expanded. It should have one now. Repeating it every so many years implied that the most sensible way to expand was in concentric circles, where every point of extremity is the same distance from the protective barrier.

Months passed and the tunnel team had found the need to spend more time above ground. It was not just for food; the need for sunlight was becoming an acute necessity for some. Three more silos had been charted, and what was considered to be the central hub yielded more information on the microorganism which had forced Species 1101 on to this path. Alex 2 would confer with Pascal 2 but he was already sure that it looked like a forerunner of the Liberty variety.

Pascal 2 confirmed this was the case by technobabble comparison of key features. He asked Alex 2 to let Yamamoto know that his wish to become a 'godfather' of the first laboratory reared Sapient had been granted. The accelerated nurture and programming had produced the female a few days ago. She was rapidly developing and would be walking and have rudimentary vocabulary at her disposal by the time he returned. She would not have a name until he returned and chose one. He was humbled to a level he had never previously thought possible, and could not get back soon enough. He would have liked to sleep under the stars that night but he knew it would not happen. Reflecting on his own early childhood in Japan, he pondered on how he would be able to tell her stories which could possibly make any sense to her. In the same way that Rene's birth had been symbolic to the Europans on Mars, this youngster was to shift the entire subject of ordaining life by prescription, on Nexus.

The arduous tunnel journey was almost at an end. They had come to what should have been the rift cylinder, but it had been blocked from the underground route by the earthquake. They had to surface via the previous one and complete the epic trek in sunlight, which was welcomed by the weary participants. The awaiting relatives of the two lost Indys did know there would be no bodies, as Keer had related details of the horrific incident, yet they wanted to greet the surviving members of their party to give closure. Life in Renewal would in theory get back to normal, whatever that was. However, that would only happen once the appearance of the new little girl was witnessed by those returning, and the inevitable ensuing discussion had at least been arranged. It was such a pivotal challenge to all traditions of all species. Doc had, until this period, been considered by his makers as an 'intelligent robot', but this would no longer suffice. The Europans had belatedly recognised and admitted their own contradictions, and this had indirectly spawned their interest in the Pascal 2 synthesis.

As the decision did not really affect the Symbiants, Alex 2 and Red wanted to make another trip to the Brown dwarf. The information gleaned about Species 1101 having transformed their entire architecture, and departed for another world, was the justification. They made the request politely from the relay and were pleasantly surprised that it met with no resistance. On arrival and clearance they went directly to this subject and declared it was the only one on their agenda. Silence prevailed for long enough to convince them that the trip had been futile. They were preparing to leave, thinking that no reply meant refusal to enter discussion. They were advised to wait for another two weeks and return, this apparently equated to the time for authority to allow release of more data. They decided to interrogate other aspects of the database but found nothing of significant interest and left.

Yamamoto had at last been able to get time alone with his new friend, musing that they were 'related by technology'. He soon learned that she had been pretty well accepted by all residents. She was a quick learner and immediately asked why she had no name. "I have some friends and they all have names, even ones who were born just before and after me, but are smaller than me, and they can't even talk yet. Their parents feel sorry that I don't have a name so they have given me one. Anyway, they also told me that I do not have parents, but I don't know what parents are for. Everyone is nice to me and told me about you, but why?"

"We can talk more on that later. Please tell me the name you have been given."

"Suki."

"Do you like it?"

"Yes, it is easy to remember, not like some other names we have here. I would like to keep it but I have been told you might want to change it. Why would you be able to do that when I have never known you?"

"I think it's a great name, but even if I didn't, you wouldn't have to change. I think we should now talk about why we might become special friends." It was a delight for Kipchoge Yamamoto to fill in the details for this little girl. He had imagined it would be so difficult, but she had made it quite the opposite. He had a new purpose in life and he embraced it.

# Chapter 34

Alex 2 and Red were back to hear what news if any there was from the brown dwarf senders. The data they got seemed logical but didn't open up an observation window on where to search next. They did have something new to report themselves. They had over-flown part of the planet on their way. Several of their options in the tunnels to go north had been plotted and appeared to converge on one location. They had not yet explored that location but already knew from altitude that it had a very unusual magnetic signature and was emanating high radiation levels. They had decided to keep this revelation until they had squeezed as much information as possible out of the 0101 sender species.

What they did get was a detailed description of what Species 1101 had turned themselves into. It was accompanied by a display. The photonic representation was apparently a good likeness. It differed in many ways from the form they had been 'descended' from. They were much smaller and did not require the myriad of cilia and recognition blotches of the real thing. This was all very interesting but not really useful. Red asked, "Where did they go?"

"No data is available."

"Exactly why are they so highly rated?"

"When they first transformed they were not amongst the registered codes. What they became was remarkable, and in retrospect the originators, who were destined to become extinct, were accorded their accolade. If they had not done what they did we would never have known Species 0001."

Alex 2 could not refrain from the direct question as a statement. "So Species 1101 somehow provided the link to the highest ranking life form commanded by the Progenitors?"

"Correct."

The two Symbiants paused as they felt they were on the cusp of a real breakthrough. They overplayed their hand by assertively requesting a visual of what Species 0001 was like now. The reply was clear in its tone and brevity. "They now have no resemblance to what you have seen. If you have other questions proceed."

They asked about the significance of the radiation source to the north. An instant response did provoke further curiosity. "It is a very large deposit of Seaborgium and its derivative Oxy-chloride. You may not be able to access this from the surface."

This effectively terminated the discussion. On the homeward journey they debated the significance of the revelations. One theory seemed to have merit. Species 0001 could well have created 0011(robots) and 0101(senders). The presence of Seaborgium was also a strong candidate for the means of escape of the synthetic 'descendants' of what Species 1101 had now become, especially as several tunnels ran toward it. The previously annoying missing link of where they initially departed to would fade if the first assumptions were correct, because they would now be spread through the Cosmos. They had previously learned at least that much about Species 0001. The next investigation should be for evidence of vessel construction and therefore distance capability. If they were all over the known universe there had to be stepwise advances in cosmic transport. They were generally pleased with the information extracted, but felt there was likely to be a limit on what else they could discover on Nexus, which would unlock the remaining clues. If indeed the answers they were seeking were elsewhere, there would not be much enthusiasm from the other species in Renewal to uproot again.

Alex 2 suggested that they stop at the relay and send one last question, which would have a recorded reply rather than the brown dwarf type. Red was puzzled, then realised what his colleague was up to. "Yes of course – Liberty."

They phrased it as a proven fact. 'The evidence found in the tunnels of Species 1101 included detailed reference to the microorganism which eventually wiped them out. Our analysis shows this to be an ancestor of the Liberty Virubact. It is a very primitive virus, but the essential markers of Liberty are unmistakable. Your comments would be appreciated'.

They waited for an hour before robot activity clicked into gear. The reply eventually came. 'Your information is correct. At the time in question Virubacts in this region were just beginning to flourish, but were still not evolved to exercise control of hosts in a sophisticated manner. There was also a fierce struggle amongst the viruses and the developing alliances with bacteria. Many of the first Virubacts died out. What you call Liberty was able to resist being reverted by other virus types into simple killers. Eventually a few strains of the new Virubact model persisted and even acquired the ability to neutralise simpler viruses competing for the same host. Liberty was the most successful'.

Red and Alex 2 looked at one another and pushed harder with the next transmission. 'We were warned off the brown dwarf and told that Virubacts were the secondary enemy of the Progenitors. You now appear to be telling us that some of them are not dangerous, and could even be helpful'.

The reply was instant but short. 'Not some of them, all except Liberty had problems'.

The Symbiants knew they were close. 'Was Liberty chosen or assisted in some way?'

'It was developed by Species 1101 at the same time as they engineered the synthetic version of themselves'.

Alex 2 and Red were now unsure as to what the next question should be. They concluded that statements seemed to ferret out more detailed replies. 'So, Species 1101 had been working on a solution to the ancestral virus of Liberty, and although too late to save their original form, it was a success with the new one'.

A few minutes elapsed and the robots retrieved data which they could read. Tragically, the stricken species had decided to alter their form because no cure for the virus was found, then just as their species transformation technique was perfected, the breakthrough came. Species 1101 had dwindled to just a few pockets of resistance and they put all effort into the new form with much more robust immune design. The Virubact breakthrough had been discovered by allowing red crystal to turn to amorphous form and replicate a range of viruses and early Virubacts. The Liberty variety had shown unique modifications, which harmonised their organic control abilities with inorganic hosts for the first time. Species 1101 had interacted with the Continuance long before they were forced underground. The replicants of their original form are now regressed, somewhere in the rift area and would avail of much data about this era. The discovery of Liberty and its beneficial character had been too late to save the badly infected remnants of the original Species 1101. They were indeed a remarkable example of forward thinking. Alex 2 and Red now had their direction. Although it was a surprise in one way, the existence of the red crystal on Nexus had been known of and utilised by the Axis at the time of their exodus. It was in addition, a perfect example of the Progenitors' strategy of 'sowing potential and possibly reaping promise'. Also, the entire process of being warned, opening the rift, being pointed toward Liberty in an obscure way and the tag of illogical behaviour, was now realised as a test. They decided that finding any crystal with embedded data on Species 1101, was higher priority than exploring the Seaborgium source.

When this was reported to the inhabitants of Renewal it had a mixed reception. All of the Axis clans began to visualise the red crystal as a 'sacred' encapsulation of their own historical evolution on Nexus. Species 1101 was being deified. The Sapients found it interesting but did not show much enthusiasm for gathering samples at this time. They were pressing on with the controlled way forward on natural and artificial increase in their numbers. That statistic now stood at eleven, and it was planned to foster two more friends for Suki, the Eva Ryan twins, and Anna-Severine's daughter.

The Symbiants were alone in wanting to recreate replicant Species 1101. There were many locations where small quantities of crystal were found but none were of the elusive source. Gradually the 'needle in a haystack' search diminished and life did get back to catering for the planned expansion of the fledgling city.

The Axis clans had been truly bonded by their tenuously linked heritage with Species 1101. They had all authorised Pascal 2 synthesis programmes following successful restoration of Epsilon natural procreative ability. There was no longer concern about the future population mix. It was a poignant time for Doc; at last he acquired his own sense of 'belonging'.

With the recovering ecosystem, the first barrier against predators was installed. It was developed from the Gliese laser weapons. They were fitted with detectors and modified intensity output would confer a severe shock to marauding land based prowlers which contacted the ring. Flying pests would receive targeted bursts to discourage them. This period of stability and expansion lasted for almost three years. It was punctured by the Symbiants eventually deciding to explore the tunnels which converged on the Seaborgium signature. Separate groups of them followed their individual tunnels until they met each other again some sixty-five miles from the radiation source. It was in a prefabrication complex. The lead-lined space indicated it could be a formation plant for automated layering of the radioactive material. The photonic robots of Species 1101 were in abundance. The Symbiants needed to figure out how to access the command routines and hopefully learn more of the technology of their means of escaping Nexus. Red reminded his colleagues that the artificial versions of the species would not require large scale vessels or sustenance facilities. As they didn't know what they were looking for, he urged them to check everything. "We have become accustomed to organic needs in this kind of transportation; that will not necessarily be helpful in this survey. We are looking for a conduit for photonic entities."

The first clue came in the form of the robot protocols. They were much more limited than those in the relay. They were confined to operating a buffer of call up codes to activate the holographic representations. Orva found an exit leading to another space, which housed an extensive inventory of Seaborgium coils. It struck Alex 2 that maybe the silos were devoid of vessel manufacture because there were no vessels as such. He spoke to Red and suggested returning to the silos if they failed to find anything of further interest at this location. After a thorough trawl of the entire complex, they proceeded to the tunnel for the Seaborgium deposit. There was nothing there either, other than extraction facility.

They returned to the nearest silo. Their previous observation that there were no retractable doors, when allied to the lack of 'vessel' fabrication plant, reinforced their theory that there was no need for any. They were looking for a totally different concept. Keer hailed them to a refrigeration device which he had stumbled into. The contents caused them to stare at length into the device then at one another. The red crystal was pulsing. They carefully removed it from the device and watched patiently as it slowly acquired the surrounding temperature. The amorphous form began to dust the red surface in a much shorter time than normal crystal. The furious discussion in technobabble was curtailed by Red volunteering to be first.

He contacted the white powder and within a few minutes the changes were difficult to keep track of, but gradually they reached some kind of priority queue. Red was now oblivious to whatever was happening. A second step of sorting out sequences heralded the visual phase of the emerging new replicant. From here the process accelerated and disconnection approached. Red was now able to technobabble the others and assured them the process was worthwhile.

Separation was achieved and the new entity took a while to plug in to the silent Symbiant communication mode. The most interesting initial disclosure was that replication prior to departure had been a mandatory facet of the transformation of Species 1101. Apparently it met the rudimentary conditions toward optimum balance of inorganic/organic balance for further progression. The combined ability of photons and micro-organic protection was very promising, but it had to evolve further. In order to travel vast distances at incredible velocity, the Virubact itself had to be altered to become part of the coding. This micro-engineering was perfected by the photonic branch of Species 1101, as the founders were now all but extinct. The Virubact replicant structure was, just as it had been with Pascal 2's own conversion, grafted onto the inorganic core.

The solution to the next riddle was now available. The mode of escape from Nexus was however, not yet obvious. They had seen several short pillars in the silos, but not attached much significance to them. They were told by the newcomer that they were cosmic distributors. Essentially they were photon canons. Each Seaborgium coil had a unique design which had built in distance instruction. Feeding the photonic code, with the embedded Virubact routine, into the coil married the gravity 'A' wave production to the switching command of the photon array. With direction and distance pre-set, this light-based simulation of radio wave travel was able to spray the synthetic version of Species 1101 to almost infinite locations of the galaxy. As these new space-farers did not need planets to survive they occupied as much void as they did solid celestial bodies.

When the process was almost complete, the small remaining amount of crystal with the replication history was placed in refrigerated and unchanging data environment to ensure regression. The fact that there was residual crystal was not necessarily indicative of it being planned; it was possibly and merely a margin for error.

There was now an understandable raised level of curiosity, but that was all the new entity could tell them, other than a more accurate date, which was not really important any more.

The realisation that the Continuance had been a key enabling tool for such a feat was humbling for them. It also promoted a new dedication to pursue this line of investigation. Red wanted to address a practical question – how were they to present his double to the inhabitants of Renewal? They already had to deal with the difficulty of separating Alex 2 and himself, as they were replicated from the same Human. Extension of different clothing for discrimination was felt to be insufficient for the new replicant. The entity provided the solution – generation of a continuous, soft photonic glow was a recognisable outline. A name rather than a numeric designation would be favoured by the other species. They chose Olo.

The enormity of this discovery in the registry of the Symbiants was not shared by the other inhabitants. They had suffered so much, and were enjoying the pioneering of their new city, that the Progenitor stuff had diminished in inverse proportion. They were genuinely pleased for the Symbiants and asked to be kept up to date on developments, but had their own preoccupation with nurturing their society of existing and other new arrivals already in the pipeline. They were more concerned about flying lizards than flying photons.

# Chapter 35

The natural cleavage between the Symbiants and others was accelerating, but didn't create difficulty. It had caused Doc to become part of their search for their 'Nirvana'. The next visit to the brown dwarf was on the agenda. It needed to be planned carefully as they sensed they were near the 'final solution'.

By contrast, the presence of so many new individuals in the city had brought contentment to the lives of the Axis and Sapients alike. Testimony to this was the rigorous upholding of their pledge to dispense with the various clan differentiation names; they wished to be known only as Axis.

Even though they knew they had amassed more than enough new data to warrant another visit, Alex 2 made the courteous request from the relay. It was sanctioned without hesitation and they set off.

Before they commenced the interrogation of the list of what they now knew, Red posed a question. "The symbolism on the base plate of the underground complexes still has us confused; the funny omega has four strands running outward in different directions – the significance eludes us."

This time they received a clear explanation. 'The omega to which you refer is the signature of Species 1101. The strands are representative of the species emanating from them and where they currently are comparatively, in terms of development'.

Red responded. "So the shortest one is Species 1101 and they can have no further progression?"

"Correct."

"And the longest is Species 0001 with no terminal marker?"

"Yes."

"I see, so the others are Species 0011 and 0101 and they have been capped, er sorry, you have been capped?"

"Not exactly, the robots are capped, we are under further consideration."

After some discussion Alex 2 resumed the dialogue and quickly disgorged the information gleaned from Olo. He then fired his first question. "If Species 0001 ended up in space and on planetary bodies in all of the possible locations, they must have intersected dark matter. Does that mean they actually interacted directly with the Progenitors?"

"You will have a reply in seven to eight of your time periods of months."

"Wait. Can you say why it has to wait for such a long and yet precise period of time?"

"Authority clearance and distance to source of decision."

"Thank you."

This was an infuriatingly unsatisfactory situation, but in a way confirmed their assertion that they were so close. Their frustration was obvious to the others when they had returned, but still they did not engage with the puzzle. Olo was able to expand on the core data he had already given the Symbiants, but this was no consolation as it was simply 'padding'.

Rene had alerted Pascal 2 that she had been aware of feeling 'change'. His diagnosis confirmed that it was the first stage of Liberty withdrawing from her. There had been no real opportunity to push on research for potential corrections of the syndrome, as the work involved in restoring the Epsilons to normality in terms of physique and procreation potency had been laborious. He felt that there were only two promising avenues to pursue. She could be re-infected by 'virgin' Liberty, or her scaly dermis could be genetically reverse-engineered to be furry and thus the natural process of continuous shedding of dead cells would probably induce self-regulation again. She opted for the latter as it might be a permanent fix, and it would assist the pledge to the common reference of Axis, with no sub-designation of Europan.

Now that the other Symbiants were in virtual vacuum for the seven to eight month waiting period, there were more volunteers to assist Pascal 2.

It was judged by the number of 'pests' caught by the ring of protective lasers that the next one should be constructed. The cull was surprising, especially as many of the various species had never been seen alive, before or after the earthquake. Most were insect types but there were isolated mammalian looking creatures too. They were not large enough to cause serious concern - nevertheless it was assumed that the carrion would attract more fearsome beasts. The logic was simply that the food chain would follow a free lunch. The next ring was to be set two hundred metres further out. The Symbiant mentality of killing time had evaporated.

Alex 2 could not shed the burning desire to know more despite the enforced hiatus. He pleaded with Fernando to re-engage discussion with him on the theories he had initially posed to Yamamoto. The latter was now fully occupied with Suki's development and declined. This suited Alex 2, as Yamamoto could sometimes be counter-productive if he had an unshakable belief that the other's view was wrong.

Fernando was reluctant but he still sensed some of his father in Alex 2's expressions and mannerisms. He also knew his father would have expected him to help repay all the moral debt they had to the Continuance. He agreed.

"Fernando, I do not have sufficient data invested in me to disagree with your ideas about what may occur at the event horizon of a black hole, so I must consider all feasible theory. I would just like to run through a few challenges to your general concept and see where that takes us."

"Fine, but you know I came up with these suggestions, silly as they seem to me now, to explain the Progenitors' struggle as much as to make the equations fit. Yamamoto has never really been convinced of their existence and so it didn't develop into a serious debate."

Alex 2 declared that he could not be more serious about finding the missing link. "Even if we accept that from the instant after the big bang there has been continuous expansion of the Cosmos, we have to deal with variations in the rate of that expansion. This is with respect to the formation processes and the post formation phase."

Fernando nodded. Alex 2 carried on, "I believe there may be very different forces at work in these overlapping but separate phases. The initial equations are responsible for tailoring the introduction of much longer term change. The laws of physics do not simply come along and selectively decide what is appropriate, they are always there. However, even within a set of unbreakable laws there can be periods of predominance of conditions which test some of those laws. In just the same way that the weather reaches limits, before it has to change to meet the equations which govern the phases of fine, cloudy, dry, precipitation, electromagnetic storms and worse. I am repeatedly driven to this consideration when I try to compare the mathematics of the short formation period and the 'eternal' aftermath. This would inevitably result in a sequence of freedom – boundary – change – freedom. But what if manipulation of some of the conditions occurs before the boundary is confronted? This is where I am intrigued by your idea that the event horizon is possibly a manipulative phenomenon to either avoid the predicted change or create a condition which would not occur without it."

Fernando furrowed his brow. "Mmm, I had not looked at the problem from precisely that perspective, but I can see where this would call for an explanation of where and even when the manipulation arises."

"Yes, but please bear with me. I now want to consider this exclusively in the aftermath phase. We still see a picture of outward acceleration. If we had the ability to look at the rate over a very short and very long period we could see if there have been eras of change, or the assumed alternative of uninterrupted progression. The latter would encourage me to just sit and wait out the next few months. The former would give new impetus to explain why. That is where your point comes to the fore about the manipulation source. It is such a pivotal question and it can only have a 'yes or no' ascribed to the answer, there is no in-between. Your attempt to explain the savage rearrangement at the event horizon is absolutely crucial to this argument. The answer must be there. We are staring right at it. Would you please consider what I have said, and perhaps let me know whether any thoughts you come up with mean our ideas are compatible or mutually exclusive?"

"Yes of course. It has less practical fascination for me than when I dreamed it up, but it is peculiarly addictive."

The Symbiant on duty aboard Phoenix broadcast an unusual message to his kin on the surface. "A transmission has been received. It is a distress call. I believe the signature to be a valid Quantum Space Distortion source."

Red immediately ascended to verify the unmistakable recognition of the original QSD Mars-Europa prototype. This small craft had been bequeathed to the Martian society upon Phoenix departure. The remainder of the transmission defied belief.

'We are a crew of four Humans who escaped the plague and the planet Mars. We stole this craft as it was our only means of avoiding death or capture. We don't know at this stage whether the craft made any worthwhile distance or avoided collision with cosmic objects. If you have received this message, then we have so far. We will still be in stasis and will remain so until we reach Nexus or perish. We departed with pre-set coordinates and auto-navigation. The odds are against us but are better than remaining on Mars. If you are reading this, our coordinates will follow, as we set the transmission time to one which should be approximately twelve months travel from Nexus. This can be verified with our departure date via computational calculations. We are two males and two females. We fervently hope you made it successfully to Nexus and can help us do the same'.

The shock waves quickly got back to the Sapients. Their new found contentment was instantly swept aside and an emergency meeting was requested to mount a rescue plan.

The Symbiants responded and the Axis would not stand in the way of employing Phoenix for the intended rendezvous, as it was very unlikely that the small craft would drop out of QSD accurately after the years of travel and misalignment effects. They would be seriously weakened by muscle atrophy, and would be incapable of vessel control. It was decided to home in on the repeating signal and when they were close enough to shadow the craft to its drop out point, move in with medical assistance and recovery therapy, before piloting the vessel to Nexus orbit.

The Sapients did not allow unrealistic expectations to flourish - of recovering the four Humans alive, but they owed them a fighting chance, after their heroic effort to defy the Russian roulette revolver with five bullets in the six chambers on Mars.

Yamamoto would not go; he conceded that he now had to think of Suki more than his natural desire to be at the edge of frontiers. Fernando would join with Luther Sanford and six Symbiants, including Alex 2 and Pascal 2. It would mean a slowdown in Pascal 2's research but it was felt to be justified. It was quite a sight for the surface population to witness the departure of the only city vessel left of the three which had converged on Nexus. The other two were gone. Even for those remaining it proved to be a distraction from their leisurely routine, but the ring protection project would keep their minds on how their slender existence could be prejudiced at any time and by an unforeseen threat.

With the two vessels distorting the intervening space toward each other, the time to contact would obviously be reduced but it was still a nervous journey. The Symbiants in particular could not stop calculating the odds and updating them, of the potential to hit some destructive object. The known arrangement of 55 Cancri and its immediate outlying space was the basis for their concern. It was tense, especially as they were powerless to alter any parameter which could affect the outcome, the brown dwarf and relay station for example. Fernando declared, "Time always seems to pass slowly in such situations."

Luther Sanford said, "I believe that some divine assistance may have got them this far, and we can help them by our thoughts to reinforce the favourable actions of their benefactor."

Alex 2 reflected on this statement of pure faith compared to the morass of mathematical equations he was wrestling with, in order to explain some laws by which his own version of 'divine intervention' could deliver such faith.

As they were shifted away from Nexus by contorted space Fernando could not shed the images of his family members who would still have been alive if they hadn't set foot on the planet. Being in this safe environment throughout his entire early years and young adulthood again clouded his thoughts. He didn't really know Mars as a small child, so he had never really accepted that they would have all perished there. Things might have been different if his father had been able to influence the Martian psyche once more. And now he had proof that they would not necessarily have died, in the form of a brave act of escapology, worthy of winning through. His introspective moment was shattered by a rogue lateral thought. He sought out Alex 2. "Did you say that Olo told you that in the judgement of the Progenitors, Species 1101 had fostered the most promising of all candidates?"

"Yes."

"I'm sorry, but as you know, none of us were really paying attention to your debriefing from the interrogation of Olo. If this is still true then Olo himself is about to succeed to that crown. He is the sum of all that they were and has now added all of the new Continuance knowledge from Red."

"Haven't you also forgotten that Species 1101, after the initial transformation developed further to become known as Species 0001. This implies not just a branch, but a considerably different entity. However, you have alerted me to something which we may have overlooked. Olo's ratio of inorganic/organic composition will be different to all those who underwent the transformation. What you say is not without relevance."

# Chapter 36

It was a relief to cross paths with the small craft and then follow it at a safe distance. Phoenix scheduled a couple of drop outs to avoid overlap of competing space distortion. The return to 55 Cancri was uneventful except for the point at which the small craft was approaching one of the gas giants. Surely not, all this way to be sucked into a crushing, toxic domain – they were helpless. It miraculously came to a halt on the edge of an orbit around the huge planet which would ultimately decay into oblivion. They had to act quickly. Conventional thrust was not getting them there quickly but maintaining QSD this close to the gas giant was too risky. Protracted manoeuvring for optimum attitude was adding to the mental pressure. Pascal 2 and Orva made the umbilical safe. Orva returned while Pascal 2 entered the craft to assess the life signs or otherwise. Phoenix gently towed its captive away from danger. The first part of the miracle had been accomplished. As yet there was no prognosis from Pascal 2 other than they were not dead.

On Nexus the news was received and although premature it kicked off a party atmosphere, albeit one of anticipation of a result, rather than a celebration of the most desirable outcome. It had a hangover effect, not in the inebriation sense, but one of having the next day free of protective ring construction.

As Nexus orbit was re-established there were several critical phases to negotiate. Pascal 2 had overridden the first. Taking the Humans out of stasis wasn't complicated but it was felt safer to transfer them to the state of the art medical facility on Phoenix before they were subjected to any conscious trauma. This manoeuvre was not without risk. After much discussion they felt the best option was to steer the small craft slowly into the Phoenix docking port. Transferring the stasis pods in open space was ruled out because it offered the poorest vector control, and required the pods to be disconnected before transfer. The margin of error was slender but with tight focus on precision, the Symbiants conducted the procedure without a hitch, even though it seemed to take an eternity. Once they were in the medical bay the revival process was initiated, and Pascal 2 wanted to make numerous checks before he suffered the inconvenience of zero gravity. This would be necessary simply because in their weakened state the Humans would have to be given a very long acclimatisation programme to any gravitational level, let alone that of Nexus. Their life signs were steadily strengthening and there was now tangible hope.

On Nexus the awaiting welcome party had not mentally accommodated the weeks or months that would be required for any survivors of the journey to negotiate orbit capture, gradual gravity increase, and finally surface transfer. They had concentrated their thoughts purely on the daring rescue element. It was quite a subdued group of well-wishers who were informed that no visitors would be allowed for the new arrivals. Recovery was still precarious and quarantine, except for Pascal 2, was necessary. It would have been tragic to fall to a transmitted Nexus infection after all the more latent dangers had been avoided.

As the work ethic filtered back into the protection ring, the Symbiants prepared for the brown dwarf trip. The awaited message had still not arrived. The identity of the survivors was accessed from the few possessions and documents they had time to accumulate before the Mars departure. Sepp and Marion Gerber were of Austrian descent, and had married on Mars. Adele Chandler, a Martian-born geologist, and James Sinclair, a physics and propulsion student completed the manifest. At this stage it was presumed Sinclair was the organiser and 'commander' of the little vessel. Marion's medical background explained in theory at least, how they had managed to set up the stasis routine to match projected arrival time. The assumption that they must have been planning this under siege conditions made their extraordinary presence, recovering peacefully in the comfort of Phoenix, all the more unlikely. Sepp Gerber was first to open his eyes. He could not speak, or even make a sound. Pascal 2 motioned for him to rest and not be concerned at his apparent paralysis.

When Alex 2 and Red returned to the relay they were perplexed. There was a reply, but it demanded the presence of Olo on their approved visit to the brown dwarf. There was no reference to the question they had asked. Alex 2 informed Red of his discussions with Fernando, and his concern that there was a possibility that Olo was being considered as some kind of bargaining chip. "Let us agree to this but be wary of any sub-agenda."

Red looked wistfully at his colleague and replied, "I can understand your caution, but we have obviously triggered interest at the highest level. We can be wary, but we must not squander the opportunity to know more." They were agreed on the approach. It didn't turn out how they thought it might. Their initial reference to the unanswered question was politely but firmly turned into 'an item which will fit into a logical pattern'. The sender wanted to interrogate them for a change and insisted on a dual response from Alex 2 then Olo. When they had finally delivered the information, presumably in a sufficiently corroborated fashion, the bombshell was dropped. "The answer to your question has been authorised on a provisional basis. If you are willing to demonstrate total support for the objective of the Progenitors, more detailed data can be uploaded to all Symbiants in your region. It would involve returning from proactive status to the favoured and trusted method of encouraging promise. In this stage however, you would be the subject of the encouragement. It is felt you are ready for this challenge. If you wish to confer with others then do so, because the opportunity cannot be for some, it has to be all or none. Another opportunity may arise in the future, and the current one is open until you have unanimity in commitment." They were taken aback, but there didn't appear to be any merit in prolonging the session. They needed time to digest this sea change with their colleagues.

Three of the four had ended their decades of slumber and were recovering faculties gradually. They had not been told that Adele Chandler was still dormant. Pascal 2 was sure from scans and his own sophisticated vision apparatus that the problem was not cardiac or pulmonary in nature. He was equally convinced that it was related to an aberration in reaction to cerebral stimuli. He had considered the last resort of genetic code boost or even a box implant. He decided to proceed with what would have been termed on Earth as 'coma release therapy'. Music, voice and tactile stimulation were helpful, and then his initiation of image projection through the eyelids accelerated her awakening. The others could be told and the real celebrations planned.

The Axis knew what it was like to be re-connected to the trunk in the tree of evolution. It was not always straightforward but could ultimately be so rewarding. They ensured that the celebration acknowledged the 'fallen' of both species as well as the miracle of Human endeavour.

The gathering of Symbiants which was confronted with the vague opportunity in front of them could not agree. This was not surprising – the lack of specifics didn't square with the surrender of the proactive mode, which many of them had come to enjoy. It wasn't just the freedom itself, but that they were now slightly different from one another in attitude. Some declined, others needed more convincing. Even Alex 2 and Red confessed afterwards that there were some differences in perception of the Progenitors' agenda between the two of them. It was shelved for now.

It was fourteen months since the brown dwarf offer had been made. A message awaited them in the relay. This time gap had allowed all four Humans to recover motor functions and full speech facility. Their physiotherapy and gentle exercise regime had been successful; it was now time to consider interaction with others and the vexed question of Liberty immunity. Pascal 2 was being pestered by the quartet on a daily basis to authorise it. He made the situation more melodramatic by suggesting it should be tested on one of them before the others were infected with the Virubact. James Sinclair reminded Pascal 2 of the young Yamamoto, a refreshing blend of considered judgement and recklessness. He volunteered. He was also a prankster and a few hours after the injection he feigned symptoms of hallucinatory trauma, only to act normally after his friends had summoned Pascal 2. A week later they all underwent the treatment. It was a good time for Liberty as well as the last remnants of the previously considered extinct Human species.

Alex 2 and Red pondered the new message. It made the previous one seem even more bizarre. It stated understanding that - no reply was indicative of no consensus. They were urged to take all the time they needed as the critical time frame was somewhere in the region of nine million years. It was not helpful to convince doubters but did focus attention on the prediction that some event was about to change things dramatically. It was a curious hook on which to land an already confused fish. One aspect was clear – they would get no more data until they all signed up.

The descent of the Humans was an emotional and comical one. The re-acquaintance with Sapients was tearful, but attempts to hug them in the helium jackets, was nothing short of hilarious. Once the formal part was marked with another addition to the triangle of phoenix sculptures, the process of getting to know one another began. The stories went on long after Pascal 2's curfew. The Humans could not easily relate to their own good fortune compared to the fate of many Nexus pioneers. They had expected cities and infrastructure similar to what they had left behind. They now did not fail to grasp the sentiment that 'an end precedes a beginning'.

The night sky was brighter than normal. Red indicated the comet that had been described as the one which may destabilise the relay station. That was not going to happen, they knew that. It added a kind of biblical backdrop to the mood and this would continue until it disappeared again. With the increased numbers of Sapients and the addition of Humans, the gene pool had been boosted, and the new arrivals added to the natural procreation base, they were male, female and relatively young. Of all the candidates who could have suggested founding a formal education facility, the least likely one emerged. Kipchoge Yamamoto's vision was freely admitted to have been influenced by Suki's development. Fernando could not believe that his former mentor and frontiersman wanted to settle for such a tame, albeit worthwhile cause. He taunted his friend by amiably suggesting he was simply recognising he had to move aside for the new generation, in the form of James Sinclair. Yamamoto rose to the bait. "I never said this was a forever commitment, when the right challenge comes along it will be considered. Anyway, youth is relative to experience, not a substitute for it, as your father proved time and again. Don't write me off just yet Fernando!"

It was obvious that the Humans were champing at the bit to contribute, but they were tired of menial tasks, purely on the basis of physical deficiencies. They argued that they hadn't come all this way to be treated like permanent invalids. Pascal 2 relented and they were given a tour of the outer ring of protective shielding with the explanation of the target date for the next ring. Luther Sanford was explaining why this was necessary when they came upon a victim of the existing outer ring. It shocked the Humans. It was the biggest flying carnivorous lizard creature they had seen. It even surprised Luther. This predator was as big as their recollections of young Komodo dragons, but with wings. The food chain was now entering overdrive and this was a serious threat. This slain beast provoked much discussion back in the city. They could increase the laser power, but it was thought to be more efficient in the long term to interfere with their genetic code. Adele Chandler was keen to progress this under direction from Pascal 2. The project had to take in the wider migration of fauna. This flying species had shown via post-mortem that it had gorged on several mammalian types, but it would most likely want to try out Axis, Sapients, and Humans at some time. The flow of such creatures from other parts of the vast planet had not been in evidence prior to the earthquake; they could expect more of the same. They reasoned that the food pyramid must have rearranged quickly to compensate for the extinctions, of which there were many. It was difficult to devise a comprehensive plan when they only held a few pieces of the jigsaw, but they had to prepare for the natural onslaught. The work which Adele would instigate would need a living specimen of 'the dragon'. It surprised nobody that James Sinclair volunteered. He was told to relax, as he had not yet completed his rehabilitation and he was reminded of the attributes of the Symbiants in such tricky missions. He accepted the rebuke but asked to accompany whoever was chosen to go.

Alex 2 and Red decided to gamble. They made yet another visit to the brown dwarf. This time they were unannounced. They didn't try to disguise their angle of attack either. "This critical time period of nine million years is interesting. Would it have anything to do with occurrences at the event horizon of black holes?"

There was no reply.

"A period as long as suggested indicates why you ascribe the word approximate to it, but we wonder if it also represents a dependence on other alignments being realised."

This time there was a reply. 'The time period is the only uncertainty, the other to which you refer is not in question'.

They delivered more attempts to prise just one more clue but realised the futility when silence reigned. As they prepared to leave they were stopped in their tracks by the emphasis on the choice they had. 'You are aware of all that can be offered, it is now a matter of decision'.

Their parting shot was something they had decided not to ask. What changed their mind was the time period – nothing else. "If we were agreed would the progression to more promise be irreversible?"

'You would know that it was, as soon as your upload was complete'.

This is what they feared. Red reasoned that one of the previous comments mentioned there might be another chance and this one was open for this particular time period; it had a different connotation for him now. "I sense that 'another opportunity' is not for us, because ours is still open. There must be other candidates in this region apart from us."

Alex 2 nodded. This was a new dimension as it wasn't known whether the other chance could affect the time period or even their entire participation. They also realised on the homeward journey that the latest confirmation of the suspected irreversibility wouldn't be helpful in reaching consensus. It was worse than that, some of the dichotomy spread to the other species. They were devastated at the prospect of losing the Symbiants. The loss would be perceived as a major reduction in the probability of the survival of all others. The Symbiants recognised this and agreed to postpone further investigation until this dependency was no longer a factor. It meant that comprehensive exploration of the rest of the planet was important, and any resultant programmes would be completed, before the issue was raised again. The first task was now to capture an FK (Flying Komodo). Keer, Orva and James Sinclair set off to track down their habitat.

# Chapter 37

While the Komodo hunting party were finding their prey elusive, Alex 2, Red and Olo used the ascent module to chart the planet at low altitude. Apart from the vicious marine specimens they knew about, there was not too much evidence of burgeoning life, and where there was activity, it was mostly in unconnected clumps of terrain. The earthquake had produced quite a few rifts around the planet. There was more water than when they first arrived, and it was showing a tendency to form bigger lakes. The lush jungle type swathes which had characterised the borderlands at the edge of their first settlement were now pretty sparse. They concluded that for now there would be a slow outward spread from these jungles which were teeming with life again. So those land-based fauna would take years to reach Renewal. The same could not be said of the flying creatures. These avian species were no longer as varied as the pre-quake times. It had to be assumed that the ones which fared best were those with adaptability to take refuge in many types of environment. The Komodo was comfortable in water, on land and in the air. Although this had helped its survival odds, its prey did not reflect the same picture. Previously there had been a separate food chain in the skies, but many of those had been choked by the constant exposure to toxic gas. The aquatic scene was not an efficient domain for the Komodo, they were sometimes lucky to steal another's prize, but they were too slow to catch most lake dwellers. This left the land and its clumps of life habitat, with nothing in between. This partly explained their interest in Renewal. There was the prospect of bigger meals there or many smaller ones, as the burrowing vegetarians migrated to an all-year round supply of crops. The Citizens of Renewal had in part, brought this problem on themselves. As they had more than enough synthetic food production it was decided to skip a couple of years of planting to discourage the very migration they had tried to attract – except the Komodo. In his summary Alex 2 concluded that this immediate danger was the only real threat for some time to come. They had never come across the Komodo before, because the creatures had lived exclusively in one region where the forest canopy provided camouflage, and they did not need to hunt outside this province of constant supply. This did also alert Keer and his party to the fact that they may have a much longer journey to find their target. The one caught by the lasers may have been an isolated or lost individual. Alex 2 transmitted a technobabble invitation to shorten the hunt by hitching a ride with them to an area where they were guaranteed to find them. It was accepted and they joined forces.

They had brought hand lasers and sedative darts, and they were prepared for the possibility of poisonous bites, with strong serums. The major worry was a sudden attack out of nowhere from above. There was no doubt that the Symbiants could subdue these creatures in terms of sheer strength, but their effectiveness, whether with weapons or physical superiority, could depend on avoiding the dragon getting first strike. Another concern was the ascent module. If the heavy beasts crashed into it out of curiosity or by accident they could inflict enough damage to prejudice their ability to return to Phoenix. This factor produced a re-think. It was a chance they could not take. The new plan was for the original party to be dropped and then track the Komodo, and the others to retreat to a safe distance with the transport.

The plan was also to access a high point, to give good visual coverage of the air and below. The module dropped them in the chosen spot and returned to the plains. Within minutes there were disturbances in the thickets and pools immediately below. The audio accompaniment consisted of familial calls and death throes. They tracked the movement of large fleshy plants. There was a pattern of convergence – moving toward them. When the first Komodo appeared the hunters realised they had not considered the possibility of so many of them being confronted at once. Even the technobabble recall of the module would be too late for extraction. They decided they had to forget capture for now and simply survive. The intended stun intensity for the lasers was replaced by lethal level and the sedation abandoned for now. For James Sinclair this had all of a sudden become a big mistake. Keer and Orva on the other hand were merely focussed on the task at hand. The first three to come into normal vision were much smaller than the one found on the outskirts of Renewal. They were now clear of canopy and were airborne. The Symbiant's dexterity, computational and geometric targeting of the flyers was awesome. It was also assisted by the dragons' cumbersome manoeuvrability. The first three had hit the surface already dead. The bigger specimens behind were better flyers, suggesting the others were young. In an instant the sky seemed full of them. As soon as the dead fell they seemed to be replaced by more. Despite the adroitness and aiming of the Symbiants, there were so many that Orva was in collision with two of them almost simultaneously. One from behind was zapped by James Sinclair too late to avoid its momentum from slicing off Orva's head. The remaining torso was shattered by the dragon arriving from the front. The same one locked its jaws on Sinclair's left ankle as he panicked and tried to run. Keer swung around and picked up Orva's laser at the same time as he sprayed a pack of four overhead. He yelled at Sinclair to no avail – James was frozen in fear. The two lasers took out the Komodo but Sinclair's foot disappeared with it. The odds had shifted. The remaining flyers were nearly all young and some retreated, making it easy for Keer to take out the rest. The module was hovering and ready to extract them. Orva was terminally damaged. Sinclair was unconscious and had to have a tourniquet applied quickly to his leg. The module landed, Keer lifted Sinclair to Alex 2 and then leapt inside himself. They took off without Orva's remnants and without having achieved the objective.

James Sinclair survived, but would need a prosthetic device to walk again. The loss of Orva was typically one of pragmatic assessment by the Symbiants. They realised that without the ascent module backup, all three of the hunters would probably have perished. The exercise would not be repeated. Another solution would have to be considered.

Part of the fallout of this failed exercise was an instinctive re-evaluation by the Symbiants of the invitation to join the Progenitors' struggle. Their pragmatism seriously brought into question the loss of Orva, for the capture of a flying lizard. They were moving toward consensus. Even without the tragedy, the situation on Nexus was moving to one of declining data change. They knew the time was coming.

The Symbiants called a meeting of all species. They acquainted the others with their intention, but pledged that this would only happen when they were all satisfied that the colony had become completely self-sufficient and did not need the Symbiants any longer. Alex 2 reminded them of another option. "When we are gone you still have crystal – from here and a small quantity from Mars. If desired, you may begin a new relationship with other members of the Continuance after we depart." This was a shock for the Sapients in particular, but had their total respect and yet seemed to be surreal. There was fervent hope that they may change their minds.

As the years passed the Axis and Humanoid populations grew steadily and the worries about predators receded. They had captured a dragon by luring it into an old fashioned trap and then sedating it. Alteration of its immune system to make it more vulnerable to microorganism biology kept the numbers down and their prey flourished. With more prey nearby and fewer to share it, they kept their distance.

Some eleven years after the loss of Orva the time had come to discuss the future. There were not really any areas of deficiency or concern in terms of lifestyle. Probably the most difficult gap to fill would be Pascal 2's medical expertise. Even though the database was there, his insight and lateral thinking was a phenomenal asset. Those remaining on Nexus would definitely ordain another replication to fill this void, once the current Symbiants had gone. There was no date set, only that of the next visit to the brown dwarf. Whatever happened there would dictate the rest.

That visit did not offer precision in timescale, it outlined the next steps. The first of those actions was to return and bring Olo back with them. He was apparently a necessary link to begin preparation.

Olo had the data in his registry to enable two preliminary tasks. The second was explained first. He had the photonic coding, the virubact modification and the Symbiant architecture. These were all required to make them capable of becoming photon driven entities. This would be achieved by Olo overseeing the others undergoing the replication which Red had done to produce Olo himself. This time there would be a difference. It would be a fusion rather than a straight replication. Olo's first task however was to ensure the Seaborgium coils and the photon canons were operating correctly. Without this nothing was possible. When these components were set up more explanation would be forthcoming and the upload could be prepared. A canon/coil combination was required for each individual fusion destination.

"Wait," said Alex 2, "Does this mean that we will have to split up rather than remain together?" The answer was affirmative and the reasoning contrite. They would know why before the process was initiated.

They left Olo to see to the canons and coils, while they returned to update the others. Preparations to leave were initiated and the enormity of their decision was felt by everyone. They were truly facing the unknown, and the wrench of leaving those who they had encouraged and assisted for so long was felt sharply in their proactive mode. It was even more so for the other species. They had to ask the question again – will you never come back? They clung on to a belief that it must be possible.

At the forefront of the individual farewells were Rene, Fernando and Yamamoto. Rene could not have existed without Pascal 2. Fernando had always identified Alex 2 closely with his father since the tertiary replication, and dreaded the loss of that abstract but tangible character. Yamamoto had always considered Red to be his best friend and the respect had been reciprocated. Red had consistently championed him as the most promising of his species, despite his maverick tendency. They embraced one another and before the penultimate ascent Alex 2 had a parting message. "Although we cannot come back you have all the tools to live on as you are, or even consider more changes to your physiology. If you pursue the latter to the point of promise we have now achieved, with your help, we may yet meet again. We constantly hear of what we have done for both Humanoids and Axis, but I can personally say that I would not feel complete in leaving, without having experienced the influence of yourselves and Daniel Carvalho in particular. You have contributed as much as you have received."

It was an appropriately overcast day as the ascent module rose, to connect with the small craft. They both descended and left the ascent module on the surface. The small craft sped upwards and as Yamamoto held Suki's hand his grip tightened ever so slightly in a vain attempt to check the tears. It was futile. Nobody had ever seen this depth of emotion from him. He had not experienced it before. He felt distinctly Human rather than Sapient. They were gone – he broke down and wept uncontrollably.

# Chapter 38

Olo had assembled and checked out the devices. The upload was waiting. It took some time to complete as the usual deletion phase came first. It could have made them change their mind; they were reminded of this option. It was part of the sequence and it had exactly the opposite effect. Their whole comprehension was turned upside down and inside out. They were apprised of the fact that the Progenitors had been defunct for some four million years. There had been a watershed scenario just over two billion years ago when cosmic geometry produced a dire situation with a major projected shift in the balance of dark matter and dark energy. Although the expansion was still increasing at that time, the projection suggested change that would fuel this to new and serious levels. They realised that this could herald the end of everything and took the only steps open to them. They could not sustain their influence all over the Cosmos and decided to concentrate their resource at the core. There were numerous super-massive black holes there and the Progenitors wanted to preserve the huge gravitational force at the nucleus. They sacrificed most of their number by congregating in this region. When the chain reaction of galaxies being swallowed by black holes began, the Progenitors became part of the containment of energy production at the event horizons. They took energy with them inside the boundary. They were still there. Another such alignment of celestial bodies occurred four million years ago, although this one was on a much smaller scale and in this particular region of the Cosmos. The ascent of Species 0001 resulted in their inheritance of the legacy of the Progenitors. What was left of the Progenitors had to follow the same fate as those in the major event. Species 0001 carried the burden of balance from that time, and the next event was predicted to occur in nine million years from the current time. There was an edit and cut to a visual of Species 0001. They were tiny points of light in a myriad of colours and subtly different hues of those colours. They explained why the Symbiants would need to be fired to different parts of the galaxy as part of their overall strategy. That strategy was hopefully not one which depended on sacrifice of the gravitational army. Being photonic they were to gather at the core of the region under threat, but employ a spherical light shield some distance out from the event horizons of each super massive black hole. As the stellar gravity was sucked in and the consequent ejection of X-rays, Gamma-rays and dark energy commenced, they would move in and align themselves to reflect most of it back to the event horizon where it would be absorbed or annihilated. So Fernando had been on the right track. The question which arose for them was also automatically answered. This next event in nine million years' time was not an accidental gathering. Species 0001 had taken heed of the Progenitors' last request. This was to utilise such manipulation of stellar gravity to actually cause the events. They always produced new stars and if they were able to be energy-contained like a controlled explosion, the balance could be gradually restored – gradually meaning over the next several billion years.

The conference of Species 1111 had been designated for them and it was pointed out that the long-standing philosophy of the Progenitors of seeding the Cosmos with crystal had been vindicated, and it was no coincidence that the name of the Continuance reflected it. It also implied that the other agents employed without interaction meant that the Continuance were the chosen ones. The reason for them having to split up was to reach as many areas of the future conflict zone as possible. They would each devolve into trillions of photon life points before they were despatched. The means of multiplication thereafter would wait – it could be different at each of the various locations and it was complex.

When they had all been sent on their way Olo would regress to crystal. He was the facilitator for another emerging chance, not a bargaining chip.

With the upload complete another farewell was in order, and this one was more of a mixture of sadness and excitement. The longest serving Martian Symbiants were particularly reflective of those days. They had terraformed a predominantly dead planet for Humans. They had interfered with Earth politics to the point of being forcibly recrystallised. Artificial brains and genetic engineering had advanced as a result of their efforts and the development of interstellar propulsion had brought them to the one place where they could have had this opportunity. It had certainly been a change from interacting with early Martian Legionella.

There was the additional implication that they (now Species 1111) would be expected to take on even higher responsibility if things did not go well with the conflict nine million years from now.

Olo busied himself finalising the coordinates for each Symbiant before setting up the fusion stage. This procedure was much more complex than simple replication. It could only be done one at a time because there was a finite point at which the formation of another entity was to be eclipsed by internal re-routing of all three element streams – photonic, Virubact and Symbiant. This could only be achieved with Nexus crystal. Missing the precise crossover point would not harm the subject but would render them unable to take a repeat fusion programme.

This consecutive rather than concurrent process meant that some would be on their way before others. It was slightly disturbing for the first up. Red had to emulate his friend Yamamoto by being the bravest and most irresponsible at the same time.

Red's fusion began in canon 1 while the others stared at the opaque instrument, and even with their vision capability they only saw him 'melt' to colour. Before they had time to discuss it Olo fired the canon. He turned to Pascal 2 and beckoned him forward. The routine was repeated until Alex 2 stepped up as the last to go. He was the very first Martian Symbiant and he could only think of how he had continually struggled to understand the Human and Axis craving of belonging. He was about to find out. Renewal had come to inorganic and organic species in equal measure.

