Echo-1 The Whale

20: The Morning Star

We glided away from the coast, heading back into the sunrise as we approached the mountain city. Diamond spires shimmered in the distance and the ship slowed, providing a grand view. The city reached up into the sky, massive minarets aimed toward the heavens. Their tops were pointed and constructed out of huge diamonds brought down from the asteroid belt. Being made out of such a strong material, they would stand forever.

About ten floors down from the peak of each spire was a large golden ship, like the one were in, docked perfectly in a rectangular space. Solid gold hearts for diamond high-rises, the decadence of such structures was almost unfathomable. We headed toward one tower that had no ship in it. The hollow rectangle waited for its counterpart. We slowed to a snail's pace and slid into the docking space like a specially designed peg.

The hangar doors opened and we were led down a hall to a conference room with a great diamond table and curved chairs along each side. One wall of the room was all windows and the rising sun flooded the crystalline chamber with warm light. The vast arctic tundra spread out below the city in an unending expanse of snow and ice. X, Sunshine, and I all stood blinking out the window for a few moments and took in the frozen world.

The gold wearing Varan leaders and Mox were all slumped in chairs and we filled in the remaining spaces. Charlie was standing on the table next to several rusty objects. On closer examination, they were neural transmitters made of the organic rust metal that coated the Brick. There were four humanoid sized units and one whale size. It was clear we weren't brought along to just say goodbye to the Inuit. As Sunshine hesitantly took her seat last, Mox began to speak.

"Jonas gave me the backstory on how you were pulled out of his Earth simulation. I have studied the recorded life of every being that came out of the Echo-1 simulation."

In my mind only, communicating via transmitter, Mox added that the Varan were particularly impressed with my story. He shot his tongue out in my direction and continued to speak aloud.

"We view you as complete life forms. It's an intriguing idea to cultivate intelligent entities in a free evolving simulation and implant them in such advanced bodies, granting them a life in the real world. It would seem you have fates and in the case of one like you, Hands, your destiny is not manifest. You are the life that springs from technology. I've seen the complexity of programs written by Jonas before, but this is truly his masterpiece. And you, a happy accident, a new species brought into the universe? I've discussed the implications of your will, your ability, and your personal individuality with Jonas and with the Varan command. In our society, you will have all the rights and privileges of any individual. Your bodies, though not unique, become host to your personalities which shine through your casings. We want you to know that the Varan consider your species a friend. We are very pleased to have the Inuit join us. In return we, well... I, am going to join you on what is probably one of Jonas' crazier ideas."

His tongue shot out in a triple hiss and he sent a piercing stare in X's direction.

"Lieutenant, I have discussed your project with my superiors and though it is exceedingly dangerous they endorse the mission. May I discuss the details openly?"

He clearly knew Sunshine and myself were in the dark about this whole next mission thing. X gave him a nod and he continued.

"The Morning Star is passing by our system. It's been 600 years since they passed by last and their legend precedes them. The Morning Star is a rogue interstellar comet of considerable size. Its orbit takes in six systems, yet sits just outside the gravitational pull of each. The comet will be in a reasonable range for about two months or sixty of our days before it leaves our system. Currently, we're about midway through its passing. It will pass a good distance away from the Banga as the shipping lanes to the wormhole were deliberately placed outside the comet's orbit. There should be no relative risk to the Banga."