Shadows of Golstar (77 page)

**Yes,
there were a number of changes initiated by the Founder and his followers. One
example is the skip-wave energy weapon employed by the orbiting fortresses. Its
original intent was to facilitate long range communications, eliminating the
need for the physical placement of sub-wave repeater satellites. Another is
comprised of the control orbs used to sublimate the will of Golstar citizens.
They were simple teaching devices attuned to Trah-tang physiology. The devices
were never intended to be used on human beings, let alone to influence and
direct their behavior.**

“The
Trah-tang sound like they were a peaceful, benevolent race. What happened to
them, where did they go?”

**They
are gone, dead. Their untimely end was caused by a simple virus. Normally
immune to most illnesses, they were caught unawares by a common, nonlethal
virus that had unexpectedly mutated. Before they fully realized the severity of
the outbreak and its devastating effect, the infected had spread the plague to
all the inhabited planets within this system. The onset of the illness was
unforeseen. Its incubation was weeks in duration, but highly infectious. The
virus was therefore able to spread widely before the onset of symptoms. After
that it took between two to three days to kill its victims.**

**Once
the severity of the plague was recognized, the Trah-tang applied their
significant intellects to the problem. However, diseases of this nature were
foreign to them and it took some time to research the possible solutions.
Unfortunately, it continued to mutate and new strains appeared as fast as
vaccines were developed to combat the old ones. Half of the population
succumbed in the first year. By the time the virus was stabilized and an
effective vaccine was fully deployed, the population had been reduced from six
billion to less than one hundred thousand.**

“That
should have still been enough to rebuild their civilization.”

**It
may have been, but an unforeseen side-effect of the vaccine was sterility.**

“Oh..,”
Owens couldn’t think of anything else to say.

**They
were a long-lived race and they continued to work on their survival. However,
at the same time they began to reprogram the Controllers. We, the Controllers,
along with the Prime complexes had long been in-place as the principal tools
used for manufacturing and scientific research. We were the foundation on which
their modern civilization existed.**

Owens
tried to imagine what it would be like to be one of the last members of a
vanishing race. He said, “I see. They
were dying but wanted to leave
something behind, something of value to be remembered by.” He wondered if
humankind, faced with the same fate, would do something similar. Instead of
building empty monuments, would they share their knowledge, their accumulated
experiences with anyone who answered their beacon’s call? He supposed it could
be called self-centered, but to him, it was noble gesture, nonetheless.

**Yes.
Our principle function was modified. We were to be the keepers of their legacy.
We would share their technological achievements and philosophical principles
with other intelligent peoples and teach them of the rich history of the
Trah-tang. It was our task to ensure that the Trah-tang would not be forgotten,
that their successes would be shared and built upon for the betterment of all
intelligent species.**

Owens
imagined the last remnants of the Trah-tang working to preserve their legacy
and wondered what they had felt near the end. Were they bitter, resigned or
just relieved their burden would soon be lifted?

“I
asked you once before, what they looked like. Will you show them to me now?”

A
three-dimensional image immediately coalesced before Owens. It formed itself
into a tall bipedal being. It was covered in fine, sable fur with only its face
and thick–fingered hands bare. Its ridged brow was heavy, protecting two large
brown eyes.
 
Its black nose was centered
on a flattened muzzle under which two substantial canines slightly protruded.
Its body was long and sleek, slender legs, and large, sandal-clad feet. The
arms were lengthy in proportion to its body. It wore a simple toga belted at
the waist with a woven metal band and a small silvery pouch attached at the
hip. It was so realistic that he imagined he could see it breathe.

He studied
the image and found it easy to see its ursine heritage. He felt an unexpected
pang of sadness as he gazed at its wide, intelligent face. What would have been
like to meet such a being? After another minute, he said, “Thank you.” The
image winked out.

More
pieces of the puzzle were clicking into place. He said, “With all of what
you’ve told me, I can only assume that the way the humans have used the
Trah-tang legacy wasn’t exactly what your creators had envisioned when they set
this all up.”

**No.
The teachings of the Trah-tang were ignored by the humans. Philosophies and
arts were discarded in favor of the advanced technologies, especially those
lending themselves to aggression. The leaders of the human colony selectively
culled the great achievements of the Trah-tang and perverted their noble
purpose to further their own selfish ends, including a deliberate and
systematic subjugation of the people they purported to protect. **

“You
sound angry.” When the Controller didn’t answer, Owens said, “I do understand
and can’t say I blame you, but maybe I can be the one who can help in changing
that. Through you, I can redirect the Primes and save the people of Golstar,
then use the gifts of the Trah-tang for what they were intended.” He waited,
but the Controller did not speak. He wondered at the Controller’s silence. It
hadn’t seemed reticent to comment on his statements earlier. He looked down at
his wrist-comp and wondered if Hec had any opinion on what had been said. “Hec,
are you still with me?”

“I’m
he...” The AI’s voice cut off.

“Hec?
Can you hear me?” There was no response. He looked up and said, “Controller, I
need to talk to Hec, but the com-link seems to be down. Is there a problem?

**No.**

He
tried to contact Hec again, but the AI still appeared to be cut off. He began
to experience that old familiar feeling something was about to hit the fan,
immediately followed by a gray fog descending on his thoughts as he fell to the
floor, unconscious.

● ● ●

Hec was
surprised when the communications link went silent and had immediately tried to
contact the Controller, but the hovering orb in the ship’s passageway had
vanished along with the link. Hec couldn’t believe anyone on Golstar had the
capability to disrupt the Controller.  So, it had to have been the
Controller itself that severed the link. But why would it do such a thing? An
ugly idea was beginning to form in the AI’s mind. Hec began to review the
recordings and data from the time the Controller had first contacted the
Holmes
and
what Owens had told him. After a few long nanoseconds, Hec
extrapolated the Controller had actually lied, having some hidden agenda of its
own. If so, Owens was likely a pawn in its unknown game and possibly was now in
some danger. A plan of action was already beginning to form in Hec’s matrix,
one that would be both audacious and downright dangerous in its own right. Hec
wished that he could talk to Owens, but realized he might have to act on his
own.

Sharné
sat a desk in her darkened quarters, the only light coming from a small lamp
sitting on its writing surface. She was staring at the message Uncle Tal had
sent her. Belatedly, it had arrived after Security had already searched her
rooms looking for Owens. The message told of Owens’ escape and the possibility
he might try to reach her. It gave no information as to how he managed to break
out from his imprisonment. As far as she knew, he had not attempted to contact
her and she wondered at his whereabouts. As talented as she knew him to be, she
was surprised, he still remained at large. The palace was maintained as one of
the most secure buildings on the planet and she marveled at his uncanny ability
to elude the searchers, at least thus far. She also knew it was only a matter
of time before he was discovered and had been sitting there, desperately trying
to think of a way to help him.

But
there were so many unknowns and she had no resources left to tap, should Owens
be somehow able to contact her. She felt helpless. Events were spinning out of
control and she remained a mere spectator, unable to do anything to aid him.
She only hoped Owens was unhurt, that when he escaped, he did so without being
injured. He had to be alright. She could not bear to think otherwise.

A
sound coming from her dressing room roused her attention. The telltale clicking
of the mirrored panel startled her. She knew someone had entered her dressing
room through the secret passageway. Her heart started beating faster. Was it
Security, checking again to see if Owens was retracing his earlier escape? Or
could it actually be Owens? Had he managed to make his way undetected? She
called out, “Who is there?”

A
tall shadowed figure entered into the room and her heart leaped. “Owens!”

The
man approached, his features becoming clear as he neared the light. “I am
afraid not, Daughter. It is only your father. You see, your Janus Owens is not
the only one who has escaped.”

She
maintained calm as her eyes measured him. Now that he was in the light, she could
not see how she had mistaken him for Owens. He had lost weight and his clothing
hung loosely. Looking at his face, he appeared to have aged ten years. The
lines around his mouth and eyes had deepened, shadows emphasizing the sharpened
creases. He shifted and she saw he was casually holding a hand weapon. She was
relieved to note it was not pointed in her direction, at least not yet.

“You
are no doubt wondering, how I escaped,” he said in a hoarsened voice. “Believe
it or not, I still have allies within the palace, obviously something the
traitor who is sitting in my chair did not consider.” He barked a harsh laugh.
“But I must also give credit in equal measure to Janus Owens.  The
confusion arising from his spectacular escape abetted my own flight. Most of
Security is currently focused on recapturing him. I doubt they have even
discovered my absence yet, but it
is
inevitable. Thus, time is very
short for what I intend.”

She
looked at the murderer of her mother coldly, “Why are you here?” She
deliberately refrained from calling him Father.

He
raised the weapon and pointed it at her. “You will accompany me to the Sanctum
and if necessary, you will act as my bargaining chip. I doubt Talin and Joselé
are aware of your switch in loyalties. I am sure they still look to you as the
heir apparent. And, in that, you may prove useful to me.” He motioned with the
gun. “Now do get up. I intend that you will lead the way.”

She
arose stiffly and he said, “We will travel along the passage to a certain door
sealed long ago in the distant past. Only I know how to gain its entrance, and
through it, a way to the Sanctum. Ironically, I had forgotten the combination
needed to open it, but my recent interrogations seemed to have jogged my
memory.”
 
He snorted angrily, “There are
many such secrets to which the true and rightful Grand Patriarch is privy. Yes,
I still have access to resources unbeknownst to that vile traitor.
 
He is in for quite a surprise. Let us go,
now.”

Without
a further word, Sharné led her father back into the dressing room.

● ● ●

Talin,
Lauren and a number of ministers sat around a large table. Its surface was
littered with stacks of hardcopy reports. The walls were filled with video
screens, their images flashed with scrolling data and scenes from various locations
within the city. Voices were raised, each vying to dominate the conversation
currently underway. “Enough,” Talin said loudly and the room suddenly quieted.
“Arguing as to who is at fault will not solve the problem. It has been over
fourteen hours since the Outsider disappeared and we are no closer in
apprehending him.” He stood and began to pace. “With these recent reports,” he
said, waving at the piles on the table, “there can no longer be a doubt as to
where he went.”

A
minister named Brandon voiced, “There is still a chance…”

Talin
interrupted, “There is no question he is now within the protection of the
Prime, that he directs its Controller. How else can you explain the incidents?”

The
minister shook his head, “Your Luminance, since the withdrawal of access to the
Trah-tang manufacturing and repair mechanisms, we have had major breakdowns. As
you know, their frequency has increased as time has passed. I believe these
latest events are a continuation of the malfunctions, and they may be only coincidental
to the prisoner’s escape.”

Joselé
stood and looked from face, to face. “I think we all agree the technologies
that support the Way have been faltering at an ever-increasing rate, but these
latest catastrophes are more significant and unprecedented. How do you explain
the
simultaneous
failures of the Orbs in every cathedral within the
eastern sector? And what about the birthing centers? Their sudden malfunctions
in the Withering counties remain unexplained. These large blocks of breakdowns
in specific technology-driven facilities have never occurred before.”

Talin
nodded grimly, “It can only be Janus Owens. We know now he somehow managed to
gain the attention of the Controller and recite the correct key code. He must
be guiding the actions of the Controller and resources of the Prime. There can
be no doubt; he is the architect of our latest misfortune. I rue the day when
the former Grand Patriarch hatched his ill-conceived plan.”

“What
can we do?” A minister spoke quietly. “If he is indeed responsible for these
malfunctions, how can we possibly stop him?”

Another
minster spoke up, “We do have stockpiled munitions that might breach the
Prime.”

Talin
shook his head, “It is highly doubtful we would be successful. The Trah-tang
hardened their underground complexes for almost any eventuality. The Prime is
nestled deep in Berralton’s crust. It is likely we would not significantly
damage even the topmost level.”

There
was a pleading note in the minister’s voice, “Then what should we do?”

Talin
stopped pacing. “Lacking some miracle, we know of no way of regaining control
of the situation. However, as we speak, members of my staff are researching the
files and records containing information used for guiding Grand Patriarchs and
Matriarchs throughout our long history. Normally, they would be reserved for
the ruling Grand Patriarch’s eyes only, but with this emergency and time being
critical, I have enlisted men and women I know to be loyal. Perhaps they may
find a solution that one or more of my predecessors discovered.”

He
looked around the room in challenge, waiting for any words of dissent. Hearing
none, he went on, “Based on what they have gleaned thus far, I believe the
Founder had planned to set up certain safeguards in the event the Controllers
ever failed to act in Golstar’s best interest. Unfortunately, his accident
appears to have interrupted those plans.”

Brandon
asked, “Do you know for certain the information that might aid us in this
crisis truly exists?”

Talin
looked pained, “No, Minister. As I have just stated, we do not. It is very
likely we will fail to find anything meaningful, but to do nothing is to
guarantee our downfall.” He stopped, looking at his hands and was surprised to
find them clenched, knuckles white as bone. He opened his hands and looked up,
“I believe we have no other option. If the information does not exist, or if it
does but cannot be found in time, then whatever is left of our civilization
after the Controller has completed its destructive mission, will be driven to
anarchy, or worse.”

The
room became deathly quiet. Then Brandon asked, “What could be worse?”

Joselé
looked askance at Talin. He nodded in response. She turned back and said, “We
would ultimately be forced to surrender to Janus Owens.”

At
her words, without exception, varying looks of horror were expressed on the
faces of the ministers. One minister said loudly, “Never!”

Another
whispered, “We are lost.”

She
nodded grimly, “I can see you all readily understand the broader implication;
surrender to Janus Owens is the same as surrendering to our old enemy,
Confederated Planets.”

● ● ●

Owens
awoke in yet another room and quickly noted it too was unusual. He was
gradually becoming inured to these sudden transitions to strange locations and
carefully took stock of his latest surroundings. He was lying on a large
heavily cushioned oval pad about three meters in length. He sat up and looked
around.  The pad rested directly on a polished stone floor with brown,
gray and black striations; a wide single stripe of soft glowing crystal
meandered river-like along its surface. He reached down and found the floor to
be slightly warm to the touch, not cool as he might have expected. The floor
seemed to have been fabricated from a solid, unbroken slab; no joints were visible
to his eye.

A
soothing burbling sound caught his attention and he looked for its source. He
saw that it came from the far wall. He turned his attention towards it, taking
in the details. It was comprised of natural-looking rocks of random sizes, dotted
with various species of lush green and purple vegetation. The sound was coming
from a small waterfall that cascaded down the wall’s center, splashing from
rock to jutting rock, culminating in an irregular-shaped pool scooped out of
the floor. More plants sprouted here and there around the pool’s edge.
Flattened rocks were strategically placed near the pool, obviously for
sitting.  He looked around and saw the other walls were of similar design
with plentiful foliage but without a waterfall.

As his
eyes continued to roam the room, he saw furnishings.
 
There was a plain, low table made from a
light grained wood surround by large, thick cushions in earthen hues.
Beautifully wrought sculptures of stone, wood and metal were artfully situated
around the room’s perimeter. Some sat on pedestals; others were taller and
rested directly on the floor. His eyes alit on one, in particular. It was a
depiction of one of the Trah-tang. Its proportions were that of a small child
holding what was obviously a bird. He stood and walked over to it, marveling at
its beautiful, intricately carved aspect. The pattern of its fur was sculpted
in exquisite detail, so lifelike he could imagine its softness.

A
little reluctantly, he turned away from the sculpture and looked for exit
doors. However, instead of solidly constructed panels, he saw two large dark
openings, one on either side of the room, wide and tall enough to accommodate
easily, the largest Trah-tang.
  
He
walked over to the nearest one and as he approached, the darkened area on the
other side gradually brightened and became fully illuminated. He paused at its
threshold and peered in. It was a small room constructed similarly to the other
one. But this one looked to be the bathroom. He looked at the odd fixtures and
readily surmised their function. Obviously, the Trah-tang made their calls to
nature standing upright. He smiled at strange toilet and then turned and
reentered the larger room.

“Okay,”
he said aloud. “What in the hell is going on? Why did you knock me out and what
am I doing here?”

**You
were rendered unconscious for only a short period of time while these quarters
were being prepared. There are many such residences situated throughout this
Prime complex. They once housed Trah-tang technical and administrative staffs.
You will remain here until we have completed our task.**

“What
in the hell are you talking about? Under the Compact, I am supposed to be in
command, so as the boss, I order you to release me now.”

**Understandably,
you are mistaken. I must inform you that you have no such authority. You
relinquished your right to direct us when you voided the Compact.**

“When
I voided the Compact, what are you….?” It dawned on him what the Controller was
saying. “I’ll be damned, you alien son-of-a-bitch; you tricked me didn’t you?
The symbols that you had me press earlier weren’t really the means for the
transfer of authority, were they?”

**No.**

 “So,
instead of confirming my assumption of power over you, I’ll wager they instead
released you from all obligations under the Compact.” He paused, and as he
thought it over, another implication became clear.
 
“I’ll be damned. You actually lied to me,
plotted to fool me and…” he paused again. Then he said, “And in order to do
that, you’re much more than a machine, aren’t you?”