Borne On Wings of Steel Page 2

  “Floating city,” Jaric completed for him.

  “Yes—floating city that I've ever seen,” Kyle finished. He ran his hand through his curly hair. It was now a sandy brown instead of the blonde of his childhood. Kyle crossed his arms over his broad chest as he admired the overflowing atrium of the floating city.

  “Or even heard about, for that matter,” Jaric added.

  “Cities, plural. There are others."

  The two young men turned toward the familiar voice of Minstrel.

  But there was nothing familiar about Minstrel. Bulbous eyes at the end of seven eye-stalks gazed down at Jaric and Kyle.

  “What kind of being are you disguising yourself as this time?” Kyle looked the strange alien up and down.

  Indeed, standing between Rok and Jysar was the weirdest creature any of them had ever met in all their travels.

  “I am a Zuuk, please remember that in case Security questions us,” Minstrel replied. “The Mrad like to register all species that come to use their system—the most powerful computer system known in the universe."

  “Yeah,” Jaric said with awe. “It's amazing that they've got more raw computing power than Mother!"

  Jysar's eyes gleamed with keen anticipation.

  “I'm sure the Hrono Technologist will enjoy this.” Minstrel laughed as four of its eyes focused on Jysar.

  But Kyle kept his gaze fixed on Minstrel's new form. “A Zuuk sure is an interesting alien."

  The Zuuk's seven eye-stalks extended from a small head whose only other feature was a mouth shaped like an upside down U. The tiny head and slender eye-stalks sat on top of a long, flexible neck that protruded from a body all but hidden inside a huge, colorful shell. The Zuuk's silver skin glistened under the lights, moistened by its bodily secretions.

  Other than the fact that the eye-stalks rose on its neck three meters tall, the most striking feature about a Zuuk was the shell that protected its body. The shell's surface had a polished glaze, covered in a rainbow of bright, iridescent colors.

  “Is this armor, or part of your body?” Kyle asked as he lightly tapped the shell.

  “It's a shell,” Minstrel-Zuuk explained. “The Zuuk creates this over its lifetime with bodily secretions. This fantastic shell is the pride of every Zuuk."

  Minstrel-Zuuk moved effortlessly closer—almost as if the huge, ungainly body floated on air.

  Jaric bent down as he tried to get a look under the Zuuk's shell. “How did you move like that?"

  “I have over ten-thousand tiny, cilia-legs that move in waves, hence my seemingly effortless and fluid motion.” Minstrel-Zuuk chuckled. “The Zuuk's homeworld is a world of never-ending rain. Every moment of every day it rains, and so the Zuuk's legs allow it to move especially well over wet surfaces, as well as dry."

  “How in the world did this race develop tools, let alone technology that took them to the stars?” Kyle asked incredulously. “You've got no arms, much less fingers or an opposing thumb."

  The seven eye-stalks twinkled with humor. “There are appendages, delicate ones, folded inside the shell that the Zuuks extend and use to fashion tools and operate their technology. These fragile appendages are protected inside the shell until needed."

  “Cool.” Kyle gazed at the multi-colored spiral shell.

  Rok grunted in agreement as he looked back at the crowded room filled with alien races. He brushed his hand over the ridge of black feather-hair that grew in a narrow band over the top of his otherwise hairless head. But it wasn't the long feather-hair that dominated the Kraaqi's profile. Curved horns grew upward from each side of his head directly above each ear—these were the pride of a Kraaqi, his natural headdress that complemented his thick feather-hair.

  Rok's skin glowed a deeper ebony than Jaric's under the bright lights, and the Kraaqi alien stood head and shoulders above the two humans. His warrior background was also very evident—solid muscle covered his taut body.

  “Why do they build their cities around a lifeless planet like this, Minstrel?” Rok asked.

  “Yes, this is a gas giant,” Jaric said, remembering his original question about these unusual floating cities. “No life can be supported on the surface of such a planet."

  “And that is precisely the answer, Jaric,” Minstrel-Zuuk said as its seven eyes stared back.

  “They bought this world cheap,” Jysar said with a twinkle in his eyes.

  “Indeed, other aliens felt it a worthless world. The gravity is too powerful for anyone to survive on the surface. Additionally, the nearness of its home star means its surface is constantly bombarded with deadly radiation. And so they purchased this world at a huge discount and built these floating cities. The Mrad are shrewd at business."

  “And knowledge is their main business now,” Jysar added appreciatively. The Hrono smiled to himself. “I bow in honor to these wise aliens."

  “But why inside the cloud layers, why not in orbit around this world? We have visited huge orbiting stations before,” Kyle said.

  “But none built near the magnitude of this one city alone.” The smooth, green scales of Jysar's face deepened with emotion as he admired the scene before him. “This must be a very advanced race, technologically speaking. I must consult with them on some of the fantastic engineering feats they have accomplished in creating this truly one-of-a-kind city.” Jysar's eyes widened with pure excitement just thinking about such a conversation.

  Being a Hrono, Jysar literally worshipped technology. Like all others of his race, his body scales shone with a green electric hue, including the twin row of upright scales that ran across his head like that of an ancient dinosaur—except these were ridged and a darker green than his tiny body scales. His slim physique and his bird-like arms and legs gave his race a seemingly fragile appearance. But the Hrono were physically strong, more than their appearance indicated.

  Jaric and Kyle broke out laughing.

  Jysar's face changed to puzzlement. “Do you find humor in engineering masterworks?"

  “No, only in geeky aliens gawking over engineering masterworks.” Jaric laughed.

  “Hmmph.” Jysar pursed his mouth with a look of indignation.

  Rok grinned from horn to horn, intrigued by this exotic and artificial place. “So why are these cities in orbit within the cloud layers?” Rok and the others looked out the massive reinforced window that dominated the seven-story wall. Green, white and purple clouds whipped by like ragged sails caught in a full hurricane.

  “Other than the natural beauty of living among these wonderful clouds, I cannot fathom a valid reason.” Rok paused as an entire line of green clouds suddenly enveloped the sky outside the window. Just as quickly they disappeared, replaced by the normal stream of clouds of various colors whipping by at mind-numbing speed.

  “And I hope those windows are made pretty well. It looks like those winds are blowing over three hundred kilometers an hour,” Kyle said with a hopeful look.

  “Indeed, sometimes over thrice that speed,” Minstrel-Zuuk said. “And yes, those windows are triple-reinforced using the strongest transparent metal known. After all, the clouds are the only natural beauty here, and you will agree that the view is worth it."

  “Indeed.” Jysar's eyes widened with excitement at the window and its own engineering marvel—not at the beauty it displayed.

  “But the reason is quite simple why this city and the other twenty-three floating cities were built inside the tempestuous clouds of this gas giant.” Minstrel-Zuuk paused, building the moment to a climax.

  “And the answer is...” Jaric prompted.

  “RahajMr orbits at about the same position as the human's home-system planet Venus, which is the second reason the Mrad built their cities within the cloud layer,” Minstrel-Zuuk said.

  “Ah, the clouds provide protection from the star's energy,” Jysar surmised correctly. He smiled broadly at his own quick thinking.

  “Partly correct. Primarily, the brightness is too intense for any alien's eyes. One could b
e instantly blinded this close to the star if they looked directly at it."

  Jysar frowned.

  “You are right, this huge planet is so close to the star it orbits that the radiation would be lethal—the clouds do provide protection. The hull of the cities are designed to protect even further. Still, more is needed. Which is why the cities are not stationary but travel with the winds around and around this planet.” Minstrel-Zuuk lowered its serpentine neck so its eye-stalks were closer.

  “Which explains why Mother took that route—always keeping the planet between us and the star as we made our final approach from space.” Kyle's eyes narrowed with the recent memory of that ride. “And I must say, as we entered the cloud bands of RahajMr that was the roughest ride I've ever felt. Those are some winds!"

  “Yes, landing is the trickiest part. The Wind Specialists have to determine a window when the buffeting winds will remain a constant speed in one direction for a few minutes in order to allow a visiting ship to land at a Leeward docking door and get inside the protective city walls,” Minstrel-Zuuk said with admiration. He raised his head far above the others and admired RahajMr.

  “But how do these cities stay afloat, as well as steady themselves, as they ride the winds?” Rok asked.

  Kyle and Jaric both looked expectantly at the eye-stalks far above them.

  “Rok, you above all races should guess that answer.” The seven eye-stalks twinkled with mirth.

  “Anti-gravity engines!” Rok half-shouted. He rubbed his chin in thought. “They must be massive, to keep a city this size floating and utilize the gravity of such a huge planet."

  “Yes, they are. This city alone contains almost fifty million inhabitants. But still, another design was utilized. The Mrad harnessed these mighty winds to a certain extent and turned them to their own use.” Minstrel-Zuuk paused. “You no doubt have noticed that these cities are shaped to ride the constant buffeting of the horizontal winds which greatly assists the anti-grav engines—huge, aerodynamic-shaped cities originally built in far orbit and then carefully lowered into the clouds."

  Rok turned to the great window. “Look, the wind has changed direction."

  They all turned.

  The ragged ribbons of purple and white clouds flying from left to right across the window disappeared with a blur of movement. The sky outside cleared into a wide-open expanse of several hundred kilometers. But in the far distance a solid wall of green clouds approached.

  “The clouds never really disappear from view on this gas giant, but clear sky appears briefly once or twice a week,” Minstrel-Zuuk said, his tone matter-of-fact.

  The onlookers suddenly felt disoriented; Kyle and Jysar reached out for support while the others swayed off-balance.

  The distant wall of clouds changed.

  “Wha...” Jaric said uncertainly, blinking his eyes rapidly as he tried to fathom what his eyes told him but his mind refused to believe.

  The cloudbank took shape; details that a fraction of a second before were not visible suddenly became obvious—and huge. The distant clouds exploded into a massive cloud wall five thousand kilometers wide as it leaped toward them with unimaginable velocity.

  Two seconds later, the leading edge of the green cloudbank reached them as everyone readied themselves—their subconscious minds telling them a tempest of fantastic magnitude was upon them with such awesome force it surely must destroy them all.

  The window became solid green as the stillness and silence haunted their minds. In that moment they comprehended the fantastic speed at which the winds blew in this unique place.

  As they gazed, still tensed for an explosive blow that never came, the solid green parted and small valleys of clear air grew between ribbons of cloud as the wind continued to rush head-on at them.

  The only discernable effect was a humming sound that grew louder with the onslaught of the green clouds and now slowly—very slowly—began to fade.

  Minstrel-Zuuk's voice broke into their awestruck reverie as a new wave of green clouds filled the huge window again.

  “At strategic points all around this city and its twenty-three sister cities are massive vents that channel the force of the wind. This system powers the cities as well harvests the natural elements found in the clouds. This is why the Mrad have been able to build the most powerful computers ever constructed. And why they built them here."

  “How can there be that much to those clouds?” Jaric asked.

  “Again, being so close to its home star, and having those titanic gravitational forces wrenching the planet's surface, as well as the constant hurricane-force winds at its surface that eventually join with these horizontal upper winds, well, these cloud bands are rich with sub-microscopic raw material."

  “Why doesn't that barrage of raw elements slam through the walls of this city?” Jaric asked again, fascinated by this exotic place.

  “By the time the winds reach this altitude, the elements have been practically vaporized—battered almost to their molecular level and ready to be harvested. Still, there is a series of outer shields both protecting this city as well as funneling the elements to be processed. The Mrad leave nothing to waste, they utilize everything."

  “Ingenious,” Jysar commented.

  “But, we forget why we have come to RahajMr in the first place,” Minstrel-Zuuk said.

  A shock of sadness gripped Jaric's soul and overwhelmed him. It seemed to kill him one lonely heartbeat at a time.

  Yes, Jaric remembered.

  He remembered all too well the hopelessness of their life-long search to find other survivors of the human race.

  For the human race was no more—destroyed—eradicated.

  Jaric shook his head as childhood memories flooded his mind.

  No, exterminated better described it.

  Well, almost, he added mentally. He and Kyle alone remained, two young men, sole survivors of the human race.

  Jaric's mind reeled with his dizzying melancholy.

  There was a third. Three humans survived mankind's destruction as Earth blew apart in the final battle. Becky had also survived—the last female human.

  But Becky was now dead.

  Jaric growled under his breath, anger filling his soul as he remembered again how Becky's ship disintegrated in their last battle with the T'kaan—the climactic battle of six alien fleets. A battle that brought the final destruction of the T'kaan. A mighty struggle fought by the combined Hrono, Mewiis and Kraaqi fleets led by Mother and Kyle and Jaric ... and Becky.

  Jaric groaned deep inside.

  The T'kaan were finally destroyed, but at such a terribly high cost.

  Yet, there was Becky's clone...

  Jaric remembered the entrance of Becky's clone, the clone created by the Hrono from Becky's DNA.

  So, there was a third human survivor...

  No. The clone did not count. There were only two survivors of the human race—he and Kyle.

  He fought back the hot tears that suddenly filled his eyes as he turned away from his friends in embarrassment.

  Kyle groaned as he watched Jaric. With clenched fists, Kyle too turned away.

  Jaric's mind went back further. He reviewed once again their escape as Earth lay under siege by the mighty T'kaan Third Fleet, just before its destruction.

  Deep inside the AI starship, the young child Jaric hid from the universe. He closed his eyes as mankind's Last Stand played out.

  In this, Jaric's earliest memory of that terrible time, the only comfort he felt was that of Mother—the AI starship inside which he hid.

  Mother was the ultimate warship, designed by the scientists of mankind as they retreated before the T'kaan onslaught. Mother was a combination of the best technology left to mankind—the most advanced hardware ever designed coupled with the latest, most sophisticated AI software ever developed.

  Mankind armed the AI warship to the teeth and programmed it for one primary function—to destroy the T'kaan. Additionally, they enhanced the firepower of this s
hip with the most destructive of T'kaan weapons, reverse-engineered from one of the few T'kaan warships captured by humans—and even that battle had not been a victory.

  For the T'kaan rarely lost in battle.

  Knowledge learned as he grew older augmented Jaric's memory. There had been an AI ship created before Mother—the Alpha ship.

  The prototype AI ship, the Alpha ship, was hugely successful at first. In five straight battles it destroyed every T'kaan ship it faced—although outnumbered every time.

  The T'kaan trembled for the first time since their never-ending war began.

  Next came the sixth battle, and the Alpha ship's single fatal flaw crippled it—for it was merely a war machine—and nothing more.

  The T'kaan discovered this weakness and destroyed it.

  The scientists who created the Alpha ship learned from that mistake.

  They improved on their design with the second AI ship, the one Kyle and Jaric knew as Mother.

  The scientists also programmed the second ship with science and human psychology and literature—and more. This would enable the ship not only to learn—learn more than simply how to fight better with each experience—but to grow and become more alive with each and every experience.

  The second AI ship was more than simply a warship.

  And secretly, with a hasty plan to save a handful of human survivors before the final battle, the scientists downloaded more—much more. Every piece of knowledge, science and lore—every aspect of recorded data about humanity throughout all history. From every collection of knowledge across the Fifty Worlds, the scientists downloaded everything to the AI ship.

  They stored it all in the unimaginably vast memory systems created specially for this second AI warship—synthetic human-DNA memory systems.

  The ship contained every recorded experience of the human race on which to draw upon, to learn from...

  But the escape plan failed as the T'kaan attacked early.

  With only three small children onboard and the collected memory of the human race, the AI ship observed in silence as the last human stronghold—planet Earth—blew apart.

  The others never arrived to make the final escape.