An Epic Space Opera by Mark Laporta

In this episode of Infinity Afterglow, aboard the Terran Protectorate battle cruiser, Jericho, a multi-species team of engineers convenes to test a new innovative biomechanoid weapon, code-named “Galwendren,” with extraordinary telepathic powers. Will it help them set the stage for the upcoming major offensive against the Quishiks? Read Infinity Afterglow from the beginning.

“Look left, Galwendren,” said Chief Engineer Jonas Frey. “Can you do that for me?”

After weeks of concerted effort, the biomechanoid child that the combined human, Seldran and symbiote team had built was ready for testing. In addition to Frey, Science Officer Astrid Nielsen, Captain Gillian Cavendish and the redoubtable Warvhex were gathered to witness the result. In some respects, the project had already exceeded expectations. The diminutive biomechanoid, who was an exact replica of a true Dralein child, had light brown fur, blue eyes and an infectious smile. That is, when she deigned to smile at all. Her gray, loose-fitting canvas overalls and collarless, lime green top were designed to maximize her freedom of movement.

“Please, Ensign Frey,” said Galwendren. “I’m a fully functioning biomechanoid, not a trained poodle.”

“We know, Dear,” said Lieutenant Nielsen, “and we’re so proud of you. But we need to run a few tests.”

The gynoid, a convincing likeness of a seven-year-old Dralein child, rolled her dark brown eyes.

“Seriously? Don’t bother,” she said. “Central processor at full capacity. Language subroutines operative, with machine learning functions fully engaged. Honestly, though? Listening to you all, I doubt I’ll ever need them. Motor functions? Let me show you. No, let me!”

The lithe biomechanoid broke free of Frey’s gentle grasp and leapt off the examining table. She executed a series of tumbles, backflips and spins, culminating in a catapulting jump, two meters high, that landed her a mere fifteen centimeters from her starting point. A smile on her lips, she spoke to Frey without a hint of breathlessness.

“See, I told you,” she said. “That leaves tactile, aural, visual and olfactory senses: check, check, check and check. Anything else? Cause I’m hungry.”

Frey, Astrid and Gillian glanced at each other and fought hard to keep from laughing. Even the normally deadpan Warvhex showed signs of enthusiasm as, involuntarily, the fluid in her translucent brain case flashed bright yellow. And no wonder. The precociously obnoxious biomechanoid child appeared to be a complete success. There was only one more test to administer before they could feel completely satisfied.

“You’ll have a nice breakfast in a few minutes,” said Gillian. “First, there’s someone we want you to meet.” She paused to reach for the ship’s intercom. “Show them in.” 

The doors of the examination room whooshed open to reveal Dadren and Drashna, both of whom had arrived from Bledraun that morning. Dadren, despite his ascension to the position of “Euch Chadron” of Bledraun, still retained the modest civil service uniform he’d worn for years. A forest green outfit trimmed in silver piping, it was even showing signs of wear, as were the scuffed, dark brown boots he’d stuffed into his pant legs. Drashna, the former head of Bledraun’s world government, was dressed, as always, in a dark russet, neo-leather jumpsuit, embroidered with teal accents, that complemented her graying fur. Relatively tall for a Dralein female, she was the mother of Caronya, the transformed Dralein child who lay in stasis somewhere in deep space. Dadren, Bledraun’s current head of state, had come along for moral support, not to mention a piece of business he had with Treluhne, the Seldran leader. Trailing the two of them was Treluhne himself, who flashed a broad smile.

“Can I assume we’re here,” he asked, “because you’ve met with success?”

“It does appear we have.” said Gillian.

Galwendren looked up suddenly at Dadren, rushed to his side and squeezed both of his hands.

“Finally!” Galwendren shouted. “Somebody telepathic. Thought I was going to suffocate.”

Dadren looked down at the young biomechanoid and smiled.

“You know the rules, Little One,” said Dadren. “No peeking,”

Galwendren’s endearing giggles were a sharp contrast to her precocious mind.

“But I like to,” she said.

“Respect the wishes of your Chaudron,” said Drashna. “That’s the way to be a good little Dralein. Do you want to be good?”

Galwendren stared at her, eyes wide.

“You’re that lady,” she said. “Caronya’s mother. Why are you so sad?”

“Remember what I said, Little One,” said Dadren. “Drashna’s thoughts are her own.”

Drashna rested a hand on Dadren’s broad shoulder.

“Oh, she doesn’t need telepathy to know how I feel. Caronya is all I think about.” She bent down to Galwendren’s level. ”Do you want to know something? Caronya used to love word games.”

“Used to?” asked the biomechanoid. “Is she dead now?”

Drashna’s eyes squeezed shut.

“She’s been sick, Dear,” said Gillian. “And we hope you can make her feel better.”

Galwendren stamped her right foot.

“That makes no sense,” she said. “I don’t have any med tech subroutines. That’s Ensign Frey’s fault!”

“We want you to cheer her up,” said Astrid. “Do you think you could do that?”

“With word games?” asked the gynoid.

“Just by being her friend,” said Frey.

“Maybe,” said Galwendren. “Anyway, I’ll bet she’s a lot more fun than a bunch of boring adults. Can I eat now?”

Gillian called a female crew member to escort Galwendren to the Jericho’s officer’s mess hall. When they were both out of earshot, Drashna walked over to the humans and folded them in her furry arms.

“Thank you for thinking of me,” she said. “Even though Caronya isn’t really my daughter anymore, I’m still her mother. I need to know what becomes of her.”

“You’re welcome,” said Gillian. “But I must confess we had an ulterior motive in inviting you. How convincing do you think she is?”

Drashna’s eyes narrowed.

“I don’t know how you did it,” she said. “There’s a lot of the real Caronya in this … simulation. Enough so to make me worry about the idea of putting her in contact with that … that monster in the stasis chamber. Even if she is biomechanoid, she’s still a sentient being.”

Gillian nodded at Frey who explained Galwendren’s hidden mental structure. Her childish persona, it turned out, was merely a shell program. The gynoid’s mind was much more powerful than it appeared and included, Frey hoped, enough telepathic reach to exert a degree of mind control at the fringes of Caronya’s mind.

“We designed Galwendren to exert a continuous, telepathic stabilizing influence on Caronya,” said Frey. “The idea is to keep the average amplitude of her brainwave patterns within an optimal ‘sensory motor rhythm’ — so she stays calm and we can reason with her.”

“You’re taking a big risk,” said Drashna. 

“We’re also counting on the fact,” said Astrid, “that Caronya’s mind is linked to the Quishiks, who are weakened now.”

“I daresay,” said Gillian, “we’d be taking a greater risk by not using every weapon at our disposal.”

Drashna shook her broad head.

“So it has come to this,” she said. “my Caronya is a weapon. It’s time I left for the new Svaladornian colonies. I should have done it a year ago. They’re so far out, I’ll bet even the Quishiks can’t find them. Too few settlers there for them to bother with. And who knows? I might finally learn how to swim.”

The Svaladorns, a species of sentient eel, were a curious addition to interstellar civilization. Despite their adaptation to life underwater, their ability to generate intense and tightly focused electromagnetic fields enabled them to manipulate matter as well as any of the planet’s subsentient species. Some of the latter the Svaladorns even used in ingenious ways as diggers, haulers and rough-hewers of essential raw materials. In the last two centuries, to the astonishment of the rest of the settled universe, they’d even developed a rudimentary space program and built colonies on their home world’s two moons.

To Drashna, at this point in her life, their very difference made them especially attractive. She would join a small diaspora of humanoids and other species eager to relocate to the Svaladorns’ pristine environs. With little personal use for land, their hosts were grateful for the income the land masses generated when parceled out in small lots, in keeping with strict ecological regulations. And, thankfully, their home world was so far past the range of traditional space lanes that Drashna was likely to encounter few daily reminders of her former life.

“Do your best,” Drashna told them in parting. “And don’t try to spare my feelings. Whatever happens to Caronya now, well, to me, she’s already gone.”

Although Gillian and the others put a brave face on saying goodbye, in their hearts that moment felt as if it might be the start of their own doom. A short time later, Warvhex excused herself, pleading urgent business with the Kaldhex Assembly, the symbiote congress of which she was the newest member. 

“I have to go talk some sense into a stubborn operative,” she said. “You know what that’s like.” That the ironic eye rolls that followed didn’t result in optical trauma for every member of Gillian’s team was a medical wonder that it was doubtful would ever be resolved.

^^^

This concludes Episode 32: Biomechanoid Weapon. A new episode of Infinity Afterglow appears every Saturday. Read Episode 33 now.

Read Ungent Draaf’s earlier adventures in Mark Laporta’s novels Probability Shadow and Entropy Refraction, which are available at a bookstore near you, on Amazon and at Barnes & Noble. Mark Laporta is also the author of Orbitals: Journeys to Future Worlds, a collection of short science fiction, which is available as an ebook.

His new novel, from which this episode is excerpted, will be published by Chickadee Prince Books. To pre-order, contact Orders@ChickadeePrince.com. 

Image by Kalyee Srithnam.