Chapter 5
Zeke awoke, feeling well rested. So Otheshiil’s bottle had worked after all. What time was it now? A clock would be handy, and Zeke’s quarters was lacking one.
“Computer,” said Zeke, “give me a clock visible from everywhere in the room.”
“Your clock will arrive shortly,” said the computer.
After Zeke got ready for the day, he noticed one of the robots positioning a clock in the center of the ceiling. The clock was a flattened circle with time readouts visible on three sides, and Zeke could see the time from most angles. The clock read 21:07, just about time for breakfast.
But before breakfast, there were some questions Zeke wanted answers to.
“Computer, why is the Earthling sexual profile only estimated?”
“Unable to match query to informational model,” said the computer.
“Computer, are the Earthling environmental and food profiles estimated?”
“No,” said the computer.
“Computer, how is the Shao experimentation on Earthlings different from the actions of the aliens the Hirthal are protecting Earth from?”
“Please rest assured unwanted experimentation is disallowed here,” said the computer. Experimentation on unwilling intelligent species is against the Hirthal code of conduct. Were you subjected to unwanted actions? Do you require assistance for emotional or physical distress?”
“No,” said Zeke.
After Walter’s question last night, the computer’s inability to answer questions of this nature was not surprising. The computer easily handled the “where are my quarters” type questions but was unable to understand the more abstract queries, responding with what seemed to be canned answers. If Zeke were going to get his questions answered, he would have to ask someone or review the computer data manually. His quarters hadn’t come with a computer interface like on Mvek’s ship, perhaps Zeke should ask the computer for one.
“Computer, give me a computer interface terminal.”
A three foot square terminal appeared floating in the air before Zeke. Surprised, Zeke touched it and his hand passed through. Only a hologram, thought Zeke, but it looked solid.
Zeke spent some time looking through the information, but did not immediately find what what he wanted. The information was in Standard and arranged in an unfamiliar heirachy. After a few false leads, Zeke found information about the Shao and Earth, but was interrupted before he had a chance to read much of it.
“Attention Zeke,” said the computer, “will you accept a communication from Maeoglaiere?”
Maeoglaiere? Oh, the transparent floating alien from indoctrination. Now what could Maeoglaiere want, Zeke wondered?
“Yes,” said Zeke.
“Zeke,” said Maeoglaiere’s voice from midair, “I hope you are comfortable in your new environment and I would like to meet with you to discuss any concerns you may have. As you have some time before your training starts, and your species sometimes desires company during meals, and communication is more effective when the participants are in physical proximity, would you be agreeable to meet in the dining room near your quarters this morning? I would schedule my arrival for whenever you originally intended traveling to the dining room, so as not to inconveniently adjust your schedule.”
“Sure,” said Zeke, “I was just about to leave, I’ll see you there.”
“Excellent,” said Maeoglaiere. “I will arrive at the location in five minutes. Computer, close my connection to Zeke.”
“Disconnected,” said the computer.
Maeoglaiere had not arrived when Zeke entered the dining room. Five other aliens were in the dining room, but no one Zeke had met before. Zeke gestured at a platform and sat down in the newly reconfigured chair.
Behind the counter a five foot tall bipedal alien stood. Thick, but not chubby, the alien was completely covered with coarse, orange hair, except for his head, which was bare with lighter orange skin. The head was elongated and narrow, with solid yellow eyes, pointed teeth, and long pointed ears.
“You are Zeke,” said the unfamiliar alien behind the counter. “I am Flezg. I will present you with your meal soon.” Flezg turned and walked away, short stubby tail twitching as he walked.
“Sounds good,” said Zeke.
Zeke noticed Maeoglaiere float to a stop next to him. The alien hovered silently in his clear container, tentacles swirling in slow patterns.
“Zeke,” said Maeoglaiere, “in adjusting to your new surroundings, have you encountered difficulties of any type?”
“No,” said Zeke. “Everything has been great, no difficulties at all.”
“Excellent,” said Maeoglaiere. “New arrivals to the base usually have questions, even questions about seemingly unimportant matters. I am sure you have at least one question; perhaps you have many questions. I would be very pleased if you would do me the favor of asking at least one question, no matter how insignificant the question may seem to you.”
Flezg presented Zeke with a glass of purple liquid, toast with jam, and a bowl of oatmeal with banana slices and raisins – at least Zeke hoped they were raisins. Zeke took a bite. Well, they tasted like raisins.
“I did have a few things I was curious about,” said Zeke. “The computer gave the Earthling sexual profile as estimated, but another species’ sexual profile was not estimated. Does that mean anything?”
“Before I fully answer your question,” said Maeoglaiere, “allow me to briefly discuss the reason behind the estimation of the Earthling sexual profile. A sexual profile is a four digit representation of most physical and emotional factors utilized in sexual interactions. The physical factors are relatively simple to determine and are used to avoid physical injury from incompatible biologies. The emotional factors are difficult to determine, but are determinable to an extent with sufficient study.
“For Earthlings and other species with divergent and isolated or semi-isolated subgroups, both in a geographical and cultural sense, an absolute sexual profile is impossible. While an average could be determined with sufficient study, the deviations from that average would be too great for the average to be useful in classifying a single individual.
“For some few species, usually more advanced species, the possibility of rapid travel and a single culture on a planetary or multi-planetary scale allow a single sexual profile to apply to all members of the species. However, a non-estimated sexual profile is rare; only a small percentage of species have a non-estimated sexual profile.
“If you choose, you could have your individual sexual profile determined. Simply ask the computer to make an appointment with the medical facility on this base. The emotional determination usually takes several sessions of three hours each. Only a few of the sessions should prove unpleasant.
Three hours? Unpleasant? “I’ll just stay with the estimated profile,” said Zeke. There was no issue with the sexual profile after all, thought Zeke, relieved for some reason.
“Now I am curious,” said Maeoglaiere, “if you have any experiences related to your sexual profile that are troubling you, even if in only the most insignificant way. Or perhaps experiences not troubling you at all, but only engaging your curiosity, even if in only the most insignificant manner.”
“So,” considered Zeke, “how do the sexual profiles work? How can I tell if two profiles are compatible?”
“For Earthlings,” said Maeoglaiere, “if the first three numbers differ by less than 50, the 50 being your variation number, you are in no physical danger. However, the other individual or individuals participating would have their own variation numbers. My variation number is 30, for example. So if you compared our profiles and found mine to differ from yours at most by 40, we would not be compatible. Sexual contact between us would leave you unharmed, but could possibly be physically damaging to me.
“However, the sexual profiles represent the worst case contact. Even with incompatible sexual profiles, two individuals may still have a sexual encounter if they understand the biological incompatibilities and act accordingly. The incompatibility could be due to harmful bodily fluids or harmful physical actions. Some species might penetrate their sexual partner with a stinger for example. Other species might flail their limbs uncontrollably, injuring their partner.
“If you are considering a sexual encounter with an individual having an incompatible sexual profile, have the computer list the incompatibilities. The computer will be very clear and you should be able, in most cases, to avoid the incompatible behavior. If anything is unclear to either of the participants, call a medical facility for clarification.
“Now, the last number in the sexual profile is related to possible emotional conflicts due to sexual interactions. A lower number means an individual will not be unduly distressed, a higher number means an individual could be unduly distressed. If the number is greater than 500, you should proceed with caution, and take every opportunity not to distress the individual. Usually, this means asking before initiating a new behavior or changing the current behavior. If the number is greater than 700, please consult with a medical facility before initiating sexual activity.
Zeke finished his oatmeal and took a sip of the purple liquid. It tasted a bit tart, but Zeke didn’t recognize the flavor.
“What is your opinion of the sexual profiles?” asked Maeoglaiere. “Does the usage of sexual profiles seem reasonable? Have you experienced any problems with the sexual profiles?”
“No problems at all,” said Zeke, “now that I know how they work.”
Maeoglaiere’s lower tentacles stopped for a moment, then resumed their movement. “You were not informed of the details of the sexual profile before.” said Maeoglaiere. “How does this make you feel?”
“I guess...” pondered Zeke, “I guess it makes me feel a bit... disappointed. But everything seems to have worked out OK, so I’m not worried about it.”
“However,” said Maeoglaiere, “you would have preferred to be informed, and you may be wondering why you were not informed. Standard procedure is to not inform any individuals of the existence of the sexual profile if the fourth digit of their sexual profiles is 300 or above, as the information might cause distress or discomfort.”
None of this was worth worrying about; it was just the standard procedure. Why was Maeoglaiere asking these questions anyway? What reason could... Of course! Maeoglaiere was probably the alien equivalent of a psychiatrist, making sure Zeke wasn’t a nutcase before handing him the controls of a spaceship. So what now, Zeke wondered. How should he act? Realistically, Zeke had only a vague idea of what they were looking for. Probably, the best approach was to be honest.
“Attention Zeke,” said the computer, “your morning training class will begin in thirty minutes.”
“I do not wish to delay your arrival at your training class,” said Maeoglaiere. “However, I would like to continue our discussion. Would you be agreeable to meet in my office at nine this evening?”
“Yes,” said Zeke, “I’ll be there.”
A few minutes later, Zeke entered the training room. Several aliens were present and already experimenting with the flight simulators. The backs of the hovering holographic displays were not blank, but showed moving views of the solar system Zeke had practiced in. None of the aliens acted like an instructor, so Zeke decided to experiment with the simulator for a while until Yzran arrived.
One of the aliens, the blue ball with the three pink tentacles, was in the section of the room where the couch was missing – perched on a white sling-like contraption. It must be the same as the seating in the dining room, Zeke concluded. Since the long couch took up most of the wall, very likely most aliens were bipedal enough to use the couch.
Zeke couldn’t see faces because of the displays, but thought he recognized Aurel’s lower body seated on the couch. Sure enough, it was Aurel, skimming over the surface of what looked like one of the inner planets.
“Hi, Aurel,” said Zeke, sitting down beside her. “Computer, begin flight simulation.”
A set of controls rose from the floor and positioned themselves in front of Zeke, the holographic viewscreen also appeared. conveniently, Zeke’s simulator configured itself to the same positions and settings he had selected last time
“Hello Zeke,” said Aurel, focusing on her controls.
Zeke’s ship was where he left it, and he quickly zoomed to the first inner planet and tried some skimming of his own.
“How long have you been here practicing?” asked Zeke.
“I arrived an hour before the start of training,” said Aurel. “And I practiced six hours last evening. I will complete the training in much less than the average 180 days.”
Zeke continued to chat with Aurel as they both flew their simulated ships around the solar system. Caught up in his flying, Zeke barely noticed the other aliens filing into the room, until an eye on a stalk appeared over his viewscreen.
“You are doing very well with basic flight, trainees,” said the alien behind the eye.
Diverting some of his attention from the viewscreen, Zeke took in the new arrival. Instead of a head, the pale-blue alien had two thick, three foot long, eyestalks that joined a barrel-shaped body directly at the shoulders. Thick arms ended in large hands; no thumbs, but four opposable digits looked capable enough. Short, thick, legs featured feet that were larger versions of the hands. Naked, the alien had no discernible genitalia. Only one eye was watching Zeke, the other was watching Aurel.
Aurel had mentioned Yzran was not reproductive, and the alien had called Zeke a trainee. So this had to be Yzran, Zeke realized.
“Do you understand the navigational system?” asked Yzran.
“I have a general understanding of the system,” said Aurel.
“No,” said Zeke.
“The galaxy,” started Yzran, “is considered as a loose aggregation of individual components, joined to make a rough disk. Considered from a gravitational standpoint, the galaxy has reasonably constant centers of mass, represented both as a single point, and as a disk bisecting the galaxy.
“Imagine a line drawn from the point at the center of the galaxy to your current position on the disk of the galaxy. The line to this position would start at the center point and diverge at an angle away from the disk. These are the three elements of your position: distance from center point, distance from the disk, and the rotational point on the disk. The zero rotational point begins in the gravitational center of the first arm of the galaxy. Distances are given in kleths, rotation is given in thousandths. Inquire of the computer for more details. This base is at 01593323.532238322, -00001359.494838251, .323332237; in open space, but near the simulated solar system you are practicing in.
“Use these touch panel buttons to display coordinates and galactic position,” said Yzran, indicating a subsection of buttons. “Aurel, Zeke, I request the two of you work together to practice navigation. Staying within the solar system, one of you will pilot to a position and send coordinates to the other. The other will navigate to the given position; then you will switch roles. I will return and check your progress.”
Yzran moved on to the next trainee.
“Computer,” said Aurel, releasing her controls, “transmit coordinates to Zeke.”
A set of coordinates appeared on one of Zeke’s navigation views, and Zeke played with the buttons until he got the windows arranged to his satisfaction. Once the navigation window was scaled to a solar-system level, the lengthy coordinates appeared in sharp, white digits. A portion of the coordinates were larger and brighter, the rest dim. Zeke guessed only the highlighted portion was needed for navigation within the solar system; certainly the reduced number of digits were easier to work with.
After a bit of fumbling around, Zeke located Aurel’s ship.
“There you are,” smiled Zeke.
Zeke took off to the ring around the large gas giant and transmitted his coordinates to Aurel, who shortly found his position. Zeke noticed the asteroids were not as he had left them, but restored to the original, sparse distribution.
“Stay away from the rings,” said Aurel, moving her ship off, “the particles are dangerous.”
The two practiced finding each other until lunch, then returned early and continued through the afternoon. By the time training was over for the day, Zeke could find Aurel in his sleep and was starting to get bored. Saying goodbye to Aurel, Zeke left. Hopefully they would do something more interesting tomorrow.
Back in his quarters, Zeke brought up the computer terminal and reviewed the navigational information. The first arm of the galaxy was two arms clockwise from Earth’s arm, and the top side of the galaxy as well as the first arm was defined based on the planet Oshalo, the Shao homeworld. More investigation showed the Shao, one of the older spacefaring species, had originated the navigational references as they expanded into the galaxy.
After dinner, Zeke headed to the transport room, determined to arrive early for his appointment with Maeoglaiere. The transport room was busier and Zeke noticed something new about the platforms. As one platform lifted up to the ceiling, another platform rose up from below the floor to take its place. The same thing happened when platforms arrived, multiple platforms would smoothly stack and unstack from the three landing points, allowing an uninterrupted flow of passengers.
Without having to wait for more than a moment, Zeke had his own platform which lifted off before he could state a destination. Once in the tunnel, the platform moved to the side and stopped. Before, the platforms had waited until a destination was given. Why was it different this time, Zeke wondered?
“State destination,” said the computer.
“Maeoglaiere’s office,” said Zeke.
“Environmental profile is 97-103-120-83,” said the computer. “Fatal to Earthlings without appropriate protective suit. Do you wish to return to originating transport room?”
“No,” said Zeke.
Fatal to Earthlings? Well, Maeoglaiere had been in a floating bubble when he had talked to Zeke before. Obviously Zeke needed his own version of the bubble to visit Maeoglaiere. Only, why hadn’t Maeoglaiere warned him about this little detail? Could it be a test?
“No destination given,” said the computer, “returning to originating transport room.”
The platform went back to the transport room and Zeke wandered out into the park of his habitat ring, towards his quarters, thinking. This just had to be a test of Zeke’s resourcefulness, and the resource Zeke needed was a survival suit for Maeoglaiere’s environment. So far, the computer had provided everything he had required.
“Computer,” said Zeke, “give me an environmental suit suitable for getting to Maeoglaiere’s office.”
Shortly after Zeke got back to his quarters, a robot floated down to Zeke carrying a flexible suit with a clear helmet. The suit was white with a series of colored stripes on the left side. A large opening in the front allowed Zeke to put the suit on without too much difficulty, his head fitting comfortably in the transparent helmet. The suit had no air tanks and the only stiff part was the collar and bubble helmet. How did it recycle air? Were there supposed to be air tanks?
Other than that, the only part Zeke had difficulty with was how to seal the suit’s front opening, both sides of the opening were smooth, with no obvious method of joining them. When in doubt, ask the computer.
“Computer,” said Zeke, “give me instructions on how to seal the suit and verify it’s working properly.”
“Slide into the suit through the front opening,” said the computer, “feet first. The suit is voice controlled. Instruct the suit to activate, and perform self check. Upon returning to a safe environment, instruct the suit to deactivate.”
The computer continued explaining the functionality of the suit, but Zeke had what he needed.
“Suit, activate.” The front of the suit pulled itself closed. Zeke heard a low hissing sound and felt a faint breeze blowing on his face.
“Activation complete, ready to enter hostile environment,” said the suit.
“Suit, perform self check,” said Zeke.
“Self check complete,” said the suit. “Environmental recycling normal.”
That hadn’t taken long, Zeke thought as he left his quarters. Zeke could still make his appointment on time, if he managed to avoid further delays. Shortly, Zeke entered the transport room and stepped on a platform which immediately started to move upwards.
“Computer,” said Zeke, “take me to Maeoglaiere’s office.”
“Environmental profile is 97-103-120-83,” said the computer. “Fatal to Earthlings without appropriate protection. Do you wish to return to originating transport room?”
“Computer,” said Zeke, “take me to Maeoglaiere’s office, override environmental limitations.”
“Acknowledged,” said the computer. “Scan shows appropriate protective suit. Be advised conditions at your destination are lethal and remain within your protective suit until returning to safe conditions.”
As the platform continued down the tube, Zeke noticed the platform was starting to fill with water. Already up to his knees, the water continued to fill the chamber. Shortly, Zeke was underwater but still breathing normally. How had the platform made such a rapid change, and where had all the water come from? The platform was only a few inches thick – another mystery.
Zeke still felt a faint breeze from the suit’s recycling, so obviously air tanks were unnecessary. This was some technology all right, the only solid part of the suit was the collar and that wasn’t all that big or thick. Somehow the aliens had packed an advanced computer, power, and a complete atmospheric recycling system into that collar.
“Suit, perform self check,” said Zeke, nervously.
“Self check complete,” said the suit. “Environmental recycling normal.”
“Suit, how much time do I have before I run out of air or power?”
“Approximately 1,798 standard years at current usage,” said the suit.
A standard year was almost three Earth years. Well, that would probably be long enough, decided Zeke. Zeke definitely had to relax. The alien technology was way ahead of anything Zeke was used to. If the platforms hadn’t been the cause of any accidents, the environmental suits were probably just as safe.
Shortly, the platform arrived in another transport room and stopped. This transport room was like the one Zeke had left, except for being completely underwater and having large circles instead of archways. Since he was underwater, Zeke had difficulty moving forward as fast as he would have liked. Could the suit help him out there as well?
“Suit,” said Zeke, “take me to Maeoglaiere’s office.”
“Acknowledged,” said the suit.
The suit moved forward, picking up speed and tilting Zeke to a headfirst, horizontal position. Zeke looked up and saw one of the entry circles approaching.
Zeke looked around, fascinated, as he passed through the circular entrance into the underwater habitat area. The water was crystal clear, and Zeke almost felt he was floating through the air. Overhead, a diffuse light filtered down through thick, semi-transparent plantlife. Dozens of Maeoglaiere's species floated gracefully below the plantlife, their round bodies contracting and expanding as they moved forward. Other than the sentinent aliens, nothing else was in the water or on the barren, rocky bottom of the habitat.
The only sounds were muted swishings, probably from the aliens as they moved through the water. Interestingly, the only aliens Zeke saw were Maeoglaiere's species. Was this a situation like the Earthling habitat, or was this because of a specialized environment only suitable for a single species?
The suit continued to move through the water as Zeke took in his surroundings, and shortly Zeke was approaching the far wall. The wall was a light blue and was covered by circular entrances; light streaming from some of them. Freed of the limitations of gravity by the watery medium, the entrances covered the entire wall from top to bottom. The openings were arranged in a spiral pattern, with numbers at the top of each spiral. Zeke was headed for the third arm of spiral 261, and soon entered the lighted eighth circle from the tip.
Inside, the room was brightly lit, barren, and open. The floor and ceiling were a smooth light-blue color, with shelf-like recesses in the walls displaying objects Zeke did not recoginze, but took for artwork. Completely devoid of furniture, the area was a circle about 50 feet in diameter.
Zeke saw Maeoglaiere floating to one side, tentacles wrapped around a set of thin bars descending from the ceiling. Noting more descending bars near Maeoglaiere, Zeke had to revise his earlier impression about the furniture – it was there, just of a type Zeke did not recognize.
Would Maeoglaiere be able to hear Zeke when he talked? “Hi, Maeoglaiere,” said Zeke.
“Hello Zeke,” said Maeoglaiere, “wrap yourself around a bar and we will continue our discussion from this morning.”
Zeke swam forward and grabbed one of the bars. There wasn't much current so he was in no danger of floating off, probably this was Maeoglaiere's equivalent of a chair.
“We had just started talking about sexual profiles,” said Maeoglaiere. “And how you had a slight sense of dissappointment in not being informed about sexual profiles and how they worked. When we stopped our conversation, you were no longer dissappointed.”
“Right,” said Zeke, feeling a faint tingling sensation in his head.
“All species also have aesthetic profile,” said Maeoglaiere, “which describes your emotional and physical comfort in a particular environment. The environment in this habitat is slightly outside the range of your profile, meaning you would be comfortable here for a few days before becoming emotionally distressed. Did you know about the aesthetic profile?”
“No,” said Zeke. He had an aesthetic profile? Zeke felt his whole body relax, his grip on the bar slowly loosened.
“You were not informed of the details of the aesthetic profile before.” said Maeoglaiere. “How does this make you feel?”
“Well,” considered Zeke, “it really doesn't make me feel anything.” Zeke felt he could float here forever.
“In your thoughts,” said Maeoglaiere, “compare your present feelings about the aesthetic profile with your past feelings about the sexual profile. Consider your current feelings, and re-expereince your past feelings.”
Zeke focused his thoughts inward, thinking about those feelings.
“You are now awake and alert,” said Maeoglaiere.
Zeke blinked and tightened his grip on the bar.
“How are you feeling?” asked Maeoglaiere.
“I’m feeling pretty good,” said Zeke.
“Excellent,” said Maeoglaiere. “Our discussion was very productive tonight and I would like to continue next week. Would you be agreeable to meet in my office at nine on the next third-day?”
“Yes,” said Zeke, pleased everything had gone so well. “I’ll be here.”
“Suit,” said Zeke, “take me to the transport room.”
The suit obliged and Zeke was soon floating over a transport platform.
“Computer,” said Zeke, “to my quarters.”
“Environmental profile is 80-10-130-90,” said the computer. “Significant variation from current location. Unable to comply without override.”
“Computer,” said Zeke, “to my quarters, override environmental limitations.”
“Acknowledged,” said the computer. “Please remain in your protective suit until arrival at destination.”
The faint background noises ceased and the suit oriented Zeke towards the floor as the platform rose. By the time the platform arrived back in a familiar transport room, the water had been evacuated. Zeke looked down at his suit and the platform and was surprised to find both completely dry, as if they had never been underwater.
Once Zeke was back in his quarters, he deactivated the suit and put it away with his clothing. The clock read 15:41, later than he had thought. Zeke decided to go ahead and get some sleep for tomorrow.