The Edenite Case

By Stephen Elder

The narrator of The Edenite Case is Ellit2, a Ceph detective in the Galactic Union's Division 51. Cephs are loners by temperament. When Ellit2 is assigned a partner, a human no less, the Ceph is very unhappy. The two detectives gradually reach a working accord that becomes deep respect and affection.

Ellit2 and Rae Maxxon are tasked with investigating atrocities committed by one group of humans (militant Edenites) against another (non-militant Edenites). They travel to several worlds where they are forced to be both diplomats and warriors. They also have to navigate emerging intrigues within the Galactic Council. With the help of a talented crew of several species, the two detectives manage to solve the case and avoid entrapment in the Council intrigue.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Jul 20, 2017
• ISBN: 9781387093069

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The Edenite Case

The Edenite Case

by Stephen Elder

Copyright  © 2017 Stephen Elder

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted by any means--whether auditory, graphic, mechanical, or electronic--without written permission of both publisher and author, except in the case of brief excerpts used in critical articles and reviews. Unauthorized reproduction of any part of this book is illegal and is punishable by law.

978-1-387-09306-9

Better never means better for everyone...It always means worse for some.

Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid's Tale

The Edenite Case

A Division 51 Novel

PROLOGUE

I am hight Ellit2. I am a Ceph, one of the oldest of the 69 species currently represented on the Galactic Council. I am an Investigator assigned to Division 51, which is tasked with monitoring the misdoings of oxygen-dependent life forms in the Galactic Union’s Delta quadrant. There is hardly enough crime in the Union to warrant maintaining Division 51. Most intelligent species have long since found crime to be very disruptive. Ostracism is a potent force in our times, and it usually suffices to repress antisocial behavior in Galactic civilizations.

A disproportionate number of Division 51 Investigators are Cephs, like myself. I personally think it is because we are both intuitive and unemotional. My Commander would disagree, but then, my Commander is an Artulan, an aquatic species from one of the most geologically active planets in our quadrant. After evolving on the incredible maelstrom that is its home planet, no amount of chaos upsets Artulans. They can function capably under the worst of circumstances. It’s why they are such good administrators.

Artulans regard Cephs as impulsive. This means nothing—any being is impulsive compared to an Artulan. As it turned out, my so-called Ceph impulsiveness played a role in my Commander’s fateful decision to give me a human partner.

Incredible! Of all possible species, a human!

Humans are oxygen breathers like Cephs (and half of the races on the Galactic Council). In the events described in this account, humans are both the great heroes and the great villains. They are at the same time cause and effect, downfall and salvation. (It is worth noting that the amount of crime in the Galactic Union increased with the appearance of humans. The species seems to have a special knack for it).

Most members of the Galactic Union are telepathic. Humans are not, at least not yet. Humans are one of the newest members of the Galactic Union, but they will not have a seat on the Galactic Council until they become fully telepathic (a Council Charter requirement).

A word of explanation about this account: as regards telepathy, thought is by definition completely descriptive, but when a species does not Mindtalk, it must communicate by other means, usually sound. The sounds must perforce be able to convey meaning with all the nuances inherent in Thought. This requires a large body of sounds with specific shades of meaning. Because they do not Mindtalk, human have developed languages amazingly rich in these sounds, called words. The number of words in the primary human language is astonishing. It is well suited for non-Thought communication, and that is why I chose it for this account. My facility with the written human language is imperfect, but greatly improved from initial attempts owing largely to my partner. For those beings not conversant with the written form of the human tongue, the Godcube can translate.

Note: Using their great capacity for words, humans create untrue stories (fiction) for their entertainment. Most of the older races have dispensed with this kind of amusement, having histories so long that almost everything imaginable has happened at one time or another. If it has happened, it is by definition truth, and because of that, fiction has little entertainment value for us.

Like their fiction, crime seems to be endlessly entertaining to humans. In fact, much of their fiction revolves around the commission of crimes. Though the species is certainly intelligent enough to understand crime’s social harm, and though the species also grasps the fact that crime is not easy to get away with, the sporting aspect of the activity seems irresistible to the bipeds. (To be fair, I should say that this was true of most races in their early history.)

***

The following is my personal record of a recent threat to the Galactic Union, a threat born in the distant past and thought to be long dead. As this account will show, the threat was not what my team and I were initially led to believe.

This account is also a record of my perceptions and outlooks, both of which changed far more in the course of our mission than I would have ever believed possible. Writing this account was very difficult for me—I am speaking both personally and as a Ceph.  My connection with the events (and with the human in the events) was both a great advantage and a great handicap in writing this account: an advantage because I led our mission, and a handicap because my partner gradually altered my perspective in ways I have finally come to comprehend. Upon reflection, that turned out to be an advantage, too.

I have decided to convert all numbers in this account to the human base ten system for narrative convenience since the main being is a human (humans are still in the process of converting to the Galactic standard base twelve, a requirement of joining the Galactic Council).

The time markers in this account are also human, again for narrative convenience. This account is classified because of the sensitive information it contains. The version sent to the Galactic Council was heavily redacted.

This account begins on Galactic Union date 4355 at the Galactic Center. The immodestly named Center is not actually the center of our galaxy, which is huge and has billions of stars. It is in the center of a relatively small area of influence in a small part of one arm of the galaxy.

The Center is an artificial world constructed to hold the government and administrative offices that manage the Union’s business. The Center also provides each member species with a spacious home-like habitat. Some Union members refer to Galactic Center as the Black Hole, intending a disparaging comment on central government.

In addition to meeting areas and offices, the Center also contains recreational areas, food service areas, and conference areas designed to accommodate the biology of member species. The Center looks like a planet-sized molecule with each individual atom connected via a cylinder. Division 51 is headquartered in the center module along with the other administrative offices.

Chapter 1

Like all Cephs, I am a true amphibian, equally at home in air or water, but when summoned by my Artulan Commander, I always do her the courtesy of joining her in the water. Artulans are strictly aquatic, a rare instance of a species that had originated on land but had evolved to live in the ocean. Their eight limbs had become flippers with the exception of the front pair, which had developed highly dexterous four-fingered hands. They are heavily armored as protection against the turbulent waters of Artula. Having an aquatic species in a command position is logistically problematic, but Division 51 did it because Artulans are better at it than anybeing else.

I lowered myself into the Commander’s office, a large room with viewing windows along one wall and waterproof terminals along the adjacent wall, along with a large screen. I tendered the standard Galactic greeting. I will not attempt to reproduce the Commander’s actual name, a lengthy string of liquid consonants impossible to reproduce in any non-Mindtalk medium (and difficult even in Mindtalk). Artulans have graciously accepted number designations in lieu of proper address. My Commander’s was 868.

Commander 868. May you prosper.

Ellit2. And you as well.

You have called.

And you have answered.

How may I serve?

The Commander splayed the digits at the end of her flexible forelegs, a highly unusual display of emotion. Over time I have learned to interpret the gesture as unhappiness, usually resignation or despair. It was not a positive sign.

The Council has become aware of a situation.

That’s what Investigators do, I replied. "We deal with situations. What is my mission?"

When we are finished here, you will get a full description of your mission from the Godcube. You will then understand the extraordinary step the Council has recommended.

In her usual diplomatic fashion, the Commander was sneaking up on the unhappiness from behind.

And that is? I asked.

You are one of our most experienced and trusted Investigators, Ellit2. You have always worked alone, and with splendid results. Due to the nature of the current situation, however, the Council has seen fit to assign a partner to you. This is Rae Maxxon.

The Commander moved her sinuous body aside to reveal…a human! I was so surprised I almost inked. I was taken aback not merely by the Council’s unusual meddling in the operating procedure of Division 51, but also by the unheard of pairing of a Ceph with a human. We are so different.

One reason for the Council’s decision is that you are so alike, the Commander said.

I must have let my astonishment leak out a little for the Commander showed some merriment at my reaction. Cephs and humans alike? Please. I beg to differ!

"Consider, Ellit2, you are both oxygen breathers. Your worlds are very similar in size so your gravity requirements are essentially the same, as well as your temperature needs. You are amphibious, but I know that you personally prefer to live on land, as humans do.

Your life spans are similar, though Cephs live longer on average. Both your species are very quick to react to situations, but as individuals, you share a faculty that goes beyond reason.

And that is?

You are both very intuitive.

This was my first personal encounter with a human and I must confess to some curiosity. I’d heard a number of things about them that seemed very hard to believe. This would be a learning experience for me.

Humans normally wore various kinds of garb (as did many species) for purposes of carrying around things of personal or professional utility. This human was not wearing anything except a specially fitted Mindtalk helmet.

As noted above, of the 69 species in the Galactic Union, only humans are not telepathic. Other species can read their thoughts easily, but humans cannot Mindtalk with each other, and they cannot read our thoughts if we choose to prevent it. Once humans acquire this ability, as they will eventually, they will become full members of the Union.

To compensate for such a serious deficiency, humans developed a Mindtalk helmet, which gained them provision membership to the Union. The device has a conversation setting that enables Mindtalk with true telepaths but blocks unwanted probing. Humans added this feature after several highly embarrassing diplomatic faux pas in the first years of contact with the Galactic Union (possibly also to preserve the humans’ sanity while adjusting to telepathy).

Rae Maxxon apparently did not have the Mindblock feature properly set because I received an image of a food dish containing small detached tentacles, not unlike mine. I did a quick Godcube search and discovered that the human word for the dish was calamari. It was a food that humans used to eat back when their oceans were clean enough to produce the small creatures which vaguely resembled us Cephs, only much smaller and with more tentacles. 

This was more than a little impolite, so I sent her an image of a toodii, a small, fat, and very stupid primate that Cephs still enjoy as food on my home planet Urodel.

I say her because Rae Maxxon was a female. Humans have two sexes, a male and a female, and the female is the sex that bears its young (live birth, no less!). It seems a very messy and painful procedure compared to the clean and efficient laying of an egg, which is how most advanced species reproduce.

Rae Maxxon started when she sensed me poking around in her mind and quickly adjusted her helmet. While she did that, I made a brief Godcube inquiry about humans and learned that they were not only a race with more than one sex; they frequently performed the mating act for pleasure, not procreation.

Incredible!

And the Commander thinks we’re alike!

I regarded Rae Maxxon. The female of the species is smaller than the male and differently shaped, likely due to its young-bearing function. Humans are bipeds and locomote in an upright fashion, putting one appendage in front of another. They have only two locomotive appendages (legs), and two upper appendages (arms) terminating in digits reputed to be very adept at manipulation. They have a rigid internal structure and are stiff as a result. They are, however, very strong for their size and can move with remarkable speed when needed. The human female torso is wider than the male’s where its legs attach and in general has a more sinuous and therefore pleasing appearance. We Cephs appreciate suppleness.

The human brain is encased in the top appendage, called a head, which also houses the vision organs, the breathing apertures, and the apertures for eating and hearing—in short, all these important functions are in a rather vulnerable location (in contrast, the Ceph brain is located inside its body in a protected location, and we breath through our skin, which, I have to say, is an altogether more efficient and safer method).

Both human vision organs (called eyes) face in one direction (forward). Unlike Cephs, humans have a front and a back. The female has two fleshy protuberances on its front, called mammaries, which are designed to feed their newborns. Human newborns are very dependent on the adults for a long time, unlike most other species. (For example, a newly hatched Ceph is physically self-sufficient and requires only teaching and experience from its elders.)

The human grows hair on the top of its head and at the joining of the legs with the torso. The hair probably has some function, but I do not know it. Some humans have it removed. Also, some humans arrange their hair as a fashion statement, much as a Ceph uses body color.

Speaking as a Ceph, (and probably for several other species as well), I do not regard the human design as particularly efficient or durable. That said, there has to be something that accounts for their survival as a species.

Again speaking as a Ceph, I would not choose to have a human as a partner. They are still learning to Mindtalk and they do not have that even temperament that we Cephs appreciate. When conducting an investigation, it is liberating to function without having to take into account something other than the objective. I have been successful in my profession because I am able to exclude anything that does not move me closer to my objective. (I would only later realize that different perspectives could sometimes determine which avenues are productive and which are not, and therefore could be advantageous. But as said, that would come later).

Of course, it took a lot less time to think all this than to write it, but it still made for a more than an acceptable gap in the conversation. The Commander had to interrupt my musing.

"Ellit2 and Rae Maxxon. What I’m about to say is not in the mission briefing as such. You should regard your mission’s target as an infection best checked in its early stage. The Council does not know the consequences if the problem should spread, but the consequences could be significant, and thus our concern is great. When we are finished here, Ellit2, please take Rae Maxxon to the infirmary where she is to be fitted with a Godcube device."

Like many species, we Cephs show surprise by widening our vision organs. Mine apparently did so because the Commander commented, This was a direct order from the Council. When this has been accomplished, you both are to access the Godcube for your mission briefing. Study it carefully. Then go feed. Take the opportunity to learn of each other. Return to me if you have unanswered questions. May you be safe and successful. That is all.

We took our leave of the Commander and swam up to the exit, I by gracefully contracting my propulsion tubes, and Rae Maxxon by extending her arms over her head and sweeping them downward. Somehow, the human made a clumsy maneuver look somewhat adept.  We hoisted ourselves out of the water and activated the drying device in the anteroom. The Commander’s assistant bot was inputting data at several terminals along one wall. Most of the Commander’s electronics were in this room, but she had waterproof terminals in her office below.

I was surprised not only at the Council’s decision to provide my human partner with Godcube access, but also at the Commander’s phrasing. It was as close to urgency as I have ever seen from her. For that matter, what could have motivated the Council to give a non-Council member Godcube access?

Many questions, many questions…

I greeted my new partner. Rae Maxxon. May you prosper.

Ellit2. And you as well.

The Commander directed us to become acquainted. Please tell me what you know of my species, and I will reciprocate.

She sat on a bench and said, The Commander actually gave me a two-part briefing. The first part was about Cephs as a species.

Then, like a youngling reciting a lesson, she said, You were once a fish but now you’re amphibious, actually one of the very few true amphibians in the galaxy.

I sensed an overtone in her phraseology. It was somewhat impolite of me, but I reacted. I did not want any misunderstanding about who was the senior partner here. I said, That is not unusual. You humans were once fish too, in case you’ve forgotten.

She performed the human rictus called a smile. It indicates humor or happiness. Her mobile mouth widened and the corners lifted up.

True, but not for a very long time. You have three tentacles—they trifurcate at the ends into three flexible digits. Your three eyes are spaced equidistantly around your upper body between your tentacles. You can see in all directions at the same time, but your distance vision is not good. At the top of your body are three flexible fins that permit you to steer in the water. I don’t know what you do with them on land. Your metabolism is remarkably efficient. You do not excrete waste like most species, but will occasionally regurgitate a pellet. Your mouth is underneath your body. You do not have teeth but rather plates that grind your food. When your species left the water, you developed a plate at mid-tentacle, and you use that to walk on land. I have to see this.

She smiled again.

I asked, And the second part?

"The second part was personally about Ellit2, my new partner. You prefer land and consider yourself rather good at moving on land. You have never worked with a partner, and you are not pleased about working with one now, especially a human. You are large for a Ceph, just as I am tall for a human."

I was half again as tall on land as Rae Maxxon, which was advantageous to me because our eyes were then on the same level. While I didn’t know much about humans, I did know that the human eye, unlike the vision organs of most other species, is amazingly expressive. It may be the reason why humans have not developed Mindtalk—it is often possible to know what a human is thinking by simply reading its eyes. Once the signals are learned, those organs are surprisingly communicative to other individuals regardless of species.

Rae Maxxon’s eyes were very expressive, even by human standards. She went on.

We humans are prisoners of our biology. The family unit is important to our species because our young are helpless for a long time. Cephs, however, are oviparous. Unlike humans, you emerge from the egg self-sufficient, as do many other species. You do not have sexes, so I’m not sure how you reproduce. Doesn’t sound like much fun.  

You require a male of your species to make young? Is that correct? I asked.

Rae Maxxon rolled her eyes. My interpretation of human eye expressions is still unrefined, but I suspected that it signified a negative feeling. I repeated, Is that not correct? Are your males not needed to make young?

For that, and opening jars. Not much else.

What is a ‘jar’?

That’s just an old human joke. We are discussing you at the moment. How about I call you Cal? Even though I don’t know how you taste.

Certainly… Toody.

I have a lot of other questions, but frankly, I doubt if we’ll be partnered long enough to make them worthwhile. Your turn. What do you think you know about humans?

Pugnacious phrasing, I thought to myself. I didn’t know that much about humans, but I did know that this one was irritating. I said, "Your planet was mostly water, and you polluted it beyond recovery. Your land areas became despoiled to the point where they became uninhabitable. Urodel, my home planet, is half water. Our geologists say that over the past 50,000 orbits Urodel has lost some of its water, but unlike humans, Cephs have watched over this precious resource very carefully.

Humans spread to three star systems and terraformed numerous planets in the attempt to re-create a new home. With varying degrees of success. It is said that you humans miss your home. I find that hard to believe. If it were actually true, why didn’t you take better care of your world?

I could tell by Rae Maxxon’s expressive eyes that she was annoyed.

Asshole!

What is an ‘asshole’? I asked.

It’s an insult, but since you apparently don’t have an asshole, it’s wasted on you. I’ll have to think of something else. How do Cephs insult each other?

We don’t.

That wasn’t strictly true, but I was not going to give this irritating being any help in that area. I went on. Humans are a bellicose species. Your history is fraught with warfare, and, when coupled with thoroughly polluting your planet, it caused the human Diaspora...of those who were left, that is.

Rae Maxxon’s helmet still was not properly adjusted, so I was able to sneak into her mind. My last remark made her angry, but at the same time, there was nothing she could say—the circumstances of the human Diaspora were a known fact, and the fact that I was right irritated her further. I exited her mind quickly because I wanted to keep this little advantage as long as possible—she would eventually become aware of her Mindblock setting problem.

To change the subject, I said, I didn’t know humans could hold their breath that long underwater. You were already with the Commander when I arrived.

She pointed at slits on the sides of her neck (I had not noticed them) and said, Gill surgery. There is a new procedure to equip air breathers with gills. I can only stay under water for an hour, but that time is supposed to get longer when it heals completely.

Interesting. That will be a help. Let us go feed and then we’ll get you the Godcube access.

I retrieved my equipment bag. It held my photon weapon, my identification cube, a magnification device, and a kit of various chemicals for incapacitation purposes. I settled the bag’s loop over my body until it rested on the taper above my tentacles.

Rae Maxxon also had a bag for carrying whatever she carried. The strap went over her shoulder and between her mammaries so that the bag rested at the side of her torso. The human body was better designed to carry things, like draft animals in ancient times. I decided to save that observation for another time. 

Chapter 2

We headed for Division 51’s food center. I locomote by extending two tentacle plates forward, then lifting them as the third tentacle propels me forward. When my plates hit the floor, there was an audible sound. Rae Maxxon’s soft human feet were noiseless. As we walked, she watched me with interest and remarked, Fascinating.

There was nothing fascinating about it. It’s the way Cephs walk and it’s perfectly logical for a three-legged being, especially one that doesn’t have specialized walking appendages. We stepped into an open-faced lift and went up four levels to the food center. It was a very large open room with hemispherical ceiling panels made of transparent ceramaplas. The stars of our galaxy shone very brightly, impressing on the beholder how small he, she, or it was as compared to the universe.

There were always beings in the food center because Galactic emissaries came and went at all hours. The robotic servers were unobtrusive and efficient. The food center designer had clearly put a lot of thought into the room because the tables and walkways permitted an efficient traffic flow for all sizes and shapes.

I directed Rae Maxxon to an unoccupied food portal and told her to place her order, anything she wanted. Literally.

She stepped up and said without hesitation, Calamari.

The portal replied, "Not available. Please try another food."

She threw me an indecipherable glance, and then ordered something else. I had no idea what it was. To return the gesture, I then ordered dec-roasted toodii. Dec is a fibrous plant on Urodel. When dried and burned, it gives off a most pleasant smoky taste.

Our food came almost immediately. We took our servings to an unoccupied eating surface. I lowered myself by relaxing my main tentacle muscles, while the human lowered herself by bending her legs until her…ass, I believe she called it…met a stool. 

I turned so that one eye faced Rae Maxxon directly and crunched down loudly on my dec-roasted toodii with perhaps a little more gusto (what a wonderful human word!) than required.

Rae Maxxon exhaled sharply through her nostrils and said, "You know what that looks like to me? It looks like you’re stuffing food up your ass, but we’ve established that you don’t have one."

Very true. Cephs have long since evolved beyond such a primitive state. By the way, this is delicious. I’d offer you some, but I’m not sure how cannibalistic you humans are.

She wagged her head slowly from side to side. I did a Godcube search to find out what that meant. There was no further conversation as we finished taking in sustenance.

A serving bot floated by and I extended my food container to it. Rae Maxxon followed my example and we stood to leave.

Where to? my new partner asked as we left the food center.

Partner.

It was going to take me some time to adjust to that concept. I felt sure I still wouldn’t like it even then.

Infirmary, I answered. The Commander wants you fitted with a Godcube chip.

But you don’t.

It was not my decision.

I’ve heard a lot of different things about the Godcube. What exactly is it?

The repository of all our knowledge. You humans used to call it a computer. It is much more than that.

I guess that’s why you call it a Godcube. Is it a god?

It is as close to one as you can get in this dimension. However, it does not replace or supplant the will of an individual or a species.

Rae Maxxon pondered that briefly, and then asked a perceptive question. Do all species have access to the Godcube?

Yes, but at varying levels. The members of the Galactic Council and Investigators such as myself have unrestricted access. Citizens have access in proportion to the needs and sensitivity of their professions. That’s the best way I can put it. That’s a question you could ask the Godcube yourself.

Maybe I’ll do that.

As we walked, a trio of Ancellites approached us heading in the opposite direction. Ancellites have eight legs. The front pair is used for manipulation, but can also serve to speed up locomotion. Their hairy bulbous bodies are as long as a human is tall, and consist of a thorax and a head with numerous forward-facing eyes. One of the Ancellites was an Investigator whom I recognized from a mission several cycles past. She raised a leg in greeting and I answered.

As we passed, Rae Maxxon stiffened and moved just a little closer to me.

What’s the matter? I asked.

Some day I’ll explain. You’d have to be a human female to understand.

In that case, don’t bother as that is very unlikely to happen. Ah, here we are.

The infirmary was located in a separate module close to the heart of Galactic Center. The connector entrance could be closed almost instantly by a circular shutter-like mechanism in the event of an emergency, such as the accidental release of a toxic substance or a harmful organism. We went through the large opening and got on a moving walkway. After several hundred meters we exited the connector through another closable aperture and were in the infirmary proper.

I gave my name and identification number to the intake bot. It led us to a spacious room with a variety of medical devices, most of which I could not identify. This was not surprising since the infirmary served a variety of different species, each with its own requirements and biology.

I went to a nearby waiting area and lowered myself. The bot took Rae Maxxon to a seating device that conformed itself to her human shape as she approached.

It said, "The Godcube device will be placed in your womb. It is currently empty. If you plan to produce young, the device will have to be removed first.