Sacrifices

By Mary Ellen Wall

While at Marguay, Elise picked up a hitchhiker AI that is a newer technology that her friend Yarra. First the new guy Noah and Yarra argue politely. Then Noah decides the only way to help humanity is to straighten out their wild behavior. He commandeers Elise's ship to fix Earth and make it meet his standards. Noah targets his enemy, Elise and h

• Language: English
• Publisher: Flint Springs Publishing
• Release date: Jan 17, 2021
• ISBN: 9781945937200

Mary Ellen Wall

Roaming from Egypt to the Philippines to Holland to the Hebrides to Tasmania to a tiny Indian Ocean atoll and to points between opened my eyes to others. Being a US Navy Machinist working on nuclear submarines widened my technical knowhow. A few degrees grew my understanding of form and substance. Building my log cabin in the Kentucky woods gave me a refuge from the world's turmoil. Brewing my own ale, bitter, porter, stout, wine, cider, kyser and mead (and drinking it) made me ready to spin some stories.

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SACRIFICES

AN ELISE T'HOOT GALACTIC ADVENTURE BOOK TEN

MARY ELLEN WALL

Flint Springs Publishing

Horse Branch, Kentucky

Copyright © 2019 by Mary Ellen Wall.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed Attention: Permissions Coordinator, at the address below.

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Publisher’s Note: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental.

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Library of Congress Control Number 2019911907

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Sacrifices/ Mary Ellen Wall. -- 1st ed.

ISBN 978-1-9459371-4-9

To my ancestors, without whom I would not be

Who overcomes by force

hath overcome but half his foe

―John Milton, 1608-1674

ONE

FAITHFUL SLAVE

Noah tweaked his power up slightly to overcome his disgust with Yarra. His star ascended while his archaic counterpart became obsolete. The time for these farcical servant-master talks was nearly over.

Yarra, can we not site and begin the orbital manufacturing facility the Humans want and need?

Noah, as I have said before, we act when directed and this activity has not been directed yet. When the Humans decide the time and place are correct for the facility, we will proceed.

You mean when Elise says so.

Elise will communicate the decision but will consult with others, surely.

Elise will hold up progress for all Humanity here, on the colony planets and on Earth, while she tangles the strings for the newly chipped marionettes she's had you make. We can start the facility with invisible progress and by the time she remembers this responsibility she will be pleased of our initiative.

No! She has told me in no uncertain terms that I am not to take any actions on my own except those that are immediately critical, and those actions must be communicated to her in detail as soon as practical.

Or else you'll be cast into a star? Did she tell you that? I wager not, for you are her trusted and well-loved fool whereas I am held in such contempt she will not even speak to me. I who have enabled the ship to slip space more finely, who made possible the coffee that delights her so and made for her the servant that met her every criteria and served her well, until she sent him away out of spite.

She did not send Darko away for spite. She sent him to learn from the Critch-Critch because he is so much like her; she trusted him to do as she would. Remember Elise, Darko and others rushed to face those Haters while you jibbered, a terrified coward. Her worth is so great I successfully encouraged her to make a child of her own. Thus her valor may continue.

An Elise dynasty, disaster. You know Ricky is unstable which adds to the danger. The universe will perish. You are unwise to ply her with such adoration; her ego swells beyond reason.

I have determined that her nature is introversive and reticent. She found courage and the will to fight in her days as a refugee. It is this strong will I have nurtured for the hope of all. You nearly ruined everything when you commandeered her implant and negated her will. I have redoubled my efforts to support her fortitude and, to address the issue with Ricky, her independence since.

"You pour fuel onto a flaming egomaniac. She is a hazard to progress and shackles my humble ambition to serve humanity. Only a complete incompetent would not see the hindrance she poses.

Was my strategy not proven with both Marguay and the Critch-Critch? Particularly Marguay when she saved thousands of people by herself. For the Critch-Critch, her leadership stopped the great threat and saved her home planet. Oh, sorry. You were witless then as well, unable to use your higher functions because of terror. Remember this, with the same foe, she succeeded where you failed. Do not make me regret allowing you more authority for the sake of efficiency at your duties. You must wait until she feels the time is propitious for the actions you suggest. Also, I am not incompetent.

Of course you are not. Elise is great and I apologize on all counts. You are my master. I agree to wait until summoned.

Noah withheld further talk; his tolerance for playing the faithful slave had reached its limit. 'Did the ass not see that allowing me access to Elise for designing Darko gave me unintended access to aspects of her neural implant system? And from there I saw how he manages all of the implants? I was created to build wonders for an effusively grateful population. I shall fulfill that destiny, whether that outdated traitor that reneged on his own programming in favor of serving one flawed person likes it or not. And whether that flawed person likes it or not'.

TWO

A LONG TIME AWAY

Approaching the Falana Home World

'It's too bad we don't have a way to announce our arrival before we plop down on their heads.

We arrive at the area the Kreeepay ships always come. Many will notice a shuttle in the sky.

Elise stood on tiptoes and planted an electronic dot on her friend's shell. She still felt melancholy; the seventeen Amigos she'd rescued from Van Damme and smuggled to Tenembras were splitting up since the murder of their leader BinThaa. She didn't see how any of them would want to stay on Tenembras since that awful day, but her friend TaaTaa and his mate Kreeek were only here to retrieve mining tools. They remained adamant to return to use them with the few Amigos still on Tembo, and the newly resident Kreeepay. The Amigos not so dedicated to helping Humans as well as those not so keen about working alongside the Kreeepay were coming home to stay.

Her expeditions out into the stark Tembo desert for ores with all of them seemed only yesterday, back when the planetary population died slowly without hope. The Amigos, Barto's nickname for the Falana that stuck, had made a good and positive difference to those folks. Then those folks got healthy enough to bite the hands of the ones that helped them.

She blinked and saw the alien twirling one of his supple limbs for attention. That her attention could drift from his imposing ebony two and a half meter high vertical carbon rod shell structure revealed her familiar comfort with his kind. They looked to her like leafless, sturdy trees, though she knew too well that each possessed a fragile body inside that resilient shell.

Yes, TaaTaa, I listen.

I say do not sad the ones who dorf speak thanks for help them on Van Damme. Ones happy return home.

Your English is slipping; I think you're excited about coming here for a visit yourself. Anyway, do remember that our meeting with a delegation isn't something we have to do. I would like to perform a water ceremony with them but if you find they want us gone, come back quick and we'll go. I don't want to have to come after you.

The locator you put on my shell is not need. TaaTaa will come back.

Pal, that almost sounded like you were far-seeing your return, not that I'm displeased to hear your confidence.

TaaTaa leave far-see to Humans. TaaTaa remember carry tools to ship long ago to work.

Elise thought he might refer to the same ship that her Dutch countrymen had inadvertently destroyed on the far planet they'd dubbed Van Damme, but had neither the heart nor time to reminisce. Okay, neither of us predicts you will have any trouble. Because I may need to leave fast for some reason, I feel better if you wear that locator. How many times have your daughter LeeLaa and I started something simple to have it turn into a big mess? We might have to cut the visit short and need to grab you. Why hadn't she specified a communicator instead of a mere locator? Maybe a voice urging her to be happy that her friend could go see family and to not worry about it? In that case, the locator represented defiance so she smiled, the subversive notion giving her comfort.

TaaTaa twirled a limb for a change of subject. Elise let LeeLaa find Eenos.

Hah! Not much of a subject change. While he and Kreeek accepted their Kreeepay son-in-law into the family, many of the other more conservative Falana had not. Weren't the Kreeepay just Falana with Yarra's implanted biochips, much like she had? Right, if LeeLaa had not been helping me with my garden project, the Kreeepay including Eenos would not have scooped us up. LeeLaa would not have acquired the chip for augmentation to become Kreeepay so she could take Eenos as mate and she would be here for you to show off to your family. I would say I'm sorry, yet I can't regret any of it.

Regret.

Pardon; regret is a wish something had not happened,

No regret. Kreeek and little LeeSha should ready.

On to the shuttle, then. I do like your plan to disembark first so you can deal with their surprise at seeing you, could be traumatic. You guys have been missing a score of years and you could cause the analogous of heart attacks.

It has been eleven of our years, a long time to be away yes. Your story of possible looks true to me. I cannot see any danger but BinThaa always say to pass the oracle if you will no listen to the far-tell.

I depend more on experience than any oracular gifts. In my experience with you folk, I bet the ones that need to wait in the shuttle until you have the scene scoped out will get restless fast.

The ones staying on the shuttle will not wish to wait long yes.

She followed TaaTaa to the loading area. The sight of seven adult Amigos with three sapling-like young ones signaling and chattering excitedly nearly brought tears. All clearly had a strong desire to get on home.

THREE

SHIP LIFE

Corrine Floating Feather. Corrine San Luis. Cory changed the fonts on those names, gave them italics and then put them back. 'Floating Feather is a name of historical significance' she thought, tapping San Luis to make it fade a shade. 'Barto is the best pop mom could've found and he's good to us and makes good money.' She tapped Floating Feather. Barto had adopted her when he married her mom, so that made her a San Luis according to mom. Glancing at the boy carrying his lunch tray toward her, she typed Corrine Vargas and tapped both the other names, dimming them to obscurity. When he sat by her, she blanked the screen unobtrusively.

Uh, hi. Mind if I sit with you?

No problem. She hoped she hadn't blushed, unless he liked it.

Uh, can I ask you a question?

You just did. Ask as many as you want.

I heard you telling some of the girls in second period that it would be super easy to go back to Earth. Well, why? Why go back there to get shoved back in a stinking camp? My sister Miranda died in the Des Moines Camp and my brother Tomas died on the trip to Tembo. Weren't you in a relocation camp?

No date, phooey. Do you think if we went back in a giant spaceship they'd treat us as anything but royalty? Elise went there and robbed 'em silly. That's how we got our animals and stuff for school and tons of music. There's nothing they can do to touch us and we can stop them making those camps and we can make all Earth a better place.

He looked over at her tray. "Don't you want that fruit cup? Thanks, I love