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| Smade's Planet |
Note: the following story is fan-fiction. You should read Star King by Jack Vance before trying to read about Wendy's adventures in the Asimov Reality.
Malagate the Woe
Back in her workshop, Grean used the Omniviewer to switch the position of Wendy's simulated body within the AR Simulator to the coordinates of Smade's Tavern. While watching the arrival of Wendy on Smade's Planet, Grean simultaneously reset the entire AR Simulator, erasing the effects of Wendy's simulated visit to Dasce's secret hide-out in the Beyond. For this next part of her adventure inside the AR Simulator, Wendy was continuing to use the physical form of IPCC Special Agent Pallis Atwrode.
Now back for her second simulated visit to Smade's planet, Wendy was still feeling a searing pain in her injured left arm. She stopped running and massaged the synthskin covering of her arm. She was only wearing Nova's thin shirt and the night air of Smade's Planet was brisk. Wendy's bare feet were wet with dew. Indeed, her whole body should have been wet because, at least in her memory stream, she had just been sweating while at Dasce's hide-out. A shiver ran through Wendy's body. She realized that she had just experienced a temporal gap in her memories.
Dizzy from the pain in her arm, Wendy recalled how she had previously wondered if the Simulator could amplify both pleasure sensations and pain sensations and now she knew that the answer was: YES! For some reason, it seemed that Grean wanted Wendy to arrive at Smade's Tavern while suffering.
Gritting her teeth against the pain, she moved quickly to the front door of the Tavern and stumbled inside. Wendy again grabbed her left arm. She wondered: Why can't Grean turn down the pain? Wendy had little doubt that Grean was in her workshop watching this mission as it unfolded inside the AR Simulator. Wendy slumped into the loveseat in the central lounge, putting her cold feet out towards the fireplace. She closed her eyes and hoped that her pain-induced vertigo and nausea might pass.
Wendy knew that her synthetic body had been designed to provide her with human-like senses, but until this horrible mission inside the Simulator, she had never previously experience such intense, debilitating pain. During all of her artificial life she had been able to control the intensity of her sensory experiences, but she lacked that ability here inside the Simulator. She felt two strong hands on her body. Opening her eyes, Wendy saw that it was Smade bending over her. He lifted her up and carried her into the adjacent room. Approaching the bar he called out, "Araminta! Bring the medicoid!"
Smade placed Wendy on a chair next to one of the tables then quickly went behind the bar and grabbed a bottle off a shelf. Returning to Wendy, he put the bottle to her lips. She asked, "What is this?"
Smade replied, "Fraze. It will help you deal with the pain."
Wendy drank from the bottle. Araminta Smade arrived and set the medicoid on the table. Smade activated the device and waved its scanning paddle over Wendy's arm. Araminta began pealing the old and bloody layer of synthskin away. She asked Wendy, "How old is this wound?"
An answer was on the tip of Wendy's tongue, apparently pre-programmed by Grean. In an unsteady voice accented by her pain she replied, "It took me two days to get here after I was attacked."
Smade could now see the extent of the damage to Wendy's arm He said, "You should be treated in a regeneration lab, but this medicoid is fairly sophisticated." The robotic device had already spread its tentacle-like appendages over Wendy's arm, cleaning the ghastly wound. Smade added, "That looks like a blaster wound. You are lucky to be alive."
Each movement of the medicoid caused Wendy new pain, but she gasped out, "The deweaseler who blasted my arm was not so lucky."
Smade told his daughter, "Araminta, we'll put Miss... let's put her in the Red Room." The Red Room was right at the top of the stairs and usually reserved guests who were too drunk to walk.
Wendy said, "Thank you for your help. My name is Pallis Atwrode."
"Well, Miss Atwrode, I hope you did not bring a blaster into the Tavern." He quickly patted the parts of her body that were concealed by the shirt Wendy was wearing. He found no blaster and was pleased to find a bundle of high-denomination SVU certificates in her pocket. "I have my rules and I intend to keep this a peaceful place of relaxation." Smade gathered both Wendy and the medicoid into his massive arms and carried her up to the Red Room.
After placing Wendy on the bed, Smade told Araminta to stay at Wendy's side then he departed, returning to the main floor of the Tavern. Araminta asked, "Can I get you anything? When did you last eat?"
Wendy replied, "I'm not interested in eating."
"You need to eat if your arm is going to regenerate. The medicoid can only do so much."
"Thank you for your help and advice, Araminta. You need not hover over me. My arm has already healed significantly during the past two days."
One of Smade's rules was that guests not be asked probing personal questions, but Araminta could not constrain her curiosity. "I did not hear your spaceship land outside."
"I tried to hide my ship. I'm worried that I may have been followed."
Araminta asked, "Someone planted a tracking device in your ship?"
The medicoid had completed its work. Wendy's arm was now wrapped with a fresh layer of synthskin. She sat up, swinging her feet off the bed to the floor. Wendy detached the medicoid's monitor probe from her neck and then closed the medicoid up in its case-like conformation. She handed the medicaoid to Araminta and said, "You can take this back downstairs."
Araminta protested and refused to take the medicoid from Wendy. "My father want's me to stay here with you."
"Please, Araminta, go. I'll be fine." Araminta showed no indication that she would leave the Red Room. Wendy went to warm herself by the fireplace. Time was growing short: Wendy knew that Malagate would soon arrive at the Tavern. She turned her head over her shoulder and said to the girl, "You can go back to your room and write a story about the mysterious Pallis."
Araminta asked, "How do you know I write stories?"
"Ah, that is part of the mystery! Now please go; I'll be fine. Again, thank you for your help." Turning her back on Araminta, Wendy pulled the heavy draperies to one side.
The first gray morning light was now showing through the window. Wendy gazed out the window and tried to see if there were any spaceships at the landing field. Araminta said, "I don't want to go back to my room. The day has begun and I have chores to do. If I follow father's order and stay here with you then I can skip my chores."
Wendy laughed and asked, "What are these chores that you despise... filling the moss shed?"
Araminta asked suspiciously, "How do you know so much? I don't remember you ever having visited the Tavern before."
Wendy explained, "I was here once before, but I was in disguise." Wendy noticed that Araminta was looking at her legs. Wendy tried to adjust the shirt she was wearing to better cover her bottom.
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| Wendy in the Red Room at Smade's Tavern |
Wendy laughed. "This is why you should write your own story, Araminta." Wendy again tugged at her shirt. "I do have a favor to ask. Could you bring me something to wear? Preferably something sleeveless." Wendy handed the girl a 100 SVU note. "This night-shirt was all I was wearing when I was forced to suddenly take flight in... my spaceship."
Araminta took the money and said, "Yes, I will bring you one of my new outfits. I think it might fit you." She put the 100 SVU in her pocket and exited from the Red Room carrying the medicoid.
Wendy took a quick shower. After she dried herself off, she found that Araminta had placed a black jumpsuit on the bed. It was a tight fit, but Wendy managed to pull on the suit. The pain-blocking drugs from the medicoid had reduced the agony of her arm to a steady malignant throbbing.
From outside came the roar of a landing spaceship. Glancing out the window, Wendy saw a ghostly streak cut through the morning fog as the spaceship settled into the landing field. She sent one of her nanite probes outside, pleased to find that for this phase of her mission she could once again use one of her nanite programs. Wendy kept looking out the window, staring into the drifting swirls of thick gray fog. In her mind, Wendy could watch close-up imagery from her probes, displayed as a kind of overlay across her visual field.
A minute later, the probe had found Malagate and it followed the tall, lone figure walking through the mist towards the Tavern. Wendy went downstairs and saw that Smade was behind the bar, watching a display screen that showed signals from the proximity detectors arrayed around the Tavern. He glanced up from the screen and scowled at Wendy, not pleased that she was up and about rather than resting. To mollify Smade, Wendy said that she was ready for breakfast and sat down at a table near the bar. She used the electronic ordering system that was built into the table to send her breakfast order to the kitchen.
The front door of the Tavern opened and the new guest approached Smade where he stood at the bar. Knowing this was the alien Attel Malagate, Wendy allowed her nanite probe to return outside and search for Malagate's spaceship at the landing field. Malagate placed a hard plastic carrying case on the bar.
Malagate was tall and dressed in a colorful suit with orange pants and scarlet shirt accented by black trim, an alien pattern that clashed with the subdued decor of the Tavern. Malagate's skin was toned a dark black. In the dim light of the Tavern, Malagate was like a sleek exclamation point, now standing at the bar and standing out, as if trying to draw attention. Smade said, "Welcome to Smade's Tavern."
Malagate spoke in a quite, almost robotic voice. "I have brought my own food, fresh from Ghnarumen." The Star King placed a hand on the case. "Please prepare my meals using these fine comestibles while I am here."
Smade shrugged. "You are not the first Star King to make this request. I think my kitchen will be able to satisfy you. How long do you plan to stay? I can accommodate you with a fine room on the second floor."
Malagate said, "I want a room with a treadmill, for exercise."
Just then, Araminta brought breakfast to Wendy, setting a plate on her table along with a tall bottle of Jangle. Wendy said, "Thank you. I'm taking your advice and eating."
Araminta scolded, "You should be in bed. I could have brought food to you in the Red Room."
Wendy nodded towards the bar where the Star King stood and asked quietly. "Is that a Star King?" Wendy's nanite probe had found Malagate's spaceship. It was a large, expensive craft. Wendy wondered if any crew were aboard.
Araminta nodded. "They sometimes visit here."
"Do you know this one's name?"
"I'm not supposed to talk about the guests." But Araminta had provided Wendy with a brief shake of her head, indicating that she did not recognize this Star King.
Malagate had continued to speak with Smade. "Thank you, Mr. Smade. I don't know how long my visit will last. Actually, I fear that I might have arrived too late. I am expecting to meet others here. You have not recently seen my friends Mr. Dasce and his companions, Tristano and Suthiro?"
Smade shook his head. "Those names are not familiar to me, but I must say... often my guests do not tell me their names."
"Yes, just as I choose not to tell you my name, Earthling. In this case, I'm sure that you would remember Dasce if he has been here." Malagate used his discree to show Smade an image of the red-faced Dasce.
Smade looked with dismay at the image of Dasce and slowly shook his head, "I have never meet this gentleman."
"Then I will wait here for his arrival... hopefully no more than a few days." Malagate pushed the case across the bar to Smade. "I will eat in an hour." Smade called to Araminta and had her take the Star King to a room on the second floor. He carried the case of Star King food to the kitchen.
Wendy slowly ate her meal then lingered over a second bottle of Jangle. After taking Wendy's empty plate off of her table, Smade went back to the kitchen to supervise preparation of Malagate's alien food. With nothing else to do, Wendy deployed more of her nanite probes around the Tavern. By doing so, she could watch the preparation of the Star King's food in the kitchen. Wendy was disgusted to see that Star King food consisted of living creatures resembling tadpoles, worms and insects.
Wendy used another probe to spy on Malagate. The Star King was exercising in his upstairs bedroom. Wendy could not easily see the Star King's face: it was blurred and hidden by coal-black skin tone. However, the alien seemed neither male not female, simply alien.
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| Úna Nybröm |
A few minutes later, Úna arrived and sat down at Wendy's table. Úna looked at the bandages on Wendy's arm and asked, "Do you need help?"
Wendy replied, "Not really. Smade and your daughter are taking good care of me." She gingerly touched the synthskin on her arm. Mercifully the pain had subsided to a tolerable level.
Just then, Smade returned, emerging from the kitchen and appearing behind the bar.
Úna told Wendy, "If you are on a mission here at the Tavern, you should brief me."
Wendy sighed and lied, "I'm just passing through on my way back to Alphanor."
Smade approached Wendy's table and said, "You seem to be doing better, Miss Atwrode."
"Yes, I am better. Thank you for you hospitality. I hope you will allow me to pay you for the medical care I received."
Smade shrugged, "Very well, Miss Atwrode, you will see a hefty medicoid fee on your bill when you check out."
Úna nodded to Wendy and departed, returning to the basement. Smade said, "Don't be in a hurry to go get in your spaceship and race back to Alphanor. We are happy to have you as our guest here. Stay and rest for a few days. We should plan to re-bandage your arm every 12 hours."
Wendy nodded. "You provide a very pleasant hospice, even equipped with the most up-to-date medicoid."
Smade explained, "My youngest wife, Úna, who you just met, is something of a tech guru. She has all the latest technological devices shipped out here to us. Sadly, every year we have guests who arrive maimed and injured, limping in from various dangerous worlds of the Beyond."
Smade turned away from Wendy and watched the Star King come down the stairway. Smade nodded to Wendy and returned to the bar where he signaled to the kitchen for the Star King's food.
The alien's food soon arrived and Malagate began to eat. A few minutes later, Smade went over and asked if the Star King was satisfied. The Star King nodded and continued to eat.
Later, when Malagate seemed to have finished eating, Wendy got up from her table and went over to speak to Malagate. "May I join you?"
Malagate pointed to a chair, "You may."
Wendy sat down and introduced herself as "Pallis". Malagate asked about her arm. Wendy was intrigued by Malegate's voice; not male, not female, simply alien. 'Pallis' explained, "I ran into some trouble and got a nasty blaster wound. However, I'm pleased to still be alive. I'm learning first hand that the Beyond is a dangerous place."
Malagate spoke bluntly, "A little girl like you should know better than to venture into the Beyond. I can tell from your voice that you are not from the inner worlds, but you have a strange accent. What world are you from?"
Grean had given Wendy both the physical appearance of Agent Atwrode and the ability to speak in the odd accent that was unique to the planet Ys, the world of the Beyond where Pallis had been born and raised. Wendy laughed and tried to change the topic, "I'm almost as tall as you, so please don't call me a little girl. You are the first parthenoid I've met. Is it safe for you to travel the Beyond without wearing a disguise?"
"You Earthlings have gradually grown accustomed to having we Star Kings among you. The greatest danger to us is often the horrible foods that you consume."
"And so Star Kings must bring food from your home planet with you during your travels?"
The Star King shrugged. "Most of my people do not care to travel. You Earthlings swarm outward through the galaxy, colonizing thousands of new worlds. My people prefer to stay at home on lovely Ghnarumen. I enjoy food from home when I get a chance to eat it. Sadly, most of the time I must eat human food. It is the price I pay while working among you Earthlings."
Wendy asked boldly, "What is the nature of your work?"
Malagate stared intently at Wendy. "I am different from most people on Ghnarumen. Possibly I am unique among the Star Kings. I want to find a new world to live on, similar in geography and climate to Ghnarumen, but a new place where I can lead a new type of existence, one that will be different from the way humans live and also different from the socially accepted modes on Ghnarumen."
"Interesting. When humans spread to new worlds, they set about creating a new version of Earth."
"Not always. Many worlds that have been settled by humans attract dissidents who want to escape from conventional human society and create something new."
"Well, maybe different, but not too different."
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| A Feek, a newly evolved human variant. |
Wendy smiled and replied mildly, "I don't know much about them. Tell me why they interest you."
Malagate explained, "Over a span of just 30 generations, by selective breeding, the Feeks have lost the ability to speak. I'm interested in the possibility that they have developed a capacity for telepathic communication. Incidentally, the Feeks now meet the definition of being a unique species. Due to a massive chromosomal rearrangement, Feeks can no longer produce viable offspring by combining gametes with Earthlings like you."
Wendy shrugged, "Many humans are skeptics when it comes to the idea that telepathy is something worth having. Wouldn't telepathic abilities completely disrupt life as we know it?"
"Possibly, but there may be ways to control telepathy and make it a useful addition to society." Malagate stared intently into Wendy's eyes. "Take yourself as an example."
Wendy asked, "What about me?"
"I have some telepathic ability, but I can not sense any thought processes inside you. It seems that yours is one of those minds that is able to block telepathic signals. Maybe in the future, powerful telepaths will be able to share their inner thoughts in a carefully controlled way."
"That is an interesting vision of the future. It is not one that your fellow Star Kings embrace?"
"Few Star Kings are interested in scientific research. My people lack the ingenuity and creativity that you humans are capable of. As parthenoids, we are better at copying innovations than originating them."
"So, you want a world of your own where you can create a new society of telepaths?"
"Most people with telepathic ability have a problem when they grow up on densely populated worlds. They cannot shield their minds from the constant flood of thoughts arriving from millions of other people. For self-protection, they learn to inactivate their telepathic sensitivity. The best telepaths are usually from worlds of the Beyond where the population is small."
Wendy suggested, "Maybe you are not aware of the best telepaths if they can shield their thoughts from you. Maybe they exist, undetected on the major planets like Earth."
"There are rumors that the Institute has a major and secret program for the development of human telepathy, but I am skeptical. I have long lived among you humans, and I have found no evidence of a secret cadre of telepaths. No, I believe that the Institute would prefer a galaxy without any telepathy at all."
Wendy asked, "So, you prefer worlds like Smade's Planet where there are few people to impinge on your telepathic mind?"
Malagate glanced around and gazed out the window. "This is a quiet world, but I sense a strong telepathic force here. It seems to come from all around us. Perhaps from the ocean."
"So, just because a world has few people, that does not mean that it is the kind of planet that you want for your telepathy experiments?"
"Humans are too self-centered. Remember, nothing prevents alien creatures from having telepathic abilities. In fact, humans may be among the worst candidates for strong telepathy. You are too highly dependent on spoken language and you dismiss folk like the Feeks as freaks. It may be that the-"
The rumbling sound of another landing spaceship interrupted the Star King who went to the window. The mist and fog had lifted and now the landing field beside the Tavern could be seen. A small model 9b spaceship landed and soon a man emerged from the ship and walked towards the Tavern. The Star King turned away from the window and climbed the stairs to the second floor.
Gersen stepped into the Tavern, glanced once at Wendy and then went to speak to Smade at the bar. Gersen commented on the quiet of the Tavern and Smade casually mentioned his other guests, Pallis Atwrode and a Star King. Smade gestured towards Pallis. He looked over his shoulder at Pallis and they nodded to each other.
Gersen arranged for a room and walked towards the stairway. When he passed Wendy's table, she said, "Can I buy you a drink, Mr. Gersen?"
Gersen seated himself across the small table from Pallis. He asked, "What are you drinking, Miss Atwrode?"
She replied, "I've been drinking Jangle." Gersen signaled to Smade and he quickly brought two of the tall bottles to their table.
Looking at her bruised face and bandaged arm, Gersen asked Wendy, "What happened to you?"
"Like you, I'm curious and ask questions. That got me in trouble with a deweasler."
"I trust that Smade maintains a safe environment here, although I'm surprised to hear that there is a Star King on this planet." He drank some Jangle and then rested his arms on the table. He was leaning forward and gazing peacefully upon Wendy's face, which besides the bruises was a fine work of art. "You don't look like any IPCC operative I've ever seen Beyond."
"You have dealings with the IPCC?"
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| Kirth Gersen; an IPCC mission Beyond Original cover art by Kenneth Kelly. |
Wendy place a hand on Gersen's arm and noticed small dark speckles on the gray fabric. "Is that blood?"
Gersen looked at his arm, now noticing that he carried some of Parsival Pankarow's splattered blood on his sleeve. "You are very observant, Miss Atwrode. Do you have special training as an observer? Are you a scientist?"
"I was trained to quickly understand people. In your case, a cloud of dire energy hangs over you." Wendy slid her hand over Gersen's wrist and let it rest on top of his hand. "You were going to tell me something interesting, then you stopped."
Gersen placed his other hand on top of hers. "I was once a member of the Institute. Yourself?"
"No, I've had nothing to do with them."
"You are a scientist?"
"No. I've been trained for a different type of observation."
"Trained by who?"
"I'm not sure I can explain... not in a way that would make sense to you."
Gersen squeezed her hand, "Try me."
"My boss is an alien."
Sensing a trap, Gersen stiffened. "Are you the Star King's bodyguard?"
"Relax Mr. Gersen. I'm not armed."
Gersen touched her bandaged arm. "It is an old trick in the Beyond. Bandages or a prosthetic limb conceal a weapon."
"I was sent here to observe, not kill."
"If not by the Star Kings, then by who?"
"There are many other types of aliens in the galaxy. My boss is a Kac'hin."
"I've never heard of them."
"They never become widely known in this Reality. Even in my Reality they prefer to avoid the attention of Earthlings."
Gersen asked, "You are here to observe me? What is your Reality?"
"No, I am not here to watch you, although I admit that I hoped to be here long enough to see you again."
"We've meet before? Surely not! I would have remembered you."
"Mr. Gersen, you, this Tavern, everything you know is part of a simulation. I can enter into the Simulator from outside, repeatedly. I have met you before, but in a previous run of the simulation. That is why you have no memory of me."
"Then you should be able to tell me something that you learned about me, something that I have not yet told you about myself."
"The last time we met here, you told me that you felt like a strange compulsion had come over you, as if you had been lured here to Smade's Planet."
Startled, Gersen said, "Yes, you are correct. It is very odd. At Brinktown, it suddenly popped into my head that I should visit Smade's Tavern. I've long heard stories about this place, but I'd never taken the time to visit." He gently stoked her hand with his finger tips. "When we met before, did we become... friends?"
"You seem strong and competent, Mr. Gersen. I would not mind... getting to know you better, but sadly it was all work and no opportunities for play when I previously met you." Suddenly another image crowded into Wendy's mind, pushing away the data from her tracking nanites. Wendy could see Grean's workshop. She pulled her hands away from Gersen and stood up, "Until we meet again..."
Wendy blinked and she was back in the workshop, her arm healed and the pain of her injuries gone. She was still in the bodily form of Pallis Atwrode, but she was now completely healthy; the bruises were also gone from her face. She said to Grean, "That was not much fun. Why did you have to put me through so much pain?"
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| Wendy at Smade's Tavern. Disguised as Agent Atwrode. Using Smade's medicoid. |
Wendy asked, "What is left to be accomplished? Poor Pallis was killed by Dasce."
"Only because your presence had put him on his guard. Back on Alphanor, when you planted a nanite probe on her, that allowed me to follow her into the future of the Simulation. In the absence of your interference, Agent Atwrode first follows Gersen to Dasce's prison planet and then on to the Planet of the Dryads. However, even with probes inside both Gersen and Pallis, it is not clear how she dies."
"How is that possible?"
"I don't know. After Gersen and Pallis reach the Planet of the Dryads, something inactivates the nanite probes that they are carrying inside their bodies. It is very strange. I need you to go to the Planet of the Dryads and be my eyes on that world."
Next: Wendy visits the Planet of the Dryads
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