Chapter 12

It was three clock cycles later that the Iridien technicians arrived at An Clochán to check out the Iridien cruisers. Each of the Iridien Spec Ops teams carefully monitored the technicians as they checked their ships’ systems. After checking all the systems, the technicians found that only the anti-hijacking systems had been compromised. Instead of repairing them, they opted to replace the systems on all ships and then had the crews authenticate to the new system. The technicians were preparing to leave when Antopolis said them, “Wait, you will ride with us.”

“We are not permitted,” exclaimed a technician.

“This time you are. You will each ride on the ships you repaired. It will be a good experience for you.”

The technician started to respond, until he noticed the expressions on those around him and the hands on weapons, so he just shrugged his shoulders. The other technicians picked up their equipment and walked back to the ship they had repaired.

“Órarduine,” said Antopolis, “it has been a pleasure to spend the last several days with you in spite of the circumstances. When the opportunity arises, we would like to return the favor. We couldn’t have asked for more, again, thanks for the great hospitality.”

As Antopolis finished speaking the Iridien teams hollered, “YES!”

“Iridiens,” said the six clans together, “thank you for your kind words. We have enjoyed your visit and believe we have learned a lot from each other. Although your experience is greater than ours, please let us know if we can ever be of any help.”

“We would have no hesitation in working with any of you,” replied Demerti before Antopolis could respond. “All of us are willing to support you whenever you need it.” Antopolis nodded his agreement as Demerti spoke. With that the two groups began saying good bye to each other.

The Órarduine watched the Iridien ships lift off. Once their landing gear retracted, the six ships moved out away from the habitat in single file before beginning to climb. As they rose, they shifted to a chevron formation and quickly disappeared from sight.

“Well, what do you think of them?” asked Briana.

“I am sure I wouldn’t want to be on the opposite side in a conflict,” said Ciar. “They are good, very good.”

“We agree.”

“They picked up volleyball and basketball real quick,” added Eltha. “We should invite them to one of our tournaments, if they are still here.”

“Good idea.”

“So what now?” asked Enya.

“We should go see if we can assist with Marthanóir or Fiontar,” said Briana. “With all the distractions this last week they probably need all the help they can find.”

“We have time to do that before dinner.”

“Cathan,” said Briana, “Sarah’s Clan will probably want us here when the group from the Alliance of Worlds comes for their next visit.”

“We expected that, and they will factor it in when we contact Marthanóir to see where we can help.”

It had been over a week since the incident with the Dutsuz when Sarah’s Clan stepped out of AlphaD01 and onto the deck in Marthanóir’s hanger. “Dia duit, Molly’s Clan,” said Sarah’s Clan as they walked toward them.

“Dia duit. Welcome to Marthanóir,” came the reply, with all of them smiling.

“Practicing your Gaelic I see,” added Molly. “You guys are early for our Command Staff meeting. Jackie’s Clan is still on final approach.”

“We came early because we wanted to visit for a bit before everyone else arrived.”

“Cool. Jackie’s Clan and ours exchange visits every couple of days, except when we need to have some of us on the bridge all the time. When that happens, we split our clans and half goes there and half comes here. With our mind-link, it is almost the same.”

“Neat idea,” replied Joyce as she gave Molly a hug. “We miss seeing you.”

“I think it is more that we just like being around each other,” said Mirial of Molly’s Clan. “Our mental links are great, but they don’t take the place of physical contact.”

“We agree,” replied everyone.

The two clans watched the shuttle carrying Jackie’s Clan settle into its cradle. “This is great,” said Jackie when she saw both clans waiting for them. “It has been ages since we got together to just visit.”

“We were just talking about that,” said Joyce as the clans greeted each other with hugs.

“Come on,” said Molly, “let’s go to the common area. We can visit there until the other Command Staffs arrive in an hour or so.”

When they reached the common area they pulled some chairs and couches around so that they could easily interact with each other. Once they had the furniture arranged, they sat down so that everyone was touching someone else.

“This feels so good,” said Jackie as she put her arm over Aoife’s shoulders drawing her a little closer.

“Yes, it does,” replied Molly sitting between Sarah and Mairia of Jackie’s Clan. “When I was growing up, I always felt an emptiness. Becoming friends with Jackie, Kathleen and Mairia in high school alleviated some of my empty feeling. I now realize that the emptiness I felt then was due to my parents. I don’t remember them ever showing real affection for each other, or receiving any unconditional affection from them. We were so lucky when we met Sarah, Rusty, Sally and Terry.”

“Hey,” said Terry, “we think we were pretty lucky to meet you guys. We think you guys are pretty great and would have been pretty great whether you met us or not.”

“With the path we were on,” said Mairia, “I don’t think so. So, how are the children? That is the one thing I miss about not being on Dóchas very often. They are a lot of fun to be around.”

“They are doing great,” replied Jill. “If you miss them, invite them for a visit. After all, you guys are like aunts and uncles. They don’t all have to come at one time unless you want them to.”

“Duh, I never thought of that.”

“Maybe it’s because you guys have been too focused on work, with little relaxation.”

“We haven’t been...” began Jackie’s reply, “no, you’re right we have been but there is so much to do.”

“Yes,” replied Alena, “but you need to remember that your well-being is more important than anything else.”

“We’re anxious to move,” said Mairia.

“So is everyone else,” replied Alison. “We want our move to be an adventure and not be tarnished by remembering the burden of preparing for making the journey.”

“If it takes us two months longer,” said Erin, “then so be it. Actually, the idea of the children visiting is a good one. They can help out with some of the tasks while visiting you.”

“Well,” said Kathleen of Molly’s Clan, “based on the last time I talked to them about their learning experiences, I think they could do as well as, or better than, some of our contract help.”

“I’ll second that,” added Allan of Molly’s Clan.

“I hope our children are as great as yours,” said Mirial of Molly’s Clan.

“Oh, they will be,” replied Janet. “We have absolutely no doubt about that. Can we ask your plans?”

“We are going to follow Siobhan’s example,” replied Molly with Jackie nodding.

Jackie said, “I think Kathryn’s and Keriann’s Clans have the same idea.”

It was close to an hour later when Molly said, “I hate to interrupt this but our FOC just told me that Siobhan’s and Maureen’s Clans are on final approach. Keriann’s, Kathryn’s and Amy’s are about 10 minutes out.”

“Sarah’s Clan,” queried Molly, “is it okay if we invite the children to visit us next week?”

“Certainly. Give them a call. We are sure they would be thrilled, and it will be their first adventure on their own.”

“Cool,” replied Mairia. “I can remember the first visit I made on my own.”

Once all the Command Staffs had gathered in Marthanóir’s conference room, Sarah said, “As you know our agenda today has only three items, plus one I want to add. The topics are: How much do we want to share with the Iridiens? Status of our preparations. Celia reconnaissance data. The topic I would like to add is, ‘do we need to increase clan interactions?’”

“Could you expand on the new item?” asked Keriann with a puzzled expression.

“I think I may have caught even my spouses off-guard with this one,” replied Sarah with a smile. “We arrived early today so we could visit with Molly’s Clan. Jackie’s Clan arrived early as well, which was a very nice surprise. We had a good time just visiting. This is something that we haven’t really done since they moved to their new ships. I know, shame on us. Every clan has friends on other ships. So my question is: ‘Are we taking the time to maintain our friendships?’ You could also rephrase the question as: ‘Are we giving ourselves the time to maintain our friendships?’”

“A very good addition,” replied Kathryn with many others nodding. “We see two circumstances behind this issue. The first is our push to relocate to Celia. The second is the way we are separated, which will be reduced when we begin to settle on A-Celia.”

“Yes, it is,” said Kelly of Keriann’s Clan. “When we look over the status of Marthanóir, Fiontar and other preparations, we should consider resetting the departure date. Right at the moment, we think it should be moved out at least a couple of months, and perhaps more.”

“Agreed,” said Alena. “This is really a topic the whole family needs to discuss. I found our time with Molly’s and Jackie’s Clans very refreshing. It was also a learning experience for me as it gave me the opportunity to become better acquainted with my spouse’s friends.”

“Let’s take care of the other items first,” said Maureen, “then come back to this. We should come to closure on this before finishing up today.”

“Agree,” replied everyone.

“Okay, so how close of a relationship do we want with the Iridiens?” said Sarah.

“You’re differentiating Iridiens from the Alliance of Worlds?” asked Jackie.

“Yes.” Sarah waited a few moments before continuing. “We think we need to meet and interact with each of the other worlds in the Alliance before considering establishing any kind of alliance with them as a group. The Iridiens are now somewhat of a known entity. I think all of us were surprised that the Dutsuz subverted some of their crew, and apparently some crew members on the other world’s ships as well. The conversations we’ve had with Egulle and Orgaine indicate that they were surprised as well. A key question is: How?”

“Do you think Commander Egulle will tell us how?” asked Mairia.

“If they know,” replied Erin. “Remember, Orgaine made the comment regarding the orientation film on our physiology, saying that they should have a similar one.”

“Do we know what information of ours they are interested in seeing?”

“Not really,” said Rusty. “Questions were raised about how we gained access to the Dutsuz ships but nothing has been said since. They were curious about how we knew they were coming.”

“If they want to know about our weapons, then we should have the same access to theirs,” said Conan of Siobhan’s Clan. “The real sticking point for us is that the only Iridiens we know are those here. Which raises the question, is an agreement with them an agreement with their world?”

“Let’s be candid with them,” said Chester. “They may just want to have a better idea of our capabilities rather than our secrets. Equal access to each other’s knowledge base would likely have more meaning to us than them. What should be no problem for either group is sharing each of our histories.”

“True,” added Joyce, “we should also propose sharing our star maps. Just that should help us determine whether we have the correct orientation or not. If we can find common points between the star maps then we should be able to sort out some discontinuities we’ve found.”

Brittany of Kathryn’s Clan said, “They may want to establish an outpost on Mars near ours. Should we offer to let them use a part of our facilities?”

“Let’s mull these thoughts around a bit,” said Aoife. “As you know, we will be meeting with them in three days on An Clochán. We think each Command Staff should be there. With this in mind, let’s have one member from each join Sarah, Aoife, Tara, Maeve and Rusty for the meeting. The rest of our clan will be on Dóchas’ bridge during the meeting which will likely last all day.”

“Oh that is sneaky,” said Kathy of Kathryn’s Clan.

“What?”

“They will show up with some fifteen people to be met by nearly seventy masquerading as twelve.”

“We don’t see that as sneaky. They know that each clan member is mind-linked to all of their spouses.”

“They may know the fact, but they definitely don’t appreciate the dynamics of our link. Gee, even we sometimes don’t know the full dynamics of our link.”

“Aoife,” said Maureen, “we like the proposal for two reasons. It will bring all of us into the discussion, and limit the risk to any one clan, although I don’t think there is a risk this time.”

“Agreed,” replied everyone.

“One thing I ought to mention,” said Aoife, “Virginia and Doug asked if we thought the Iridiens would be agreeable to an interview. I told them that we would raise the idea. If they were agreeable, they should think about organizing it the way we did the interview regarding the IC incident.”

“We think that is an excellent idea,” replied Colleen of Maureen’s Clan. “That would make it difficult for any one country to claim they were first to meet them and thus have some favored status.”

“Good point. I’ll mention that to Commander Egulle and Orgaine when we talk to them.”

“So let’s move on to the status of Marthanóir and Fiontar,” said Sarah.

“We are somewhat behind schedule,” replied Molly with Jackie nodding her agreement. “The diversion of people in response to our visitors’ arrival and other events has set us back by more than a month. With the increased reconnaissance activity, we think it will slip some more if we try to maintain the same pace.”

“Even without Sarah’s agenda item,” said Jackie, “we think it would be smart to slow the pace a bit and move our departure date out four months or so. We could then shorten it again if we do better than expected.”

Sarah looked around the group before saying, “I think we all agree with the proposal. However, this is an item we need to discuss with the whole family.”

Elana of Kathryn’s Clan said, “I think there will be some reluctance to accepting a delay in our departure. At the same time, I don’t believe anyone will object, especially after they think about it.”

“Molly, Jackie,” said Brandan of Maureen’s Clan, “are there any particular areas slowing your progress?”

“Not really,” replied Jackie slowly with a thoughtful look. “The two alerts have probably created the biggest issues. To meet our offensive requirements we completed many items out of sequence, and even planned to use some units without testing if we had too. This has left us with a work schedule that is out of kilter, so we need to go back over some of the completed items. Let me assure you we were battle ready, but our preparation wasn’t neat and tidy like it should be.”

“We have the same issues,” added Molly.

“Has the schedule been reworked?”

“It is partially done. In the meantime, we have rolled back the current plan and are going through each item to make sure nothing is missed.”

“One thing that really pleases us is that we have not found any quality issues,” added Molly. “On a different note, it wouldn’t surprise us if all the contract people decided to stay.”

“Why is that?”

“The fact that our plan for relocating our family has slipped. Many of them thought we were minor deities, or something close, so they felt that they could never really fit in. Our delay, and the attempt on Sarah’s Clan by the Dutsuz, has made us more like real people to them, albeit a people with extremely advanced technology and a very tantalizing social structure.”

“So that explains the increase in inquiries Betsy and Gail mentioned,” said Judy. “They did say that all of those who have inquired are well above the minimums.”

“What do they find tantalizing about our social structure?” asked Casidhe of Siobhan’s Clan.

“Basically, our openness and sharing. They see strength in our multiple spouse family structure but are a bit wary of considering it.”

“Anything else,” said Sarah.

“No,” replied Jackie with Molly nodding her agreement.

“Let’s talk about A-Celia then.”

“Well it is certainly clear now that there are quite a variety of animals, and many seem similar to those on Earth.”

Amy said, “The island that we are targeting for our initial settlement has a lot of similarities to Ireland in terms of terrain, but with a more moderate climate. There is a nice mix of open fields and forested areas. It covers about 350,000 square kilometers, which is a little over five times the size of Ireland.”

Kelly said, “Everyone I have talked to really likes the island. Several have made wall posters of some of the places there.”

“We have increased our data collection on the island,” added Amy. “We are still assessing the rest of the planet, but 50% of our effort is toward the island. There is another land mass that we have identified as an alternative. It is about the size of Australia, but with a more even temperate climate across it. It also has a good balance of open fields and forest. There are two separate mountain ranges that are very rugged.

“There are animals that appear to be similar to aurochs, bison, buffalo, wolves and large cats on each of the continents and the two islands. We have not observed any sentient beings on either island. There may not be any, as they are a considerable distance from other land masses and we haven’t seen any signs of boat like objects. The aurochs, bison and buffalo appear to be more prevalent where there are large meadows.”

“So overall, it looks like we made a good choice,” said Sarah.

“We think so,” replied Maureen. “Everyone we have talked to seems to like it more as they learn more about the planet.”

“We agree,” added many others.

“Not much has been said about the weather,” said Brandan.

“Well with two moons there are up to four tides a day,” replied Amy. “When there are four tides, each is similar to those we know from Earth. When the number drops to two, they are over twice as high. This creates some pretty awesome waves. There are only a few places on the island where the continental shelf extends far enough out to support a wide beach. The island does have a natural harbor with a well-protected entrance. The protection is a high ridge that juts out into ocean and creates a long deep channel between the ocean and the cove or harbor. It is along the cove shores that there is at least one beach that would be usable. There are wide beaches on several other continents, but they don’t extend very far out before dropping off quickly.”

“So there should be some good surfing,” said Sylvanna of Jackie’s Clan.

“Wild surfing,” replied Keira, “would be a better description, but the lack of a beach would make it difficult to use.”

“That is something we are not familiar with,” replied Amy, “so the experts among us will need to sort that out.”

“There is a high plain on the NW side of the island,” said Sarah, “that draws my attention every time I look at the images or map. With the way the terrain drops off around it, it resembles a mesa.”

“I know just the one you are talking about,” responded many of the group all at once, which was quickly followed by laughter.

“If my measurements are correct, there is one point where you can see the ocean in three directions. Shifting from that point you lose the view in one direction because of the mountains.”

“Gee, I guess I am not the only one fascinated by that location.”

“Are you sure that the plain sits that high?” queried Siobhan.

“Yes. My first thought was that it would be very windy because of its height, but the data doesn’t indicate that that’s the case.”

“So, why are we all drawn toward that location?” asked Alena.

“I suspect we will have to wait until we can visit it to find out,” replied Kelly.

“My suspicion is that we will decide to settle there first,” said Aoife, Molly, Jackie and Siobhan in unintended unison. They looked at each other and smiled as everyone chuckled.

“So the probability is high. Any other weather tidbits?” asked Sarah.

“Not really. We haven’t seen any severe weather patterns, but there are indications of some in the past. Based on what data we have, periodically there are intense storms. Their frequency seems to have a seasonal aspect, but remember we only have a little more than a year’s worth of data. Also we are still adding to our weather monitoring system. On some of the large land masses there is evidence of periodic flooding along the rivers. This could be seasonal as well, and in some locations the flood water reached a long way from the river.”

Amber of Siobhan’s Clan said, “Our impression from what we’ve learnt is that A-Celia is a very nice place to move too. I wonder what kind of surprises are in store for us after we arrive.”

“They will probably be no different than any other place, just different variables.”

“Amy, I haven’t seen anything on seismic activity,” said Oriel.

“We haven’t seen any issues we can’t deal with,” replied Amy. “The seismic measurements probably won’t be done until we after arrive there. There is still a considerable amount of terrain evaluation that we need to do before we begin moving to the planet’s surface. Again, we just need to determine the engineering parameters so that our basic design templates can be revised for the planet.”

“Anything else we need to go over regarding the planet?” asked Aoife.

“Hearing no comment,” said Aoife after waiting a few moments, “do we need to talk more about the Iridiens visit tomorrow?”

Chester of Keriann’s Clan said, “Since each clan will actively link together during the meeting, we should let our AIs handle our ships and An Clochán, plus other normal activities. By doing this we can all focus on the meeting. As to what they want, I think it will be primarily two things which are, more background on Earth, and the ability to access An Clochán if need be. We are certain that they intend to establish an outpost here.”

Tara said, “So our list is: Compare Star maps. Compare history. Propose Egulle and Orgaine do an interview with Virginia and Doug as a way of introducing them to Earth. We are receptive to them using An Clochán on a limited basis. Does that cover it?”

“Agreed,” replied everyone.

“We will handle any other sensitive issues as they arise.”

“Agreed.”

Kathy said, “Let’s discuss the socializing issue at tonight’s meeting.” Everyone nodded their agreement.

“Anything else?” asked Sarah, and hearing no comment she continued with, “Okay. See you all tonight.”

Sarah, Aoife, Tara, Maeve, Judy, Sally and Rusty met Erica, Tiff, Kathryn, Molly, Jackie, Kelly, and Crystal in the arrival area of An Clochán. “Good morning,” said the members of Sarah’s Clan as they entered the area.

After responding to the greeting Erica said, “FOC told us just before you arrived that the Iridiens were 15 minutes out.”

“Good,” replied Sarah. “We should start out today ahead of schedule. The tour is for after lunch, correct?”

“Yes.”

“We thought the discussion of our need to socialize more went really well at our family meeting,” said Tiff of Siobhan’s Clan. “I kind of expected more resistance to delaying our departure for A-Celia.”

“It did go well,” replied Sarah. “Our family members are dedicated to, and intensely focused on, their family and jobs. This is similar to the problem we had several years ago in getting everybody to relax or take a break periodically.”

“I remember that,” said Tara. “Wasn’t that about the time the sports leagues started?”

“Yes, and there were other group activities which started about the same time. Our choirs and musical groups began to prosper about that time.”

“Doug and Virginia visited us today,” said Molly. “They were curious about how our ship was coming along and how the delay would affect us. We think they had a hard time believing we would delay our trip because we weren’t socializing enough.”

“So, did they satisfy their curiosity?”

“We think so. We told them our view of the situation and suggested they spend the evening talking with the crew. They rode down with us this morning. Based on their comments, they seemed to think they had a story to tell.”

“From the way you worded that, we take it they now understand our reasoning.”

“Definitely.”

“Did you say anything about our meeting with the Iridiens?”

“Never came up as I think they were working out how to write the story about our delayed departure.”

“Okay.”

“Come, we need to put our tac suits on,” said Erica, “so we can meet them in the landing area. They are arriving on three cruisers.”

“Why three cruisers?” asked Molly. “Didn’t they come in only one last time?”

“It was just Iridien staff that time,” replied Erica. “Their rules frown on all of them making a trip in one transport ship. Some of their marines are coming as well.”

“Hmm ... makes sense. We do travel together all the time. Are we making a mistake in doing that?”

“Perhaps,” said Rusty as he slipped into his suit, “it is something we ought to look at, but I don’t think our risk factors are the same as theirs.”

They exited An Clochán habitat just as the Iridien ships came into view. Sarah said, “Shields up,” as the three ships drew closer. “Breacadh, ready defensive response.”

“Systems are ready to arm,” replied Breacadh, “we started when we picked up scans from their ships. Security Control Center is very sensitive to anomalies in sensor readings.”

“Good.”

The Órarduine group watched as the ships lined up and then followed the designated flight path down to An Clochán. During the approach, they listened to the communications between the Iridiens and air traffic control. The first Iridien ship settled into its designated spot in the parking area before the second ship finished its descent. The second ship settled down slightly ahead of the first, on its starboard side but at a 45 degree angle to it.

“Commander Egulle and Orgaine are on the second ship,” said Rusty.

The third Iridien ship then settled on the starboard side of the second ship, again angled 45 degrees to starboard from the second ship. The arrangement had the three ships facing away from An Clochán habitat with the Órarduine welcoming group nearest the second ship.

“An interesting arrangement,” said Adam to the group with Sarah’s Clan.

“Yes,” replied Sally. “They are scanning the area. We aren’t detecting any active weapons systems.”

“Agreed,” replied Súsanna from An Clochán SCC. “We are anticipating a team of marines to exit from each ship first to form a security line between their ships and the open landscape.” Súsanna had just finished speaking when the ramps descended on the three Iridien cruisers. As expected a little over a dozen marines moved quickly down the ramp of each ship, then toward the open terrain. They quickly formed a defensive perimeter between the ships and the open Martian terrain. Once the marines were in position, Commander Egulle emerged from the center ship. As he started down the ramp, the other members of his staff began exiting all three ships.

“Good morning, Commander,” said Sarah as Egulle approached them. “Welcome to An Clochán.”

“Good morning, Sarah,” replied Commander Egulle.

“Good morning, Sarah’s Clan,” said Antopolis. “It is good to be back here again.”

“Briana’s and Cathan’s Clans spoke very highly of your teams. We are pleased that you feel comfortable coming back.”

“I have never felt uncomfortable here. I think the only ones who felt uncomfortable were the Dutsuz.”

“Let’s go inside,” said Tara, “where it will be easier to exchange greetings.”

“Lead the way,” replied Commander Egulle.

Entering the arrival area, the Órarduine and Antopolis immediately began detaching their helmets. Seeing most of their visitors hesitating, Maeve said, “Since we haven’t introduced ourselves yet, I’m Maeve of Sarah’s Clan. The atmosphere inside our habitat is close to that of your ships. We are going to leave our suits hanging in here. If you prefer, you can leave your suit in one of the lockers. To secure the locker, place your hand on the ID pad inside it before you close it, that way only you can open it.”

By the time Maeve finished speaking, all the Órarduine had slipped off their tac suits and were placing them on hangers rather than in one of the open lockers. As Maeve quickly shucked hers, she noticed that most of their visitors were removing their environmental suits. Antopolis hung his suit near the Órarduine’s.

“Maeve,” said Orgaine, “aren’t you going to use the lockers?”

“We don’t need to. Our suits are keyed to the wearer. Once we close them only the person they were designed for can open them up.”