Chapter 73

Sarah’s and Siobhan’s Clans watched the shuttle carrying the children and their visitors depart for Dóchas. The two clans walked back to Phoenix’s bridge sharing the observations they had made during the dinner with Blee, Winz, Maz, and Jar. Their visitors had shown no reluctance in talking about their families and what life was like in the Oreschre World. At the same time they were quite interested in what life was like in the Órarduine World which led to them making numerous comparisons.

Siobhan said, “We haven’t had many visitors who were as relaxed as this group was.”

Joyce added, “I have the impression that some of that is because even when they are with their family they feel like outsiders.”

“We asked Muireann to ask the Coschenz who’ve joined us what they know of these people.”

“Good idea,” responded several.

Reaching the bridge Aoife said, “I suspect we should transfer, if we intend to be there when they arrive. Thanks for hosting dinner.”

Kendra said, “It was our pleasure and something we should do more often.”

“We agree, but I suspect that organizing it slips our minds since we see each other nearly every day,” responded Alison with a smile.

“True, but it is different when you relax together.”

“Agreed,” replied Sarah’s Clan.

Jill added, “So tomorrow when we see each other let’s set a date to either do this again or visit the entertainment area together.”

“We like that idea,” responded Kendra.

Sarah’s Clan said, “See you in the morning at Tara.”

“Definitely,” responded Siobhan’s Clan as Sarah’s Clan vanished.

Sarah’s Clan arrived in the hangar on Dóchas just before their children and guests. When the group exited the shuttle they said, “Welcome to Dóchas.” It was obvious from their expressions that Blee, Winz, Maz, and Jar were surprised. It was also obvious that when they glanced at the Órarduine with them that they realized that they weren’t surprised.

The four guests responded with, “It is a pleasure to be here.”

Then Jar asked, “How did you do that?”

“We took a shortcut,” responded Jill with a smile.

Blee said, “This looks very similar to the other ship, but very different from ours.”

Janet said, “It is. This is the oldest of the seven ships. We need to go check some things on the bridge, why don’t you come with us? Alternatively, our children could give you a tour.”

Maz said, “Seeing the bridge sounds neat, but we don’t want to interfere with your tasks. The passenger ship was the first space ship we’ve been on.”

Jill replied, “To more fully answer your implied question, this ship’s mission is a lot different to that of your ship. The bridge is this way.” As they started walking she continued with, “This ship was initially built to be the lead ship for a group setting up a settlement on another planet. Since then it has been refitted to fill the role of a fleet command ship while still retaining some of its original purpose. As to you all being a burden, rest assured that you are not. We asked our children to pick you up because we thought you would be more comfortable with them.”

“We’ve really enjoyed their company.”

“After you see the bridge our children can give you a tour, however it is pretty late so perhaps it would be better to wait until morning for that.”

“Wow, today seems like it flew by. I am not sure that we will be permitted to return tomorrow.”

“Why is that?”

“Well we didn’t ask the Elders for permission before we left today. They are unhappy because of our interaction with the Security Teams on the ship.”

“I think we can figure out a way to avoid them being a problem for you.”

“I gather you all haven’t seen our orientation videos,” said Moya.

“We haven’t seen any videos, although I sort of remember them being mentioned,” responded Winz.

“We have three different orientation videos about us which differ only in detail. The shortest one is a brief story of how we came to be here and our origins. The other two provide more detail about our culture, physical characteristics, and social structure. They differ in the level of detail as one is made for visitors who will be staying with us for a short time, up to say several months, the longer one is for those who will be with us for an extended period or that we will have extensive interactions with. They are all available.”

Winz declared, “As far as I am concerned I would prefer the longer one, but I don’t know that we can reciprocate.”

Blee noted, “Well, to an extent we’ve already shared some information about our worlds. Once we see what is in your videos we could use that as a reference for sharing anything that we’ve overlooked. Even so, I am sure that there is a lot about our worlds that we don’t know.”

“Well there is no requirement for you to reciprocate,” Deirdre assured them. “Actually I think we’ve already shared a lot at dinner, but there is still a lot for us to learn about each other. You are not the first people we’ve met from the Oreschre World. Our family currently includes some Coschenz people.

“As to us, you’ve likely noticed that we refer to our families as clans. A clan typically consists of 8 to 12 adults but it can be as few as 2 or as many as 16. Both extremes are unusual. Our clan is known as Sarah’s Clan and we have 16 parents.”

“Wow,” replied Jar, Winz, Blee, and Maz.

“How do you decide on a clan name?” queried Jar.

“The members of the clan decide when it forms. From what our parents have shared with us, they chose Sarah since they all seemed drawn to her. This was back when the Órarduine were first coming together as an entity. Some believe that it goes back to when Sarah, Sally, and Rusty first met on a planet known as Earth.”

“Interesting.”

Maz said, “Your family structure sounds similar to ours but the number of adults in ours never exceeds 8 and is seldom less than 4. If I understood what you’ve said, and the interactions I’ve observed, your parents appear to all have equal status. In ours everyone defers to the male member.”

“We see our relationship as a joint effort,” responded Sally. “One of us may take lead when dealing with an issue. Who fills that role depends on the situation.”

Jar said, “I find the bluntness of this evening’s conversations very refreshing.” Blee, Winz, and Maz gasped as everyone in Sarah’s Clan chuckled. “Well it is true,” he added looking embarrassed.

With a smile Erin replied, “We think of it as being ‘frank’ or ‘plain spoken’. Some see blunt as a rather harsh word.”

“Thank you. Either of those words is much closer to what I meant. My excuse is that this is the first time I have had to express myself in Standard to someone who didn’t know our language or culture. Today there have been times when I was uncertain as how to express myself. There were also times that the comments I heard didn’t seem right.”

“Please, while you are with us always ask for clarification if you didn’t understand what someone said. Our preference is for people ask for clarification when they have any doubt. The basis for this stems from us spending a lot of time in hostile environments. In places like that errors that would be a minor issue on a planet are often deadly, in an environment such as space for example. Telepathy does give us a very efficient way to communicate in hostile environments but the fact that we are telepathic doesn’t mean we know whether a person understands what they heard.”

“I’ll remember that.”

Winz said, “From what I’ve heard your world seems to be very different from the one we grew up in.”

“In what way?” queried Earnán.

“Well I am not sure where to begin listing the differences I perceive although we did mention some at dinner. A key one is the way you all interact. You are all very open and sincere. Then there is the way you dress. Most amazingly, it seems that everyone listens before responding.”

Maz added, “I suspect the Elders had a fit when they learnt that we left the ship without seeking their permission.”

“They did, and were rather belligerent when they complained to our people,” responded Terry.

“I imagine Cathan was able to handle it.”

“She did.”

“She is really nice, as is her whole clan. In fact I’ve probably enjoyed interacting with them more than the others. I suspect that is because we know her family better than the others.”

On entering Dóchas’ bridge some of Sarah’s Clan went to their consoles and signed in.

Moya said, “As you’ve likely guessed, this is where our parents spend a good bit of their time. Sarah, Rusty, and Sally usually sit in the three seats in the center. Currently everyone else is near their primary station. Each of them has two primary specialties, but they can fill any role. While our parents are the Command Staff for this ship there are two other clans that can fill the roles in their absence. When holding at a location, like now, our ships don’t require a physical presence here, however when underway a clan is always present on the bridge.”

“This is amazing,” said Winz as she looked around. Her friends nodded indicating their agreement. “It all seems much more complex than what is on our ship.”

“It could be as I haven’t seen the bridge on your ship.”

Alison said, “There are about twice as many consoles used to manage this ship as there are on the passenger ships we are using.”

“So, are you ready to see the rest of the ship?” asked Keri.

“Sure,” replied Maz. “When is your rest period?”

“For the day shift, it generally begins in about 2 to 4 hours. Our day is 30 hours long and we’ve split it into 3 - 12 hour shifts. This results in an hour overlap at the beginning and end of a shift. All the dining rooms set out a fresh buffet 2 hours before and 1 hour after each shift, as well as for 2 hours at mid shift.”

“Wow. So tonight was a typical selection?”

“Yes and it changes during the week.”

Winz said, “Earlier you asked if we had seen any videos about you. I now remember that they were mentioned several times, but it was as something we would be shown in the future. I guess there was never an opportunity as we’ve been really busy assisting your people since we came out of hibernation.”

Jar said, “Perhaps the Elders were delaying them being shown, but as you noted we’ve been very busy, although things appear to be slowing down.”

“We heard about the assistance you’ve provided and we really appreciate it. Our Teams feel that you made a difficult task much easier. Thank you.”

“Well,” responded Jar, “there were times when it seemed like our elders were not pleased with us assisting you all.”

“That was also noted and we aren’t sure what to make of it.”

Looking at their parents Iris said, “You know, if they stayed here tonight we could show the videos this evening. That way we could give them a tour of the ship after breakfast.”

“That is fine with us,” responded Maeve. “I think it would benefit them to see the videos sooner rather than later. It also has the advantage of addressing issues they may be reluctant to ask about.” Turning to the four she said, “While this wasn’t intended, due to how late it is you all are very welcome to spend the night here. Alternatively we can take you back to your ship then tomorrow our children could bring you back for a tour. However, we are scheduled to leave for Tara shortly after breakfast.”

“Tara?” enquired Jar.

“Tara is our short name for Tara Ardchlár which is our settlement on Ananu. Tomorrow morning we are schedule to meet with your ship’s officers to discuss their situation. Then in the afternoon we are to meet with the passenger representatives, or more correctly Elders.”

“Will we need to be there?” queried Blee with a frown.

“From our perspective you don’t need to be, however they may feel differently if they believe they are responsible for you. This will be especially true if you decide to stay here tonight. Having said that, and remembering the ruckus they raised about your departure, I am inclined to think that staying here tonight would be best. Moya and Keri can bring you to Tara for the meeting. Your presence at the beginning would assure them of your wellbeing. Once the meeting is underway you could leave when our children do.”

“Once they see us I am not sure they will let us out of their sight,” said Blee. “In the past they’ve made things very difficult for anyone who didn’t agree with them. On top of that my clan is not one they particularly care for, well except for the talent we have. Even though they needed the talent, they always found fault with how it was used.”

“Well as you are in our world you can now look at it a little differently. You are all old enough, and mature enough, to make your own decisions and thus benefit, or otherwise, from those decisions. They cannot force you to do what you don’t let them impose on you. We realize that there could be consequences to dismissing any demands they make. Even so, while taking into account how they affect others you should make your decisions based on your wellbeing and desires.

“Also, although it hasn’t been specifically stated, we have the impression that many of your breed have paranormal abilities. While we don’t know any specifics regarding those abilities, you having them is not an issue with us provided they are not used in a negative or threatening manner. So based on your recent comments and current body language, we will support you.”

Marnia said, “You are welcome to spend tomorrow with us. After the tour there are some tasks that we need to do, but there isn’t any reason you couldn’t hang out with us as we do them. If we went to the meeting with you, then we could simply leave as a group like Maeve suggested.”

“Thanks,” replied all four with smiles.

Maz added, “While that might work, it wouldn’t surprise me if they tried to compel us to return to the ship with them.”

“We can assure you that they will not be able to compel you to do anything,” said Janet firmly but with a smile.

“Marnia, while we don’t know the tasks you need to take care of tomorrow, we are willing to assist you where we can,” added Winz with a smile. The other three nodded their agreement.

Jar added, “While I would be interested in seeing how they react to your directness, I would prefer that I wasn’t in the same room.”

“Let’s back up for a minute. I gather you like the idea of spending the night here,” queried Maeve.

Winz looked at the others then said, “We would like that if it is not inconveniencing you.”

“It is not. Actually it is a pleasure to have your company. We will let Cathan know of the change. Moya, Keri, will you arrange their accommodations?”

“Certainly,” they both agreed.

“Presuming you are still here tomorrow evening, please join us for dinner.”

“Are you sure?” queried Winz with a concerned expression.

“Definitely. You are certainly welcome to spend another night, or more, here.”

“I suspect something is afoot.”

“Only time will tell. By the way, we thought there were only two breeds on Oreschre.”

“Our group of families is a very small segment of the Coschenz breed. Our breed differs in that many have abilities which you referred to as ‘paranormal’, which is a word I am not real familiar with.”

“Paranormal abilities typically are invoked or initiated by using special words or symbols. This is not true for those with psionic abilities. It is not clear to us whether the two types of abilities draw on the same source or not.”

“In general many of the Oreschre World view our paranormal abilities with suspicion. Many times we were blamed for incidents that weren’t easily explained, especially by those with limited education or strong biases. At times the accusations led to violence and death.”

Tara said, “It is late so let’s save that topic for tomorrow.”

Deidre said, “Now let’s go watch a video or two. On the way, we can show you where you will be staying. The compartments we have in mind are next to ours.”

After their children and guests had left the bridge Sarah said, “Are we jumping to conclusions?”

“Well, considering how these ‘Elders’ have been acting, no,” replied Janet. “Based on what we learnt this evening, I guess we should be referring to them as ‘Elders’ rather than ‘passenger representatives’.”

“We may not have a full grasp of the issues due to the fact that that our perceptions are based on interaction with 14 out of 10,000 or so passengers,” added Alena. “Right now I think that all the passengers should participate in any decision regarding the group’s future because it will be different to what they originally agreed to.”

“I agree, but that means bringing them out of hibernation,” responded Janet. “How long would that take?”

“That depends on their setup,” noted Judy. “Although we are still discussing it I don’t see any alternative. There are several issues that this detour has handed them. A key one is due to them using a fixed duration hibernation profile. While hibernation time can be shortened with minimal consequences it cannot be extended without risking the loss of over half those in hibernation, and likely more. Even then some of the survivors would be impaired to some degree. If they had used a flexible profile then this would not be an issue. However, the flexible profile requires more sophisticated equipment.

“As to the passengers current condition, our medical staff has significant concerns. These are based on the current messages being issued by the individual units to the hibernation AI. As a result we’ve discussed doing a detailed evaluation of all hibernation units. At this point we haven’t committed to doing that. Considering what I’ve heard this evening from our visitors, I am convinced that we should start immediately. However, it will likely put a strain on our resources and likely result in a lot of flak from the Elders.”

Jill said, “Can Jade help? What about the Atewa and Monque?”

“Good questions. I don’t think Jade has been asked. Perhaps our Medical AI can query her?”

“That would be less obvious than having the ship’s crew do it.”

Star added, “I will contact our AI.”

“Thanks.”

“As to the Atewa and Monque assisting, we can ask,” responded Judy. “Before we do that we should define what we want to accomplish and a probable sequence. The Elders will likely object.”

Alena said, “Strictly speaking, that is all they can do.”

Rusty said, “After we meet with the two groups we should have a better understanding of the situation. Our fellow Councilors may see things a bit differently than we do.”

Siobhan said, “We enjoyed the youngsters company at dinner this evening. I suspect Anna and Mark will join them tomorrow.”

“So you heard our conversation.”

“Part of it, however, we weren’t paying close attention. The reason we reached out is that we don’t think you noticed the change in meeting times. The meeting with the ship’s officers is now tomorrow right after lunch. Meeting with the passenger’s representatives, or Elders, is now set for the morning of the 35^th. Security and Intelligence initiated the change as they need more time to study the data they have collected. It wouldn’t surprise me if they asked for more time.”

Erin responded, “So all the pieces are not quite what they first seemed.”

“Are they ever? But I am not sure that that is the issue.”

“Once in a while they are.” Erin laughed.

Rusty said, “Regardless of the status of the data analysis, we need to meet the representatives on the 35^th.”

“We agree,” replied Conan.

Tara said, “Well I think it is time to call it a day. The next couple of days should be interesting.”

“Isn’t every day?” queried Aisling with a smile.

“Yes, Some more than others.”

“Sleep well,” said Siobhan’s Clan. “We enjoyed our excursion and we should do it again.”

“We did as well and you sleep well also.”

On the way to their suite Sarah said, “I am ready for a day of quiet relaxation with all of you.”

Aoife said, “Let’s schedule it. But it will be at least four days off.”

“I like that,” responded Joyce. “We might even be able to slip in a few relaxing evenings.”

“True. I really like that thought.”

“Well we’ve done that for martial arts practice,” responded Tara. “I think it has helped.”

Sarah, Siobhan, Keriann, Kathryn, Maureen, and Erica watched the officers from WZA90001 approach Central Square. With smiles they said, “Good afternoon, and welcome to Tara Ardchlár.”

“Good afternoon,” replied Captain Orengok.

“We trust that your ride here went smoothly.”

“Yes.”

“We believe you have been shown images of us, so let’s hold introductions until we are inside where the others are waiting for us.”

“Yes your people on our ship showed us images of you all. They also provided us with some background on your World.”

“Good,” responded Siobhan as she gestured for them to walk with them.

“We’ve heard stories about you all at a couple of space ports. Some of those stories were unbelievable.”

“After our meeting perhaps you would share them with us,” said Keriann. “Since we don’t have commercial ships we haven’t heard any of them.”

On entering the auditorium the Órarduine could tell from the visitor’s expressions that they were a bit overwhelmed when they saw the size of the group there. After giving them a few moments to recover the Councilors said together, “Welcome to Tara Ardchlár on Ananu in Celia System. Today there are only some of the six Councilor Clans present. Two Councilor Clans are currently visiting another solar system. To hopefully make things easier, we will introduce ourselves in two steps. We will identify the individual clans then each member will introduce themselves.”

With a smile Siobhan continued, “There is no intent for this to be a memory test, so there is a seating chart showing who we are on your table.” Her comment prompted several of the visitors to smile.

After the Órarduine presented their clan groupings they each introduced themselves and formally greeted each of their visitors as they did so. When the introductions were finished Amy said, “There are refreshments on the counter. Please help yourselves at any time. Shall we take our places so we can begin?”

“I am Kathryn of Kathryn’s Clan. You are likely wondering why we’ve asked to meet with you since you’ve already spoken to our Intelligence and Security groups about your trip here. We’ve read their reports but there is nothing quite like hearing the information first hand. We gather that you were all surprised to learn that you were over twice the distance of your planned journey from your intended destination.”

“Very much so,” quickly replied Captain Orengok with the others nodding or mumbling their agreement.

“We understand that you’ve done this type of journey before, so what do you see as being unique about this one?”

“Ending up where you found us,” replied First Officer Murzinx prompting a lot of laughter.

“Good point. However, it doesn’t explain how the pirates knew you would be there so we would like to go over the sequence of events leading up to your arrival, beginning with when you were hired and ending when we found you.”

Captain Orengok interjected, “Before we get into that, I would like to note that while we weren’t very happy when we woke up, we are now very grateful that it was you who woke us up. I am not sure all the passenger representatives feel that way.”

“Actually we weren’t that close to your location when we noticed the presence of your ships. If you hadn’t paused for as long as you did, we probably would not have investigated. So how often have you relocated people for the Oreschre?”

“This was the fifth group. The first four groups were taken to planets that already had established settlements. This was the first time we were taking a group to an unsettled planet. Due to this our contract covered a longer time period.”