Chapter 19: The Duels

Jason invited his uncle and aunt for dinner.

“I have something interesting to show you that I am sure you will find entertaining.” Jason said.

“We have a trade delegation from one of the remote planets to meet, we will be happy to see you all tomorrow. Come to the palace and bring the whole household. The chef wants to make some new foods from Earth that he has been working with.

“I am pleased to hear Winston is back with you and I hear from Nora you had quite an adventure,” Alana said.

Jason asked the AI to summarize the events up until the end of the meeting of the day and send it to Porquenta, Linda, and Andrea, and to Ouma Chatzke with the briefest explanation possible about the reason for the visit to the planet. He thought that the University issues did not need to be explored in any detail for Ouma Chatzke and did not want to waste her time.

At dinner that evening Jason wanted to discuss the security arrangements for the first duel. Jason’s team ensured tight security was in place even though the risk was regarded as low until the Petray bout.

“The families and their corporations have all been infiltrated by intelligence and the homes and every corporate communication is monitored. There is no indication of any hostile behavior. Your first potential victim has been given intensive martial arts tuition to prepare for the duel, but his family are mortified by his actions. We found out each of the five is intending to try and hurt you, Jason in a different part of your body if they cannot win. They drew lots to decide who went in which order.” Jonathan said.

Jason was surprised at how well he slept. He woke early and stretched before being taken to the Heath. The duel was to be to death in each case, unless the potential combatant withdrew. Cassius changed his mind about allowing significant injury as a possibility.

There was to be a week between each duel with Marco Petray going last. Jason did not want to take any chances. He ensured that there were hidden patrolling dogs as well as his own Marines and a hundred boars hidden underground. Gunships were cloaked nearby. Cassius deployed some of his newer weaponry and hundreds of troops. His tanks looked formidable.

The Heath was misty. It was a little warmer than the previous time. Jason saw his opponent stretching and doing his forms, with his family watching him anxiously. They were aware that the emperor could have declared it as treason against his family and confiscated their entire assets without giving their son an opportunity to redeem himself. Marco had been a long-term unsettling influence in his life and his father was similarly meddlesome in their business interests. They had discussed that there was no value in discussing what might or could have been different. Losing a son and a quarter of their assets would be a bitter blow. It was survivable but to lose a son was unthinkable. They believed that Jason was just a human being like their son. They knew that he was from a primitive planet and had convinced themselves that he would have less experience than their son.

The judge arrived in a small shuttle with two assistants. They inspected the ground closely and requested that the two opponents approach to where they could hear his voice. “Today it is a duel to the death by unarmed combat. If you wish to withdraw, this is your last opportunity. Trans-dimensional powers are allowable. There are ten rounds of two minutes each round. If there is no resolution after that time the combatants are permitted to fight with swords based on the same system of two-minute rounds. If there was still no resolution the fight would be judged on points. The fight will commence when I say start. I will count down in reverse from three so you will be prepared. Also know that if any other person attempts to interfere with the bout, or injures any of the combatants then the head of the family will face the death penalty.”

“Turn and face each other. Three... , Two ... One ... Fight!”

Jason used his trans-dimensional powers to hop behind and to the right side of his opponent. Jason struck and broke his right arm. Before his opponent could react he did the same on the other side. Jason then shattered his neck. It was all over in seconds. He died without Jason knowing his name.

Jason contacted and met with Julie and Razza to discuss their project as he missed the start of the project. Each person had made significant inroads into their work. The Charassa AI computer was in the temporary charge of Julia, and was of enormous assistance. They were all learning quickly and found the computer helped catapult them ahead. As agreed they did the work themselves first and then perfected the strategies together with the AI, who was a patient and an excellent coach with an emerging personality of its own.

Jason returned after the duel and immediately busied himself with his part of the project. He was behind everyone else, but he was not anxious about it. He knew they had ample time to finish their tasks. The computer languages of the Empire were up to the necessary tasks.

He went through his work with Razza and Julia to update them and ensure his work fitted the work of others. They were similar in personality and temperament, very well organized and he enjoyed working with them. Both were easy-going and pleasant, but very much kept him on track with what he needed to do to ensure that this he did not reduplicate other people’s work. They had almost perfect recall of everyone else’s work which made his task much easier. In some ways he was pleased that he had missed some time as his role became clearer with the others having done so much more work. They ate lunch together before he returned home to continue with his project until it became time to go to the palace.

Cassius was very cheerful. He chatted throughout the meal until the servants removed the last of the plates.

“One down five to go. You did very well Jason and you are to be congratulated. I suspect that none of them will be able to stand up to you. I wouldn’t be surprised if they all concede other than Marco who has everything to lose.

Jason showed the holo-recording of the recent events.

“How you manage to land up in these extraordinary situations I don’t know.” Cassius said.

“Philippa you look distressed. I think you are going to have to adapt to Jason the trouble black hole in the center of our galaxy.” Alana said. “When I was pregnant I was also much more emotional and worried about Cassius excessively. It is a mammalian aberration.” Alana said compassionately. “As I have aged I worried less, but with recent events and the assassination attempts I have been more concerned. Our men are on the forefront. It is their nature. We stand behind them and protect them as we can!”

“Jason, you have had a more adventurous life than anyone I have ever encountered. You have been in more battles than any general I know and you have been in more fleet battles than any Admiral in the entire Empire. Your life is so extraordinary that it boggles my brain, but also entertains us every day.” Cassius said with amazement on his face.

“This last set of events really takes the cake. You are randomly selected to be a student on a committee. You go off to a primitive planet and get kidnapped by yet another highly advanced race. You fight a cockroach general and the next thing you are the subject of prophecies and seemingly an honorary citizen, and I suspect also part of the royal family. I don’t think my diplomatic corps has achieved as much in sixty-thousand years and I doubt could do the same in another sixty-thousand years.

“Enough of the praise no matter how well earned. I don’t want to give you a swollen head like Marco. Let us move on to update ourselves as to what is happening.” Cassius said.

“Let me see, who should begin? Jonathan perhaps if you could tell us if you have had an opportunity of discussing these events with Ouma Chatzke?” The Emperor enquired.

“Ouma Chatzke congratulates you Jason on another coup. She would love to publicize it but does not want to give anything away to the cockroach spies. She thinks it could make you a bigger target. I’m not entirely sure that you could be a bigger target. Very little has been known about this species. They have kept very much to themselves in their galaxy and had not been interested until your contact in any relationships with any other nation or group. She was aware that the cockroaches had attempted to move into other galaxies but not the specifics. They kept their individual campaigns very much a secret.

“Porquenta is still working on optimizing an avatar and believes that he has no stronger incentive than now. He said that he has never felt more restricted in his entire life. He has now the biggest ship construction facilities in the Empire. He is partnering with your pal Meglith and their family and both are going flat out. He has many weapon production facilities and is building a new generation of Mech Warriors that can also fight underwater. He has produced a million new generation of Marine AI’s and has upgraded a quarter of your other AI’s. He is working on new armor. He has a secret weapon, some kind of massive cannon that he is calling the Dhoomsday weapon of which he has completed a first version and is fully tested and is putting it on dedicated ships.” Jonathan said. “Cassius will tell you about the weapon and his frigates!”

“Porquenta asked me for a hundred of my old frigates. He used one of his mining machines to drill a hole from the front three quarters of the way through the frigates. He has done twelve for me so far and a similar number for you. He said that it was easier to do it that way than any other. He then reworked all the internal conduits and power supplies. The ship has anti-missile and fighter defenses and very little else other than a huge power supply for the shields and cannon. He said that the shields are a new generation of shield and can deal with both cockroach and octopi weapons. The shield can analyze weapon attacks and changes configuration to defend against them.

“Our new big battleships will carry six of these new weapons as will the carriers. He has only done one of your battleships so far Jason. Mine will be ready tomorrow. Back to you Jonathan.” Cassius said enthusiastically waving towards Jonathan.

“Felix and Ouma Chatzke have become good friends and talk weekly. She is sending more educational devices to the Jumo and further help to accelerate their industrial production of some of the more complex electronics they need for weaponry. She has helped them remove a few hundred further cockroaches there and found some more of Razza’s group who elected to become bugs. Bug conversion is accelerating in the Jumo Empire. Ouma Chatzke has helped with their asteroid refit and is building ships there as well in partnership with Jason and Porquenta who supplied equipment and construction AI’s and drones. He is also busy in his asteroid and has the biggest dock near the back where he is busy excavating. Jumo universities have been revamped completely and three hundred thousand Jumo are on Charassa having advanced military training and are learning to work with the others.

“Porquenta or perhaps Mars is upgrading many of their ships using a new dock Mars built in an asteroid and in Porquenta’s asteroids which are now in production. Felix sent fifty-thousand people to Mars and a similar number to Porquenta for shipbuilding.

The bug asteroid is also in production. The bugs won the wager, finishing the single asteroid before Porquenta built two. He wanted to build more mobile defensive asteroids and diverted some of his effort. He says they will be usable as very large ships. They can travel to another position to defend Porquenta or even to another galaxy if needed. Much active trade is occurring between the Empire, Jumo, and the Collective.

“Tens of thousands of the Jumo scientists continue to join the efforts on Porquenta after training on Charassa. Porquenta is supplying a secondary complementary education from his resources for the Jumo and now for our people. His people were extra-ordinary say our scientists who are benefitting enormously. Porquenta says some of his systems are yet to come on line and then he will surprise us all. Many scientists and engineers are helping Mars become operational.

“Ouma Chatzke believes that we have developed more superior vessels for underwater warfare than those that have been seen of the octopi. She has made our vessels so that they can also fly. A very active search in our oceans has commenced. She notes that the pace of activity has dramatically increased in the Empire. Emperor, she says your underwater craft perform impressively.

“Jason with your permission she would also like to test the oceans of your home planet as she believes that the highest probability of an attempted occupation or at least a major probe will have occurred there.

“She would welcome the opportunity when you do visit the Tyrannosaurus Queen to accompany you or at least send a delegation. She has been discussing the impact of your inadvertent campaign with both Porquenta and Montgomery,” Jonathan concluded.

“I feel very much the same and would like to visit another galaxy with such an interesting species with so much promise. What do you think Jason?” Cassius turned to Jason and asked.

“I have a different proposal that I would like to make to Her Majesty Linus Parayekt. If we accept that they have been very insular and inward looking then I do think that a different approach would be valuable. While I have some credit with her, with her sages and perhaps her people I think it would be an ideal opportunity to invite her or a delegation from her planet to come and visit the Empire, then we accompany her to introduce her to Charassa, then let her meet Porquenta and then we take her to earth where we show her how we launch the undersea craft and explain the problem of the cockroaches and the octopi and the impending war.

“Montgomery will want to participate as will Porquenta I suspect. I will contact Emperor Felix and see if he wants to be in on this and propose he might consider a visit here as well. You have not met the Warriors of the Apocalypse, who I can invite as well. They are potentially important allies and should at least receive an invitation. Rover and Aylot should be formally invited to attend as well. They will no doubt be present but I will ask their trainers to present their history if this august gathering occurs. The trainer of the dogs is of an unknown people to me though I have had their medical treatment. The trainer of the boars is an Orc. Perhaps we can also hear of their peoples.

“Her majesty needs to see us in our natural habitats and become more comfortable with us. It will be up to Montgomery as to what he may choose to show her or tell her. We cannot survive on Una and I suspect that she also cannot, but Montgomery is becoming increasingly open and committed to direct participation in the issues of this galaxy and related galaxies. He tells me they are looking for another planet that will support a biological form and be suitable for us to visit them. Now Winston is here with us we can be more regularly updated.” Jason said turning to Winston.

“Montgomery has been speaking with Porquenta who says he has another planet for you and suggests the Una might settle there or on Mars or Porquenta. He spoke only this morning to The One. The Una are few in number and are happy to share with others. He has sent a ship to this new planet and is undertaking preliminary work before talking to anyone about it, but he wanted me to let you know. He told me Jason you and he had spoken of a planet for the Una. The One indicates he would enjoy participating in a meeting here with the dinosaur queen and do the grand tour and would welcome meeting your other friends.

“Jason he tells me your mathematics opens us to the possibilities of inter universe travel. He hopes we can use your work to find our people.” Winston said. “He is keen to talk to Queen Lynas about these issues as they are clearly familiar with such travel.” Montgomery said passionately. “Back to you Jason!”

“It may be that her majesty may decline an invitation. I suspect however that she will be curious. Somehow we have made a big impact upon her and her sages and I think it is up to us to try and help her meet and become familiar with potential allies. She has a great concern about the future of the universe and the role we and they play in it. Let her observe how we are friends and we work together. When I communicate with her I also propose sending her the brief and the extended version of my history in order to put a potential future trip in context and help whet her appetite.” Jason said looking thoughtful.

“I propose I simply contact her and thank her and offer to send her the holo-recordings. Then I will arrange to speak to her in a further week. I will explain to her at that time I thought she might be interested in making a trip and I will invite her as I have described. I will ensure that the copy of the holo-recording will be in their language. My AI has copied the language to Norbert who has converted it to a learning module and simulations, for those of you who wish to learn the language.

“I have felt torn by my obligations to visit Charassa, Earth, Porquenta, and also to establish a relationship with the Parzool people. I have one of my strong intuitions that this is important to cultivate sooner rather than later,” said Jason looking around the table.

“That Jason is an excellent suggestion. I shall strongly support your idea. I would love to visit Charassa again; I would dearly love to see Porquenta and would travel to earth with the greatest of pleasure to meet your family and my loyal exiles. I shall speak to Ouma Chatzke and Montgomery to canvas their views. I would certainly have no objections and every encouragement for you to contact the Queen as you suggest. I will arrange for a further dinner as soon as the discussions are concluded.

“Now Philippa my dear, how is your pregnancy going? You are looking very healthy and I’m sure that you will have a beautiful baby. Was your trip to the Collective successful?” Continued Cassius asking questions and not stopping to hear the answer. Philippa in her own inimitable way gained at least equal time in talking to Cassius. Jason marveled at how they got on so well with each other. He decided that when he returned home he would contact the Queen of the Parzool if she was awake.

When Jason contacted Queen Lynas Parayekt, she was extremely excited and delighted to talk to Jason. She said that she was enjoying telepathy and the use of it was spreading rapidly through her Empire. She asked Jason about possible teachers so that they could fully realize their skills and capacities.

“Your Majesty that can be easily be arranged. Telepathy has a long history in the civilizations with which I am associated. There are many very high level experts who can teach techniques such as making your mind impervious to others hearing your thoughts. Interrogation techniques are important. Focused conversation is also possible and teachable. There are many skills that are involved some of which are easily taught but others need extensive training. I have a potential proposal for you.” Jason explained.

“May I send you two holo-recordings? They will provide you with a background on my history and will raise several further questions for you. I send these to assist you in understanding what we are facing but it may help your sages match the history with your Chronicles. There is a short hour and a half version and a longer version that will take you nearly a day. It will provide you information on all the beings I am involved with and may provide you and your advisers with some ideas. The short answer is that it is easy to facilitate teachers. In a week, we can discuss very much more detail if any other issues arise.

“I can say that my visit to you has excited enormous interest in you, your people, and your civilization. At some later time at your convenience we would be greatly appreciative of some of the history of your civilization.

“I am now sending the two holo-recordings and if I may I would like to talk further with you in a week or if you feel ready to do so earlier feel free to contact me,” said Jason before the Queen cut the transmission. Jason thought he would be very surprised if she waited longer than two days.

The next day was still part of the weekend and Jason kept himself busy all day on his project and on ensuring that he was fully up-to-date with his university studies.

After dinner, he was contacted by Queen Lynas who was even more excited than the previous day.

“Jason I cleared my day and watched the longer version first with my sages and advisers. It was of enormous assistance to our intelligence group to be aware that the cockroaches have been infiltrating other societies using genetic manipulation. We were not aware of the octopi and their activity in oceans. Those bugs with whom you are associated probably are at a similar level to us from a technological perspective and it will be of value to us to meet with them. We will value a meeting with your emperor, The One or as he is known as Montgomery in his avatar form, Ouma Chatzke as well as that extraordinary Porquenta. We are not aware of the Warriors of the Apocalypse. Mayhap we met them in another form?

“One of our advisors is a medical specialist. We have never considered transforming into other forms despite our knowledge of alternative dimensions. The ideas that they have developed greatly inspired us. Can you imagine being able to change into our form, a bug and human!

“I understand you were considering a proposal. What do you propose young Jason?” Asked the Queen.

“I would propose that you bring your fleet, your advisers, some medical specialists, some technologists in various specialty areas as well as scientists, military specialist and others come for a formal meeting with the Emperor Cassius and with the others who can visit. Times are dangerous so bring a fleet or fleets large enough to face any surprise attack. We will then visit the bugs and the Collective, Porquenta next and following that we can take you to Earth where I believe you may well have had ancestors or a parallel group to yourselves. We will demonstrate how we are hunting the octopi in the ocean,” suggested Jason. After that we could visit the Jumo who have also expressed a strong interest in meeting you. They also extend an invitation to visit them.

“If this concept appeals to you then I shall liaise with the leaders and get back to you with proposed dates. I have already proposed the idea to Emperor Cassius, but have not had the opportunity to speak to all the others and obtain their views about a meeting in the Empire first. We can make sure that you and others have some tuition with experts in telepathy,” continued Jason, “the Jumo are also interested in more telepathic experience and are keen to see if I can show them how to unlock their own potential in the area.”

“This is indeed a most interesting and appealing idea. We have tended to become over insular and over preoccupied with our own issues. We will be interested to see other worlds and other species. Please confirm with the others that we would be interested in exploring this idea further,” said the Queen contemplatively.

Jason confirmed with Jonathan the positive interest of Queen Parayekt and sent a message to Cassius and Felix to say the same. He said that the University would be in recess for three weeks and the semester ended in a further two weeks. He spoke to Jacques at some length, sent him the background of how he met Queen Parayekt, and updated him on the current situation. He contacted Basil the trainer of the dogs and briefed him, as did he do the same with Greb.

Jason entered a meditative state and communicated the same to Porquenta and to Montgomery. They agreed immediately and within minutes he had confirmation from both Cassius and Ouma Chatzke. Jason then sent a message to the Queen with the proposed dates saying that he had a flexible period of three weeks. He said it appeared that he was the least flexible of all of them being in the power of the University.

Within minutes it was confirmed that she would arrive on the evening that he completed his term studies at the University. He confirmed this to Ouma Chatzke inviting her to visit the Empire at the same time and travel with them. He contacted Jacques of the Warriors of the Apocalypse and talked to Rover and Aylot who were beside themselves with excitement. He conveyed the same to all the parties involved. Porquenta noted to Jason that he now had a deadline to complete his avatar who would accompany them. He said he was greatly looking forward to the visit as he had been very stimulated working with the bugs, Empire and Jumo scientists and the more technological priests and had been very busy with upgrades and they were full of ideas of further weapons, power systems and new propulsion systems that had arisen from Jason’s unique mathematics and some of his physics.

“Jason, I have continued to practice gossip. The little piece of gossip that may be of some entertainment for you is that apparently the mathematicians and the physics people were waxing lyrically about what you have done.

“The professor of IT who you contacted was thrilled to be contacted and to supply one of his beloved AI’s. He wanted to see what you will do with it and is on tenterhooks waiting to see what will happen. The AI design has been a work of a lifetime for him and he believes that it just needs someone to do a few unique things to show its capacity.

“He has boasted in anticipation of anything you do that you will do something spectacular and has involved himself in many bets with the mathematicians and physics professors. They have informed him that you are unique to physics and mathematics and there is nothing new in the world of information technology that they have seen in the last quarter of a million years that has interested them.

“The corollary of this little event is that he had some communication with your IT professor in the Empire who has been converted to a bug and received the advanced bug education. Your IT professor had said to the professors of mathematics and physics at your university that because of the boasting he heard incessantly, he had set an impossible task for a group of undergraduates, but would generously mark you on your efforts. He said it would take a team of a hundred specialists a hundred years to conceptualize the task and another hundred to do a half a job.

“He intends as part of your practical to attach you to some of the massive database systems within the Empire to see if any of your concepts and approaches work. He does not have much faith in your little groups. This excited the professor on Charassa who promised your professor that you would solve the problems. They also have a friendly wager. They have also become great friends. The wager has grown in both universities involving the science, engineering, and IT faculties. Your professor has been to visit Charassa this week and was shown the AI that was sent to you. He is of the belief and told his friend from Charassa that he thought that it was a great device and was a good program debugger and would speed up programming slightly increasing your chances, but you would need to have the appropriate concepts to solve the problems.

“He also said that the AI could be a hindrance as it had been based on the Charassa programming languages. These little byplays have provided much entertainment at both universities. The greatest consensus is that you may have some talents in the mathematics and physics areas but it is unlikely to extend to an entirely different domain. The unbelievers say the trans-dimensional boxes are not a proof of anything. You simply used a plan as you said. The believers say your proof of concept using Empire Mathematics and Physics was the work of a genius. I Porquenta am betting on you as is Montgomery and Winston.

“This database search question is an area that I know well Jason, so that I know that these problems are solvable. They were solved in our time and I believe they think they have mastered the issues on Charassa a long time ago. If these solutions were truly great, they would not be wasting so much time chasing spies who entered their systems so successfully. The bugs have definitely not mastered the search methodologies themselves. I showed them a tiny amount of what I could do in the War College. They have not followed up, which is sad.

“Every time a new method of deception is discovered, the system should be able to review all its past findings, and go through the data again to catch everyone who used that method. As data gets bigger and bigger it gets harder and harder to seal all the cracks. How does one go through the records of crimes, particularly those of cyber criminals and incorporate traps for every single one of their methodologies? If someone gains entry by the falsification of a record how are the records tracked and checked so that this can be picked up? The system can get progressively more and more unwieldy and this is the fundamental problem that is often faced. Every approach has been forced to use assumptions that do not change flexibly enough to deal with new problems.