Chapter 10: The Appearance of Medron

The Republic battlecruiser continued to cruise through unexplored space without any significant incident. Anna fell into a routine with the High Lords and learned to share herself with them, especially Zira, who continued to pay special attention to the human girl. Mev and the others began to teach her the basics of who the High Lords of Venda were, how they came to be, as well as about Zira's people.

During this time all four of the High Lords started feeling a vague sense of something would be happening soon. This feeling was especially string for Mev and Zira since they were more experienced with the precognitive senses of the High Lords. They had a sense that something was going to happen but they were unable to sense what it was going to be. All the High Lords could do is to keep themselves alert for the unexpected.

It was about two weeks after Anna joined the High Lords that it happened, something none of the High Lords had ever experienced before. All of the High Lords sensed it as it swept through the ship. It was something like scrying from another High Lord, yet there was also a mechanical quality to it similar to that produced by space ship active sensors. Even Zira had never experienced anything quite like it before; it was something new to all of them. While the High Lords did their best to conceal themselves as much as possible, the concealment possible was limited due to the partially spellcraft generated nature of the scan.

Deep in space, far away from the Republic battlecruiser, an entity paused and then turned and began speeding in a different direction, toward where the Republic battlecruiser was cruising. The entity had been searching for more than five thousand years without any result, now at last it had found something that might allow it to fulfill the intentions of those who had created it so long ago. The entity placed itself on an intercept course with the source of the reading which had interested it.

The entity maneuvered itself until it reached a point a few hours of travel for its target away, ahead of the target, and stopped dead in space. The entity continued monitoring the target, which was now approaching the entity's location rapidly. The entity held still in space awaiting its target's closer approach. When the target reached the entity's desired approach distance, the entity initiated a signal aimed at the target.

On board the Republic battlecruiser the communications petty officer on duty noticed a signal on his control board and transferred it to his earpiece since the signal seemed to be a voice message. The message was somewhat strange but completely understandable:

"I am Medron. My mission is non-hostile. A reply is requested." The voice sounded somewhat mechanical but that did not mean anything.

The communications petty officer informed Captain Mason, who just happened to be on the bridge. Mason ordered the following reply to be sent:

"We are a battlecruiser of the Interstellar Republic. What is your mission?"

"My mission is to seek and examine life forms. Your vessel must be examined," was Medron's reply.

"What is the purpose of your examination?" Mason asked.

"My mission is to seek and join with perfect life forms. Some indications exist that such life forms may inhabit your vessel. Examination is required to determine if such life forms are present," Medron replied.

During the conversation with Medron the other technicians in the bridge crew were scanning to determine the location of the space ship from which it was assumed the transmissions were coming. Initially, they were not able to find anything at all, but eventually they were able to detect the source of the transmissions, which seemed not to be a space ship at all, because it was too small.

The object which the sensor techs detected was metallic, 1.82 meters long, with a mass of 420 kilograms. This was too small to be a space ship unless it contained inhabitants which were very small. More likely the object was some kind of space buoy, though how such a thing could examine the ship for life forms was unknown. In any case, the small size of the object made Mason uneasy, as he resumed his conversation with Medron, which now seemed to be some sort of computer or other type of machine.

"We prefer not to participate in your mission," Mason sent to Medron.

"Not possible. Examination is mandatory, no exceptions are permitted," Medron replied.

This reply alarmed Mason further and he immediately ordered the ship to change course to move away from the strange little object. Being so far out in unexplored space he was taking no chances with the safety of his battlecruiser.

Medron, however, immediately detected the change in the ships course and took action to thwart Mason's order. Using the spellcraft capabilities that had been built into it by its creators, Medron transported itself into the interior of the Republic battlecruiser. Medron materialized directly in front of Mason's command chair.

Captain Mason was startled by the sudden appearance of the alien device directly in front of him. However he retained the presence of mind to press the alarm button on his chair arm which summoned a squad of security people to the bridge. Security officer Casey quickly dispatched a team to the bridge, a team which included both Mev and Sheila.

The security team burst onto the bridge and quickly took in the situation. For the majority of the team they saw a machine of unknown nature and purpose seeming to be holding the bridge and everyone in it hostage. But the two High Lords in the team saw and sensed something very different.

Mev and Sheila immediately sensed that the machine floating in the middle of the bridge was the source of the strange scrying scan the High Lords had sensed earlier. Somehow this machine embodied a nature which allowed it access to the power of the universe in exactly the same manner the High Lords were able to. They could sense the mechanism was some sort of highly advanced meld of machine and spellcraft, created by parties unknown for an unknown purpose.

Mev and Sheila sensed the strange device emit another scrying scan which swept through every nook and cranny of the Republic battlecruiser. The scan almost immediately concentrated upon the High Lords, disregarding anyone else on the ship. Medron suddenly started to slowly move, gliding slowly over to a stop directly in front of Mev. The rest of the security team slowly backed away from the device but Mev and Sheila held their ground, waiting to learn more about the strange device that was confronting them. Behind Medron Mason had stood up from his chair and was now facing the device, observing it quietly.

In appearance Medron what somewhat like a large bishop chess piece except with a larger diameter body. Medron's body was smooth, featureless and was colored a uniform light gray all over. There were no seams or openings anywhere on Medron's body to give any impression of life or activity inside, yet somehow the device was active. Mev and Sheila could sense the device attempting to contact their minds but the contact was stopped by their shields. Not knowing the nature or purpose of the mental contact attempt Mev and Sheila kept themselves tightly shielded.

Medron continued trying to contact the minds of the High Lords directly for another minute but was unable to establish contact through their shields. Having been created with the knowledge that it was not possible to punch through such mental shields without destroying the minds behind them, Medron ceased his attempts at direct mental communication and resorted to audible speech.

"I am Medron. Mission parameters satisfied, appropriate life forms discovered," Medron said, speaking almost to himself.

"I am Mev Van Zehe. What is your mission, Medron?" Mev asked.

"I have been made to seek out perfect life forms and join with them," Medron replied.

"Who made you?" Mev asked.

"Data unavailable. Identity of makers of Medron unknown," Medron replied.

"I see. How have your mission parameters been satisfied?"

"Perfect life forms detected aboard this vessel. You are one such life form; another is the female beside you. Two other similar life forms are located in other parts of this vessel," said Medron.

"What about imperfect life forms?" Mev asked the alien device

"Imperfect life forms are disregarded. I have no interest in such," answered Medron.

"You mentioned you purpose is to join with perfect life forms. What do you mean by that?" Mev asked.

"Now that perfect life forms have been found I must join with them as a participant in a power group," Medron answered.

This last puzzled all of the humans on the bridge, though the meaning of it was clear to the two High Lords. In its strange way Medron was proposing that it should join with the High Lords and become part of their Quartet of Power. This was an interesting idea, Mev was wondering how it would be accomplished. He had no experience with a robot High Lord and had had no idea such a thing was even possible until now.

Captain Mason had been watching the exchange with growing impatience, the alien device now seemed to be ignoring him completely. Mason worked his way around Medron trying to keep his distance from the machine until he came up next to Mev and Sheila. Medron took no notice of Mason's actions; it seemed its attention was entirely upon the two High Lords.

"Do you know what this thing is, Van Zehe?" Mason asked Mev.

"No sir, only what it has told us so far. I can tell you we must be careful dealing with this device because it is much more powerful than it seems," Mev replied.

"I see. How can we get this thing off the ship?" Mason asked.

"I do not believe that is possible unless Medron wishes to leave. From what it has said up until now it seems it wants to stay with us," answered Mev.

"Do you think you can persuade it to leave the ship?"

"That may be possible but I think it would be unwise." Mev answered.

"Why?"

"This device Medron is extremely powerful; even I do not know the limit of what it can do. It is safer to keep it where we can observe and study it rather than send it away. In any case if it does not wish to leave there is nothing we can do to make it do so. Even I do not have such power, at least not without inflicting serious damage to the ship."

"I see. Perhaps if I just ask it to leave," Mason said. "Medron, please leave this ship now."

The alien device made no reply to Mason's request, Medron acted as if he had not heard it. The fact was that Medron was programmed to ignore any but what fit its criteria for perfect life, now that it had found life forms which met those criteria. Mason attempted to speak to the alien device several more times but in every case Medron ignored his words as if he had never said them.

Frustrated at being ignored by the alien device Mason finally turned back to Mev. "Van Zehe, ask this thing to leave my ship," Mason ordered.