CANAISIS ∞ Chronicle Two: A Captain's Journey

69 ∞ Possible Mutiny

Day 00010 Mission Nilex

Gareth listened to his own breath as he worked. Canaisis could do this herself, but he always insisted on performing such tasks. This job wasn't something that needed to be done often, so he wanted to keep his skills sharp. Plus, he really wanted a better look at those ships.

He stepped back and looked over the long cylinder. It was as tall as he was, but when he stood this close, its other end stretched out of sight. He turned to walk around to the other side. It would have been easier out here in the zero-G to go over the top of the cylinder—it had handholds all over it for access—but he needed the exercise. Walking in mag-boots was a thorough workout, but out here under the stars, he didn't mind.

His breath whispered in his helmet, a natural accompaniment to the silent serenity out here. Lately, he'd had too much excitement to suit him, much too much. It had been nice to socialize with his guests until things had gone crazy. Now he wanted his solitude.

Ayla's rejecting his presence had hurt him more than he cared to admit, but it was a hurt he refused to acknowledge. Then there was Lina—what had she meant when she spoke to him? She'd been cryptic as far as he was concerned. This ability of Nilex was almost too much to believe. However, he couldn't ignore Canaisis' evaluation. The emergency had been real. If she said it was so, then it most certainly was. He'd lost track of how long ago she'd been wrong.

The Nilex group had so far conducted themselves with exemplary behavior. He'd watched a replay of Ahmid chastising the one who'd insulted Canaisis. It had been civil but firm, and the employee had obediently gone into cold sleep after apologizing to Canaisis. Gareth had Canaisis run a scan of her memory of Nilex since the arrival of its first members, and no one had displayed any hostile behavior, which he found odd. Usually somebody lost their temper, especially during a loading operation. Was it because they'd been engineered that way? Or was it because they could really feel another's emotions?

Lina had convinced him the Nilex were empathic when, in the medical level, she'd pointed out she could tell when he talked to Canaisis. And if they could feel the emotions of another, how difficult would it be to deceive that person?

Ayla seemed to be straightforward with him that first time in the Garden, but had it been sincere? Canaisis would alert him if someone's voice modulation showed the stress of lying. However, would that be true in this case? There was no way of knowing. Nilex seemed Human enough, so perhaps it was a moot point. Once he delivered them, none of this ship drama would matter. He would check up on them after a few centuries and evaluate their development. If they had aggressive tendencies, it would express itself as they climbed the technological ladder to a space-faring people.

Surviving on a new planet required all the advantages of cooperation that Humans could muster. Conflict was a luxury that couldn't be afforded. He, personally, had seen how fragile Human existence was in the grand scheme of things. Why couldn't Mankind understand that?

Maybe it was because he was no longer immersed in the humanity of Mankind. He was an outsider looking in. The Long Years had changed him. Sometimes he wished he could show someone what he meant, for it could not be described. It had to be felt. The loneliness of it could crush someone if they didn't have something—or someone—to hang on to. It called to him, in a way never to be forgotten.

Humans... Mere microbes trying to cross continents...

He'd made his way around to the other side of the 'telescope' and opened an access panel. 'Telescope' was what it was deemed to be, but it captured much more than the visible spectrum. Once it was aligned, Canaisis would make the course corrections needed to get the picture he wanted.