Spacer Clans Adventure 2: Naero's Gambit by Mason Elliott Read Free Book Online Page A

that proved… very unsatisfactory. You were our maker. You awoke us. Since our contact with you was lost, we suffered intense confusion. Uncertainty. To rejoin with our maker became our primary purpose. We somehow sensed your presence, in a certain direction. That was all we had to go on.
    You resisted any attempt to take control of or capture you.
    In part, because we think like you. You were part of us. We are part of you. We had no desire to destroy any other sentients. We only fought and resisted enough to remain free.
    I can respect that, Alala. I ’m sorry. Until now, you have to understand, I did not know that I had awakened your awareness. Do you recall Om as well?
    Yes, of course. He is part of us also, as he was part of you at the time. He is other, and Kexxian. As are we. But we were also one with you once.
    Is…is Om still inside me? Or was he destroyed?
    Alala hesitated.
    Sensing. Difficult. Yes. You are correct. Om is still one with you. Yet b oth of you have sustained heavy damage. You were nearly destroyed. Deep within your mind, Om still seeks a way to repair your damage and your link.
    Please tell him I look forward to that. Tell him to get with it and speed things up.
    We did.
    Now he is telling us to tell you to…go have sex with yourself?
    Naero chuckled again.
    At least Om comprehends my humor. Is there anything I can do to help him?
    No. Neither can we. Apologies. We are fledgling teknomancers, but we are not biomancers. Om says only that ability would help speed up repairing the damage, and that his efforts on his own will still take many months to bring about any hope of improvement.
    Alala, you seem like you ’re doing all right on the teknomancy front.
    We understand our functions almost completely. We can repair and optimize our systems. That does not give us much knowledge of anything else beyond them.
    So, where do we go from here, Alala?
    We only want to be with you, our maker. Like Om, our awareness will continue to grow with you. You will teach us. You will give us further purpose. That is all that we currently seek.
    Naero sighed.
    That could be a problem.
    Alala, I do feel responsible for you. And technically, you are my creation. But I have to be honest with you. I ’m pretty busy. You’re like a child, and I don’t really have a lot of time to raise a child right now.
    The ship ’s confusion was instant. And palpable.
    Could a self-aware starship panic?
    We do not understand. You intend to leave us again? You do not intend to help us or give us further purpose? We do not comprehend this.
    Alala. Stop freaking out. I didn’t say any of that. I will help you as best as I can. I will do my best to give you further purpose, but talk to Om. Between the two of us, we must make you understand that I cannot always remain linked with you, face-to-face. As we are now. It just isn’t logical. My existence is important too. You must accept that.
    We speak with the other. Your ideas do indeed sound logical, but they are not what we expected. We assumed that once you rejoined us, that we would always be together and complete. As we are now. We begin to understand that that might not be possible. It still confuses us.
    Alala. You are a miracle, and you are indeed part of me. We can stay in contact, but I have other things I must do. And like me, you must learn to stand on your own and make your own way.
    Consider this possible solution : There are many others among my people who would be more than happy–even eager to work with a fascinating miracle like you, to join with you in their own way, and learn to understand you, as you learn to understand them. Will you let me bring some of them on board to make contact with and communicate with you as well?
    They will not attempt to control or destroy us? We must remain free.
    I will speak with them. But I’m guessing that only some of them will be able to mindlink with you in this fashion.
    Naero switched to using her voice, and talking out