[The Great Lighthouse] Beyond Smoke and Mirrors

[MissingNo]

The Great Lighthouse was all but abandoned after the Genocide. The Free State had moved on after its deactivation, forming new hubs and avoiding putting so many resources into a single outpost as before. Planets were useful, but they were no home to the Freespacers.

In the absence of a designated colony, the Lighthouse became home to a ragged collection of small-time pirates that didn't do anything, a few smugglers who just wanted to make enough to buy fuel, and a small group of ‘spacers who had designated themselves mourners holding an eternal vigil, speakers for the dead to anyone who wished to listen. The three groups respected each other, trading resources in return for being left to their own devices. After a time, though, they even defended each other against outsiders trying to move in on the territory by force. It was a beneficial arrangement for all involved.

Over the previous four days, however, The Great Lighthouse had seen a flurry of Freespacer activity in preparation for the meeting of Free State and YSE.

On the first day, a scout vessel had arrived and set up a single rift generator, large enough for itself to fit through. Instead of going through, however, it attached and activated the rift, allowing several Phantasms to slip through. The Phantasms performed a scan of the Lighthouse, then scattered throughout the star system, dropping sensor buoys at apparently random places.

Back at the rift, a very large structure was pushed through. The structure was in a collapsed state, long and narrow enough to fit through the gate as a model ship with its sails down is able to fit into a glass bottle. Once it was through, the structure clanked (mutely, in the vacuum) into its proper form: A cylindrical space station with a central hub and three stubby docking arms near the top quarter. It was clearly a temporary outpost, but it would serve its purpose.

At first, the pirates and smugglers were apprehensive. Their concerns were quickly answered by their contacts among the vigil-keepers, and most had made themselves scarce for the duration of the construction, intending to stay away until the event had passed. The few who didn’t were sworn to peace by their neighbors and given an ultimatum: If they caused any trouble, then they would no longer be welcome at the Lighthouse. Some grumbled, but accepted the terms.

On the fourth day, the mothership fleet slated to greet the YSE convoy arrived and scattered her scouts to scour the system yet again. More buoys were launched, two more stations of the same configuration as the first were delivered and set up, and everything was set into position. By the eleventh hour of the fifth day, they were ready.

 

[Doshii Jun]

Yamatai arrived at the fifth hour of the sixth day.

The first ship to arrive was a military vessel, small and sleek, and remained just outside of the 1 AU radius agreed to by both parties. The Freespacer crews immediately became aware of several strong active sensor "pings" against their vessels and structures, but that was all. The pinging stopped after about 20 seconds.

After that, the rest of the convoy arrived. Seven large, oval-shaped vessels, each a glittering white with yellow wings, leaped into the space below the small vessel in a line perpendicular with the Lighthouse's y axis. They stopped once they appeared.

Another three vessels emerged from the emptiness, a few thousand meters dorsal to the freighters. Each was similar to the smallest one, but two were larger and more dangerous looking. Weapon-like objects seemed clustered on the surfaces of the pair, and each had a shining, sword-like prow.

The third, between the other two, was painted a dull grey and did not have any weapon-like objects.

The third sent a signal to identify itself as SS Premier One. The freighters had various names to them, all in Yamataian. They began to move ahead, past the 1 AU boundary and toward the mothership, while the sword-like ships remained still for a moment, then seemed to slide away, rimming the boundary.

"SS Premier One, hailing Freespacer mothership. Freespacer mothership, please reply." The voice was a female one, business-like but cordial enough with her Nepleslian.

 

[MissingNo]

There were several buoys in the area the ships appeared in, which drifted away as the first ship performed its pings. After the first ping, half of the Phantasms redirected toward the YSE vessel while the remainder filled their spots in the patrols throughout the star system. The investigating ships took up a holding pattern about two light-minutes away while performing scans of their own.

As the other ships arrived, most of the Phantasms returned to their patrols while about twenty-five stayed behind and slipped among the YSE convoy and its escorts, several of the agile fighters performing playful spins and loops like spaceborne dolphins around the arriving vessels as their scans swept over the newcomers. Every once in a while, radio chatter between them was picked up by the convoy, mostly containing "Watch this!" and "Two days' rations you can't do--" whatever the dare was. But, once the Premier One sent out its hail, they slowed their maneuvers and regrouped in rather chaotic holding patterns between the convoy and the Lighthouse as the mothership made its reply transmission.

"--ey, they're here!"

"I know, s'bout time. Weren't they supposed to be here yesterday?"

"No no no, they said they'd be settin' out on the fifth day. Weren't you watching? Have ya sent a reply yet?"

"Was gonna before you showed..."

Microphone scuffing noises blasted over the airwaves.

"Hey! Give that back!"

"What should I say? Envoy thinks they--"

"Nothing, hand it over."

"Hey! You meathead, you've had the mic on! Great, way to--"

"...Gimme that!"

There was more scuffling noise, then the last voice took on a quasi-professional tone that ended up sounding like a hammy radio personality.

"This is the Dissonant Reflection, we read you, Premier One. Um...if you do not mind, could you tell your escort to tone down the pings? The SI is cussing up a storm, something about 'damn kids and their signal boosters' aaand..." He paused, then continued, his smile audible. "...nevermind that! Welcome to The Great Lighthouse! Let me know when you are ready, and we will get you settled right in."

 

[Doshii Jun]

The Neko captain of the vessel looked blankly at the bridge's main screen from over the shoulder of the communication officer, who also stared at the screen with her mouth hanging open a little.

"Um ... " the Neko communication officer said. "We're really afraid of them, ma'am?"

"Not them," the captain said. "Not militarily, anyway."

"They sound like hacks," the surly Nepleslian pilot said. "Literally and figuratively."

The doors opened at the back of the bridge. A teal-haired Neko wearing a form-fitting blue pants suit and white blouse clicked her way to the main screen, standing on the other side of the communication officer.

" ... " The bridge held their breath, waiting for Premier Yuumi to speak.

"Let's take it in slowly," she said. "Don't want to make them jumpy."

"Yes Premier," the captain replied, bowed, then returned to her station.

"Comm, let me speak?" Yuumi asked.

"Yes Premier," the officer said. A light-blue volumetric headset curled around Yuumi's pointed ear and extended toward her mouth.

"Thank you," Yuumi said, twisting around and giving a nod to the captain, who silently ordered 2 percent throttle toward the Lighthouse.

The Premier's ponytail swished as she left the comm officer's side and began to talk on the headset, pacing on the bridge.

"Dissonant Reflection, Premier One. Thank you for the welcome. The two military vessels in the area should no longer be pinging you. We are headed toward the Great Lighthouse now. We are ready to be guided in at your convenience."

 

[MissingNo]

"Acknowledged, Premier One. The Phantasms will bring you in."

The channel was closed. At that, eight of the Phantasms did about-faces and maneuvered around the cargo contingent of the convoy, the rest remaining in an odd "staring contest" with the much larger military ships.

The Freespacer fighters lead the civilian ships in toward the fractured planetoid and the Dissonant Reflection grew larger as they neared. Almost two thousand meters in length, it buzzed with activity. Two Gypsy-class industrial ships drifted nearby with hundreds of smaller craft while innumerable Junker swarms moved like faint clouds over its hull in preparation for the retrofitting the ship was about to receive.

The hull itself was decorated in the typical 'Spacer fashion, but on an intricate scale: Every Freespacer to ever serve on that vessel had left their mark. Some had followed patterns established by the earliest crewmembers, others made their marks in the spaces between the patterns, a few had left grand-scale designs that spanned large swaths of area with rainbows of color. A few spots showed recent damage, scorch marks clustered in a couple of areas.

The ship had taken up position in high orbit of the Lighthouse, looming over one of the three orbital stations that had been set up. Each of the stations were about twice the length of the cargo vessels, with an assortment of docking ports visible.

As the convoy neared the stations, one Phantasm pulled in front of each cargo ship and the yacht, leading to indicate which station each was expected to go. Two cargo vessels were assigned per station, but the Premier One was signaled to stop, then it was hailed, not from the mothership or the accompanying vessels, but from nearby. The voice that came through the speakers was friendly and sounded well-spoken without being "stuffy". Although polite, it was direct.

"I am the Envoy of the Free State. I will speak for the Deoradh people.

"We welcome you, again, to The Great Lighthouse. Am I addressing the one whom the respected Premier Ketsurui Yuumi has selected to speak for her and her people?"

 

[Doshii Jun]

The crew of Premier One tried not to be lost in the wonder of the Freespacer fleet. The majesty of the Dissonant Reflection was not lost on them, even if they had a feeling the ship couldn't stand up in a fight. The color was so unlike anything Yamatai had ever created, with all of the unusual marks over every time part of the hull. Even civilian ships with the YSE didn't get treatment like this.

It was a work of art, floating in space.

Yuumi's face was indecipherable. She looked at it, then away from it, down at the floating consoles in front of her.

"I am the Envoy of the Free State. I will speak for the Deoradh people.

"We welcome you, again, to The Great Lighthouse. Am I addressing the one whom the respected Premier Ketsurui Yuumi has selected to speak for her and her people?"

"You are," Yuumi replied, sound more friendly than usual, the captain thought. "On behalf of the Yamataian people, I thank the Deoradh for their willingness to meet despite the events of years past.

"I am Ketsurui Yuumi," she said, switching to Yamataian, tone suddenly full of the strong passion of the language. It was a minor gamble, but she believed they knew how to translate her words. "I have come on behalf of the Yamatai Star Empire and her empress, Ketsurui Himiko-sama, to negotiate the government's recognition of the Free State's neutrality in these dark times."

 

[MissingNo]

"I see..." There was a kind of silence. Another voice then spoke, this time in perfect Yamataian, but with the same level of politeness that avoided going overboard.

"We have temporary accommodations set aside, cleaned of radiation and shielded, aboard one of the Sojourner's Shelter stations, where you may also observe the unloading process. I will meet you there, if that is acceptable."

 

[Doshii Jun]

"Thank you, Envoy. I apologize for the minor deception, but I wished to meet you and your people, and it was necessary to conceal my arrival until now. Again, my apologies. I will see you shortly."

She gave the Envoy a chance to issue further instructions while the crew shifted in their seats. Yuumi had not told them when she was planning her "big reveal," but now that it was done, they all felt on edge.

 

[MissingNo]

"There was no deception," said the Envoy. "We will speak more in person; the Phantasm will show you to your port."

The gunship flashed its running lights as the Envoy mentioned it, then drifted toward the Premier's destination. It then slid to one side, waiting for the Premier One to dock before taking up a guard position behind it, looking outward.

As they approached, the sensors might pick up an irregularly-shaped mass, about the size of a shuttle, drifting near the station. It looked like an asteroid, with a rough exterior and a few jagged edges. Further scans showed a faint energy signature deep within it with a series of tunnels, but no signs of explosives or weapons. A few fragments drifted with it.

 

[Doshii Jun]

The mass, and its energy readings, were noted by the crew, but without real weapons, there was little potential for a response to it. The captain made sure it was noted.

Once the ship was docked, Yuumi floated to the airlock, where she was met by her guards.

There were two. One was a tall Neko with bright, silvery hair, while the other was shorter and leaner, with black hair. Yuumi nodded to them, and they bowed.

"You have pistols?" she asked.

"No, Premier," the black-haired one said firmly. "Only melee weapons, as instructed."

"Good. They'll be looking for them." She checked down the corridor behind them, where various technicians were making their way toward them.

She looked back at the two Samurai. She smiled. "Saya-sensei said you both come highly recommended. You protected my sister for some time, Kôsuka-san?"

"Yes Premier," the black-haired one said. "I was eihei-no-insen for the Mistress for several years."

"And this is your charge? Kei, wasn't it?"

The taller one's lips creeped up into a little smile as she went into a smaller bow, but it was gone by the time she rose up. "Yes Premier," she said, a hint of giddy in her voice.

Yuumi nodded, then looked to the airlock, which signaled it was connected to the "shore" and that the outside atmosphere was hospitable to living creatures.

The three Neko headed out of the airlock.

 

[MissingNo]

The airlock opened to a very short hallway with two doors. One was another airlock in the ceiling, while the other was a proper door at the end of the hall. The former was closed and the the latter was open to the hallway. In the open doorway stood a Freespacer Type Three, mostly organic in appearance except for the left eye and the right arm from the shoulder on down. A soft blue glow behind a small, eye-sized lens and molded polymer modeled after a normal human arm with gaps between the joints were the most obvious signs of mechanization. Garb consisted of white, loose-wrap tunic was laced up with colored wires woven together, and pants were held with a tied, ribbon-type data cable.

The Freespacer gave a short wave that could have been shy or nervous before beckoning the nekos forward, nodding with a small smile. The room was moderate in size, with small windows opened toward the loading bays and a round table of about two meters diameter. "Welcome to the Sojourner, honored guests. Please, come in, sit."

 

[Doshii Jun]

Yuumi returned the smile. If only all negotiations started this way.

"It's our pleasure to be here," she said in Nepleslian, calmly striding into the room. The black-haired Samurai, Kôsuka, parted left to that corner of the room that was closest to Yuumi's back; Kei went to the right. Yuumi pulled the chair back set for her and sat herself, scooting it forward with her hands and placing her arms hands in her lap.

She let herself look around. A plain enough room, she thought, with small windows looking over the loading bays. The first ship was headed inward, but stopped several thousand meters short.

She narrowed her eyes and let her mind do a little quick math. Mm. Freighter's too big ... The ship paused and she looked away. She would let her people do their jobs.

The table was plain, too. She liked that it was round. Most tables on Yamatai had defined, rigid sides; many were rectangles. A round table suggested there were no sides, just a position, equidistant from any other, with no borders or separate edges.

Whether the Freespacer across from her thought that way was conjecture at best. Yuumi hazarded no estimates.

The Freespacer seemed almost Nepleslian, considering the cybernetics. Yuumi understood the Nepleslians allied with them for many other reasons, but it could not have hurt that the Freespacers physically did not look so different.

But how did they think?

Not enough information for that. Yet.

* * *

"Fuck," the captain of the first freighter said as his main screen told him what he cursed his AI for ignoring. "Well this won't work."

"Orders, captain?" the helmsman asked.

"Hail the artsy bastards and ask them how they want us to give them this stuff." The captain sipped at his mug of black coffee, lips curled in irritation. "We'll work on their tech, I guess."

"Aye sir," the helmsman said. He tapped a button on his chair. "Dissonant Reflection, this is KZ Delivery I. We've just realized we're not going to fit in your loading bay. If there is another method you would prefer, please let us know, over."

 

[MissingNo]

The Freespacer stood to one side in the room beside the door as the party entered, noting the results of passive sensors in the cybernetic eye and murmuring: "You found loopholes in what you were asked. Interesting."

After they had entered, the greeter turned to Yuumi. The door remained open, but there was no one else in the hallway. With hands folding behind the Freespacer's back, the white-garbed greeter walked over to one of the other windows and glancing out of it to see what Yuumi had reacted to, a mild smile appearing as the incongruity of the unloading procedures was made evident. The station was built as a tube that, overall, would never have been able to house even one of the freighters within it. Its three docking arms that lead into the loading bays were intended as the exchange points, with airlock connectors that could re-size somewhat like camera apertures. Unfortunately, for freighters constructed to land within the delivery point...

"I suppose...this is a not-so-strange situation, at its heart. Whether it is two people or two peoples, misunderstandings hurt more than simply the two, wouldn't you agree?" Walking back to the chair opposite the Premier, the Freespacer stopped behind the seat and placed hands on the corners of the seat's back, not really making any motion to sit. "Like forcing two ships together when their docking systems are not compatible."

---

"Ha! They thought we were going to--" Again, the first voice was quickly cut off.

"Don't be rude, meathead..." The second voice said quickly in a stage whisper before it returned to the radio-personality voice that the Premier One had been greeted by earlier. "One moment, I shall forward your request to the Envoy...nevermind, the Envoy has been notified and your solution is on its way! Sit tight, relax, and let our fine workforce take care of the drudgery!"

Another transmission was received as the first one ended as Junker activity increased on the mothership. The swarms began moving toward the freighters, but then paused when the transmission began.

"KZ Delivery I, this is the Envoy. What is your normal procedure for unloading freight of this mass? Also, what might the shape and size of such material be?"

 

[Doshii Jun]

The comm officer of the KZ Delivery I looked back at his captain, who rubbed his chin as he parsed the situation before him.

"Huh ... tell'em we would normally use tugs."

"Thinkin' to get the others from the other ships?"

"Yeah, gonna have to, unless they want those robot-looking things to haul them off. Don't look big enough for that."

The comm officer nodded and prepared to reply, but stopped and looked back again. "Do I reply to the Envoy or the DR?"

"Shit. Just reply to the Envoy."

The officer turned again, wiping his brow with a sleeve. "Envoy, this is KZ Delivery I. We normally would deploy our tugs to manually unload the cargo, which is in 10-meter cubes. We can do so, using a tug from each of the freighters to transport the cargo to whatever destination you want."

* * *

Yuumi was not sure what to make of those words. Loophole? What loophole? Was that an insult? Whether it was or not, should she take it as one?

She smiled instead. Careful, Yuumi.

"Though incompatible at the start, it does not doom the operation," she replied, tone lightly colored with optimism. "It just makes it a little harder. After all, if everything was so easy, we would not be here right now, trying to patch old wounds."

 

[MissingNo]

The docking tunnels shifted, their apertures growing to about eleven-meter diameters. Meanwhile, the Envoy replied to the transmission from KZ Delivery I.

"Thank you for your offer. Let us try this: Your tugs can move the material from your vessel to the port where the Junkers will move it into the station, as they have more maneuverability. Is that acceptable? Adjustments for efficiency can be made as needed."

---

"In other words, we serve as adaptive interfaces, which allow even a possibility of connection between the two. Like those ships out there, our races want the same thing. To make a connection that doesn't damage either side. However, our natures clash, like the configurations of those hulls out there." The Freespacer leaned forward against the the chair, arms dangling in a childlike fashion over the moderately-high back, which was shoved into the 'spacer's arm pits.

"But we both know the purpose of diplomacy, so I will not belabor the subject. We must take care with our definitions to prevent more damage than has already been done by our respective sides." The Freespacer's head tilted forward and a little to one side, eyebrows raising as nimble fingers intertwined and played with each other. "It has come to my attention that neither of us really knows who we are working with."

Outside the room, a circuit in the Envoy figuratively died upon receiving the result of a Polysentience poll asking for possible opening questions. Somehow, an ancient communications-troll call had somehow passed the voting rapidly, winning with overwhelming numbers. The only thing that kept the Envoy from veoting the question was knowing that the Yamataians were unlikely to recognize the phrase or its origins and original intent. Back in the room, there was a short pause and the 'spacer speaker let slip another amused smile before standing straight again, hands resting on the top of the chair back.

"So...who is your father, and what does he do?"

 

[Doshii Jun]

The KZ Delivery I's captain rubbed his stubbly chin over the idea. The Junkers ... they just didn't look sturdy. Not compared to the tugs, but hell, it wasn't his shit.

"Give'em the OK," the captain said.

The communications officer nodded. "Envoy, we'll start sending out the tugs with the material. Stand-by while we get the others to our position."

* * *

Yuumi took the strange question in stride.

"I have no father," she said. "I had a creator, long ago. Do the Freespacers have parents?"

 

[MissingNo]

The swarms of Junkers resumed their movement, hundreds of them heading toward each of the cargo ships.

The Junkers themselves were widely varying in structure and design. As they neared the Yamataian ships, it became apparent that maneuvering thrusters had been jury-rigged onto many of them and those were towing the rest.

Instead of landing on the transports, the Junkers congregated on the Sojourner stations, clustering around the docking arms and waiting for the tugs to show themselves with the cargo.

---
"Created?" The Freespacer glanced off to one side, then got an "ah-ha" look.

"In answer to your question...sort of. Freespacers are nearly all cloned, in one fashion or another. All Freespacers have an ancestor, in that sense. Sometimes, too, genetic material is recombined and the result is grown. Natural reproduction is exceedingly rare, due to the prevalence of radiation..."

"So, you were created...what do you mean by that? You are organic...you must have had a donor for your genetic material."

 

[Doshii Jun]

The captain looked at the strange array of cobbled-together machines, each carrying a menacing appearance if no weapons.

That he could see.

He didn't understand the Junkers and he didn't like them. But if that's how they wanted their shit, well ... as long as they didn't start shooting.

"Let'em go," the captain said to his comm officer. "Fuck it. Won't know until we try. Keep the guns powered down, but watch them. Moment one of guys is in trouble, power up."

"Yessir," the officer said before giving the order for the tugs to launch.

Slowly but surely, green-colored ships filtered out of the freighter's wide cargo bay portal, each carrying large, strapped-up blocks of Zanarium to hand off. The ships kept their throttles fairly low, not wanting to spook anyone — let alone each other.

After about five minutes, the lead tug came upon the closest Sojourner station and stopped. It was about 700 meters from the station itself. It then radioed Delivery I.

"Hey boss," the woman said. "Do I just set it here or what? They don't seem to have enough bays for all of us."

" ... " The captain realized his plan was not as well thought-out as he preferred. "Sure, drop them there. The rest of the tugs can do the same. Make it pretty."

"Roger," she replied, beginning the process of releasing her cargo.

The captain said to his comm officer, "Tell the Freespacers what we're doing so they aren't pissed."

"Uhhh ... yessir." The comm officer hailed back. "Dissonant Reflection, KZ Delivery I. We're setting down the packages at a distance of 700 meters from the Sojourner station nearest to us. We'll keep a steady pace so your cargo, uh, haulers aren't overwhelmed. Is this satisfactory?"

* * *

Yuumi politely nodded, but in her mind she was highlighting that bit of information. Freespacers reproduced much like the Nepleslians did, at least until recently. The idea of Freespacers and Nepleslians somehow interbreeding was an interesting concept. She bet the DNA was compatible enough for successful births, though the radiation was a problem.

Then again, the Envoy seemed to have no trouble being outside of radiation.

"Not in the strict sense." Yuumi folded her hands in her lap. "I am constructed using a form of my creator's race's DNA, but the actual material of my creation is nanomechanical units. We have been classified as gynoids."

 

[MissingNo]

The Junkers were surprisingly adept at stringing themselves together as they reached out for the blocks, but there weren't enough of them to overcome the blocks' inertia when the Junker-chain reached its maximum length.

A few chunks broke away from the "asteroid" and moved toward the Junker collective, maneuvering behind the nearest block of material and slowly nudging it toward the writhing tendrils of Junkers. With the first block on the move, the "chunks" moved on to the next one and repeated. Soon, there was a semi-orderly delivery line arranged. There was a clear disparity, though, between the movements of the Junkers and those of the self-propelled "chunk" drones, which were actually Sky Swifts, whose external panels were hastily-manufactured and sort-of-intentionally left unfinished enough to look like space rock or metal chunks. The Swifts were precise in their movements, not wasting a bit of thrust while the Junkers clambered over each other like insects as they went about their tasks.

None of the drones or Junkers paid any mind to the tugs or transports, only the blocks of material that the tugs left for them.

---

"Ahh, so you are automata, but biological instead of mechanical. Fascinating." The Freespacer was draped over the chair back again while listening to Yuumi's explanation, before smiling and slipping around the chair to sit down on it for the first time since the meeting began.

"In-Ter-Es-Ting stuff indeeeeeeed..." A brief pause. "Well...I suppose something else should be clarified, before we go on. You may have heard of our Polysentience Network, so hopefully you know that this meeting is being streamed live to any Freespacer who wants to observe?" An eyebrow went up. The question was a preface for something else, but the Freespacer apparently was interested in confirming Yuumi's knowledge and opinion on the matter of having an audience.

 

[Doshii Jun]

The gruff captain and his crew simple watched the machines as they worked. It was impressive in its own way, but the black masses, varying between spindly arms and bulky centers, still gave everyone a bit of the creeps. The captain knew he would be glad when they finished.

* * *

Yuumi affirmed the fact she was being viewed. She heard the subtle shifting of one of her Samurai guards; likely Kei was uncomfortable with being watched. Perhaps Kôsuka was the same. She at least didn't show it.

"As long as I am not asked about state secrets, I am fine with an audience."