Spark the Runner Ch. 05

Spark, Okami and Leeanni all looked at her dumbfounded.

We can do that? Okami asked, obviously surprised.

Well, Jamie is, after all, a wirehead, Tonya pointed out. And I have strong datasphere connections. I have not tried directly interfacing to a device such as a printer, or an external storage medium, but in theory one of us should be able to provide the Crescians with detailed plans.

Spark was still mulling over Universal Translator. The last he'd looked, it was still theoretical and nobody had actually been able to build one. On the other hand, the Uni and Dark Lab people back on Earth didn't have access to the Crescian technology, nor the vast experience with alien civilizations, not to mention life forms.

It would probably help tremendously, Leeanni answered Tonya's question. What kind of trade would you be looking for?

Oh, no trade, Tonya answered and Leeanni almost fell out of her chair. We would consider it a Good Will gesture, to further our abilities to communicate among the Trade Alliance peoples.

For the second time, Leeanni looked stunned.

Um, Mrs. McLeod?... Lizzie?... she thought. Do you have any idea how much what you are offering is worth???

Yes, Tonya told her, and right now, building friendships seems much more important than profit.

Leeanni sat back, disbelieving. You're serious, she stated, the question implied.

Yes, I'm serious. And I think Jamie and Okami will agree with me.

Spark was definitely going to agree. He'd suddenly seen the brilliance of Tonya's offer... like a pusher dealing out free samples to build his clientele. Give them something of phenomenal value and have them eating out of your hand. Way to go, wife! he thought to her on their private channel. She just smiled, and he wasn't sure if she'd heard him.

Well, I don't think anyone will argue with me about accepting your very generous offer, Lizzie, Leeanni told her. How would you accomplish such a transfer?

Husband? Tony turned to Spark. Can you interface directly with a printer or storage device? She wasn't about to admit to being able to do it herself. Jamie was a known wirehead.

Not a printer directly, he admitted, but any kind of Earth-normal storage, yes. I'd have to hard jack into it, but I could store data that way.

Then, Tonya suggested, why do we not take the time between now and the first meetings to assemble the appropriate data for them? And you can download it for them.

Works for me, Spark thought back.

Then, Leeanni? Tonya turned to her. May I suggest you alert your research team to the incoming data and arrange for some sort of externally accessible storage device with at least a two gigabyte capacity?

Leeanni looked about ready to bolt, she was so excited.

I can certainly do that, she smiled the strange Crescian smile. By your leave?

Go on, Tonya smiled back. Scoot.

Leeanni did. She hurried to the door and let herself out, headed to report her marvelous news.

Tonya turned to the others as the door hissed shut.

"I have all the necessary data stored in my constructs," she told them. "What I do not have is the quantified, or normalized, language inputs. They will have to supply them, and in some cases get very creative with how they normalize alien speech, versus meaning. There will be a similar problem with conversion to text. What I need you to do, husband, is link up with me and act as a conduit so that it appears you are the bearer of the data while in reality, you will simply be acting as a conduit for me."

"Your command is my wish, oh Fertility Goddess," he smiled.

"You know, Jamie, I do think we should really get married."

Spark gave her a wry smile as he walked over before her, knelt down, took her hand and asked, "Ms. Tonya Levin, would you consent to be my wife?"

"I already have," Tonya looked back at him in amusement. "When I agreed to come to Mars as Mrs. McLeod."

"Tonya, this is a proposal of marriage," Spark told her. "Not a mission cover. I am being serious. For real. Actual marriage."

"Oh." She looked at him for a couple of moments, then smiled and told him, "yes, I accept your offer of marriage, good sir."

"Excellent!" he told her, standing up. "I don't have a ring for you right now, but I'll do something about it. And we can make plans to get married on Mars before you get to showing too much."

"Showing too much what?" she asked, confused.

"Pregnancy," Okami butted in. "And I call dibs on Maid of Honor."

"Maid of Honor?"

"Lizzie, you need to bone up on Earth-style weddings," Okami told her. "Before I play Mother of the Bride and take over."

"Okay, you two... there'll be plenty of time to make wedding plans later," Spark interrupted. "Right now, Lizzie, let's you and I get our heads together about a Personal Communicator with Universal Translate functions."

* * * * *

Ordlumm, the Crescian Head of Research at their equivalent of a University, appeared ready to wet himself, he was so jacked up.

We have adapted one of our data storage devices to use the interface protocols found on many Solarian devices and believe it will be compatible with your hardwire requirements, Mr. McLeod, he was telling the triad of Spark, Tonya and Okami as they stood in a nondescript office room. In order to verify that, we have encoded a series of glyphs from our language and stored them at the root sector of the Kryslat, which is what we call it. If you can successfully retrieve those glyphs, then everything should be operational.

Got it, Spark thought back. I have one of my own patch cords with me. Shall we see if it works?

It will work, Jamie. Spark heard Tonya on their private microband transceivers. They have done precisely as we told them to do.

Remind me to tell you about Murphy, sometime, he answered as he fished out his hardwire patch cord.

I am very familiar with Murphy and his Law, she retorted, sounding a little irritated. Maybe because she didn't like her judgement being questioned.

Spark knew better than to argue. He plugged one end of the cord into the jack under his left armpit and handed the other to Ordlumm. Plug me in and let's see what happens, he thought.

In functional operation, he found it was like jacking into one of the crystal lattice data cubes back on Earth. There was a vast amount of nothing and a small bit of stored data at zero-zero-zero -- the root of the entire cube. It was simple to extract the data and convert them to pictures in his mind. He broke connection with the device long enough to transcribe what he'd pulled out onto a tablet the Crescians had provided.

Ordlumm nearly had a coronary. Yes! he thought emphatically. Perfect! You may simply overwrite that message if you wish, Mr. McLeod. It appears the interface is working exactly as intended.

Then you'll have to give me some time to concentrate on storing the data, Spark told him. Go get a cup of coffee or something.

Would it bother you if I remain here? Ordlumm asked in return. I am very interested to see how this works.

Spark shrugged, and got the equivalent from Tonya and Okami. There isn't much to see, he told Ordlumm. I'm going to stay jacked in, sit down and basically zone out... go sort of comatose... while I transfer the data into your cube. But you're welcome to stay, if you wish.

A simple thank you later, Ordlumm had moved out of the way, to a seat at the table where the trio also sat.

Okay, luv, Spark thought to Tonya on their private band, when you feel me connected to their cube again, start feeding me what you want stored.

Certainly, husband, Tonya answered with a smile in her thought. Moments later, Spark was acting as a conduit, writing Tonya's data into the cube.

It took less than ten minutes by Spark's estimate. He finished off the index Tonya was supplying, unjacked and sat back.

Ordlumm, that should be all of it. There is an index to the various parts stored at the root, to make access easier for your people. When you get to the part about loading the Universal Translator, you're sort of on your own. There are instructions for formatting the data, but that's about it. You'll have to supply your own language data. The default text displays are Solarian Common, as are the decimal and hexadecimal numbering systems. Both can be changed, if you wish.

Thank you, very, very much, Ordlumm smiled, taking back the cube. You Solarians are wonderfully surprising. Not at all the primitives we were led to believe we'd be working with. Shall I summon your escort?

We believe she is just down the hall, in your break room, Tonya answered. She will be here momentarily. She didn't tell Ordlumm she'd just reached out to Leeanni's mind and told her they were ready to go.

Very good, he answered, standing up. I hope you don't consider it rude of me to leave you alone until your escort arrives... He was already headed for the door with an aura of excitement that was palpable.

Not at all, Spark told him, then enjoyed Ordlumm's surprise at opening the door and finding Leeanni standing on the other side of it.

Thank you, again, he thought over his shoulder as he hustled out past Leeanni.

Well, he seems happy, Leeanni commented as she entered.

He should be, Tonya answered. We just gave him an iridium mine, for free.

Not for free, if I know you, Lizzie, Leeanni smiled. You have about three Solarian hours before the meetings start and it's showtime. What would you like to do?

Where do you get those idioms? Spark asked the young Crescian.

From her, she answered, indicating Okami.

Figures, Spark thought.

I would like to go prepare for the show, Tonya told the group. If we have time.

We have time, Leeanni told her. Follow me...

* * * * *

We are pleased to announce the addition of another People to our Trading Alliance.

King Gimloff, beside Queen Ibsonna, was addressing an amphitheater of approximately 300 beings and referring to the other three people on the stage with him, namely Spark, Tonya and Okami.

They are known as Solarians, from the star system Sol in the constellation Monoceros. Together, these three individuals form a symbiote which has impressed Us immensely. Not only in their physical and metaphysical prowess, but in their knowledge of their homeworlds and technologies which rival ours in sophistication and usefulness.

They are... and the King turned to look at them... Mr. Jamie McLeod, a Solarian Human male... the King waited for Spark to take a step forward and give a deep bow of his head... Mrs. Elizabeth McLeod, a Solarian Human female and Mr. McLeod's mate... again, he waited until she stepped forward on Spark's right side and similarly bowed... and Ms. Okami, a Solarian Canilupe female and the third member of their triad. Again Gimloff waited until she stepped forward to Spark's left side, bowed, and then the three linked arms and did an actor's bow... Spark taking the deep bow at the waist, the two females crossing their legs in a sort of curtsy while taking the bow at the waist on either side. They then stood, silently observing those observing them. Exactly as rehearsed.

You will notice, Gimloff continued in a moment, that there will be several break-out sessions to cover the resources and opportunities the Solarians bring to our joint ventures. We are sure you will have a chance to meet with them, one on one, as time permits. You will also notice the traditional Festive Board and subsequent Open Bar... We mean, Socializing Fête. Spark could tell there was a smile behind that one. They will also be available during those times.

For now, We will invite them to address this assembly, and give you a brief overview of what they offer our Alliance, or 'bring to the table' in their parlance. Gimloff turned to the trio. Mr. McLeod?

Spark walked with Tonya and Okami to the podium. They had agreed on a short summary they would give if they had this opportunity. Spark spoke first.

Your Majesties... he nodded to them first. Ambassadors... Trade Representatives... and some I'm not exactly who you are or what you do... That got a small ripple of mirth through the crowd.

I am Jamie McLeod, a member of a triad which has been chosen to represent the Solarians in trade negotiations within what I will refer to as the Crescian Network, since we first became aware of it through the Crescian embassy on Mars -- one of our homeworlds. To most people, I go by Jamie, rather than the more formal Mr. McLeod, just as my wife tends to go by Lizzie and Ms. Okami simply by Okami.

We Solarians are known for making mistakes. We are also known for correcting them. This is a new career path for the three of us and we ask your indulgence and forgiveness while we get up to speed. We will be more than happy to meet with any or all of you as desire and scheduling permits. Our liaison to the Crescians is Leeanni... stand up, please, so they can see you... thanks, Luv... who is the daughter of Krisslum and Saelass, the Crescian Ambassadors to Sol.

You will have your best success meeting with us if you go through her. We have come to regard her as a dear friend and very competent administrator. So that's sort of who we are as a group. I will let Lizzie give you an overview of our trade resources...

With that, Spark stepped back, letting Tonya take center position.

Your Majesties... Ambassadors... Trade Representatives... Honored hard-working and probably underpaid Support Staff... That got a larger ripple of mirth through the crowd.

One of our planets -- the one most rich in tradable resources -- is called Earth. It is approximately 70% seawater, or saline dihydrogen monoxide, in which there are many trace elements with a marketable value. Specifically, the list includes the naturally occurring elements of Aluminum, Boron, Calcium, Iron, Potassium, Magnesium, Sodium, Zinc, Cadmium, Cobalt, Chromium, Copper, Manganese, Molybdenum, Nickel, Lead and Selenium.

Due to industrialization and the concurrent pollution, there are also Sulphur, Mercury, Asbestos, various Noxious Solvents, Polychlorinated biphenyls, Nitrates, Phosphates, Benzene and Chlorobenzene, Carbon Tetrachloride and Toluene.

And there are also the radioactive elements and compounds, such as Cesium, Iodine, Plutonium, Strontium, Tritium, Rubidium, Beryllium and Thorium.

We are proposing to build an extraction network for any or all of those, plus anything else we find of interest to our trade partners. We have also discovered along the way that we may have technologies which you do not and which would simplify a lot of the work involved in maintaining trade relations. We would generally be making those available for trade as well.

We will be very interested in hearing what sorts of trade items the various Peoples 'bring to the table', as His Majesty has characterized it. We will also be very interested in learning about the Peoples themselves. I will let Okami address that.

Tonya stepped back and let Okami take center.

Hey, everybody! She waved to the crowd, then turned to the King and Queen. And Your Majesties... Ibsonna couldn't keep the smile off her face as Okami turned back to the crowd.

The Solarian System is dominated by a planet called Earth, and Earth is dominated by a race called Humans. They aren't the only intelligent species on the planet, but for most of their history, they've been rather Xenophobic. My species, the Canilupes, have had to fight their prejudices for a while now. It got worse when the extraterrestrials showed up.

Not all Humans are ethnocentric bigots. More and more people everyday are learning not to fear those who are different from themselves. But it is slow going.

We believe that being exposed to the benefits of interstellar trade may go a long way to breaking down some of those prejudices. We're hoping so, anyway. So for us -- me, Jamie and Lizzie -- learning everything we can about the various Peoples helps us not only in our trade mission, but in educating and enlightening those back on our homeworlds.

Of course, there's politics in everything and we have more than our share of dishonest politicians and outlaws. All I can say there is, we're working on that. Again, we believe that exposure to civilizations whose stock in trade is honesty and fairness can only be a good example for those we're trying to enlighten.

So we are definitely as interested in meeting with you as you probably are in meeting with us. We will do our best to accommodate everyone, again, as time permits. And with that, I think I'll turn this back over to the King, before I commit some major faux pas... that's a major mistake...

Okami stepped back and bowed slightly to the King as he took over again.

Thank you, Jamie, Lizzie and Okami... he nodded to them. Welcome to Our family.

There was an eruption of various noises which the trio chose to believe was applause. They nodded to the King and the crowd, then turned their attention to Gimloff so that he could continue.

The King wisely turned control of the meeting over to some Minister of his, because the rest of the assembly was boring reminders about schedules, reports, the wheres and hows of lunch and so forth. It finally wore down to the assemblage being dismissed for a break before the first of the break-outs started.

The trio had already noted that there was an entire track devoted to the Solarians, so they weren't going to have to run around, finding meeting rooms, or any other Convention BS. Leeanni made sure they were comfortable and had snacks and beverages, plus she got them to the more formal luncheon where they learned that they would be the Guests of Honor at the dinner that night. They also found out about the Open Bar.

Essentially, the dinner would be a bunch of speechmaking, interrupted by food. The fun started after that, when those who so chose could attend a large, freeform socializing event in a huge hall. There would be libations, both intoxicating and not, and a light fare on the side. It was expected to run at least four Solarian hours and afforded everybody an opportunity to interact with everybody else, without artificial constraints. There had been a wide range of behaviors in the past, ranging from somewhat violent disagreements to uninhibited relations without much in the way of privacy.

Mostly, it was talking... getting to know the other Peoples on a more personal level, and Spark, Tonya and Okami knew very well that they were going to be a major attraction when they showed up. When, not if... there was no way they could politely avoid the exposure.

"So the sixty-four thousand dollar question, to use an archaic simile," Spark told the others as they walked from the dinner to the soirée, "and the one I wish the Prof was here for, is what do we want from them? We've told them what we have to offer, and almost all of our conversations have been around that... and what human and humanoid life is like on our planets, and why we're so special to the Crescians. We're headed for a massive no-holds-barred evening of carousing and probably drunken revel, and we haven't even scratched the surface of what they have to offer."