Vernor Vinge - A Fire Upon the Deep

"Yeah." Mr. Steel was pretty solemn. But then all the adults were. They reminded him of the older scientists at the High Lab.

Amdi grabbed the radio and gave him a "just watch this" look. He nosed on the "talk" switch and sang a long ululation into the mike. It sounded only vaguely like pack speech. One of Amdi translated, next to Jefri's ear. The human boy felt giggles stealing up his throat.

In his den, Lord Steel was lost in scheming. His imagination — loosed by herbs and brandy — floated free, playing with the possibilities. He was settled deep in velvet cushions, comfortable in the den's safety. The remaining candles shone faintly on the landscape mural, glinting from the polished furniture. The story he would tell the aliens, he almost had it now…

The noise on his desk began as a small thing, submerged beneath his dreaming. It was mostly low-pitched, but there were overtones in the range of thought, like slices of another mind. It was a presence, growing. Someone is in my den! The thought tore like Flenser's killing blade. Steel's members spasmed panic, disoriented by smoke and drink.

There was a voice in the middle of the insanity. It was distorted, missing tones that any normal speech should have. It howled and quavered at him, "Lord Steel! Greetings from the Pack of Packs, the Lord God Almighty!"

Part of Steel was already out the main hatch, staring wide-eyed at his guards in the hallway beyond. The troopers' presence brought a bit of calm, and icy embarrassment. This is nonsense. He tipped a head to the alien device on his desk. The echoes were everywhere, but the sounds originated in the far-talker… There was no pack speech now, just the high-pitched slices of sound, mindless warbling in the middle range of thought. Wait. Behind it all, faint and low… there were the coughing grunts he recognized as mantis laughter.

Steel rarely gave way to rage. It should be his tool, not his master. But listening to the laughter, and remembering the words… Steel felt black bloodiness rising in first one member and then another. Almost without thought, he reached back and smashed the commset. It fell instantly silent. He glared at the guards ranged at attention in the hallway. Their mind noise was quiet with stifled fear.

Someone would die for this.

Mr. Steel met with Amdi and Jefri the day after their success with the radio. They had convinced him. They were moving to the mainland. Jefri would have his chance to call for rescue!

Steel was even more solemn than usual; he made a big thing about how important it was to get help, to defend against another attack from the Woodcarvers. But he didn't seem angry about Amdi's little prank. Jefri breathed a quiet sigh of relief. Back home, Daddy would have tanned his hide for something like that. I guess Amdi is right. Mr. Steel was serious because of all his responsibilities and the dangers they faced. But underneath he was a very nice person.

— =*=

Crypto: 0

As received by: Transceiver Relay03 at Relay

Language path: Firetongue-»Cloudmark-»Triskweline, SjK units

[Firetongue and Cloudmark are High Beyond trade languages. Only core meaning is rendered by this translation.]

From: Arbitration Arts Corporation at Firecloud Nebula [A High Beyond military[?] organization. Known age ~100 years]

Subject: Reason for concern

Summary: Three single-system civilizations are apparently destroyed

Key phrases: scale interstellar disasters, scale interstellar warfare?, Straumli Realm Perversion

Distribution:

War Trackers Interest Group, Threats Interest Group, Homo Sapiens Interest Group

Date: 53.57 days since the fall of Straumli Realm

Text of message:

Recently an obscure civilization announced it had created a new Power in the Transcend. It then dropped "temporarily" off the Known Net. Since that time, there have been about a million messages in Threats about the incident — plenty of speculations that a Class Two Perversion had been born — but no evidence of effects beyond the boundaries of the former "Straumli Realm".

Arbitration Arts specializes in treckle lansing disputes. As such, we have few common business interests with natural races or Threats Group. That may have to change: sixty-five hours ago, we noticed the apparent extinction of three isolated civilizations in the High Beyond near Straumli Realm. Two of these were Eye-in-the-U religious probes, and the third was a Pentragian factory. Previously their main Net link had been Straumli Realm. As such, they have been off the Net since Straumli dropped, except for occasional pinging from us.

We diverted three missions to perform fly-throughs. Signal reconnaissance revealed wideband communication that was more like neural control than local net traffic. Several new large structures were noted. All our vessels were destroyed before detailed information could be returned. Given the background of these settlements, we conclude that this is not the normal aftermath of a transcending.

These observations are consistent with a Class Two attack from the Transcend (albeit a secretive one). The most obvious source would be the new Power constructed by Straumli Realm. We urge special vigilance to all High Beyond civilizations in this part of the Beyond. We larger ones have little to fear, but the threat is very clear.

Crypto: 0

As received by: Transceiver Relay03 at Relay

Language path: Firetongue-»Cloudmark-»Triskweline, SjK units

[Firetongue and Cloudmark are High Beyond trade languages. Only core meaning is rendered by this translation.]

From: Arbitration Arts Corporation at Firecloud Nebula [A High Beyond military[?] organization. Known age ~100 years]

Subject: New service available

Summary: Arbitration Arts to provide Net relay service

Key phrases: Special Rates, Sentient Translator Programs, Ideal for civilizations in the High Beyond

Distribution:

Communication Costs Interest Group, Motley Hatch Administration Group

Date: 61.00 days since the fall of Straumli Realm

Text of message:

Arbitration Arts is proud to announce a transceiver-layer service especially designed for sites in the High Beyond [rates tabulated after the text of this message]. State of the Zone programs will provide high quality translation and routing. It has been nearly one hundred years since any High Beyond civilization in this part of the Galaxy has been interested in providing such a communication service. We realize the job is dull and the armiphlage not in keeping with the effort, but we all stand to benefit from protocols that are consistent with the Zone we live in. Details follow under syntax 8139… [Cloudmark:Triskweline translator program balks at handling syntax 8139.]

Crypto: 0

As received by: Transceiver Relay03 at Relay

Language path: Cloudmark-»Triskweline, SjK units

[Cloudmark is a High Beyond trade language. Despite colloquial rendering, only core meaning is guaranteed.]

From: Transcendent Bafflements Trading Union at Cloud Center

Subject: Matter of life and death

Summary: Arbitration Arts has fallen to Straumli Perversion via a Net attack. Use Middle Beyond relays till emergency passes!

Key phrases: Net attack, scale interstellar warfare, Straumli Perversion

Distribution:

War Trackers Interest Group, Threats Interest Group, Homo Sapiens Interest Group

Date: 61.12 days since the fall of Straumli Realm

Text of message:

WARNING! The site identifying itself as Arbitration Arts is now controlled by the Straumli Perversion. The Arts' recent advertisement of communications services is a deadly trick. In fact we have good evidence that the Perversion used sapient Net packets to invade and disable the Arts' defenses. Large portions of the Arts now appear to be under direct control of the Straumli Power. Parts of the Arts that were not infected in the initial invasion have been destroyed by the converted portions: Fly-throughs show several stellifications.