Darkworld: Earth

2.41.

“You know that this is an act of aggression and a violation of the rights of the Earthlings to explore and develop their local star cluster. The evidence clearly proves that there has been violations to the treatment of darkworlders by the Rosanteans. Why don’t you just admit it?” The violet fuzzy worm demanded.

“I know no such thing. The Rosanteans have a long history of rooting out and dealing with piracy. For all we know, the Earthlings have had spaceflight for generations and it was only when they stumbled across the Yonohoans and realized how outclassed they were by a modern military force that they stopped their belligerence,” the dark-skinned woman argued.

“Do you really believe that a den of piracy could produce music like this?” The worm persisted, and the sound of the Vienna Boys’ Choir began to play.

“I admit that it is beautiful, but that must come from one small corner of their world,” the human argued. “Do not forget that they also make music like this,”

Gangsta rap began to play.

“Have you read the translation of these lyrics? They are a violent and brutal people.”

“So let the Yonohoans guide them into overcoming their baser instincts like they have guided--”

“The Yonohoans are no saints. Let us not forget that the reason they are signatories of so many treaties is because everyone is afraid of them. Yes, I said it, we’re scared shitless of the Yonohoans. They retain imprints better left deleted. They unashamedly admit that they will stop at nothing – nothing – to protect their children and the planets on which they live. During the war, their heroes rose to prominence through brutal tactics, and it was only the--”

“Brutal tactics? You want to talk about brutal tactics? How about invading the star system of a darkworld and then acting surprised when you’re fired upon by its defense fleet? I’ve watched the telemetry, the Rosanteans--”

The argument continued. Diego waved his hands and the holograms vanished.

Two beings, from two different galaxies, were arguing while billions of people watch them exchange opinions on the matter of the invasion of Earth. And they were far, far from the only ones.

“Did you know that this was going to happen?” he asked Eolai. They stood on the bridge, each viewing their own datastreams. When he sensed that Diego wanted to talk, Eolai ended his own temporarily in order to give the conversation his full mind.

“Yes and no. I knew that eventually the location of Earth would be revealed. I hoped that your people would have entered into a formal allegiance with me so that I could properly defend it, but your leaders have refused due to fears that it would impact their autonomy,” Eolai said. “And now my hands are tied. I can only observe, and shield Earth itself, while the rest of the solar system burns around us.”

“So what do we do? How do we arm Earth to fight against an empire that spans one third of the galaxy?” Diego asked.

“We do not,” Eolai answered. “The weapons that the Yonohoans would have to give you in order to prepare you for the upcoming conflict are great and terrible, Diego. The weapons that we have already given you are the best solution. Your people’s counterthrust to the empire’s attack was masterful and did more damage than you know.”

“You mean Doctor Strangelove? You think that trick will work again?” Diego asked.

“I mean the data from the Toormonda. Including those ships in your fleet’s lineup was masterful. They are not valid military targets, which is why your Captain Anders survived the battle. But the data that they have is impossible to forge. By tearing away the veil of the empire’s propaganda you have dealt them a significant blow on the intergalactic political stage. That alone makes the sacrifice of the ESF worth it.”

“We lost six hundred men and women. Trillions of dollars of hardware. And you’re saying that the black eye that we gave them for the post-fight interview was worth it?”

“Yes. They will hesitate to come in ‘guns blazing’ once more. Especially if your people continue to use Toormondas in the front lines. Their own computers will stop them from firing upon ships like The Keeper of Dreams and A Good Question . If they override the computers, they are subject to a review by an independent party.”

Eolai grinned. “If it comes to that, I will be happy to volunteer.”

~~~~~~

“So you see, that boy said something stupid, so they sent him over to the Yaw-field monitoring station. But he probably said it on purpose because he likes the Alpha of that station. Anyway, now that he got sent over there, there’s too many of them working that station, so one of them has to leave. There’s an opening at the gravimetric resonance instrument, so they have to decide who to send there. Nobody really wants to leave, but someone has to and if they wait too long then it looks foolish to the other students because the Topokans would have done it in an instant,” Dornodo explained.

“Oh, we have a volunteer,” Sarah said, grinning.

“She didn’t volunteer. Her friend nudged her and now she owes him a favor. He’s probably going to ask if any of the girls like him, he seems like the type who would want a girl friend to help him find a girlfriend,” Dornodo explained.

“How do you keep track of all of it? The interactions happen so fast,” Sarah complained.

“I grew up playing Topokan like this, and then ten years ago I bought a Toormonda. It’s blindingly obvious to me,” the Yonohoan man explained. “As for the kids, they grew up watching actual Topokans sort themselves according to whatever group mind or awareness it is that lets them coordinate like this so effectively. They all have a part of their mind focused on where they will go next in addition to the part of their mind focused on what they are doing. It is very good for developing multitasking.”

“Do adult Yonohoans do this too?” she asked.

“Sometimes, if we’re feeling nostalgic and the stakes are not too high,” Donodo said. “It is more effective if we work independently together, however. Rather than Alphas and Supporters, we have a chain of command, with each task broken up to a dedicated worker. It’s more effective if we dedicate our whole minds to a task than focus half of it on a game.”

“I understand,” she agreed. “Still, playing Topokan looks like fun.”

“It is.”

They were sitting in one corner. Although it had been more than a week since the attack on Earth, she hadn’t found the focus to go the entire educational period at her station. She had taken to wandering over to join Donodo where he sat watching the children in case any of them had any questions or troubles with the instruments.

Suddenly, one of the groups, almost as one, stepped away from their terminals. Everyone turned to look at them. The alpha of the group turned to the others.

“We found something,” she said.

The room was silent as everyone rushed over to their station to study the holographic data.

“What did they find?” Sarah whispered to Dornodo.

“I don’t know,” he whispered back.

“You don’t? I thought this was a guided tour of space.”

“I don’t know what you mean by that. It’s Toormonda. I’m just here to keep them from any Tuunkan Powan,” he pointed out.

“I’ve been meaning to ask. Exactly what is Tuunkan Powan.”

He blinked at her, his face getting a bit of color to it. “You are too old for me to have to explain the basics of it, surely?”

“Ah, I thought so,” she said. “My earpiece doesn’t translate it so I wasn’t sure.”

“Does it translate sex?” he asked.

“Yes.”

“Well Tuunkan Powan is more than sex. If the students are clever enough they’ll get away with that. Tuunkan Powan is unregistered baby making.”

“How is that different from just sex?”

“You see the bracelets that everyone is wearing?” he asked. “That keeps them from Tuunkan Powan even if they have sex.”

Sarah’s eyebrows rose in surprise. She had noticed that everyone was wearing a medical bracelet, the same as she was. But she hadn’t really thought of it, since most Yonohoans wore one. They served the same functions as a PHDA. And a health monitoring device. And apparently birth control.

“I didn’t know that the Yonohoans had wearable birth control,” she admitted.

“You didn’t? Do your people not have the same?”

“We have birth control methods, but they’re not the same,” she admitted. She shook her own wrist to display her medical bracelet. “Are you saying that this will make me sterile?”

“Not sterile. It just prevents ovulation, but only if you tell it to. When they agreed to the rules of the Toormonda they agreed to have that function turned on. Boys and girls both. My promise to make sure that everyone wears their bracelet the entire time is the only reason we do not have a Topokan chaperone as well.”

“What about the boys? Does it work for them too?” she inquired.

“Yes, of course. Why?”

“Nothing. Just a combination of jealousy and culture shock,” she admitted. “Let’s go see what they found.”

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