“So why didn't they just move?” Andromeda asked. “Or maybe they didn't know how to build starships,” she added, trying to answer her own question.
“When the crisis began, the
danui
had not yet achieved the technology for interstellar travel. Even if they had, it would not have made any difference. The nearest system with a planet habitable by their species is almost a hundred light-years away . . . and theirs was a large race even then, with a population of over seven billion. They could not relocate, and so they were forced to seek another solution.”
Jahd raised his hand toward the vast array of hexagons visible through the window. “This is it . . .
tanaash-haq
, an effort to which the entire
danui
race committed itself. For more than five thousand years, they have been creating a new world from the remains of their old one and its neighbors.”
“The entire race?” Andromeda stared at the emissary. “They all worked on this?”
“They have a reputation as engineers . . .” D'Anguilo began.
“They are superlative engineers, yes,” Jahd said. “Yet they also have an interesting cultural trait. Although they are reclusive and frequently uncommunicative, they are also capable of focusing their attention completely upon one particular problem, working on it obsessively until they achieve a solution.”
“We have something like that in our own race,” D'Anguilo said. “We call it Asperger's syndrome. Among our kind, it's usually considered an affliction.”
Once again, the stuttering hiss of
hjadd
laughter. “For the
danui
, this same trait was important to their survival. No one knows exactly how they achieved this, for the
danui
have kept their technological secrets to themselves; but the fact remains that their entire race worked in concert for millennia to construct a world that could survive the destabilization of their solar system. Indeed, their efforts continue to this day.”
“Hex isn't finished yet?” Zeus asked.
Jahd didn't look at him, but instead continued to gaze through the window. “Nothing as vast as this could ever be finished. Many of the hexagons are mere shells, built for the sole purpose of maintaining structural integrity. Others are complete habitats, but as yet unoccupied. Like your own habitat, they await the arrival of races who do not yet know about this world.”
“We've been wondering about that,” Andromeda said. “Our habitat looks very much like Coyote. It has many of the same plants and animals. Did you . . . the
hjadd
, I mean . . . have a hand in this?”
“We did, yes.” Jahd turned away from the window. “Shortly after your race made contact with my own, the
danui
asked us whether we thought humankind might be suitable candidates for a colony here. By then, we had begun trading with your race and discovered that your people have a certain promise. We told the
danui
that your kind were potential colonists, and so they asked us to quietly collect specimens of your plant and animal life so that a habitat could be prepared for your eventual arrival.” One of hisher eyes twitched toward her. “The
nord
let you know about
tanaash-haq
before we or the
danui
had a chance to do so, but that is of little consequence. Your habitat was finished by then.”
“I see.” Andromeda thought about it for a moment. “So the things we were asked to bring with us? Crops, seeds . . . ?”
“Not for their consumption, but for your own,” Jahd said. “There are six modules in your habitatâyou call them
biopods
âfive of which are habitable. Only the one you have visited so far is complete. The others have yet to be thoroughly planted. Those you will need to finish yourselves.”
“What about the sixth?”
“A biogenesis module, meant for creation and reclamation of natural resources . . . atmosphere, water, soil, and so forth. As in all of the habitats, nothing is allowed to go to waste. Microassemblers in the soil constantly break down dead organic matter and other waste material and transfer it via underground arteries to the biogenesis module, where it is restructured as usable material.”
“I'd love to see that,” D'Anguilo said.
“Unfortunately, you may not. One of the conditions that the
danui
impose upon their guests is that we refrain from trying to enter or explore those modules. Like their engineering secrets, they do not wish to share their knowledge of ecopoiesis.”
“Eco . . . what?” Zeus asked.
“Ecopoiesis.” D'Anguilo glanced over his shoulder at him. “The transformation of dead worlds into living ones. Terraforming, in other words.” He looked at Andromeda. “I was right. Hex is a geophysical superintelligence . . . a big smart object, to use an old term.”
“I'm sure you're dying to tell us what you mean by that,” Andromeda said.
Zeus snorted behind his hand, and even Jahd responded by raising hisher fin, but D'Anguilo seemed oblivious to her sarcasm. “It comes from twentieth-century science fiction. âBig dumb objects' . . . alien structures found in space that don't seem to have any immediate use or purpose.” He nodded toward the window. “Hex is sort of like that, only it's not dumb. There's an intelligence behind it, and a purpose.”
“You are correct, Dr. D'Anguilo.” Jahd's head moved back and forth in an affirmative. “In many ways,
tanaash-haq
is as much a living organism as you or me. Its habitats could be considered to be akin to individual cells, functional on their own yet necessarily supported by those around them. Just as our bodily functions . . . respiration, circulation, and so forth . . . are not the result of conscious, deliberate actions, so Hex maintains itself.”
“And its purpose?” Andromeda asked. “I understand that the
danui
built this place to preserve their own race. But why are all the others races here, too?”
Another hiss. “The
danui
will have to explain that to you themselves, once you are allowed to meet them.”
“So I take it that they're going to let us do that?”
“They will . . . but first, they wanted me to show you this place.” Jahd's eyes swiveled toward the window. “As an object lesson, so to speak.”
Heshe pointed toward the empty space beyond the window. “This was once occupied by the
morath
habitat. Like yourselves, the
morath
were invited to establish a colony on
tanaash-haq
, under the terms imposed by the
danui
. One of those stipulations is that the races here must respect the right of others to live in peace, without fear of hostile actions from their neighbors. That is one of the reasons why no weapons may be brought to
tanaash-haq
, although some races are allowed to fashion their own for the purpose of hunting native animals within their own habitats.”
“That must have been difficult for the
morath
,” D'Anguilo said. “They're not known to be a pleasant people.”
Andromeda nodded. She had never been to the
morath
homeworld, located in the HD130322 system, but a fellow merchant marine captain who had traveled there had once told her that the natives were suspicious of outsiders, even those with whom they regularly traded. They were one of the few races in the Talus that had not embraced
Sa'Tong
, and it showed in their behavior.
Jahd's fin lifted slightly. “No, they are not. Nevertheless, they are a starfaring race, and so the
danui
wanted to establish relations with them by letting them settle here. That was a mistake. Not long after they came to
tanaash-haq
, the
morath
learned that one of the adjacent hexagons was inhabited by the
kua'tah
, a race whom they disliked and distrusted. This was not an acceptable situation, so they decided to launch an invasion of the
kua'tah
habitat.”
“Why?” D'Anguilo's eyes widened. “I mean, it's not as if there's not enough room here for everyone.”
Jahd's right eye turned toward him. “You are correct, Dr. D'Anguilo. There was no reason for the
morath
to want to take control of the
kua'tah
habitat except that they did not like the notion of a rival living so close to them. They fashioned weapons from the native materials of their habitat and made plans to use the transportation system as a means of laying siege upon the
kua'tah
. Before they could accomplish this, the
danui
learned of their intentions and settled the issue themselves.”
Jahd extended a hand toward the tram platform beside them. “This node once led to the
morath
habitat.” Heshe then turned toward the window. “As you can plainly see, there is nothing here. All six of their modules were jettisoned by the
danui
, without warning or chance for appeal.”
Andromeda stared at the emissary, not knowing what to say. D'Anguilo was at a loss for words as well; his mouth hung open in shock. Only Zeus was able to speak. “How many people . . . I mean,
morath
. . . lived here?”
“Nearly a million.”
“How many survived?”
“Only those few aboard a ship that was docked within this node at the time. The
danui
ordered it to leave at once, and the
morath
vessel was allowed to remain in orbit above
tanaash-haq
so that its crew might observe the modules as they fell into the sun.”
Andromeda felt horror grip at her heart. “The
danui
jettisoned the habitat toward the sun?”
“Yes.” Jahd's fin rose to its full height as heshe turned to look straight at her. “It took nearly three months for the modules to complete their fall, but their inhabitants perished before then. My people dispatched one of our own vessels to witness the end of the
morath
colony, and we listened to their radio transmissions until we could hear them no more.”
“And you did nothing to save them?”
“No.” Jahd's head bobbed up and down on hisher neck. “The
danui
would not allow it even though many races . . . my own among them . . . offered to come to their rescue. The
danui
wanted the destruction of the
morath
habitat to serve as an example to any other race that might consider making war upon its neighbors.” Heshe paused. “Theirs was a horrible death that no one here has ever forgotten.”
Andromeda suddenly understood. “That's why the
danui
asked us to come here,” she said quietly. “They want us to see what happens to guests who disobey their rules.”
“Yes.” Jahd's fin lowered back against hisher head. “Although your race has had a peaceful coexistence with the other Talus races, we are aware that humans have a long and violent past. So you should know that, if you accept the
danui's
invitation to settle here, you must respect their mandate that all of this world's inhabitants must live together in peace, and that if you don't . . .”
“I get the idea.” Andromeda felt something cold travel down her back. “You can tell the
danui
that we . . .”
A sharp chirp from her transceiver. She had almost forgotten that she was still carrying it beneath her left arm. Indeed, it had been nearly fourteen hours since the last time she'd been able to communicate with the
Montero
. Apparently her present position within the former
morath
docking node allowed radio signals to reach her.
“Pardon me,” she said to Jahd. “I think I need to take this.” The
hjadd's
head briefly swung back and forth as she turned away to fasten her headset against her mouth and ear. “Survey Two to
Montero
,” she said quietly. “We copy, over.”
“Montero
to Survey Two.”
Anne's voice was fuzzed with static.
“Glad to hear you again, skipper. I've been trying to reach you for a while.”
“Same here. The tram tunnels have been blocking reception. What's going on?”
“Bad news. We received word from Survey One just a little while ago. Sean says that their tram took them somewhere besides Nueva Italia. They don't know where they are, but it's clear that they're not where they're supposed to be.”
“I don't understand.” Andromeda was confused. “I gave him the coordinates. He must have entered them wrong.”
“With all due respect, skipper, he seems to think otherwise.”
While she'd been talking to Anne, D'Anguilo had quietly walked over to stand beside her. “Your son didn't show up at our habitat?” he asked quietly, and Andromeda shook her head. “Are you sure you gave him the proper coordinates?”
Andromeda glared at him. “Of course I . . .” She stopped as a thought occurred to her.
Oh, my God . . . what if I didn't?
“Stand by,
Montero
. I need to check something.”
She muted the headset, then reached into her pocket and pulled out her datapad. Retrieving the coordinates she'd copied down at the Nueva Italia tram station, she held the pad so that D'Anguilo could read the screen. “Didn't you tell me that this should be read from right to left?”
“That's what I said, yes.” He pointed to the crosshatched diamond at the right end of the sequence. “You started to enter the ones for this station the other way, from left to right, but I stopped you because . . .”
“I remember now. It was because the digits at the bottom of the screen went the other way. And we got to where we were supposed to go.” Andromeda felt her face become warm. “Damn it. Damn it to hell . . .”
“Uh-oh.” He stared at her. “Did you reverse the sequence when you read it to Sean?”