Omoikane 09 Damyip 18.3.5
Omoikane 09 - Damyip 18.3.5
After the visit to the Governor, we visited Damyip 18.3.5. They were in a Federation-style prefabbed building not far away from the Boa-Olavax building.
Just inside the door was a receptionist’s desk with a humanoid woman manning it. She was day-glo safety orange, with lustrous black hair. She was wearing a business ensemble. I wasn’t too sure about the style of it, maybe Lefyt?
She smiled happily and greeted us, "Captain Hailey. Commander O'Keefe, Lt. Darvon-Ahk, Lt. Kat-oh-lo. Welcome. I am Damyip 18.3.5.4. We're glad you're here."
"You're a Damyip?" I asked
She made an amused face. "You were expecting someone mechanical? I can summon one of the guardians, if you like."
Kat-oh-lo said, "Sorry, I thought you knew. They learned how to build people bots a few years ago. If you didn't know what to look for, you couldn't tell them apart from normal people. It was a shock when we learned how many of them there were among us."
I looked back at the young lady at the reception desk, "Orange?" No one would mistake that for a Lefyt skin tone.
"The R.I.s encouraged us to make a clear identity of our own." She made a thoughtful face, and her skin took up the golden tone of the Lefyt people. Then she changed back. "No one else that we know of has this skin coloring, so we can be clearly identified."
"Neat," I said. It was "How many colors can you change into?"
She seemed resigned. "Only a few. We're working on a new skin type that can display more colors. Sort of like your earth octopus."
"Alright. Your Boss asked us to come by and talk to him?"
She thought about it, "Boss. Interesting construction," She stood up, "Please come with me."
We went through a hallway into the back. There were three humanoids. One Lefyt person, I think. One Damyip person, and one human. Also, there were five Guardians. They looked like humanoids wearing armor. They had phaser rifles. The humanoid people worked at doing whatever administration they were doing. The Guardians stood at attention along the walls. We greeted them and continued after Miss 18.3.5.4.
We went down a stairway into a basement. It was a long stairway; the basement was deep. The walls were thick.
The basement was generic. Over there was the power supply, a small Federation fusion reactor, and backup batteries. Over here was storage for furniture and stuff useful but not currently in use. There was an industrial replicator.
In the back, in a thick-walled vault was the computer set up. Smaller than a Starship main computer it was a generic Federation administration model.
Along one wall were device racks. Damyip 18.3.5.4 pointed to a particular thick gray box among the devices. "This is Damyip 18.3.5, my boss."
It spoke using a generic Federation computer voice. "Thank you for coming. Please brief 18.3.5.4, and the rest of my team. I will hear whatever they hear and see whatever they see. We are curious about your recent travels."
Kat-oh-lo said, "Wow. I've never seen a real Damyip before."
"Interesting," 18.3.5 replied, "Does this mean you consider the Infiltrators and Guardians less real Damyip?"
"Uhhhh," Kat-h-lo discovered his language wasn't as precise as he thought it was.
"If you don't mind," The gray box said, "I'd like to contact you later and ask you questions about your thinking and your impression of us. You just revealed an interesting perception issue we'd like to know more about."
"Sure," Kat-oh-lo said
"Do all of you consider my sub-units less valid than I?"
I squinted as I tried to work out how I felt about it "Uhhh, I think the rank issue might look like it, but I don't think I know enough to really... know."
Tillean chirped, "Nope! I'm reveling in the weird."
18.3.5.4 grinned "Thank you."
"Infiltrators?" I asked
"Their old purpose. We're working on a term congruent with their current function."
"I like Social Unit, myself." 18.3.5.4 said
I replied, "Then that's what we'll go with until the official decision is made."
"It's not inaccurate." 18.3.5 said.
"Let’s head up to the briefing room, and we can start the briefing." 18.3.5.4
"Thank you," 18.3.5 said. It sounded relieved.
-*-
We gave the Damyip everything we could. After all, they're strong allies in the area. Working on Federation Membership.
"Oh, Dear." 18.3.5.4 said, "Between the Dragons and the Shard, this area is not in great shape."
"I believe the Shard can be reasonable, even if their opinion of themselves is a little inflated. I've recommended a diplomatic mission to the Shard in my report," I said. "As for the Dragons - They are social and can communicate, so all is not lost there. We might be able to reach some understanding."
The Social Units of the Damyip were unhappy. "Our efforts here are in the early stages. The Boa-Olavax are not where we'd like them to be, defensively."
"You want to use the Boa-Olavax as a buffer?"
One of the Guardians spoke. Its voice was electronic "If it comes to direct fighting, we expect to take the lead. It is better for us to take the brunt of warfare than unique, fragile organics. But we would not be good friends if we didn't help them prepare to survive. If the situation becomes one of diplomacy and political tension, then your people are better at that, and we will support your efforts."
18.3.5.4 said, "If a straight ahead fight starts in the next two years, we will lose, and be hurled back from Boa-Olavax territory into the Bendari Empire and Lefyt Space. We are not adequately prepared at this time."
I sighed. "I hope the military planning will not be relevant. I hope we can make diplomacy work here."
"Agreed."
-*-
Yoloia Said "Let’s get off here. They have contact with Orions not far away. We can get back to the real world."
Leebja, her niece, said, "I want to go with the Magic Antelopes!"
The rest of the Greens seemed to agree.
Li'ira said, "If you stay with us, eventually we will return to Oz. But it might take a long time. You're welcome if you behave properly."
Yoloia sighed and gripped the bridge of her nose. "It’s the Federation. All laws and orders, and up in your business."
"You think Xagord wasn't up in our business?"
Yoloia just blinked and stared at the wall. Her efforts to liberate her sister were a complete failure. "I'm sorry. But I don't trust them."
Li'ira said, "Any time we reach a civilized world, you're free to leave. I won't keep any of you prisoner."
Yoloia glared at her. "Your opinion of civilized and mine aren't the same."
Li'ira smiled, "True. We don't even have any agonizers on the ship."
Leebja wanted to redirect the conversation "Magic. Antelopes."
"You haven't been letting those things into your brain, have you?" Yoloia was concerned.
"Healers. The girls need mental healers."
"We all do," Li'ira said.
"They take over your brain!" Yoloia said, "They twist you into loyal servants! They took over the Scion of House Genalin! They used his greens to try to assassinate a Romulan Ambassador!"
Li'ira said, "I have some experience with the Ane. They do not make us into their slaves. The worst they do is inflict their sense of humor on you."
Yoloia gestured around. "Yet, here we are. On an Ane-built ship. With people loyal to the Ane, serving the Ane Counsellor. Or should I call her the Captain of the ship? I thought the rumors were wrong! I thought there was no way the Humans would let the Ane take over the Federation. All the stories about the Secret Ane Order. The Blue Fleet."
"We have psi shields," Li'ira said.
"What?"
"We have psi shields. If you're concerned about the Ane twisting your brain, then wear a psi shield."
"They'll have some secret back door."
"You don't know what you're talking about. And you have no idea what you're about to unleash. How can I convince you that the Ane do not want to dominate your brain?"
"What do you mean? Are the Ane going to eliminate me?" Yoloia began to get genuinely concerned.
"No," Li'ira grated, "They're going to start making FUN of you."
That got a reaction from the other adult greens. "That seems to bother you."
Li'ira went over to a display screen, "Display the standard word Founder." It displayed the word. "This word means the father of a new civilization or nation or organization. People put up statues of the founders of their nations."
"Now show the word Flounder. And a picture of a Flounder."
The word and the fish appeared.
"This is a type of Earth Fish called a Flounder. I'm told that it's an ugly fish."
"It is!" Leebja helpfully offered.
"Show them Admiral Hailey’s reaction to the Statue. Go ahead and show them!"
The screen showed a man in an older Starfleet Uniform walking along the street in the emerald city.
"The Captain?" One of the Greens asked
"No, his older brother, watch."
The man came into a courtyard and stopped with a surprised look on his face. The camera changed to one looking over his shoulder.
There was a giant brass fish with the label "Our Flounder"
"Freeze frame." Li'ira said, "Look at the windows."
"Are those Ane?" Yoloia asked
"Yes. Note the statue. That's hand-made. They didn't have many replicators at the time. A team of people beat brass with hammers into the shape of this ugly fish! For this pun!"
"The Ane don’t want to rule the galaxy. They want to tell it awful puns and terrible jokes!"
Yoloia blinked "What?"
"They're ALIENS. We can understand them. You can get to know the Ane. But they're not like us. What they want from life isn't what a Human or an Orion wants. They have power and wealth. To them, this is a means to an end. That's why Jay and I run this ship. For the Ane, it’s good enough that we drive them around so they can meet people.
They're people, so they're all over the place. There are a few Ane Captains. But by far they like to have us along as friends to do all this with. They want to lick noses that no Ane has licked, before!"
Yoloia was confused and a little defensive "You make them sound almost clownish."
"In some ways, they are. All this conspiracy, brain-eating secret masters stuff is what an Orion in an Ane-suit would do. The way it works with the Ane, in reality, is different and weirder than any conspiracy theorist is going to come up with."
Loyoja said, "Leebja and I are going with Li'ira and the Ane. The Magic Antelopes."
Yoloia fought her own reaction, "O..okay."
"You're welcome as long as you don't damage anything or anyone," Li'ira said to Yoloia.
"So, less mind control, more of a cult with puns," Yoloia challenged
"That's uncomfortably close," Li'ira said.
"But I don't have to join the cult?"
"Nope. You don't have to do anything. Lounge around. Play games. But... every textbook in the Federation is here. Every piece of music we can put our hands on. All the video, plays, books, holonovels. You'll never live long enough to consume it all. Find out who you are when you don't have to watch your back every minute."
Geogga, a green Orion man rescued from elsewhere on the slaver said, "That sounds lovely. I will take you up on your offer."
"We have some reading material on this. You aren't the first batch of Greens to be rescued."
-*-
Li'ira left the Greens Quarters. She didn't tell them that she was barely ahead of them in reading up on the manuals for how to set up a "green gang."
An Anelilog was leaning casually against the bulkhead, wearing a black fedora with holes for her horns and sunglasses tailored for the Aneilog face.
She was whistling a tune.
Li'ira wrestled with it. But she gave in to curiosity. "What's the song?"
**Secret Agent Ane**
Li'ira carefully kept a straight face "Carry on." She marched on towards her own quarters.
The Ane enjoyed her reaction anyway.
-*-
Later, looking over the scans of the Boa-Olavax, the Pequedela, and the Fuufta, the Ane murmured to themselves
**More human hands.**
**A lot of the people in this end of the galaxy look like Earth animals altered into humanoid form.**
**You know what it means.**
**Someone was a furry.**
**And not a terribly creative one.**
**Are we going to tell them?**
**Not unless they ask directly. It's not like we know who did this or can speak for them.**
**We'll keep looking. Somewhere, this crazy agent left more evidence or a signature.**