Read Online Earth Song: Etude to War by Mark Wandrey - Free Book Online
Authors: Mark Wandrey
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this body.”
“This body? I'm sorry Concordia master, I don't understand.”
“There is a basic fact of our species that you have never been told of. There are only two hundred, fifty five unique individual Tog. We reproduce through a process known as budding. Two individuals exchange genetic material, which includes chemically coded memory engrams, and one then gives birth to the new young Tog. A very long time ago as we became fully sapient, and perhaps as part of that process, those parings were more carefully limited to increase and pool memories and abilities. By the time we joined the Concordia, there were only some four hundred individuals left. That number slowly decreased to where it is now.
“The vast number of Tog you see are versions of these individuals, each with small unique qualities that will eventually be folded back into the line through selective reproduction. Some lines have many thousands of individuals, some only a few. Often a line is specialized in an area of work or social function such as science, agriculture, or diplomacy.”
Suddenly, through the confusing shock, something made sense to Minu. How accounts of how her father spoke of P'ing seemingly in two places at once. It was not only possible but likely that just such a thing would happen if there were multiple copies of that very individual running around. “What is your specialty, P'ing? And how many of you are there?”
“Our specialty has long been diplomacy in dealing with client species such as yourself. Also we are historians and the keepers of the collective records of our species going back to the beginning. There are seven of us right now.”
Hse'd said some lines were many thousands. Yet P'ing was only seven. Lilith said the ancient records which referred to the Tog called them P'ing. “You were there, at the founding of the Concordia, with The Lost.”
“Yes.”
“Do you remember, I mean yourself, as an individual? Can you see in your mind those first species with yourself who created this galactic empire?”
“Yes.”
Minu burned to ask more questions, to push the boundaries of human knowledge back much farther, but P’ing had other plans. “Now you have asked more than one other question. Tell me why you have returned.” Minu nodded and took out a tablet from its sheath on her belt. P'ing's head moved down and instantly locked on the machine even before she turned it on. “Where did you get that?”
“This? It is just a tablet.”
“No, it is not, and you are very aware of that!”
Minu was taken aback by the rare display of emotion from the normally stoic Tog. It wasn't until she looked down at the machine that she realized it was different from the many thousands of others on Bellatrix. This one was from the Kaatan.
“I forgot,” she said silently and cursed herself for not thinking about it. The machine was noticeably slimmer than a normal tablet and made entirely of the same crystalline material as the bots on the Kaatan. She'd carried one since returning from the rescue mission and often got compliments on it back home. Usually some admirer asked where they could obtain one, or where it had come from.
“We found a number of these machines during a mission on the frontier.” The truth. P'ing came even closer, lowering hser head on its flexible torso, front set of legs bending slightly to allow the maneuver.
“This is a special tablet. We would like one, and also to know where they were located.”
Minu gritted her teeth. She was losing control of this. “I will pass along the request.”
“With thanks.” P'ing straightened up, and Minu turned on the tablet. She'd set up the presentation in advance. It started with images of their operation on Remus, the massive floating settlements and the machines harvesting the algae. “So this is what you have been doing to generate extra credits? This is admirable!”
“We thank you. Now we were hoping you could tell us about this.” She keyed
“This body? I'm sorry Concordia master, I don't understand.”
“There is a basic fact of our species that you have never been told of. There are only two hundred, fifty five unique individual Tog. We reproduce through a process known as budding. Two individuals exchange genetic material, which includes chemically coded memory engrams, and one then gives birth to the new young Tog. A very long time ago as we became fully sapient, and perhaps as part of that process, those parings were more carefully limited to increase and pool memories and abilities. By the time we joined the Concordia, there were only some four hundred individuals left. That number slowly decreased to where it is now.
“The vast number of Tog you see are versions of these individuals, each with small unique qualities that will eventually be folded back into the line through selective reproduction. Some lines have many thousands of individuals, some only a few. Often a line is specialized in an area of work or social function such as science, agriculture, or diplomacy.”
Suddenly, through the confusing shock, something made sense to Minu. How accounts of how her father spoke of P'ing seemingly in two places at once. It was not only possible but likely that just such a thing would happen if there were multiple copies of that very individual running around. “What is your specialty, P'ing? And how many of you are there?”
“Our specialty has long been diplomacy in dealing with client species such as yourself. Also we are historians and the keepers of the collective records of our species going back to the beginning. There are seven of us right now.”
Hse'd said some lines were many thousands. Yet P'ing was only seven. Lilith said the ancient records which referred to the Tog called them P'ing. “You were there, at the founding of the Concordia, with The Lost.”
“Yes.”
“Do you remember, I mean yourself, as an individual? Can you see in your mind those first species with yourself who created this galactic empire?”
“Yes.”
Minu burned to ask more questions, to push the boundaries of human knowledge back much farther, but P’ing had other plans. “Now you have asked more than one other question. Tell me why you have returned.” Minu nodded and took out a tablet from its sheath on her belt. P'ing's head moved down and instantly locked on the machine even before she turned it on. “Where did you get that?”
“This? It is just a tablet.”
“No, it is not, and you are very aware of that!”
Minu was taken aback by the rare display of emotion from the normally stoic Tog. It wasn't until she looked down at the machine that she realized it was different from the many thousands of others on Bellatrix. This one was from the Kaatan.
“I forgot,” she said silently and cursed herself for not thinking about it. The machine was noticeably slimmer than a normal tablet and made entirely of the same crystalline material as the bots on the Kaatan. She'd carried one since returning from the rescue mission and often got compliments on it back home. Usually some admirer asked where they could obtain one, or where it had come from.
“We found a number of these machines during a mission on the frontier.” The truth. P'ing came even closer, lowering hser head on its flexible torso, front set of legs bending slightly to allow the maneuver.
“This is a special tablet. We would like one, and also to know where they were located.”
Minu gritted her teeth. She was losing control of this. “I will pass along the request.”
“With thanks.” P'ing straightened up, and Minu turned on the tablet. She'd set up the presentation in advance. It started with images of their operation on Remus, the massive floating settlements and the machines harvesting the algae. “So this is what you have been doing to generate extra credits? This is admirable!”
“We thank you. Now we were hoping you could tell us about this.” She keyed
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