It Is Food
==========(c)2002 The Grey Knight
High Shaman Eung was disturbed; in only a few hours he would conduct the first proper conversation
between Shevar and Hanshak since their first contact, several moons ago now. He was disturbed
because of what he had heard from the scientists who had established the translation matrix; they
claimed that the Shevar seemed somehow cold and clinical. It was almost as if they considered the
Hanshaks as a laboratory experiment; the kind you could terminate if anything went wrong.
With a slight grunt of effort, he left the Silver Forest and returned to his body. He suddenly
realised how old he was, many thousands of years now; one day soon he would no longer be able to
return to his aging body and would join his ancestors in the mysterious Beyond. As he made his way
carefully to the diplomatic chambers, he dismissed thoughts of his own mortality and focussed on the
speech he had prepared; it was possibly the most important speech he would ever make. After all, he
thought, it's not every day one greets ambassadors from another world.
He found Artificer Kiun already in the chamber when he arrived.
"Good morning High Shaman. Are you ready to begin?", the young technician asked eagerly.
Amused by the young Artificer's use of spoken words, Eung used his telepathy to broadcast an
affirmative response back to him. All Hanshaks were telepathic, but some used it more than others,
especially the Shamans; in particular, High Shaman Eung hadn't spoken a word in almost two
centuries.
As Kiun manipulated the controls of the laneshunt antenna, he spoke reverently to Eung;
"High Shaman, we do not know how long it will be before they respond. They have a somewhat
indifferent attitude, as I am sure you have already heard."
Eung broadcast his response; they would wait as long as it took. Why concern oneself with the
passage of time when there was eternity to consider? Kiun swiftly memorized the statement; working
with the High Shaman was fascinating. Just then, the console signaled that an external source was
attempting to establish a carrier wave; should it reciprocate? Kiun signalled to Eung to make
ready; this was the great moment. Everything that happened from here on would be recorded for the
history archives.
As the carrier wave cascaded down from lanespace, the screen activated automatically. The Shevar
ambassador came into view; even though Kiun had been prepared for their alarming appearance, seeing
one in real life was still terrifying. Several bony arms were equally spaced around its chrome
body, branching into smaller and smaller bones like some ghoulish tree; each of the smallest limbs
was tipped with a pair of claws. A ring of silvery tentacles around the base of the body provided
support, twitching around like demented snakes.
Eung, for his part, showed no sign of alarm or fright at the fearsome creature; he spoke out, the
first words Kiun had ever heard him speak aloud.
"The Hanshaks extend warm greetings to the Shevar; may your lives be long and happy. I am Eung,
High Shaman and Eldest of the Hanshaks."
The skeletal apparition on the screen waved a few of its branch-like arms around for a while before
responding.
"The Shevar grow hungry; aid us by providing food. Where can food be obtained?"
Swiftly Eung contacted his aide in the next room and broadcast a brief request; where was the
nearest farming world to the Shevar fleet? All of Eung's aides were fast and efficient about their
duties; it was something he insisted upon. An answer was forthcoming in only a few seconds; Eung
noted the young Hanshak's name for future reference.
"We have a small but serviceable farming colony in the Alpheratz system; it should be able to
supply you with all the food you require. In return, will you trade starlane knowledge with us?"
The Shevar ambassador moved partly out of the camera's field of view, apparently to confer with an
associate.
"Yes. Let us trade immediately. Our data will be made available following the conclusion of this
meeting. Have you anything further?"
Kiun finally dared to broadcast; "High Shaman, what of your glorious speech? These Shevar aim
only to take our food and be on their way!"
Eung silenced the young Artificer with a thought; it is not our place to decide how this first
meeting should go. We should simply give what help we can, and hope that it brings our two races
closer together.
"We only ask that you consent to further meetings with us; we had hoped to become better
acquainted with each other today."
The Shevar became noticeably agitated. "Perhaps there will be further meetings. The hunger of the
Shevar is large, and we may have need of more food." The screen suddenly deactivated; Kiun
hastily examined his control board.
"It was no fault on our side, High Shaman; the carrier wave was terminated from their end. I
believe they said what they wanted to say and then cut us off."
Eung sighed and rose from his pedestal to leave the room. Kiun busied himself with the new carrier
wave containing the Shevar starlane data, trying to avoid the High Shaman's gaze.
--==oOo==--
Ghia strode across the field of goldgrass, occasionally stopping to examine the pods which were just
coming into season. He enjoyed the farming life; he was no Shaman, but at least his work brought
him closer to the natural world. Like everyone else on Alpheratz II, he had heard of the visiting
Shevar fleet; he wondered if perhaps he could be one of the first Hanshak farmers to provide food
for an alien. The thought reminded him that it was time to go to the marketplace; the Shevar had
landed modules earlier that day, and they had announced that they would collect their food in a few
hours' time. Ghia could hardly wait.
--==oOo==--
Riya looked up at the Shevar landing module and marvelled at the alien design of the hull. The
stern brazen shell was in complete contrast to the snow-white Hanshak modules in the rest of the
spaceport. She walked back through the crowd towards her stall; Ghia was waiting for her when she
arrived.
"Warm greetings, Riya; I have fresh clusternuts for your stall. Is this not the most exciting
day?"
She broadcast a general feeling of warmth and excitement. The language of words was inadequate for
this occasion, when the entire world changed. Idly, she wondered if Ghia had begun considering his
future mate yet. It was considered somewhat impolite to actually ask someone outright about their
mating plans, but merely thinking could cause no offence. As long as nobody heard you, that is.
Just then, there was a wideband broadcast from somebody at the front of the crowd, beside the Shevar
module; they were coming out! Riya and Ghia hurried to add the new produce to that already on
display; as they both went to lift a large plumpfruit, their paws touched briefly. Riya's five
hearts skipped a beat each. She ran around her stall to sit behind it, as the Shevar gatherers
moved down the thoroughfare. As the crowd parted in silent awe, Riya could hear the strange
swishing noise of their walk. So hypnotic was the sound, she almost failed to notice one of them
move to her stall. It picked up a large silvergrass pod with one of its bony arms; was their
function closer to that of arms or branches, she wondered?
A grating noise from the Shevar startled her. "This structure resembles a food. You will describe
it fully to me."
Riya found herself suddenly lost for words, all her plant knowledge suddenly deserting her.
Ghia leapt to her rescue. "This is a silvergrass pod; the plant absorbs silver ions from the soil,
giving the characteristic colour. The pods themselves are mostly starch, with some other
substances which give them a sweet taste."
The Shevar showed no sign of being impressed by his knowledge. "So, it is food?"
Riya found her voice at last, "Yes, it is food. Try one, I'm sure you'll like it!"
As the pod disappeared into one of the many fissures in the Shevar's steel carapace, Riya suddenly
realised what had puzzled her; it had not turned to face either Hanshak when they spoke, almost as
if it wasn't really listening to them. Although, she reasoned, it was hard to tell with that
symmetrical body of theirs; perhaps they could see on all sides?
The Shevar's grating voice spoke again; "It is edible enough, and will provide an accompaniment to
the rest of our meal. You will board the module and take it to our vessel."
As the two of them carried the produce containers to the Shevar module, Riya wondered about that
last request - no, she thought, command. Why couldn't the Shevar take the food up to orbit
themselves? She also sensed confusion in the other Hanshaks as the Shevar moved around to select
more food.
--==oOo==--
As the module doors opened, the Shevar ordered the farmers and stallholders to move into the main
ship. Ghia looked around for some sort of familiar sight, but found none. A Shevar - was it one of
the ones from the module? - motioned for them to enter a large chamber, where foodpiles from other
towns were already assembled. Another Shevar indicated where they should place their food, before
leading them into another vault-like room.
Riya broadcast to him on singular-engagement mode. "Is it just me or do we keep getting further
and further from that module? Where are they taking us?"
Ghia tried to cheer her up, even though he too was scared. "Don't worry, they probably just want
to repay us in some way. We'll be back in time for evening prayers!"
As the Hanshaks filtered into the chamber, a Shevar took up position on a raised dais at the front.
Ghia and Riya sat down beside a circular pattern inscribed on the wall; the Shevar began to speak in
a strange alien language.
"Abj ynl qbja vagb qrngu,
Lbhe sentvyr obqvrf tvir hc oerngu;
'Gvyy bayl sbbq bs lbh vf yrsg,
Abj ynl lbh qbja gb qrngu!"
As the Shevar repeated the incantation, others of his kind appeared at the entrances to the room,
chanting the same four lines over and over; Riya began to feel nauseous.
"Ghia, what are they doing? I feel tired... so weak!"
Ghia tried to keep himself from panic; the Shevar were up to something unwholesome, and he didn't
intend to hang around and find out what it was; but how to escape with a Shevar at every exit?
He struggled to think clearly through the muggy haze of the incantation. Dimly he began to
understand some of its meaning as the words bored into his brain. Suddenly it hit him; the markings
on the wall! Nowhere on any Shevar machine or vehicle had they seen any sort of decoration or
embellishment beyond the purely functional; it stood to reason that the circular pattern beside them
was no artwork, but served some purpose. He began to pry around its edges; it was slightly loose!
"Riya, come on! Help me with this, quickly now!"
Riya tried to clear her head as she pulled at the covering; the chanting was reaching fever pitch
now, and many of the Hanshaks in the room lay unconscious. She hoped they were still alive.
The cover came loose, revealing what appeared to be a small service tunnel; as Riya clambered
inside, she wondered what kind of creature maintained the vessel; certainly the tunnel was too small
for a Shevar's bulk. Ghia came in after her, pulling the cover into place behind him.
"Ghia, what about the others? We can't just leave them there!"
Ghia tried to calm her. "And we can't help them without being spotted. I've left the cover only
resting against the wall, so if anyone can make it to the entrance, all they have to do is push it
aside."
A noise from the tunnel entrance made them both look round; the cover was being moved!
"Somebody else made it!" Riya exclaimed joyfully.
But the sliding cover revealed not the furry toroidal shape of a Hanshak, but the metallic base-
tentacles of a Shevar!
"Run!", shouted Ghia, pushing Riya down the tunnel.
The Shevar bent over in what appeared to be a complicated and uncomfortable manoeuvre, and reached
in with one bony arm. Ghia yelped as one of the small but powerful claws tore away a patch of his
fur, and scrambled further down the tunnel. They ran around several corners before stopping for
breath.
"Can it follow us in here?" worried Ghia.
Riya listened carefully; "I can't hear anything. I suspect these tunnels are simply too small for
it to get down; they must have been built for some sort of maintenance robot."
Ghia tried to relax, but the pain in his side seemed to be getting worse, not better. Suddenly
dizzy, he collapsed on the floor.
"Ghia? Are you alright?" Riya asked, panic showing in her voice.
Ghia tried to respond, but found he was just so very, very tired...
--==oOo==--
Kiun did not look up as High Shaman Eung strode into the room; he could tell by his pace that the
Eldest was angry, and didn't want to provoke him.
"Construct a carrier wave to the Shevar flagship. Now."
Eung's voice trembled as he spoke. How could the Shevar have performed such an act of betrayal?
Even the few Hanshaks who had managed to alert the homeworld had now been silenced; for all Eung
knew, there were no colonists left alive on the entire world of Alpheratz II.
The screen flicked on almost immediately to reveal a Shevar figure.
"Hanshaks! The food you have provided us with is plentiful and of high quality. We have consumed
almost a third of the world already, and our hunger has abated a little."
Eung tried to force his voice to be calm. "I have received reports that you have also been
consuming Hanshak colonists; is this true?"
The Shevar's arms dipped in a complicated pattern "The toroid-food? But this is the most
plentiful and excellent food on this world! I see no reason for you to concern yourself with
its fate, since it was you who gave it to us."
Eung could not believe what he heard. Were these creatures just stupid?
"There seems to be some misunderstanding here. My people, the Hanshaks, are living, sentient
creatures; they are NOT to be eaten! There is a plentiful supply of crops on that world for you
to satisfy yourselves with, so leave the colonists be!"
The Shevar performed its complicated dipping movement again, which Eung took to mean confusion.
"Sentient? These Hanshaks, they are not life; they do not even contain more than a hundredth part
of metallic elements! What life could take place without these?"
"You exhibit complex behaviour worthy of study, but this nonsense you speak only serves to prove
that you cannot think. We now grow bored with you, and will pursue your imminent elimination."
The screen terminated abruptly. Eung sat in stunned silence, then spoke softly to Kiun.
"Send a wide-band message to Alpheratz II. Tell everyone who can get to a vessel to depart the
planet immediately. I will not stand by and watch those monsters devour my people!"
He rose from the pedestal, and walked slowly from the room. Kiun began to perform his task, in
silent haste.
--==oOo==--
Two Shevar stood in the deserted marketplace, surveying the horizon. Small jet trails were evident
from the departing modules and spaceplanes.
"See? The remaining toroids depart the planet. Many have already reached the ship-like
structures in orbit and are proceeding to leave the system; we do not yet know where to."
The other Shevar lifted one branch-arm briefly, signifying intrigue. "A fascinating reaction to
the harvest, but hardly convenient for us. How many toroids remain on the planet?"
"Only a clawful, and those few are well scattered; we would perhaps do better to retrieve those in
the craft-things than to stay here."
"I concur; inform the fleet to prepare for immediate departure. Have lanedrones follow the
toroids' ship-devices and chart their course."
The second Shevar closed all its claws in submission, and boarded the nearby landing module. How
hungry he felt! He would make sure to get the first toroid off those craft when they caught up with
them.
--==oOo==--
Ghia woke up to find Riya watching him and a fresh binda leaf covering the wound in his side.
"What happened? How long was I out for?" he sat up and asked.
Riya made him lie down again "You've been in and out of consciousness for a day or two; it's hard
to tell with no sun. This is the first time you've been coherent; I think that Shevar must have
had some sort of toxin on his claws."
"How come they haven't found us yet?" he queried.
Riya responded happily. "I honestly think they've forgotten about us! I kept moving us around at
first, but then I realised nobody was chasing us. I guess two lone Hanshaks aren't that
important to them."
Ghia spotted a pile of binda plants sitting beside them in the tunnel "Aren't those part of the
stuff we brought up from the planet? How did you get ahold of them?"
She smiled "I found them in what looked like a waste room; I think the Shevar just don't like the
taste of them. Just as well, or I wouldn't have been able to help you as much as I have."
Her smile suddenly faded "There is one more thing. I found an external window nearby; we've been
in starlane transit since yesterday. Oh Ghia, where are they taking us now?"
Ghia wanted to say something that would solve everything, something that would make it all right
again; but all he could do was hold Riya as she cried.
--==oOo==--
Ghia watched as the starlane's terminal membrane rushed towards them; marking time in his head, he
estimated their lanespace velocity.
"I reckon we're going about twice as fast as a Hanshak laneship; and we've been in transit for
about three days now, so that means we must be in the starlane to the Yorbins system. The
starlane to Eumenides would only take two days to traverse at this speed."
Riya looked at the approaching terminus "Yorbins? You don't suppose they're going through to
Verithil, do you? I dread to think what'll happen if they get to the homeworld!"
Ghia recalled his star charts again. "I can't think of anything else they could be interested in.
The only other lane from Yorbins goes to Fomalhaut, and they could have reached that faster by
going through Eumenides."
They sat in silence as the membrane rapidly filled the viewport, before wrapping smoothly around the
ship's hull. There was a brief sub-audible *pop*, and they were in the Yorbins system.
--==oOo==--
It was with a heavy heart that High Shaman Eung watched the tiny purple triangles, representing the
Shevar vessels, move swiftly along the lanes on the holographic star map.
He broadcast a general request; what options did they have?
General Ferh was the first to respond; "We have enough orbital shielding to fend them off for a
few days at most. That is insufficient time to mount a complete evacuation of the planet. I
say our only remaining option is to defend ourselves forcibly."
Eung broadcast a feeling of discomfort at the idea; the Hanshaks had long been a peaceful people,
surely this could be resolved in some other way?
Scrutiniser Jwih spoke up "High Shaman, there is no way we could evacuate everyone from the planet
in time; and even if we did, it would mean leaving our precious world to the ravages of these...
monsters. I hesitate to say it, but I must concur with General Ferh on this issue."
The Eldest sighed audibly; there really was no option. But, he broadcast, how would their
antiquated orbital missile bases fare against Shevar technology?
Jwih commented again "Actually, we have recently discovered some interesting consequences of
superconductor theory which could theoretically be applied to weapons technology."
General Ferh grunted at the jargon "What he means is, we've got new, bigger guns. I believe the
Armoury can have working devices in orbit within four days at the most."
Eung extended a paw over the star map, measuring distances; they had less than four days before the
Shevar fleet arrived, probably more like three.
Acknowledging his broadcast, Ferh announced "I will push the workers as hard as I can, and the new
weapons will be ready in less than three days."
The High Shaman dismissed the council members with a wave of his paw. After the last Hanshak had
left his chamber, he relaxed on his pedestal and let his mind drift loose from his body. With the
merest flicker of his will, he was deep within the Silver Forest on the moon. As he wandered
amongst the grave markers of past Shamans, he did not feel the peace he normally felt in this place.
There could be no peace for him until this was over; and perhaps not even then.
--==oOo==--
Riya looked out the viewport as Ghia kept watch through the mesh covering on the inner wall of the
tunnel.
"It's the homeworld alright; I can just start to make out the continents." she said. Ghia turned
round to look "There still don't seem to be any guards on that module; as soon as we get nearer
to the planet, we'll hijack it; and here's hoping we can figure out the controls!"
Riya shot him an angry look "Don't say things like that! We'll *have* to manage it; we have no
other option."
They watched as the planet rapidly approached; before long, it completely filled their view. Ghia
could make out the blue glow of the planetary shield, and a missile base dead ahead. Suddenly a
thought occurred to him. Assuming the homeworld knew about the massacre on Alpheratz II, they would
surely shoot at the Shevar vessel; but he and Riya were still on it!
"Riya, what if the planet starts firing at us? They could mistake our module for an invasion
attempt!"
"I guess we just have to hope we can use the communication systems on that thing. Now come on,
we're ready to go."
--==oOo==--
"Eldest, the last of the Alpheratz colonists' ships has docked safely at Verithil III, and they
have restored their orbital shield. We must fire at once!", announced General Ferh.
Eung closed his eyes and pressed the button; three missile bases immediately launched their payloads
against the Shevar vessel. The missiles hurtled through a complicated trajectory, designed to
prevent countermeasures from locking on to their paths. As expected, the missiles exploded
harmlessly against a thick energy barrier around the ship.
"It's time to use the new weapons, High Shaman. We have no other choice."
Of course there was no other choice; why did everyone have to keep reminding him of that? Eung
worked up his courage again, and pressed the button which authorised the new weaponry for usage. He
watched the blue energy bolts zip towards the aggressive craft.
The room fell deathly silent as the bolts crackled harmlessly around the ship's energy barrier.
--==oOo==--
Ghia steadied himself as the Shevar vessel recoiled from the impact. Not a scratch on it though, he
noted grimly.
"Riya, even if we do get down to the planet, it looks like the Shevar might manage to break
through the orbital defences. We may as well just die now!"
Riya came up from beneath the module's control panel where she had been examining circuits.
"Well, what else can we do?" she asked helplessly, "It's not like we have a supply of explosives
handy."
Ghia cast his mind back a few days; when he was recovering from his wound, he had spent his time
speculating as to the nature of a large blue-and-gold device embedded in the outer hull. He
strained to catch a glimpse of it through the module's viewport as another salvo was launched from
the planet. Sure enough, the energy barrier was densest near the device and its siblings; it must
be a shield generator!
"Riya, I have an idea; I think I might be able to damage the ship's shields. Keep ready until I
come back!"
He hopped out of the module and moved silently towards the service duct they had hidden in; Riya ran
to the door, but didn't dare shout after him.
"Oh Ghia; be careful!" she whispered.
--==oOo==--
Ghia finally found what he was looking for; as another salvo crashed into the vessel, actinic energy
bolts leapt back from the shield membrane to a concave mirror, and were reflected into the heart of
the device. Some other arcane technology must deal with it after that, he reasoned. He strode
purposefully over to the mirror, and began straining to move it; even a little bit would do.
Suddenly, he caught a glimpse of something red outside the shield's hull aperture; a missile!
If that thing hits while I'm still here, he thought, I'll get fried! He drove harder at the mirror,
and felt it give a few inches. Quickly, he backed off, and began to run back along the tunnel. As
the missile impacted against the shield barrier, energy beams leapt back to the mirror once again.
But, with the mirror misaligned, the bolts were redirected onto the casing of the device, where they
began to burn through its outer shell; Ghia ran faster.
--==oOo==--
Riya tried to be as quiet as possible as the Shevar slowly proceeded towards the module; if only
Ghia hadn't run off, they could be away already! She realised, with a mounting sense of panic, that
the Shevar intended to board the module and examine the interior. She hid beneath the control
panel, and tried not to move; she could see the Shevar moving around in the cabin. As it approached
the cockpit, she closed her eyes and waited for the inevitable.
Suddenly, there was an almighty explosion from outside; the Shevar turned like quicksilver, and
swiftly left the module and the hangar. Riya breathed a sigh of relief and crawled out into the
open. As she sat down in front of the panel, she heard a slight noise from behind her; she turned
around with a yelp, only to see Ghia standing in the doorway.
"Ghia! You scared me!" she shouted.
"Sorry Riya, but we need to leave immediately; I've just sabotaged their shield generators, and
the next shot will knock out this entire section!"
Quickly, Riya turned to the controls and ordered the module to leave the hangar; she let out a huge
sigh of relief as it responded to her commands.
--==oOo==--
"High Shaman, Observation reports that there has been an explosion inside the Shevar vessel.
Shall we try the new weapons again?" queried General Ferh.
Eung considered; yes, he decided. We will try again. He pressed the button, and a triplet of
energy bolts soared towards the ship. A cheer went up as they tore through the hull, spawning
fragments of debris.
Kiun suddenly spoke up; "I am receiving a transmission from a landing module departing the vessel;
it is a pair of the Alpheratz II colonists!"
Eung broadcast a swift order; have a truckship pick them up. We cannot lower the shields until the
Shevar are disabled. No sooner had Kiun given the order than another communication arrived.
Kiun checked his console in surprise; "High Shaman, it is the Shevar this time! They want to
speak with you."
Eung hoped they had decided to listen to reason; he ordered the screen activated.
"Hanshaks! You have caused a great deal of death and destruction with your fine weapons!" said
the Shevar representative.
"We apologise for that" began Eung, "but you left us with no..."
"Cease your apologies!" shouted the Shevar. "It is we who should apologise. Had we known sooner
of your destructive talents, we would have realised easily that you are living creatures! We
have acted in undue haste by assuming you were merely food."
Eung could not decide whether to laugh or cry; maybe the Arbryls had it right after all.
"Perhaps you should send down one of your number so that we can discuss this further..." he
remarked.
--==oOo==--
Ghia and Riya looked out over the crowd from their balcony room in the diplomatic building. The
High Shaman had been most impressed with their experiences, and had asked them to consider joining
the diplomatic corps as ambassadors to the Shevar. After all, he had said, you probably know them
better than any of us. The pair were still considering the matter; but no matter what their
decision, it would have to wait until after the wedding.
"Look!" cried Riya. "Here they come!"
Sure enough, the High Shaman was walking down the street to mount a podium in the town square. A
Shevar representative approached from the direction of the spaceport, where a module had touched
down only an hour before. As the two faced each other across the podium, High Shaman Eung whispered
to the Shevar in a tone that only the two of them could hear.
"So, you will recognise the Hanshaks as living entities, and provide us with access to your
advanced technologies?"
The Shevar closed all of its claws; "That is correct. You in turn will provide us with adequate,
nonsentient nourishment, and will teach us this thing you call - friendship? This is the
correct word?"
Eung was amused at their clumsiness with the concept; "Yes, that is correct."
The Shevar picked up one of the symbolic white peacefruits from the table and proffered it to the
High Shaman, as he had been instructed; Eung did likewise, in the age-old Hanshak custom.
The Shevar spoke again "And this... fruit; it is food?"
"Yes," replied the High Shaman, "it is food."
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