The AI - Scifi Story - Chapter 5

Morar watched his mother sit on the ground in front of the Government building.

It was the second day of the hunger strike. Almost every human woman was sitting in front of his office building now. And they were not alone.

At first, fearing people's reaction, Morar had surrounded the small group with law enforcers. The official militia found the hunger strike as weird as the alien race considered most humans' ideas. They were interesting, innovative, creative, and ready to make you cry of passion, emotions, or pain.

However, it didn't take long for Morar and his officers to understand how powerful the idea of peaceful, voluntary death for a cause was. The appalling movement started with 15 women wearing their weird clothes and spread at the speed of light.

It was now millions of their people sitting in front of the administration building together with the women. A few had even changed their jumpsuit for the humans' attire.

The Council's first reaction had been laughter, as parents grinned at a cute little thing their beloved children did. But their people were giving support to the movement in stupefying numbers.

Nobody was feeling like smiling or laughing now. The women had been sitting without food for 56 hours and showed no intention of stopping.

Waking up Jenny Winston had brought consequences, but not what Morar and the Council had expected. They hoped she would be conciliatory, as her last actions on Earth had been. They were so wrong.

Random reports on her achievements, the interviews she had offered about human's foolhardiness in keeping the stasis program going, indicated leadership and boldness. But adding to those, there was her easy acceptance of the "punishment" she endured. That had been the misleading info for the alien Council. After all, Jenny's superiors could never put the woman's spitfire personality in a bottle for a report. They misunderstood it for submission to her superiors' orders, and it had not been her motivation.

"Why did she comply without a fight," Morar asked himself for the hundredth time.

He had woken up a beast of pride, intelligence, and combativeness. She was ready to die for her people.

Only, to add pain to injury, Morar was attracted to the woman. And as he had never been to anyone.

The night before the beginning of the storm, he had planned to visit her. The alien could never imagine what Jenny was planning along with her companions. He wanted to invite her for a walk, maybe dinner. Fool him expected her to be calmer.

He pressed his forehead against the window panel, feeling the cold refresh his burning head. Well, at least that part of him would be colder.

Because his body was not following that path. Morar felt hot every time he remembered Jenny's fit body and fluid movements. She was stunning, with her well-shaped head, shaved bald. He dreamed of her white teeth. In his imagination, they appeared between her full lips in a smile, only for him, instead of bared aggressively.

He chuckled at himself. How blind could an infatuated man be?

Breathing in deeply, he observed her from his office's window.

He frowned, noticing how immobile she was. He recalled her files. He knew them all by heart by then. She was using a meditation technique, an art she was an expert on; the human tradition helped her cope with stress. And the situation was stressful.

Morar's AI told him the Supreme Council would meet the women for a collective audience. That was the natural outcome, and he knew it, but he dared the second encounter with the beautiful black human. He wanted to kiss her, not argue. Not a chance in hell, his mother told him, laughing, when he shared his feelings. Jenny would bite his head off before accepting his advances.

Jenny and the other women would never give up. Going back to Earth was a matter of honor now. Their rightful wish. His mother told him that.

Morar left the window, his lips pursed, and sat on his desk. The air flickered, and his room became crowded with the holographic projections of the 19 governors from Earth's system.

They were men and women, but they all had the same grim expressions on their faces.

Jupiter's Counselor spoke first.

"19 ships left a few minutes ago to join your humans, Morar. They are carrying medical supplies and equipment to help build their colony."

Around the room, every Governor nodded. The only difference was the number of ships and the kind of material they carried.

Shania lifted his hand. He was the Prime Counselor, one of the only leaders that remained from the Council that ordered the humans' absorption into their DNA bank. Their medical was able to keep the aliens alive for thousands of years. Their happiness was of short duration when they discovered that nature would find a way to keep the balance. Their diminishing procreation ability and the weakness of their young was the tool it used.

The elder's voice was loud and clear.

"They finally won us. I told the former Council that the destruction of their species was not advisable, but they were afraid. They were 39 billion when we arrived in their solar system."

"The past is out of our reach," Morar replied. "Throwing blame around will not help us. We must act fast."

The other governors exchanged glances. Morar was not a man of many words. His opinions were prized because they were on target and rare. He continued.

"The past makes no difference. Our people know they threaten to die in front of my office building. If even one of them faints here, we will have riots in our hands. And we will lose everything. Families split apart already. These women are not joking around."

Inelle, a female Governor with big almond grey eyes nodded. "My parents are in front of your building, Morar. She won't budge. She will go home in death on alive. My father says he will go along whichever way too."

"Same here, Inelle," Phoebe said, and all the hybrid governors made similar gestures.

Litrus, the second old counselor shook his head. "We are out of perspective here. Our real problem is that we need them. Our people are getting sicker every day. We need their DNA. Our women can't hold the pregnancy of the human male's sperm, so it is no solution either. Only their women can help us, and they don't want it now. Every single one of them unsubscribed from the fertilization program."

Inelle turned to Litrus with a bitter smile.

"Would you help us, Counselor? Because I wouldn't."

Silence took the room.

"You think they know the truth, " Saturn's Counselor declared, frowning. "but how? Isn't it just the desire to go back to their planet?

Morar signed yes. "They know indeed. It was the first thing Jenny Winston said in this very room. She connected the dots so fast I was appalled. I begged my mom to talk to Jenny, and my mother turned her back on me. She also called my father a murderer. You know he was part of the science team that started the AI characterization. She told him not to bother going to Earth after her. She will never talk to him again. He is devastated."

'I am so sorry, Morar," Phoebe said. "They were a happy couple."

"Not anymore."

"We have to do something to stop this," Inelle sighed.

"We must let them go. And we have to help. Whatever these women want, we have to give," Morar urged.

A woman's voice, singing in an Earth language, invaded the room.

"It is so beautiful," Inelle said, smiling. "What song is that?"

Morar pursed his lips again. "It is the national anthem of one of the countries on Earth. Their people lived in large groups named nations. Every one of them had a symbol song. Moraya sings one every hour. They say it doesn't matter any longer. They are now humans who left behind their country's differences to gather under this idea of a single, united front. They will go back to Earth or die trying."

Litrus snorted. "Jenny Winston's idea, I guess."

Morar smiled. "Of course."

The single voice became a strong chorus.

"And this," asked Phoebe. "It is not the human women alone."

Morar raised his hands in the inter galactical gesture of surrender.

"Our people listen and learn. Then they sing along, helped by the AIs. It is the third day, and they moved the 90 worlds, not just this solar system. We have no choice. We have to let them go," Morar declared. "Let's vote. I say let them go," he declared and stood.

One by one, the Counselors stood as the voices outside grew stronger as other aliens joined the humans' chant.

"What are we going to do about the DNA problem," Litrus asked, still sitting, and showing the old ways. "We can't accept our race's destruction."

Phoebe shrugged. "We go to them, begging for help and counting on their good heart."

"I agree," said Innelle. "My mother said it is our only chance. Most humans don't hold grudges if lives are at stake. This morning when she was leaving home, she said it aloud, to shame my father. According to her, the former Council should have just asked for help. Many human women would have married our men. No killing was necessary."

Sighing, Litrus stood. "If only our people understood the implications, they wouldn't support this craziness."

Phoebe turned to the old man. "You still think using force is the way."

The old Counselor shrugged. "It has worked before."

Morar shook his head. "Thank the stars we outvote you, Litrus. You Would kill our people, wouldn't you? You would start a wave of violence in our worlds."

"It is time you went home, old man," Shania, the Prime Counselor decided. "New times require new ideas."

Some smiled because Shania was older than Litrus.

Litrus turned to his fellow, his eyes blazing with despondency.

"I agree it is time I left this Council. When 15 human females have the destiny of my race in their hands, and this Council is not only watching them destroy our society but is also bowing to their demands, I have nothing else to say, and I want no part in this."

Shania pointed at the ample windows, his face getting more and more purple in rage.

"Listen to our people out there, Litrus. It is more complicated than that. Even you can see it. You must leave." the Prime Counselor pronounced.

'Don't bother to depose me, Shania. I will call my planet's Council and present my resignation. A new Counselor will speak for Deimos the next time this High Council gathers."

When the man's image disappeared, Phoebe turned to Shania.

"Will he cause us trouble?"

Shania shook his head. "He has no stand in his planet. I tried to talk to him, make him change his ways. But he is not easy to put down in an argument. It always ended in a draw or like this. His Council has asked me to depose him for a long time. He is their ambassador only because of his age. May these women never know he pressed for their race's destruction because if they ask for his head, I doubt our people will support him or me."

"Let's hope it does not come to that," Innelle whispered.

"It won't. I will beg for our race," Morar declared. "The human females who started this strike are on my planet. Besides, I owe it to my mother. My father could have stepped down, but he cooperated. A lot. I can see her point."

"Can't we all," remarked Phoebe, and the Council dispersed in silence.