"The Long Night"
By Nes Mikel
Acknowledgment;
Standard Disclaimers apply. You know what I'm talking about. Don't sue me. Please.
The Caravan
"Sol?"
"Haven't you ever heard of the place?" Yrn asked.
"Of course I've heard about it. What do you think I am? It's the Human homeworld, is it not?" PX-23-DXY asked. Yrn nodded slightly in response. "Why do you wish to go there?"
"I'm doing this as a favor for someone."
PX-23-DXY glanced over in the direction where the campfire was, where Lekim and Krr'isha were sleeping. A silent alarm ringed deep within the core programs within the cold machine, and this upset him. Somehow PX-23-DXY knew what was going on, but he wasn't sure. It was something Humans had once called sixth sense.
"You know going there will accomplish nothing." PX-23-DXY rebutted.
"I did not say specifically that I wanted to help the Humans defend the system." Yrr insisted. "The New Orions are already starting to send probes machines to wear their defenses down. Once the Great White Fleet arrives, there is no hope for them. Praxis will be the only hope left for them, and that is a zoo-world controlled by the New Orions."
Yrn glanced over to Lekim, and scanned the rest of the Humans that were around him. Perhaps this was Yrn's way of feeling sorry for his companions. Nearly half of the caravan consisted of Humans, and Sol had no doubt remained in their hearts indefinitely.
"More the reason not to go there." PX-23-DXY pointed out. "What do you seek?"
"A favor." Yrn replied without emotion.
He was starting to irritate him. "You did not answer my question." he replied with a touch of anger.
"Do I have to?" Yrn stared right at him.
PX-23-DXY considered this for a moment. He shook his mechanical head sideways. It was no use arguing with this Evon. He was the youngest of the old ones, but he had always been uncooperative with them. But, PX-23-DXY admitted, he was a valuable ally: a master spy, trained from another one of the old ones, Kil-Moria, an aging Darlock who were near his last breaths. Perhaps Yrn wanted to seize this opportunity to recruit new students, but with the Caravan starting to disband, PX-23-DXY didn't see the logic behind Yrn's request. Besides, Sol wasn't exactly the best place to search for potential students. Not these days anyway.
"And what if I refuse?"
"You know what I'll do. Whatever it takes, my friend." Yrn replied coldly. An electrical chill ran through PX-23-DXY's wires. Sometimes this friend really scared him.
"You know the starlane route we have planned for the caravan does not make detours all because of one person." PX-23-DXY tried to argue. "And if you try anything funny, you know the caravan will come after you. You know what happened to the spy that infiltrated our caravan once."
"Of course." Yrn replied coolly. "I've heard that story from Kil-Moria a dozen times. Along with you, Krr'isha, and him, as I recall. That was the only time I got to take command of the ship. A enjoyable experience."
PX-23-DXY was annoyed. "Stop trying to be funny."
"I was being serious."
Yrr was like a rock; once he believed in something, he would pursue his goals no matter the cost. He even tried to kill him once. It was a moment that was burned forever in the tetraware harddrive in his CPU, an incident that had once threatened to destroy the entire caravan. It was useless to argue with him, so finally PX-23-DXY gave up.
"Fine. I will take you as far as to Alpha Centauri, and you can take one of the shuttles in the bay. I've made modifications to several of them, which enables them to jump a few starlanes. Is that sufficient?"
"That will be sufficient." Yrr replied happily.
