Author Notes: Reminder - two Artie's in this story. Glee Artie and alien AI Artie. They both appear in this chapter. Hopeful context makes it clear which one is which. Also, the epilogue is running very behind. Had to completely rewrite it. It didn't fit this part of the story. May be done in a week or two.
Posted: 5/11/2014
Word count: 5,098
"So, what do we have?" Artie asked, as he, Mike, Penny, Tina, and his camera crew traveled out to the site, accompanied by Rachel and her bodyguards. June and Katie were safely back at their hotel base learning to use their new equipment.
Rachel handed him a large photo, taken from Quinn's suit cam the day before as she briefly hovered over the ocean floor inside the cache. "An old cruiser, several shuttles, and mummies. Lots of mummies."
"Will we get to go inside the shuttles and cruiser?" he asked. "And what about the mummies?"
"The majority of the mummies are Clan," Rachel said. "They'll be returned to the One after they've been examined."
"The One?" Artie asked.
"The Goddess. The Builder. The One who watches. We don't have religion as such, but we do believe in a higher power."
"Oh," Artie murmured, wondering how he could fit that into this documentary. "Can we film that?"
"No up close photographs of the mummies, though you'll be allowed to film the internment ceremony," Rachel said. "Though I suspect you won't find it that exciting. A few prayers, no weeping families, and a trip into the sun they died under."
"How a culture deals with death is always important," Artie says, attempting to appear sympathetic.
"I wasn't saying that it wasn't," Rachel said. "I just don't think it'll make for exciting television."
"Why the sun?" Artie asked.
"It's an old tradition," Rachel said.
"You said most of the mummies were clan," Mike said. "What were the others and how did they get here?"
"It appears this location was discovered by someone else in the past," Rachel reluctantly admitted."
"Who?" Artie asked, internally jumping for glee at Mike's catch. "How'd they find it?"
"The Lady Shadow is currently investigating," Rachel said. "Right now, all we know is that they are from a much later date."
Though Artie could tell there was something more to it he didn't push. "And the cruiser and shuttles?"
"That shuttle has already been moved. Late last night," she said, pointing at one of them in the photo. "According to our Fleet engineers, it appears to be running a highly unstable maintenance routine. We have a research center out in the asteroid belt. They'll study it out there and attempt to shut it down where it won't harm anyone."
"That dangerous?" Artie said. "Did you get any video of its removal that we can use?"
"Yes," Rachel said, giving him a faint smile. "From multiple angles. You can have it tonight."
"Good. Good," Artie said, as their transport came to a slow halt, hovering next to a series of connected platforms. The hatch opened and a ramp connected their craft to the nearest platform. Picking up their bags, Artie and his crew followed Rachel out onto the platform.
"How are we getting down there?" he asked,
"Scooter," Rachel said, pointing across to the furthest platform. Several bikini clad women stood near a row of devices. "Santana's crew will have something a little more permanent set up tomorrow."
"I think we're over dressed," Tina said, looking down at her sandals and denim shorts.
"No, the scooters will protect you," Rachel said. "And the site is dry."
"You look good to me," Mike said.
"A little biased," Tina said, poking him. "What about our equipment?"
"We've also set up an office for you." Rachel pointed to a small hut on another platform. "It has a high speed link to the hotel. Anything you do on the equipment here is backed up to there."
"Great," Penny said. "What about the local storms that are predicted for this week? Should we worry about them?"
"Our weather people are extremely accurate," Rachel said. "The platform has its own shields that'll protect us when it rains.
"Okay," Artie said, rotating to get a good look at all of his crew, "Let's get things set up before going down to the site."
"Ladies, Artie, Chang," a voice said from the hut entrance.
"This is unexpected," Artie said, turning to face the voice. Standing in the entrance was a uniform clad Santana Lopez.
"Couldn't let everyone else have all the fun," Santana said.
"What brings you here?" Rachel asked. "Is the elevator ready?"
"Hold your horses," Santana said. "Tomorrow."
"Okay," Rachel said. "Not that we aren't happy to see you, but aren't you busy with the other shuttle?"
"You know micro-managing isn't my thing," Santana said. "They'll let me know if they need me. Thought I'd bring by a little gadget one of my engineers cooked up for Artie."
"For me?" Artie looked surprised.
"Your wheels aren't going to work too well down there," Santana said. "And I don't think you want to be carried everywhere."
"No," Artie said. "Just put me where I can see everything."
"Or, we can fix up your wheels to handle the sand," Santana said, stepping back to let someone else enter the hut. "This is Emmy. She does custom work for special Fleet projects."
"Hi!" Emmy said, flashing Artie a big smile, before nodding to the others.
"What've you come up with?" Rachel asked.
"All terrain adapters, Lady Memory," Emmy said. "It's a low powered version of the boosters on our anti-gravity carts."
"Which means?" Artie asked.
"A slight modification of your chair," Emmy said. "You won't be able to fly, but you'll be able to move on soft ground without getting stuck."
"When can you make the changes?" Artie asked, clearly excited at the idea.
"We didn't want to break your current one so we made a dupe," Emmy said, pulling out a small device and quickly tapping on it.
"Emmy!" Santana said, quickly stepping back to let a wheelchair into the hut.
"Sorry Boss!" she said, giggling. "It's in Clan colors right now, but you can change it with this." She handed the device to Artie. "It's a simple controller, keyed to your bio-chip. Once it's activated, no one else can use it."
"Bio-chip?" Artie asked. "Something you forgot to tell me, ladies?"
"Not my idea," Rachel said defensively.
"It's a perk of the job," Santana said, shrugging. "We're all chipped."
"There are different kinds," Emmy added. "Depending on your job. Yours is like a key. You can be 'keyed' to use certain Clan equipment, like this chair or access certain areas, like this platform. And it allows our systems to monitor your health."
"Not sure I like the idea that someone is watching me," Tina said. "Or listening."
"Oh, your chips aren't capable of that," Emmy said, reaching into a pocket in her ship suit. "But they do allow you to access our comm channels with these." She quickly handed one to each of them.
"These look familiar," Artie said. "Someone must be a Trekkie."
"Trekker," Emmy said, firmly.
"Don't get her started," Santana said, shaking her head. "I already have a dozen requests for leave from my crew to attend a Star Trek convention."
"I wouldn't think it would be popular," Tina said. "You're living the real thing.
"Our tech is better," Emmy said.
"Our tech is more advanced," Santana said, correcting her. "But there are some things we can't do yet."
"Like what?" Artie asked.
"Matter Transporter," Rachel said. "I don't understand the science, but everyone tells me that's impossible." She nodded at Emmy to continue.
"Technically we could do it," Emmy said, shaking her head. "The science is understood. But what comes out the other end is very unstable, or very dead. No one has figured out the missing element yet."
"That would be a serious drawback," Artie said, grimacing. "What else?"
"Universal Translator," Emmy said. "That's like magic. Our tech can handle known languages we've mapped, but not languages we've never encountered before. We're using it now to translate your words into Clan speech."
"You aren't speaking English?" Red, who'd been quiet until now, blurted out.
"No," Emmy said.
"That's impressive," Red said. The others nodded in agreement.
"We find it useful," Santana said.
"How do these work?" Artie asked, holding up the communicator he'd been handed earlier.
"It has to be touching you," Emmy said. "Then touch it to activate, and select an outgoing channel. You have three. A team channel, our general channel, and an outside channel."
"Explain in more detail, please," Rachel said, noticing a number of confused expressions.
"Sorry, Lady Memory," Emmy said. "Channels are like your audio or video channels. Your comm badges have been programmed to access three. Channel one is your team. Only someone designated as part of your team can access it. Tap to activate, say 'Team' and then a name or group of names."
"Like a conference call?" Penny asked, nodding.
"Correct," Rachel said.
"The other channels?" Penny asked.
"The general channel works the same, except you can reach anyone in the Clan over it, if they are available," Emmy said. "You can also block callers if you don't want to be interrupted."
"And the last channel?"
"The outside channel," Emmy said. "It connects you to the planetary comm system, like your phone."
"We can still use our phones, right?" Tina asked.
"Yes, but the comm badges have better battery life," Emmy said.
"And no roaming charges," Rachel added. "Or phone bills. We cover all comm channel costs."
"So use the outside channel to call home or the office," Artie said loudly, to general laughter.
"How private are these channels?" Mike asked.
"Mostly private," Rachel said. "Only the Shadows can access private channels."
"Shadows?"
"The Lady Shadow and her people," Emmy said.
"Lady Shadow, Brittany, is in charge of Fleet Intelligence," Rachel said. "She knows everyone's secrets. She has access to all channels. She's probably listening to us now."
"That's… a surprise," Artie said.
"She's uniquely suited to the task," Rachel said. "I trust her completely."
"Looks like our ride's almost ready," Santana said, stopping the discussion. "Emmy, help Artie into his new chair and show him the controls."
"Yes, Boss," she said.
"What are we going to do with her?" Quinn asked, looking at the unconscious woman they'd found in the cruiser infirmary stasis pod. "She betrayed the Clan to the Red Pirates."
"The only proof we have is in that stasis pod, from a very biased source," Brittany said. "Her mother was the Clan Mother. She might have had a good reason for her actions."
"Artie? Please explain this again," Rachel said, from her perch on the counter. "What do we have for evidence?"
"Her personal log was keyed to open only to herself or a future member of the Council," she said. "Her claim is that the other members of the Council conspired to kill her mother and her mother killed the other eight of the Nine in self defense. She attempted to negotiate with the pirates to keep them from finding out the Clan was leaderless, and to protect the Clan."
"The Mother is a dangerous person to cross," Rachel said, frowning. "They tend to become unstable."
"Then why the hell does that role exist?" Santana said. "This is like some self inflicted bad mojo."
"The Mother is the ultimate embodiment of Clan survival," Rachel said. "Only someone who can become focused on the survival of the Clan, no matter what the cost, can meet the requirements for Mother. But, if the wrong person is picked, things like this can happen."
"The Clan Mother is an anachronism, dating back to the original planet bound Clans," Artie said. "All current Clans operate without an active Mother."
"So, we aren't going to have one of our own?" Santana asked.
"You have a potential one now," Artie said. "The original plan does not include a Mother."
"Her?" Santana said. "Little Miss Pirate-Hugger? What makes her a potential Mother? I'd space her if she did that to my People."
"She fits the profile of a Mother. She is a much better fit than her own mother was," Artie told them. "Her actions were a result of grief, not madness."
"So what do we do with her?" Quinn asked again. "What have the other Clans done to make their 'Mothers' inactive?"
"They are placed in stasis when they begin to exhibit unstable behavior," Artie said.
"And this wasn't standard practice back then, was it?" Rachel asked.
"Correct."
"No wonder her mother thought they were out to get her. They were," Rachel said. "I think we need to hear her story, from her."
"Too dangerous," Brittany said. "If she is recognized as the Mother, she has some kind of power over us."
"I'm not sure that is true," Rachel said. "The power of the Mother was her ability to scheme, and her intelligence. None of the Nine have any special, magical powers. They are just very suited for their role."
"I'm not sure I like that idea anyway," Quinn said. "Magic doesn't make me good at my job. It's training and experience."
"And a talent for commanding small groups of people," Rachel said. "Just like Santana has that certain something special that makes her a superb Fleet commander. It's a talent, not magic."
"Some things a Mother can do cannot be explained by Clan science or genetics," Brittany said. "If we turn her loose, we could be dooming our entire enterprise."
"What about Sophia?" Rachel said. "We had to petition the Confederation to make her the Weaver, and they still haven't decided. Isn't that the same issue with a designated Mother? Won't the Confederation have to agree to her elevation?"
"Yes," Artie said. "But she is the only candidate available. It is a forgone conclusion that she would be elevated if you request it."
"I still think we should talk with her," Rachel said.
"I don't agree," Brittany said.
"How about a compromise?" Quinn said. "Let's ask her to tell us her story, for the record. You can monitor the interview for any suspicious activity."
"Suspicious activity?" Brittany asked.
"If she has some sort of power, and we all agree it isn't magic, it must be some kind of psychic ability. Artie? Has the Confederation ever actually examined a Mother to see how they are able to influence a Clan?"
"No," Artie said. "All we have is speculation based on events such as this. The Council of Clans does not allow any of the Nine to be examined by Confederation specialists."
"Really? Then how did you recruit us? Didn't you have to do a thorough workup on each of us? What did this Council think of that?"
"They were informed, but not consulted," Artie said. "As part of the agreement between the Council of Clans and the Confederation, if a Clan becomes inactive or unable to function, due to some unforeseen action, the Confederation has the power to take the remnants of that Clan and appoint a new Council of Nine from the remnants of that Clan to rebuild it."
"So, at some point we, the Council of Nine of the Dragon Clan, will have to seek approval of the overall Clan Council?" Rachel asked. "And if they don't approve of us?"
"If you fail to be successful in rebuilding your Clan, they have the power to completely disband it and absorb your members into the remaining Clans. But this has never been done in the entire history of the Clan - Confederation agreement."
"Never is a long time," Brittany said. "So, we will need a plan to deal with the other Clans if they don't like how we run things. But first we need to deal with this Mother issue. If Artie can provide us with psychic shields against potential tampering, then I will agree to this action."
"Our clan includes human genes," Quinn said. "Can a full Clan psychic, if that's what Mother means, affect us?"
"This psychic ability, as you call it, is very rare in the Confederation. Most species with psychic abilities such as this can only affect their own. What effect your human genes will have is unknown. But we will provide shielding, as requested," Artie said. "If, as you theorize, the Mother is a psychic trait, it is an unconscious one."
"So, she might not know she's trying to influence someone?" Quinn said.
"I think we need to bring Coach in on this," Santana said. "That woman is uninfluencible."
"So, you want me to interrogate her? Little Popsicle Girl?" Sue asked, looking at the monitor. "What did she do?"
"We're not exactly sure," Rachel said. "There was a recording attached to her stasis pod claiming that she attempted to punish the Clan for the death of her mother at the hands of the Council of Nine. The cruiser contained possible evidence of her misdeeds."
"You don't believe this," Sue said.
"We don't know what to believe," Quinn said. "Some of us would like to leave her in stasis until after our mission is completed, while others believe it is unfair to keep her in stasis without any proof."
"Okay," Sue said. "I'll do it, but on my terms."
"She might be psychic," Brittany said. "Artie has provided a psychic dampener for the interrogation room, just in case."
"Sue Sylvester is not a weak minded peon," Sue said. "That won't be necessary."
"We would feel better if we could provide you that protection," Rachel said. "Even if you have anti-psychic tampering training, we don't want to put you at risk. So we will provide the dampening field."
"Best be careful," Sue said, nodding. "Being soft is not always productive."
"Coach, we care about you and don't want you to get hurt," Santana said. "This may be the job you agreed to do for us but you are not expendable. Put that in your pipe and smoke it."
"You definitely have guts, Devil Girl," Sue said. "Let's get this over with. Let's take this party to somewhere a little more private."
Her name was a string of consonants that even Rachel couldn't pronounce. Brittany claimed that was the first sign that something was wrong in Mother-ville and that the previous Council had been off their rocker to let her mother name her that.
She stared at the wall, blinking occasionally, clearly confused. She jumped when the door opened and a tall, older woman entered.
"You and I shall talk of many things," the older woman said. "From the beginning."
"I do not know you," she said. "You are not of a Clan, though you appear to be dressed as one."
"So there is a brain in that head," the woman said. "You may call me Coach."
"I do not know this Coach. What does it mean?"
"Meaning of names does not matter here. We have questions for you to answer," Coach said.
"Why am I here?" she asked. "This does not appear to be my home."
"Your home is long gone," Coach said. "We would like you to explain what happened to it."
"My home was in the trees of the golden forest, by the rainbow waterfall," she said. "There was a fire, set by one of the bondsmen of the Council. The waterfall was black with the charred branches of the golden trees. Many years of work were destroyed."
"Why did this bondsman burn this forest," Coach asked.
"My mother… my mother was a member of this Council, may it be thrice forgotten," she said, staring bleakly across the table at Sue. "They told her, told her that her dreams were the stuff of nonsense and called her a madwoman who should be locked up. Her dreams that had guided them for two patrols against the Darkness. They told her she was mad to predict the end of the Clan and the rise of a new power."
"What did she do?" Coach asked.
"She attempted to show them, but they resisted," she said. "They claimed it was an attack and arrested her, stripping her of her authority on the Council."
"What did she do then," Coach asked.
"They didn't have the authority to remove her," she said. "Mother appealed to the Council of Clans but they refused to hear her case."
"She must have taken some action against them for this?" Coach asked.
"Yes," she said. "Mother worked slowly so they wouldn't see."
"Subtle," Coach said, nodding in approval. "What did she do?"
"The Council of Clans insisted that the remaining Nine must find a replacement for Mother or return her to her position. They could not find a suitable candidate, because Mother changed the results of the tests, though they did not know this."
"Interesting. Then what happened?"
"I was unable to convince her of the wrongness of her choices," she said. "No matter what I said, she insisted that they be punished for risking the Clan for their own power."
"Some people become single minded and cannot be stopped gently," Coach said. "What did you do?"
"I'd run into several pirates of the Red Band while researching the lives of the rainbow bird in our new lands," she said. "They were mercenaries, supposedly looking for a place to call home. The Clan does not normally allow creatures of this nature into our lands. There is too much risk of contamination. But I saw something I could use to dissuade my mother. I believed that an attack by the Red Band would convince her to work with the Council."
"That is a dangerous game," Coach said. "Poisonous snakes are poisonous no matter how they are handled."
"Yes, as I learned to my horror," she said. "They did not just frighten the Council. Once they had access to our lands, they took them and tortured them, my mother included."
"That must have been a shock," Coach said.
"Yes," she said. "Instead of a Council of Nine, it was a Red Council. Our people suffered greatly."
"How did you feel about this? They took the opening you gave them and marched right through it."
"I was foolish," she said. "And arrogant in my knowledge of such parasites. I could not see what they would do would benefit them and not the Clan."
"Ah," Coach murmured.
"Why do you ask me these questions?" she asked. "I can detect the faint aroma of the Nine. Why don't they make an appearance?"
"They are not your Nine," Coach said. "You were successful. The Nine fell to the Red Band."
"I have doomed my Clan," she said. "Please leave," she said. "I wish to commune with their spirits."
Coach nodded, and left her to her own device in the interrogation room.
"What do you think?" Quinn asked her, when she rejoined them.
"Very guilt ridden. Would have spaced her myself, but you softhearted Nine will want to rehabilitate her."
"Do you think she can be rehabilitated?" Brittany asked. "She has some psychic power. It was causing the dampeners to go crazy several times."
"Rehabilitation is a weasel approach," Sue said. "Space her and move on. Even if she never tries to betray you again, she won't be able to function as a full member of this Clan without some shrink poking her brain."
"Thank you, Coach, we'll take it from here," Quinn said. "Ladies?"
"I'll stay here," Brittany said. "I'm not having a crazy Mother candidate near my brain."
"Okay," Quinn said.
Rachel, Quinn, and Santana walked down the halt to the isolation room.
"You first," Rachel said, stepping behind Quinn.
"Why do I have to go first?" Quinn grumbled. "It was really your idea to thaw her out."
"Dumb bitches," Santana grumbled. "Let's get this over with. We need to finish cleaning up that cache. And someone has to do something about a certain camera crew that is busy filming Clan artifacts." Leaning forward, she pulled open the door and stepped through, reluctantly followed by Rachel and Quinn.
"You wanted to talk with the Nine," Santana said, giving her a grim look. "You will have to settle for us. The rest of the Nine are unavailable at this time, due to your actions."
"Who are you?" she asked them. "You are not Clan. You cannot be of the Nine."
"We're the closest you will get," Santana said. "It has been fifteen hundred rotations since you failed to destroy the Clan."
"I did not wish to harm the Clan," she protested. "The Council needed an incentive to take action."
"You failed," Quinn said, sitting down regally on the other side of the table. "Your actions left no other option for the Clan but to be assimilated into the native population."
"You are not pure Clan," she said, horrified. "How can you be of the Nine?"
"We are as pure as possible, following the assimilation," Santana said. "You screwed up. But we are stronger, and more flexible than your former precious pure blooded Clan. We do not believe in taking the easy way out."
"We are truly three of the Nine," Rachel said softly. "The Hand of the Clan, the Lady of the Air, and the Memory of the Clan." She pointed at each of them as she gave their role in the Council of Nine. "We have earned our places in the Council. The Clan was lost, and now it is found. What will your role be in the new Clan of the Dragon?"
"I have no place in your new Clan," she said, her voice barely audible. "I have stained the honor of the Clan with my actions."
"Honor is not the crutch you believe it to be," Quinn said. "I command a battle tested army that would frighten the stoutest Red Band pirate. We act with honor at all times, and we would never betray the Clan as you have done. You must atone for your actions."
"I think there is a better solution," Santana said, pulling out a knife and laying it out on the table. "This was found in your mother's heart. What you do with it is up to you." Turning, Santana left the room and its shocked occupants.
"Well, that was just typical," Rachel grumbled. "Why is she in charge of our Fleet?"
"Because she has the talent and the desire," Quinn said. "When I go into battle, I want her Fleet, and no other, at my back. I know and understand her at a level I can't explain."
"You are strange," she said. "My mother's Council of Nine were all old. They had been the Nine for longer than anyone could remember."
"Age is not always a good indicator of wisdom," Quinn said. "The Lady of the Air, myself, and the Lady of the Shadows all grew up together. We were not always friends but we understand each other in a way no one else can. That was not meant to frighten you," she said pointing at the knife the woman was holding. "It is merely a reminder that you owe a debt to the Clan that cannot be paid back by cowardly actions. You destroyed the Clan's effectiveness. It has been fifteen hundred solar orbits since we fielded a full complement. Even now we are not at full strength. It will take years to turn things around. But we, descendants of the original Clan, will see that it happens." Quinn stood up, nodded at both women, and left the interrogation room.
"In all my years with these women, seeing their many facets, this is the first time I have seen them exhibit such emotion. The Clan is their home, their place of being. Your actions are something they cannot fully understand. While they understand revenge and justice, they would never intentionally harm the Clan, as you have done, in order to take revenge. Clan First and Always should be tattooed on their foreheads. I'll leave you here to think about your deeds. What you do with that knife is up to you. I hope you make the right choice." Nodding, Rachel quietly removed herself from the interrogation room and rejoined the others in the conference room.
"Clan forever and always?" Santana said. "Where do you get this crap? That woman doesn't have what it takes to work in one of the Fleet kitchens, let alone a job that requires loyalty and strength of character."
"I think you're wrong," Rachel said. "I think we can use her, once she deals with her grief. But until then, what do we do with her?"
"Putting her back in stasis wouldn't help with that," Brittany said. "I don't want her anywhere near my people. The psycho meter was off the charts while you three were in there with her. She may not know it but she was trying to dig into your brains, or something like that."
"Suggestions?" Rachel asked.
"Space her," Santana said. "Or stick her in a time loop in Artie's asteroid base."
"Isolate her," Quinn said. "Until we know she can control her emotions, and her psychic ability, I don't want her near my troopers either."
"An awful lot of compassion in this room," Rachel said, frowning. "I think we should put her up in one of the beach houses. Sounds like the destruction of her home was one of her triggers. Put her back into something familiar."
"In one of the learning pods in Artie's asteroid," Brittany said finally. "She isn't stable enough for the real world. It can be set up to look like the beach at Cancun."
"Who's going to work with her?" Rachel asked. "Stabilize her?"
"Someone she can't affect," Brittany said. "Someone non-Clan."
"That leaves Coach," Quinn said. "All of our other people have Clan blood. So, no."
"Does it have to be a real person?" Rachel asked.
"We don't have any other kind," Brittany said.
"An AI?" Santana suggested.
"One that understands how the Clan mind works?" Quinn asked. "Artie? Any ideas?"
"A possibility," Artie said. "Semi-sentient AI's do exist, though we don't discuss them with outsiders."
"Semi-sentient?" Rachel asked.
"It is rare," Artie said, "but occasionally an AI does not reach full self awareness."
"What happens to them?" Rachel asked.
"They are put to use or put into stasis," Artie said. "They eventually reach sentience."
"So, is there one of these baby AIs we can turn into a Mother counselor?" Quinn asked.
"I will need to consult the AI leadership council," Artie said.
"Good," Rachel said. "Let us know." She turned to the others, "I need to get back to our film crew. Anyone else coming?"
"I'm in," Brittany said. "Haven't seen Tina or Mike Chang in a while."
"I've got inspections," Quinn said, shaking her head. "I'll catch up with them later."
"Things to do elsewhere," Santana said.
"Okay," Rachel said.