Chapter 20: Forced Light Mediation — Part 1
Orchid had her doubts about Tim and any hume on the orange list, even though Tim had inadvertently put his hand on the disk and promised advocacy of her cause. Her faith was in the less obvious green list members, whom she suspected Ambria knew nothing about. Many of them were researchers of what Orchid would call metaphysics, and were adept, oddly enough, in the supporting math and science that would eventually evolve into the technology that Master Alon had mastered. Orchid felt Yap squeeze her in a tight hug, and Orchid had to wonder at the sudden display of affection. The android, perky as always, looked around for Nikkei, and started pouting when the girl could not be found. They were currently in Nikkei’s room, Orchid having snapped there so she could leave Nikkei a note on where she would be for a few days. Yap had come looking for Orchid. Nikkei preferred notes, but Orchid would of course leave a message with Nikkei’s bander as well. Orchid would be leaving for Mauve in a matter of minutes, she doubted it would be a pleasant trip.
“Where’s the girl?” Yap asked, referring to Nikkei.
“The girl is dressing more queer than cross, lately, she may even be a zir now, though I haven’t taken the time to ask. Not that you would know, rushing off like you did and not even bothering to come back.” Orchid said. “She is with Kamau and Ren, who are playing with friends at the park. I’m leaving in five minutes. If you wish to stay and try to undo the damage your six months of abandonment has done to both Nikkei and Kamau, then please do. Otherwise, leave this mansion and don’t ever come back.”
Yap paused, her expression one of concern. “Has it been so long?”
Orchid tried not to explode. “Yes, dear. Nikkei has been worried sick about you. You have completely ignored her messages. You also ignored my messages on the matter of Kamau’s mental health in the absence of his mother, and Jun’s threats to tear you to shreds if you did not come home and tend to your personal matters. Don’t be surprised if you’re to be in trouble from everybody who considers you family.”
Orchid shooed her off. “Jun and Bamboo will be dealing with current affairs on Earth. Why don’t you go and try to and mend your relationship with Nikkei, before you leave her again?”
“I won’t be leaving either Nikkei or Kamau ever again.” Yap paused, listening to a voice only she could hear. “Intelligence has hinted at a gift for you. It won’t tell me any details, says I lack the appropriate channels of communications.”
Orchid sounded almost disappointed, tiny wrinkle lines forming at the corner of her eyes. “If I am to do a favor for the androids, then the gift is more aptly to be considered payment.”
Yap’s eyes defocused, her pupils dilating out as she tried to interpret a stream of data and explain to Orchid the stream of information flowing into her head. “Payment is established and finite for the services on Mauve, and should be arriving as a separate, completely unrelated bundle. This is definitely a gift, like the one you gave to both myself and the Intelligence some time back, only that gift became an exchange of objects as the Intelligence returned the gift with another, so this is one in which nothing is truly expected in return.”
Orchid put a hand on Yap’s shoulder, kissed her cheek, which brought her out of the communications net of the Intelligence. “Stop trying to interpret for the multiple state consciousness of the Intelligence, sweetie, it makes you look possessed.”
Yap smiled sweetly, “Nikkei must need me by now.” She vanished, leaving Orchid alone.
After a brief conversation with Bamboo, Orchid set her sights on Mauve, her new bander orbiting around her head, constantly on guard for any threats. Because Orchid could not know where the next attack would come from, the bander felt the need to guard incessantly. The biggest threat her new bander felt was from Spunky, whose behavior the bander had been briefed on, and whom Glyph seemed bent on destroying. It had seen Spunky’s reverse engineered schematics, and observed through Glyph’s sensory files the pulse output on Spunky’s weaponry, and knew that, despite Orchid’s best attempts to create defenses and match output for that arsenal, Spunky would be the better machine, at least in regards to raw destructive power. In the dark, twisting tunnel to Mauve, Orchid’s Bander yearned for a name. That was definitely something Spunky would never have cared for, something that set Orchid’s creation apart from the ancient nemesis it had been designed to combat.
“What name would you like?” Orchid asked, as if reading the Bander’s processors.
