Chapter 10 - Sister

  Day 12 Mollis fields

  First-to-Play asks the pertinent question: "Can anyone else converse with this 'human'?"

  And Dawn Watcher says that only she can, though she posits that the humans' language is not that bad. Not as hard as Light Speak, or Mother God forbid, Flutter Speak.

  Between the two sisters of the Vahn, she can't quite believe what they have just witnessed. Really, what Dawn Watcher claims of the human's provenance, she is ready to believe after witnessing it enter the mollis field. In fact the human is still in there.

  It makes her feel uncomfortable.

  She tells Dawn Watcher to instruct it to come back to safety, and is alarmed to find the human really did go in there on its own violation, that it wasn't some trick of the missing sister. Dawn Watcher says it will come back when it is sure of its safety. Safety!? It would rather be in there than here!?

  Apparently a first light raid and capture has made the creature skeptical of the vyrme's intentions.

  "Well can't you go in there and get it?" asks Last-to-Fall.

  "George is not some dumb animal Sister, if you want to treat it like prey then why should it not think you a mindless Kreast?"

  The comment is somewhat insulting. No vyrme hunts by weaving a sticky trap for others to fly into. The human was captured fair and square.

  "Then how do we get it to come out?"

  "Alone-at-Dawn needs to apologize to it."

  The raid leader stands firm. Nothing to apologize for in her mind. First-to-Play flashes something with her neck lights that Dawn Watcher doesn't quite catch.

  Alone-at-Dawn relents, "Fine. Just please, get it out of there."

  Day 12 In Strange Company

  Keeper informs me now that Sgt Johnson over there has just promised not to bite, or grab, or do any such things to me, but I still give the three eyed dragon a wide berth when stepping over the fence. The situation seems much defused now. Dialog and communication is key to preventing disputes from spiraling. I just hope that Keeper can arrest this situation.

  The dragon that fainted has recovered and has done nothing but look at me like I'm some kind of alien.

  Well, actually, I guess I am an alien.

  "Keeper have important variable for George."

  "What is going on Keeper."

  "No, important variable one, then Keeper explain two."

  "Fine... Go ahead."

  "Mmmm, dragon here say," she says while pointing at Sgt Johnson (oh, great...), "Say that addition dragons rah-deh-oh not work after seeing danger light. George know why? They good? Or bad like Keeper mate?"

  "Time," I respond, "time at danger light. Big time bad. Small time, maybe good. More time make danger light worse."

  Keeper and Sgt Johnson exchange grunts, clicks and throaty sounds before she turns back to me.

  "Dragon leave when radio not work. They suspect bad things inside. Not go in. One look."

  "So small time?"

  "George know time... err, time number? Then George say if good?"

  "Need tablet." I say. I can show them the stop watch app, and let them figure out how to map to their units of time. Anything less than an hour and they'll probably be fine. Radiation dosage is a game of probabilities. Sgt Johnson gives me a nod after that. Was not expecting that. I guess I'm not finished with my abductor then. Apparently they are happy to put the matter on hold for now.

  "Keeper explain now. George ready for variable words?"

  Alright, lets do this, bring on the answers. "Yes, George ready for variable words."

  "Word for daughters with same mother?"

  "Sisters?" I say

  "Good. Sisters. Good." She pauses to think for a moment, then makes nine scratch marks into the ground. "This is nine, correct?"

  "Yes, that is nine."

  Keeper continues, "???? is nine. Two dragons here," she gesturing to the more weathered looking ones, "these dragons are from ???? sisters."

  Now it's my turn to think. I'm left wondering, are there actually nine sister dragons? Or is that some kind of symbolic title? I assume the latter. I've already seen that Keeper had a single child and a single daughter. In the R vs K reproductive strategy debate, that is a sure-fire entrant for the K category of reproduction. It seems doubtful to me that a dragon would have nine children given such observations. And why is that important anyway? It seems obvious they wield some kind of authority.

  "What do they want? The... [nine] sisters?" I try to say the word and the other dragons make that upside-down-draconic-smile-frown.

  Don't laugh at me! I'm trying my best here.

  Their humor at my expense makes me resolve to stick to English. Assholes.

  I decide Keeper is taking too long to answer. Sure sign that some kind of miscommunication has occurred. She hasn't even spoken to the others. I try a different approach. I want to confirm my hypothesis.

  "Does Keeper know word for dragon that many dragons follow?"

  "Mmm, not like parent? Child follow parent many many days. But there is variable word for big follow."

  "Yeah, dragon which other dragon follow. Give guidance."

  "Keeper understand."

  "Human call that dragon: "leader". Are Nine Sisters leaders?"

  "Yes, two sister from ???? sisters leaders for some. Leaders for Keeper yes."

  "Is Keeper good? Good with two sisters?"

  "Yes Keeper good. This is big not understand."

  Big misunderstanding? Well shit, this seems like a pretty big misunderstanding. What happened? Was it me? The fuel rods? I ask Keeper to elaborate and elaborate she does...

  ***

  Alright. So if I have this down correctly, they are all worried about offending some thing in the ocean? We did confirm that whatever it is, it's not the crabs. Those damned things.

  A lot of Tongzhou wreckage did end up in the water. Well news flash dragons, Tongzhou wreckage is a human fuck up, the ocean 'thing' need not worry about Keeper because she didn't do anything. Any complaints should be taken up with me. I'd be more than happy to pass them along to the UESC in about 20 days time. But apparently the fact remains, the debris have washed ashore and since Keeper didn't push them back into water, it makes this is some category one freak-the-fuck-out type shit.

  Ridiculous. It takes a few tries to teach Keeper that word.

  "Yes. Keeper think it ridiculous... George have word for Dragons which fight keep safe other dragons?"

  "Military dragons," I say

  "The not understand so soo big, sisters bring mil-uh-try dragons to check. Big big not understand. Dragon here is..."

  "Sergeant Johnson," I interrupt, "George call this dragon Sergeant Johnson."

  Keeper passes it along to the one with the eye patch and it tilts its head at me. Keeper doesn't say if it approves of the name.

  "Srrrgent Johnson is small military leader."

  Good to know my abductor had state sanctioning. I offer the dragon a raised eyebrow. Miscommunication, it is always the root cause of fuck ups between people. I feel rising confidence that we can get things cleared up.

  "Can George help leader dragons understand? Make big not understand to small not understand?"

  "They ask why George here. Keeper tell sisters George is explorer. Sisters think not true. Can George show more? Variable?"

  Of course I can. "Keeper George go to escape pod, George show things?" I can right? Just don't go overboard and teach the dragons about everything alright? Zoo protocol and all.

  Keeper turns to the so called leaders and speaks with them. I keep an eye on Sgt Johnson's proximity to me.

  After what seems many minutes I am informed that yes, we can return to the escape pod.

  You know what you don't expect when some two dozen odd dragons all fly at once? You don't expect just how loud it all is.

  Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  The dragons together sound like a raging storm, the trees billow back and forth. Hell, even a Capy appears affected. It simply sits down in the field.

  The flight back is uneventful, but I note how the newcomers position themselves. If Keeper wanted to try make a run for it, she wouldn't get very far.

  At home sweet home, if home had been thrashed by frat boys (seriously, this place has been tipped upside down), the first thing I do is show Keeper the tablet with the stop watch running. From that we are able to derive that those "military dragons" spent maybe about 48 seconds being irradiated (there's another multiple of eight showing up again). If that is all then they should all be fine. I give Keeper the good news, but caution her that no one should be going in there anymore.

  Day 12 At the so called "escape pod"

  The sisters of the Vahn ask where George is from.

  The sisters of the Vahn ask where all humans come from.

  The sisters of the Vahn ask where George's so called rescuers will come from.

  The sisters of the Vahn ask where the other humans that came to explore are located.

  Apparently everything is too hard to explain to them.

  Last-to-Fall tempers her frustration. Is everything actually too hard for this human to explain? Or does it think them not smart enough? Maybe the human really does think them mindless Kreasts. She considers herself somewhat of a clever vyrme. She has kept the FVA out of all their territory so far. She has an idea to test her hypothesis.

  "Alone-at-Dawn?"

  "Yes, Sister?"

  "Please do go and fetch Sings-to-Stars for us."

  First-to-Play interdicts, "No, wait, are you sure Sister? She performs important work!"

  "What could be more important than this, Sister?"

  First-to-Play pouts. She knows deep down that Last-to-Fall is correct. It just feels wrong to pull their top researcher away but... but... Oh damn it all. If George is as he says, then she presumes they'll have little need for Sings-to-Stars' research anyway. The sister nods in agreement.

  "As you wish," replies Alone-at-Dawn.

  "And Alone-at-Dawn?"

  "Yes?"

  "I am requesting you spread the infiltration wing wide. Have them look for these extra humans once you have sent Sings-to-Stars on her way to us."

  "As you wish. Does the human know how we can find them?"

  There is some more struggle of conversation between Keeper and George.

  Keeper informs them, "George says the humans are likely to hide, so search well."

  Alone-at-Dawn snorts. There are star travelers here, here of all places, and supposedly they hide from the vyrme? She is so full of doubt over that claim. If she could soar among the stars, she would say hello to everyone she met up there. Before she leaves she passes the instructions along to her wing. Alone-at-Dawn splits the wing into four flights again. The human says a good place to start would be tracing along the direction of the falling lights.

  If the human is to be believed, then that is one mystery that is no longer a mystery. Not a sign or omen from the Mother God, but something relatively mundane by comparison.

  Not falling lights. Tongzhou wreckage. They all make an effort, Dawn Watcher corrects them until they pronounce it correctly.

  She passes along word that pouncing might be a bad idea as well. The other humans, if they find any, might be liable to fight back if they fear they are being hunted. Again she snorts, that little thing there couldn't fight back against her even if she went wings only. Dawn Watcher had to be joking when she said the human killed three acercino all on its own.

  But she passes the word along the Infiltration Wing anyway. They all take turns practicing the the human greeting phrase "Hello" and try speaking several human numbers. This little creature reassures that speaking those few phrases in its tongue will be enough to establish contact, even if the others are hiding. It is an unusual mission for them but who doesn't enjoy something different every now and then?

  Day 21 Memorandum

  Things have settled down now. The so called military dragons have all left, leaving just me, Keeper and these two self-styled "Sisters of the Nine".

  My trial by fire into larger dragon society is over.

  At least no one died.

  Imagine some fuck up so big that both the President and the Prime Minister both have to show up and investigate what happened. Based on what I’ve learned that is the best analogy I can think of.

  They still haven’t left either. They are waiting for things to be sorted with this water creature, then the sisters will go and I’ll go back to waiting for the UESC. God willing we might even hear from some of the others if the dragons can find them.

  The "military dragons" dropped something in the water too as they departed. I don’t know what purpose it served but all we had to do after that was sit back and wait for this ocean creature we may or may not have drawn the ire of. It wasn’t fish bait was it? Apparently getting its attention can be troublesome.

  I’ve been assured by Keeper that the Sisters don’t mind my presence here, it’s Keeper’s island after all (and technically it is my beach!). Who are they to say who she keeps as company?

  But their tolerance of mankind's lone ambassador did have two (quite reasonable I think) conditions attached. Firstly, we have caved in Keeper’s front door at her 'home-cave' so no one else may be exposed to the radiation within. It has become a tomb for her mate and her child. We did that on day 14. I think we have finally put those demons to rest. I fashioned a little cross from tree branches out front.

  They asked me how to make it safe (via keeper of course), and that was my suggestion. Trying to clean up the fuel rods just seemed way too risky. They employed manual labor. For a while I wondered if they were going to use explosives or something but no, it is a big pile of very large rocks.

  The other condition of my acceptance here is that the two Sisters and so many other dragons (apparently word has been spreading fast after the “military” left) want to meet the "rescue humans" when they arrive, though I don’t really know what the Sisters would do if I declined, but I’m not declining. Earth will want to know.

  To prevent me and Keeper from encountering “many many dragons” — being swarmed, in other words — the two sisters have made a decree restricting access to this island. I can actually see the patrols flying overhead everyday now and then; I’ve been told that there is one authorized visitor who will be allowed in but they have not arrived yet. I made sure Keeper passed along my thanks but boy are they gonna be disappointed. Sure I can let them talk to Earth, but at the very best it will be at a pitiful 50 bits per second.

  Did I mention how much I love charades and word games? I understand why Keeper wants to take today off. I watch her flying away, presumably to check the Capy or hunt for some food. It’s given me some time to update the logs.

  The Sisters remain. Sister A and Sister B I call them. Sister A is almost white in her scale coloration. Reminds me of Cream. Sister B is a bit closer to brown, she wouldn't look out of place in a New Mexico Mesa.

  I squint at the water line trying to see if anything has happened yet. Sister A flies overhead in a tireless loop waiting for this water thing. Sister B is laying in the sand, observing me. We don’t talk much.

  Would I kill for a draconic to English dictionary?

  Maybe.

  I had thought before that the UESC should have sent a linguist.

  But I was wrong.

  They should have sent an anthropologist. And fortunately they did!

  If we can just track down Andy Gryphonhall then we would have someone who could make sense of all this talk of Nine Sisters. IIEM 4 had a lottery you see, lucky seat number seven, awarded to a civilian who had an interesting idea to study and good luck with random number generators. Andy wasn't here to study the Chara or this planet. He was here to study us, the crew, he was to record our experiences in a way that would be useful to the field of anthropology, the study of human experience. This kind of thing would be right up his alley. I leave the following notes for him, or anyone that follows in his footsteps.

  To the first dragon anthropologist, heed my words:

  Keeper has told me all female dragons carry a rope thingy within their possessions. They aren’t your average trinkets. I’ve seen Keeper’s before but on day 19 she lay down and let me take a really good look at it (but no touching). I wonder if the tablet’s photos will survive long enough for you to see.

  Sometimes these ropes can be tens of meters long. I know Keeper’s is, she had to wrap it over herself several times and still there was the end of it dangling down to the sand.

  These ropes are a dragon’s family history. Affixed to each are symbolic artifacts representing each dragon in the lineage and also key family events.

  Keeper showed me the part that represents her birth. It was a neat little string craft that was loosely reminiscent of a horizon line and a warm colored ball halfway risen. It reminded me of a dream catcher. I was not told what the double knot just before it represented.

  Now, a first daughter will inherit the rope from their mother when the the mother dies. The daughter carries it onwards. A second daughter and third daughter and so on will start their own family rope when they leave the ‘nest’, for lack of a better term. The first daughter inherits and the rest get the boot. Maybe they move out and go to college?

  As for male dragons? Keeper didn’t say.

  By implication I suppose every dragon is expected to have at least one daughter, otherwise who will carry on the family rope? I’ve already meet Keeper’s daughter. I’ll ask Dora when she returns from her expedition how she fares.

  Some of these cords go back a long ways. Nine of them are supposed to be the longest of them all. Supposed to trace all the way back to “the first nine daughters”, whose family ropes go all the way back to the First Mother.

  The Mother God?

  I think something was lost in translation.

  But to think someone could trace their lineage back that far, it’s cool. Most humans only know their family tree back what? One or two layers deep? The dragons have a cultural practice to preserve their lineage and history. It is expected of them.

  You should know, I ignored the passing thought of genetic diversity that resulted from thinking about such an arrangement. If all dragons trace back to just 9 original sisters then their genetic diversity would be trashed. But it’s just a draconic belief. Keeper said “small confidence” that it was actually true.

  And some humans think we all come from Adam and Eve.

  So there are nine families to rule them all. The longest ropes and the largest influence.

  There is a legend? Belief? Prophecy? Take your pick. There is something that many dragons believe to be true. They have faith in it.

  They seem to think that someone originating from one of the original nine daughter lines, a first daughter, will bring the “high skies” down and then dragons will be able to soar between the stars.

  As a result, these sisters are given a lot of influence since either they or one of their descendants will bring about dragon nirvana.

  It’s seems a bit poetic to me, a bit dreamy, and one hundred percent false. It’s space vacuum up there. It is no wonder Keeper looked disappointed back when she asked me all those days ago. If there is no high sky, then why do these nine sisters wield any influence at all?

  And my presence here perplexes the Sisters. If there is no high sky, then how did little ol’ George do it? How did George get to this planet? George could tell them the answer, and they probably wouldn’t like it. No descendant of some mother god to bring the heavens low enough for a dragon to fly up to them. Just Isaac Newton and his third law and some alien tech even we don’t understand.

  I understand the problem. For some dragons at least, my existence is devastating. Might as well tell them I killed their god. I can see why Keeper was standing between me and them so often.

  I asked Keeper if she believes, or rather, if she believed before she met me.

  "Hard explain" was her answer.

  But things get even better for you, would be dragon anthropologist of the future, for Keeper says that in her own living memory one of those nine sisters had proclaimed a way to finally reach the "high sky". All it took, you see, was the low low price of one’s submission to her.

  And so we learned the word for war.

  Keeper spoke of dragon society being torn apart. Of families choosing sides and lines being drawn. Those dragon scales on her family rope belong to her sister and her mother. You can understand the implication.

  The way she explained it sounded straight out of a undergrad lecture on game theory and cooperation. Trust me I would know.

  If you didn't want to be assimilated into this one sister’s grand scheme what would you do?

  Families formed bands and bands formed ranks and by the end there were two large factions opposing this sister who plotted for the world.

  Keeper said in no uncertain terms that they won and the rogue sister lost her bid for world domination. She died in what sounds to be some great battle. The former world domineers are now led by a much more peaceful first daughter operating at much reduced standing. Apparently Keeper’s faction here, the one led by these two Sisters, maintains a tentative alliance with them now that they no longer seek to subdue the world.

  The other faction that resisted is comprised of five Sisters of the Nine and those that follow them. To re-iterate, the faction whose greater lands I have landed within is lead by these two Sisters of the Nine.

  I asked about the missing ninth sister and keeper again said "Hard explain".

  Of course what comes next even I could figure out. What do you think would happen when two allied factions suddenly find themselves without a common enemy? Five versus three, as it were.

  About a hundred years ago humanity got to experience this exact scenario. I still don’t know how these dragons are dealing with it, but I feel we are more similar than different in this regard.

  So there’s my dragon intelligence for you dragon anthropologists of tomorrow. I marked the file in the tablet. It has been scheduled to be the third thing transmitted when the UESC investigatory probe arrives, behind my status update and the status of Will Shen.

  I no longer feel like I have landed in the middle of nowhere. These dragons have their own culture and history and we have crashed right into the middle of it.

  I chuckle. If Tongzhou never crashed and burned, they might have thought us gods arriving from the heavens when the UESC finally decided to initiate contact. But they can see there’s nothing special about me and by extension the rest of us. Just some clever primates.