Life Cycle of the Kaelen -- Prologue

   I was halfway through one of my graduate level linguistics classes when
it happened.  I paused my grilling of a woefully unprepared grad student to
accept the call.  It had to be something important to interrupt me while I
was teaching.  I took it as audio only.

   "Doctor Grode, this is Survey Outbound.  We're sorry for the
interruption.  Would you be interested in pursuing a field survey?" the
voice said in my head.

   My heart leaped.  Would I?  That's what we lived for, what we trained
for.

   "Yes," I answered, attempting my best at control.  The bastards probably
had my physiological responses projected in front of them right now.

   "We would like you and Doctor Kendai to do a simulator study for us,
then."

   "Fine.  When?" I replied, settling into the routine.  They must be
contacting Dale right now.  Where was he?  Was this a lab day for him?

   Before I could bring up his schedule, the voice continued.

   "In two hours, at Outbound."

   Another gulp -- that was a continent away.  "Transportation could be an
issue," I suggested.

   Something cued me that I was speaking to an AI, which was not unusual.
Even then, I could hear amusement in the AI's voice.  "That will not be a
problem, Doctor.  Outbound has authorized rapid transport for both of you."

   "Very well, where and when do I meet with transportation?" I inquired.

   "In ten minutes at the top of your building, if you please," replied the
AI, definitely amused.

   I smiled.  I was going flying.  "Where is Doctor Kendai?" I inquired
about my husband.

   "He is already in transit from his field site," she told me.

   "Do I need to bring anything?" I asked.

   "No, Doctor, everything will be provided," the AI responded.

   "Good.  I'll be up on the roof, then.  Thank you."

   "Thank you, Doctor," the AI said, and broke the connection.

   My class of twelve students looked amused and puzzled.

   "The good news," I told them, "is that I've just gotten a call from
Outbound, and I have to leave right now." That got excited murmurs and
happy smiles.

   Then I turned more to my previous victim.  "The bad news for you, Mister
Gregory, is that I will be back, and you will be prepared with the most
cogent, incisive, and well presented analysis of this issue that any of us
have ever seen.  Do I make myself clear, Mister Gregory?"

   "Yes Doctor Grode, you do.  Very clear."

   I smiled.  So did a few people in the class, the ones that had been with
me for a couple of semesters, and knew what I expected.

   "The rest of you, enjoy your weekends."

   I swept up my materials quickly.  As we all hustled out the classroom
door, most of them wished me well.  Most called me "Doctor Grode," but one
or two called me "Ellen." I thanked them as I headed for the lifts.

   The classroom was down on level 20.  Our office/apartment was on level
87.  I'd have to switch lifts at level 60, and once again to get to the
roof.  As I approached the lifts, with the usual crowd of students,
faculty, and visitors milling around, a targeting reticule appeared in my
vision, directing me to one particular lift.  I smiled -- this must be a
good one, for me to get this kind of assistance.

   Outbound must really be digging deep, I thought, and they must really
want us.  What's so bad about this one?  I laughed a little.  Of course, we
hadn't been on a simulation in quite a while.  I thought we'd done quite
well on their last scenario.  As I stepped closer to the lifts, the floor
lit up with a red path before me.  People stepped off the glowing surface
instinctively as I stepped forward.  In a show of bravado, I didn't even
pause as I approached the lift doors.

   My confidence was rewarded -- the doors opened as I reached them and
closed behind me, and the lift took me directly to level 87.  That would
have been bad, walking into a closed lift door.

   On the two minute walk down the corridors to our place, I wondered what
it meant.  I knew the AI's for Outbound must have decided Dale and I were a
potential match for a survey mission.  That, or they wanted our reaction to
some newly concocted scenario.  They played those games as well; the last
call had been to one of those.  Do our best, and have fun -- and hope
they'd tell us what it was about later on.

   I dumped my stuff in the apartment and used the bathroom -- no telling
when I'd get the chance to go next.  I grabbed a nutrition bar on the way
out.  As I headed out the door, I was cued to go left, rather than right.
Okay, I can take hints.  I quickly figured I was being directed to the
cargo lifts servicing our area.  I was in for a ride -- the cargo lifts
didn't have inertial compensation as did the passenger lifts.

   As I stepped to the cargo lift area, the floor lit up red again, warning
the few people in the area to stand clear.  As I approached the door, I
felt an effector field wrap itself around me.  A voice in my head said
clearly, "Please step right in, Doctor."

   The door opened to a dark and empty lift shaft.  Another test?  I
stepped in purposefully.  And felt myself accelerating -- upwards.  I love
to fly.  Rather than closing my eyes, I looked up, as I sped the remaining
two hundred some levels up to the roof.

   I expected to walk a ways, but didn't get the chance.  The field gripped
me a little closer and I zoomed out the lift door, and out onto the roof.
The field flickered momentarily and I took off into the sky.  The weather
was nice, and clear.  I hadn't been outside in a while.

   I accelerated up and out.  I relaxed, letting myself sit down.  I felt
the cushioning of a field underneath me.  I looked around.  We were still
accelerating, and still climbing.  The field started to tint.  They were
taking me sub orbital?  Someone was indeed in a hurry!

   "Doctor, would you like part of the field opaqued?" the AI asked.  Some
people freak out if they don't at least see something solid beneath them. I
got my lunch out of my pocket.  "No thank you; this is quite nice," I
replied.

   I had my lunch, such as it was.  "What's my travel time, please?" I
asked.

   "Rendezvous with Doctor Kendai in sixty five minutes, landing in one
hour forty minutes."

   I considered options.  "Can you access my nap profile, and provide those
conditions?" I asked the AI.

   "Yes we can, Doctor.  Would you like me to wake you five minutes before
rendezvous?"

   "Yes, please," I replied.

   With that, the field blurred and darkened a little, the gravity field
inside lightened, and a slow rocking motion started.  I leaned back and
closed my eyes.  This was my second favorite way to nap.  My favorite was
in Dale's arms after making love.  I took a few deep breaths, relaxing,
choosing to ignore the energy expenditure being made on my behalf.  Someone
thought I was worth it.  That was nice.

   "Rendezvous in five minutes, Doctor."

   I opened my eyes and stretched.  The field returned to transparency, and
gravity changed slowly back to normal.  "Thank you, that was a very nice
nap," I told whomever was listening.  "Where is Dale?" I asked.

   A visual cue had me turn to the right.  A target tracked in my vision
until I was centered on a particular area.  I thought I saw a sparkle on an
intercept course.  I smiled -- this was going to be fun.  I thought about
asking our speed, but it didn't matter.

   "Give me a thirty second mark, please," I asked the AI.

   "Yes, Doctor," it replied.

   I saw the bubble with Dale in it approaching, slowly.  While our
velocity relative to the planetary surface was large, our relative velocity
was low.  I also saw the bottom of his bubble was opaque.  I laughed a
little, and asked, "Please match the opacity of my bubble to his." The
bottom of mine went solid, and took on a textured appearance similar to a
normal floor.  "What is your name, please?" I asked.

   The voice responded, "You may call me Aileen, Doctor."

   "Thank you, Aileen.  You are providing me superb service."

   "You are very welcome, Doctor." I could hear the pride in her voice.  It
didn't matter who or what was helping me -- I try to thank them.  It
doesn't take long.

   "Thirty seconds, Doctor," said Aileen's voice.

   "Thank you.  You may address me as Ellen if you wish."

   "Thank you, Ellen, twenty five seconds to rendezvous."

   Our two bubbles closed, touched, and merged.  Then I was in my husband's
arms again.  His heart was beating fast, and I don't think it was from
missing me -- he doesn't like flying.

   "Where were you, darling?" I asked.

   He held me tight.  "In the field, trying to teach some kids how to read
rocks.  What do you know?"

   "Nothing.  Did you manage to rest?"

   He sighed, and laughed a little.  I knew that meant no.

   "Could you relax if I held you?"

   "Please," he whispered.

   "Aileen, nap conditions again, please, and wake us two minutes before
arrival."

   The bubble darkened again and we got lighter.  Dale held me a bit
tighter.  I moved his head down to my chest, nestling him on my blouse
between my breasts.  We started rocking again.  "I've got you.  Relax."

   I think he got some sleep; I know I did.  We awoke to a soft chime,
Aileen respecting Dale's feelings.  Our rate of descent slowed as we
approached one of the Outbound buildings.  I knew Aileen would probably
drop contact with us when our transport was complete.  "Aileen, thank you
for a very nice trip.  I hope to work with you again."

   I heard her voice in my head; she was pleased.  "Thank you, Ellen, so do
I." After hundreds of years, people still argue that they only simulate
awareness.  I've had students I could say the same about.  I gave her the
benefit of the doubt.

   We settled to the ground and the field dissolved slowly around us.  That
was a nice touch.  A young man in Outbound garb was waiting for us.

   "Doctor Grode, Doctor Kendai, good morning.  We're glad you could make
it.  Please follow me."

   Dale and I exchanged raised eyebrows.  This must be something
interesting, to have a live person meet us.  Either that, or he'd ticked
someone off recently.

   We walked to one of the simulator buildings, and stopped outside the
lock to simulator E6.  It looked to be one of the big ones.  Our guide
looked at us, smiling.

   "Any clues?" Dale asked him.

   He shook his head.  "I don't have any, I'm sorry to say.  You know as
much as I do."

   I held out my hand and shook his.  "Thank you anyway." Dale shook his
hand as well.  We turned to the door, it identified us, and the door
opened.

   We went into the small vestibule.  It was empty.  And I mean empty.  No
environmental suits, no clothing of any kind, no briefing materials.  We
were doing this one cold.  I was about to say something, and it looked as
if Dale was as well, when a male sounding voice said, "Please remove all
clothing and artifacts, and step into the simulator."

   We looked at each other.  "Duration of simulation?" I asked.  No
response.

   I shrugged my shoulders and started to strip.  Dale laughed and joined
me.  It did feel good to take the clip out of my hair and shake my head,
letting it free.  I have a full mane of thick, black hair.  Some people
find it intimidating.

   We didn't know what to expect as we went through the second lock.  We
knew once we stepped through the second lock, we'd be in the simulation.
We knew we couldn't die, but that was about it.  We knew we could be
injured, and might have to remain in the simulation, injured, in pain, even
close to death, for some time.  Any injuries we received would be very
real. Some of these simulations were short, and some went on for days, even
weeks.  Getting snatched out of a simulation at the edge of death was
considered poor form.

   As we closed the door to the vestibule, the lock went dark, save for the
pale blue glow over the control to open the inner door.  I leaned over to
Dale and kissed him.  "I love you.  Let's go," I said.  He sighed, and I
palmed the glowing patch.

   We stepped into hot, humid tropical terrain.  The illumination was a bit
on the reddish side, gravity a bit lighter -- very hot and humid.  We were
both from tropical regions, but hadn't been to this kind of climate
recently.  It takes getting used to.  We stood and listened for a minute.
We heard bird and insect sounds, the sound of surf in the distance, and
possibly voices.  We were in a small clearing, with paths leading off in
two directions.

   We looked at each other.  Dale shook his head.  I gave him a questioning
look and he said quietly, "We don't even have a coin to flip." I nodded,
and took us on the path to the left.

   I assumed we were in a somewhat friendly environment.  Survey wouldn't
put us into a situation where we'd be instantly in deadly peril.  Or would
they?  Some of the AI systems weren't as friendly as Aileen.

   We walked for a while, getting used to the heat and humidity.  We heard
the occasional noise around us, and stopped to investigate, moving slowly,
non-threatening, but cautious.  At one point, Dale tapped me on the
shoulder and made the hand sign to indicate we were being followed.  I
nodded; I'd felt that way as well.  We continued on along our path.

   We came to a larger clearing.  It had been deliberately cleared.  An
arrangement of branches in the middle denoted intent, the placement of
picked flowers might denote artistry.  Other paths lead into the clearing
as well.

   Hearing a sound on my left, I turned slowly.  A group of people stepped
into the clearing.  About equal numbers male and female, Polynesian descent
as were we, with dark skin and dark hair.  I heard sounds indicating more
visitors behind us, and on the other side as well.  The people around us
were wearing grass skirts, men and women alike.  Visually, they ranged in
age from late teens to middle aged adults.

   I turned my head slowly.  Thirty or so of them -- either this was a
peaceful scenario, or a short one.  Most of the men had spears.

   Motion to my left -- I turned.  Another group entered, three women and
two men.  The men had spears.  The women were leading, and looked to be in
control.  What were they carrying?  I still wasn't used to the lighting.  I
stepped half a step toward them, and held out my hands, palms up.  I
smiled.

   One of the older women stepped forward.  Bugs!  She had bugs on her!
They were thin, about a foot long, with large feathery antennae, and there
had to be half a dozen of them -- one on each shoulder, one, no two, in her
hair, and two or more in her skirt.  The other women had then as well, as
did some of the men.  They seemed unconcerned about them.  Pets?

   She stepped forward, smiling, and said to me, "Welcome; we get few
visitors here."

   She hugged me, and as she did, I felt legs skittering on me.  It took a
good deal of self control not to shake them off.  They skittered all over
me, up and down, around.  I felt little spiny legs everywhere, and I mean
everywhere!  I tensed up a bit, but that was about all.

   She stepped back, and I said as calmly as I could, "Thank you for
welcoming us."

   Dale had remained silent, hopefully recognizing this as most likely a
matriarchal society.  I didn't think he freaked out over bugs, but I wasn't
sure.

   Our greeter stepped over to him.  "You are welcome as well," she said,
giving him a brief hug.  Two critters scrambled on to him.  I saw his
nostrils and eyes flare as they skittered over him, but he forced a smile,
and bowed his head to her.

   She smiled at both of us.  "Come, we will sit and talk.  Are you hungry
after your journey?"

   Dale opened his mouth to speak, then closed it and smiled to me.  I
smiled to him and told her, "Yes, we are, thank you."

   "Come then.  It's not far."

   We followed her, and were followed in turn by the rest of the group,
including the guys with the spears.  The bugs were very inquisitive about
our anatomy!  I heard a slight gasp from Dale, and then a laugh.  One felt
as if it was burrowing into my hair.

   We walked for a few minutes.  As we walked, some information popped into
my vision.  It seems we still had effective links here; that was the good
news.  The bad news was that Dale had noticed the tips of the spears seemed
to be coated with something.  Analysis showed it to be a very effective
toxin.  While we both had advanced training in martial arts, we were both a
bit rusty.  Another update flashed up, telling me an antidote was possible,
and analysis would take five more minutes.  I signaled my thanks to Dale.

   The next clearing had woven mats, and what looked to be foodstuffs set
in a central area.  I keyed up my link and requested toxicology screening
on the foodstuffs.  We were invited to sit.  I watched as another group sat
on mats across from us.  The women sat first, and then the men.  I hoped
the hell Dale noticed that.

   Woven mats, cleared areas, skirts, poisoned spears -- all indicative of
a developed and stable society.  They had enough extra food to be able to
spend time making mats and skirts.  We were being communicated with in our
own language, so we didn't have any clues as to their actual linguistic
structure.  Look for tools.  No signs of metal or metal work yet.

   I sat in our indicated spot, and was relieved when he sat next to me, on
my left and a little behind, as were the others in the clearing.

   We were offered food and drink.  Nothing would kill us outright.  I took
my cues from others.  I was handed something which looked to be bread.  It
smelled pretty good, better than what I'd had for lunch.  Following cues, I
broke off some, had a taste, then handed a piece to Dale.  He was following
cues as well, bless him.  He kissed my hand.

   We ate and drank, and the woman who greeted us asked questions.  The
fruit juice we were offered was tasty, but our links cautioned us to only
drink a little.  It didn't explain why.

   She wanted to know how we got here.  I told her I wasn't sure, but we
had walked.  She wanted to know how long we would be here.  Again, I didn't
know, but I thanked them for their hospitality.

   I was startled by the bug on my left shoulder making a loud noise.  Soon
all of them were doing it.  The woman didn't seem to notice, and told us we
were welcome to stay.  I thanked her, and told her it was a beautiful area.

   After lunch, we were given a tour of the area.  It was definitely
settled.  We could see signs of cultivation, yet nothing indicated metal
tools.  All the implements we'd seen were fashioned by hand, or at best
with stone and wood.  Then we saw huts, and in the distance, what seemed to
be cultivated areas.  This seemed to be a settlement which had been in
place for some time -- more indicia of stability.

   We visited a fresh water area.  The bugs didn't seem to like the water.
It felt as if we had a storm approaching, probably common for a tropical
climate.  We walked back to one of the hut areas, and our honor guard
stopped at one of the huts.  Our greeter waved her hand inside.

   "You can rest here during the afternoon rain.  We will call you for
dinner."

   I bowed and thanked her.  Dale bowed as well.  We ducked down and went
into the hut.

   It was dark inside, humid, but slightly cooler.  It was about three
meters in diameter at the base, and possibly two to two and a half meters
tall.  It had woven mats on the ground.  We sat down.  I smelled the storm
in the air, and then smelled and heard the rain begin.  The nearest hut was
about six meters away.  We heard other sounds besides the storm.  We looked
at each other and smiled.  We heard another pair of voices from another
direction -- and then another, all the unmistakable sounds of passionate
lovemaking.

   I leaned back and held out an arm to Dale.  "When in Rome," I said
softly.

   He laughed and moved closer.  As we started kissing, I looked up into
the top of the hut.  I was quite startled, and took a sharp breath.  Dale
pulled back.  "What?" he asked.  "Look up," I said.

   He looked up into the top of the thatched hut.  There had to be twenty
or more bugs up there.  We heard a buzzing noise grow around us, and the
bugs in our hut joined in.  It got loud.

   Dale looked at me and smiled, shaking his head.  Then he leaned down and
kissed me again, his hands wandering over my body.  Soon I pulled him on
top of me.

   Most of the time we made love in reduced gravity, or on soft surfaces.
There was something so satisfying, though, about feeling him pounding into
me.  After he came inside me, we curled up together, holding each other,
and went to sleep amidst the ongoing chorus.

   I woke up feeling cool.  I opened my eyes to see we were in a standard
dorm room, naked on a cushion.  I prodded my husband.  He woke with a
smile, and looked around.

   "That was wild," he said.  I nodded.

   A voice from the ceiling said, "Join us in Conference Room 12 in half an
hour if you'd like to learn more."

   I laughed and stood up, pulling him up to me.  We were sweaty and sticky
still, but that didn't stop him from getting distracted at my nipples.  I
squeezed him, then pulled him to where I expected the shower to be.  I was
right, and we showered.  It was good to be clean and cool again.  We let
the shower dry us off.  I was about to ask about clothing, when I saw
standard Survey uniforms on the cushion.  We put them on, and with one more
kiss, headed out the door.

   We were cued through passages, arriving at Conference Room 12.  We
stepped inside.  There were four senior Survey officers seated around a
table, with spaces for us.  We sat down.

   I recognized one of the women, the leader of the group -- even though
she was Caucasian, she had been the model for our greeter.  "It's good to
see you again," I told her.

   She laughed, as did we all.  "I'm Mary Dandridge.  Like to know more?"
she said, with an intent look on her face.

   Doctor Dandridge?  She was very high up in our service.  I'd never come
within a kilometer of her.  I looked at Dale.  I squeezed his hand.  "Yes,
please."

   She nodded.  "It's called Island.  We received the initial survey data a
few months ago.  We need a follow-up, a detailed follow-up."

   I knew I was smiling.  We were being offered our own Survey.

   "How far away?" Dale asked.

   One of the men said, "Two hundred seventy lights -- about a year travel
time total."

   Wow -- that was out in the boonies.  "How accurate was the simulation?"
I asked.

   Doctor Dandridge nodded.  "As good as we could make it based on survey
data.  Oh, and yes, the insects and their behavior are real.  They're
called kaelen." One seemed to appear on the table in front of us.  A couple
of the people around the table startled visibly.

   I extended my hand to it, and it approached.  Dandridge smiled again.

   "I think I know what the filter was for this one," I said.  I knew quite
a few colleagues who wouldn't have lasted very long with insects this size.

   One of the men said, "You've got that right."

   Dale asked, "Cosmetics?" Would we need any cosmetic alterations?

   Images of the native population appeared before us.  The skin color was
darker, the men all had natural beards.  I was glad I left my body hair
natural.  "No," was the answer.  We recognized some of the "people" we'd
seen in the simulation.

   "Who performed the initial survey?" I asked.

   "Nikolai and Kingsley," was the answer.  I hadn't heard anything bad
about them.  Some initial survey teams have, well, reputations.  I queued a
query through my link.

   As if in answer, one of the men said, "Forty three worlds, and all the
survey teams are happy and healthy.  And, they recommended a detailed
survey."

   "Health risks?" I asked.  I was looking at the images rotating in front
of us for signs of disease, parasites.

   "Not that we know of," said the woman with the medical insignia.
"They're damn healthy, maybe too damn healthy."

   I looked at Dale.  He smiled and nodded his head.  We held hands.  I
turned back to our greeter and asked, "When do we leave?"

   She smiled again, nodding.  "You've got three weeks to the end of the
semester."

   My mind raced.  So much to do.

   Dale asked, "Time table?"

   It appeared in front of us.  Three weeks to the end of the semester.  A
week for cleanup.  One week for medical and other reviews at Outbound.
Then, a two month trip to Outpost 12 on a scheduled transport.  During that
time, we'd start our mission training in earnest.  We'd start on language,
and I'd learn to run a ship, my ship, our ship.  At Outpost 12, we'd pick
up our ship, and from there it was ten months to Island.  Ten months to
study and plan.

   Dale asked, "Can we have simulations of the ...  kaelen was it?  Can we
have simulations to accompany us, and in our quarters?"

   I saw one guy shudder with revulsion.  And he was the one wearing the
psych insignia.  Doctor Dandridge laughed softly.  "Yes, of course.
Charles, would you like to continue on this one?"

   The psych guy shuddered, then gave us a tight laugh.  "No thank you,
Doctor."

   Dale sighed.  "We have a great deal to do." He squeezed my hands.  I
nodded.

   Dandridge told us, "The primaries are a very good team.  They expressed
quite a bit of interest in follow-up on this one.  That in itself is
unusual.  And we've had a bit of a problem recruiting a team, as you can
imagine.  This should particularly interest you, Doctor Grode, because the
linguistic analysis shows some rather interesting anomalies.  There are all
sorts of anomalies.  As to assistance, we can give you the use of an AI if
that would help."

   I looked at Dale.  He frowned momentarily, but then smiled, and nodded.

   "That would be very good.  I'd like to request Aileen, but only if she
is interested in working with us," I said.

   I saw Dandridge's eyes flick about a bit, indicative of accessing her
link.

   After a moment, we heard Aileen's voice.  "Thank you, Doctor Grode, I'd
be honored."

   Dale asked, "Can you transfer all the survey data for us?"

   Dandridge nodded, and Aileen said, "Done."

   I checked my chronometer.  It was mid day for these folks, but evening
for us.

   "Aileen," I asked, "can you give us a ride home?"

   Dale groaned.

   Aileen's voice said, "Of course, Doctor.  Both of you?" We laughed at
the amusement evident in her voice.

   Dale shook his head.  "Yes, Aileen, both of us," he said.

   We stood up.  We shook hands.

   "We'll be in touch," Dandridge said, "this looks like it's going to be a
really fun one."

   She paused, then turned back to the desk.  She picked up a small box.
"I should give this to you." She handed it to me.

   I opened the box.  Inside was something I didn't ever think I'd see in
person, let alone touch, or wear.  So many people join the Survey Service.
So many live their careers studying other's work, and in training others.

   I smiled, but I had tears in my eyes as I looked at the Survey Mission
Commander's insignia in the box in my hand.  "Thank you," I managed to say.
I turned to Dale.  I looked him in the eye.  He smiled.  I gave him a
questioning look.  He nodded -- he understood they were putting me in
command.  He took the box from my hand, and put the insignia on my uniform.

   I noticed Dandridge holding another box out for me.  I opened it, and
put the Survey Mission Specialist insignia on Dale's uniform.

   "What's your pleasure, Commander?" he asked.

   "Let's go.  We have work to do," I said.