The World Of Alcubierre

Episode XIV

Zyy jetted forward, its cilia splayed outward in a broad net. Xy sensed the surging in currents and squirted backward, narrowly dodging the Right. Back and forth they darted, Zyy the hunter, Xy the hunted. Their movements were choreographed by instinct, handed down to them by ancestors long since deceased from a planet long since destroyed. Zyy would expand, hungrily gulping in tank fluid to fling itself at Xy. Xy would shrink as it darted away, left with only a few panicked moments to swallow fluid of its own in preparation for the next onslaught.

The effort tired Xy, its body not used to the exertions. It had come into this world as an observation-specialization, one of the more sedentary specializations. Until this moment, its life had largely consisted of peaceful floating in a fringe tank. It was unprepared, and each evasion cost it precious energy, slowly wearing it down. But Zyy, also observation-specialized, would be similarly limited. The question would be who would last longest.

Xy understood the stakes, understood the cost of failure. All Zix knew of the scourge of the singleton. Of the havoc they had caused to the Collective. Zix history was replete with examples of a single tank putting itself before the colony to the ruin of all. Whole tank pods had been lost, never to be replaced. Specialization lines irreparably harmed as critical members were removed from the division plan. The singleton loomed large among the dangers that threatened the very existence of the Zix.

Only Xy stood between the Zix and calamity. A tank could not operate without consensus, and Xy could stop Zyy. So long as Xy remained free, the possibility of warning the Zix of the danger remained. Perhaps they could never rejoin the Collective again, but at least they would do no harm.

Zyy swooped in again, trying to corner Xy against the side of the tank. Xy again evaded, propelling itself to the far side as Zyy recovered its fluid. Xy knew it could not continue much longer. The tank was finite and the currents swirled against it.

It must get the message out to the Zix.

It must take the risk.

The very notion for Right-minded, but there were no other options. The currents told Xy that Zyy remained some distance away. There may be no more opportunities to act. Resolve firming, Xy did not recover its fluid, losing the maneuverability it needed to continue the effort to escape. Instead, Xy flicked out its cilia, pushing against the flows of the tank and orienting them toward the communication array. Faster and faster its cilia moved, fighting down terror as it assembled message.

Zyy stirred. Xy could feel the disruption of the currents behind, feel Zyy closing the distance. The desire to flee was overwhelming, but Xy summoned the resilience of a Left charged with a duty.

A warning. A single word.

Singleton.

The message slipped out just as Zyy's cilia closed in around Xy, intertwining and establishing dozens of thought and emotion threads. Xy could not resist, its energy and fluid expended. Zyy's mind flooded into Xy's consciousness. A swirling eddy of raw being.

Betrayal. Anger. Frustration. Sadness.

And, above it all, a certainty. The Collective was wrong. Zyy was right. Their mission was more important than the Collective's desires. The Collective's wishes and will were immaterial. They must proceed or it would all be forfeit.

Xy tried to push back the onslaught. To retain its sense of self and reason, but Zyy was too strong. More and more cilia shot out, pulling Xy closer to Zyy. Xy felt its thoughts blur and run together with Zyy's. The distance between them grew smaller still. There was no Left to balance the Right. There was no consensus. Only Zyy and its hunger.

They touched. Membrane to membrane.

The Zix responded, demanding to know the meaning of the message. Desperate to understand what was going on within the tank. The float colony spoke with a unified voice, expressing its concern.

But they did not receive a response.

ZyyXy was not interested in anything the Collective desired. It only cared for one thing: the completion of its mission. It would save the Zix since they were clearly unable to save themselves. Alone in the tank, ZyyXy spread its cilia out, and pulled the wormkey online.

The Zix's calls redoubled, but went unanswered.

The singleton was gone.