When the Wrnlaxi Host an Event, It Can't Be Smalltime

"If it hadn't been for your discovery, the Wrnlaxi would still be afraid to use transporter technology," Mala said.

"But it wasn't really my discovery," M'D'li protested, then he laughed.  "At least not entirely.  Hon Jurmol uncovered the basics of the Memiklon language, and translated it into holographic form.  The holo's affect on my own brain was a rather dramatic accident, triggering a genetic sequence that had lain dormant in our race, a natural defense against the song-trance of our ancestors.  I just had to work back through the experience and find the catalytic order of shapes and colors, then digitize them.  Only ten combinations were needed to free the Wrnaxi from any fear of devolution, mental slippage into the past.  We're no longer fearful of the old or new."

"I don't think you were ever so fearful," she said.  She reached out and straightened the slightly crumpled collar of his striped vest, her fingers lightly brushing the pale green scales of his neck.  "If you had been, you wouldn't have gone aboard the Flammarion to explore the Oniiri Vortex, and we wouldn't have met, and you wouldn't be here on the Arcadia waiting for the Wrnlaxi delegation.  Oh, and you wouldn't have found the ancient machine on Skinoki," Mala laughed.  The gaze of her brown eyes met his amber eyes.

"It is truly an amazing set of coincidences," M'D'li nodded.  "And many of them set into motion by the nomadic wanderings and experiments of the Wrnlaxi progenitors.  They diversified and split, again and again, leaving behind messages and clues for each other, and their descendants.  Though I wish they had been more explicit and less mysterious in their ways."

"I doubt you wish that, M'D'li.  There's nothing you like more than solving mysteries."

He laughed.  "I suppose you're right."

"And today you'll introduce the Wrnlaxi to one of the progenitors – if not quite in flesh and scales.  But in this future-present the virtual has become as real as reality, whatever that may be."

"An appropriate philosophical observation."  M'D'li's tongue flicked in and out.  Then through his comtact the computer announced, ~Wrnlaxi delegation approved for transport.~

The science lounge had been rearranged to accomodate their arrival – chairs, tables and the miscellaneous oddments that accompany even off-duty scientists, all relegated to a semi-circle around the sides of the room.  Wrnlaxi took up more of the available space than most beings.  Their tails were not only long and heavy, they were expressive; they thumped, swished, coiled and uncoiled according to mood.  Cybernetic legs and feet were necessarily proportional to the heavy reptiloid body.  Only the cybernetic arms and hands of the Wrnlaxi could be called graceful, and they were capable of surprisingly delicate, fastidious manipulations.

The delegation consisted of three males and two females.  M'D'li was acquainted with only one of them, K'Non'e, who had been among the younger members of the Science Committee upon M'D'li's homeship.  He was now one of the Triad Fleet Committee.  M'D'li greeted him in the manner of one committee member to another, a slight bowing of the head and left hand extended outward; a slight flourish accompanying the hand gesture indicated K'Non'e's superior social status.  M'D'li was pleased when K'Non'e returned the gesture.

"Such a great occasion you've given us, M'D'li!  No one would have imagined you could do more for the Wrnlaxi than you had in the past, freeing us from the possibility of devolution.  You've become a legend, and now a legend returned to life."

The delegates had accepted into their bodies nanites that formed a translator module compatible with those used in the Federation.  M'D'li had been the first to do so, and during the past 20 years other Wrnlaxi individuals and groups had undergone the process in order to engage in joint projects with Federation species.  Yet it was far from a common practice within the population of the fleets.

M'D'li tried to appear modest, though slight twitches of his tail somewhat spoiled the affect.  "Returned to life – I suppose that is one way of looking at the matter.  Though to me, to everyone aboard the Arcadia, the trip through time seemed a swift, if dislocating, few moments."  M'D'li reached for Mala's hand, then held it to his heart, in another of the Wrnlaxi gestures.  "I'm pleased to introduce Mala Hendriksson, my soul-kin.  Mala is the chief flight officer of the Arcadia."  Each member of the delegation bowed to her.  M'D'li felt his eyes glow with prideful satisfaction.  So far as he knew, he was the only one to establish soul bonding with a non-Wrnlaxi.  And Mala was such a lovely and accomplished non-Wrnlaxi!  But part of his pride came from the fact that his people would now accept such a bonding.

He was then introduced to the other members of the delegation; R'Lo'ni, a dark green and exceptionally heavy individual- even for a Wrnlaxi – who was the Triad Administrator for the Fourth Fleet.  His soul-kin and Education Committee Adminstrator, Ae'L'i, a female who had adopted the modern fad of changing the coloration of the scales along her cheeks to a pattern of black and white – colors not occurring in the natural Wrnlaxi body plan.  M'D'li found the change striking, and another small indication of new attitudes among his people.

"Ji'Da'E" – K'Non'e brought the tan female forward – "and her lifemate "En'J'na.  The Sixth Fleet geneticists who will be leaving soon for Xlin, to begin the next phase of our re-establishment."

M'D'li bowed.  "Ah, such a wonder – re-establishment of our homeworld.  It exceeds any vision I harbored for our future – that some of the Wrnlaxi will be no longer wanderers!  Though settlement is far from my own nature – I congratulate you."  M'D'li then led the delegation to the line of waiting Arcadia officials, Lieutenant Libra, Siobhan Science, Kurt Lokken, Alex Crimson, and at last Hon Jurmol – who was also a legend among the Wrnlaxi for his role in creating the holo version of the Memiklon language.

Then they moved from the lounge to one of the larger sci labs, which also had been rearranged for the occasion, leaving an empty place in the center of the room.  The assembly gathered at either end of the lab.  K'Non'e brought out a recording cube from his vest and held it in the palm of his hand.  The Wrnlaxi had incorporated advances into their subspace communications, and the event would be broadcast real-time to all the fleets within the Alpha Qaudrant, as well as being holographically stored with the cube's matrix.

M'D'li moved to the room's center and said, "Now I present to you – a male member from one grouping of the Wrnlaxi's progenitor species."  Through his complant he asked the computer to comply, and an instant later a hologram appeared beside him.  Though the Wrnlaxi science committee had been briefed and given the anatomical details as well as the genome, there was more than one subdued gasp from the delegates.  The progenitor was eight inches taller than M'D'li, who was among the taller members of his species.  Rather than being serpentine with cybernetic augmentation, he was bipedal, with two arms, each hand having four fingers and two thumbs.  His eyes, snout and sharp white teeth were identical to those of present-day Wrnlaxi, but his forehead extended into a crest of triangular-shaped segments – dense with neural connections to the brain and central nervous system.  The coloration of his scales was a deep rich brown, except for the crest, which resembled dark mahogany; his eyes were orange.

M'D'li was touched by the being's presence, though he had seen it several times.  Because of the marvels of present-day holography, it was difficult to believe the progenitor was not physically present.  Even breath and heartbeat were simulated.  His eyes were still, as if inwardly focused.

"It's as we would have been – had not the tragic mutations occurred.  It's as we should have been," Ji'Da'E declared.

"But we never suspected they had the crest," En'J'na said.  "Of course we can't know if they were the direct ancestors of the Ar.  Though their genetics are 96% the same as our own."

M'D'li nodded.  "As yet we don't know the number of groups from which the progenitors diverged.  I hope to visit other sites where the ancient machinery has been found.  Eventually.  Though I've made no certain plans.  If any of the Committee wish to undertake such journeys, I'll be glad to act as liaison with Starfleet in making arrangements."  He had the computer turn the hologram off.

Ji'Da'E stepped toward M'D'li, took a holo disc from her vest pocket and held it out.  "Now we have something to show you.  I formatted this to make it compatible with the Arcadia's systems.  There are two scenes taken recently upon Xlin "  M'D'li took it and asked the computer to render the holography in the now empty space.

The first scene began as a view from near orbit, then dropped dramatically to show a continent north of the world's equator, and on the west coast of the continent a small city.  The buildings were pale yellow, long, single storied, and flat roofed with wide doorways.  "Though the building materials are synthetic, they're chemically identical to stone and mineral layers of Xlin.  The colonists named the city InAr."

"Home of the Ar," M'D'li translated.  "It is beautiful.  Thank you for showing me this, Ji'Da'E."

"But that is not all," she said.  The scene changed to an overhead viewpoint of an inland sea, nearer the equator, then a line of sea caves hugging the coast.  From one of the caves, a face emerged, then a long neck, extending to a serpentine form.  The face seemed less like the Wrnlaxi than the ancient progenitor's had been, but that was because of the eyes, which were narrower, and bland.  The face was that of a simple creature, showing no sign of intelligence.

"An Ar!"  M'D'li's voice was nearly a shout.  "I had no reason to think any of the ancestors still lived."  He was silent for a few moments.  "How amazing.  And how terribly sad.  How many are there?"

"One hundred and twenty.  They've shown no fear of our people, have allowed us to go among them.  And since we no longer fear being drawn into their song trance, we have nothing to fear from them."

"You are going to let them live out their lives, aren't you?" M'D'li questioned.  Though knowledge of the Ar's existence disturbed him, he knew that ethics demanded they be cared for.

"Oh, we have better plans than that, M'D'li," the geneticist smiled, tongue flicking in and out.  "We're going to enhance their clusters of cortical neurons, as the second wave of progenitors did for the groups of Ar that became our direct ancestors."

"This is almost too good to be believed," M'D'li said.  "And they will also be fitted with cybernetics?"  After all, it would do the creatures little good to develop the possibility of intelligence if they had no limbs.

"That was our beginning plan," she replied.  "But now, since you have shared the genetic code of the progenitors with us, we have changed our plan.  The Ar will be given that code, via nanites.  They will become exactly as the progenitors meant them to evolve."

M'D'li felt overwhelmed at the idea.  "Beautiful.  Yes, beautiful, that is the only word for it.  And audacious.  I wish you and your team, and the Ar, the very best results.  I hope to see them someday."

"We hope that as well, M'D'li," she told him.  "You and your soul-kin will always be welcome upon the new Xlin."

M'D'li made a sudden decision.  He had as yet told none of the Wrnlaxi about the uploaded progenitor city that Mala had discovered and copied into a holodeck program.  He had thought the concepts too strange and alien for the Wrnlaxi to accept.  But not now!

"The surprises have not yet ended," he announced.  "But for the next one, we'll ask the computer to transport the delegates, Mala and myself, to an available holodeck."