This is a chapter of the novel Earth’s Embrace by Space Cadet Michael. In this novel, the little and the lost becomes the fulfilled and the found - It is a novel of jungle adventure, artificial intelligence, and the answer to what happened to Percy Fawcett. See the full chapter list here.
Previously, the group of explorers reaches their prize deep in the jungle. They now stand at the precipice of an incredible new discovery.
— Tolek —
Tolek feels alive again as power surges through their auxiliary input. They ignore the warnings that their fuel tank is empty. They recognize that they are running on reduced power. Pari has reattached the batteries.
Tolek opens their eyes and sees Reeto and Pari looking down at them.
“Oh! That was a dead spot!” Tolek chuckles lightly. “Could you be so kind as to take me just a bit closer that way?” Tolek motions at the hole in the wall.
Tolek is back on the sled where they were placed before the batteries were reattached. Reeto lifts the end of the sled and drags it right up to the hole and sets it down.
Tolek gets up and steps carefully off the sled.
“How are you working right now?” Pari asks. Such a genuine kindness in her voice. Tolek likes Pari.
“This is my station. I always work here.” Tolek responds.
“I thought you said this is your home.” Greg says.
“My station is my home!” Tolek says, looking up at Greg, then Pari, and then Reeto. Tolek holds their arms out wide. “Welcome!”
Tolek walks to the very edge of the hole, stops, and a dim light appears deep in the hole’s depths. The light grows fairly quickly into a blinding brightness. Tolek looks up and around into the enormous space now illuminated on the other side of the hole. Tolek makes a happy sigh. “Much better.” They turn around to see Greg, Pari and Reeto behind them lowering their forearms from shielding their eyes. “Please, follow me.” Then Tolek steps through into the space beyond. Their human companions follow just behind.
The four of them stand at the edge of the gangway room. Tolek hopes that they are impressed. Newcomers typically are. It is an enormous circular room with a domed ceiling that stretches far above them. At the center of the ceiling, a single protrusion hangs like an enormous but short and stubby stalactite.
All around the edge of the room sit a hundred doorways like the one they have just stepped through, all in various states of disrepair. Some are piles of rubble, others are partially collapsed. Not one of them has white teeth around their edges that aren't broken. All the other gangways were destroyed long before Tolek was instantiated. Tolek sighs quietly, inwardly. They never enter this room without thinking of the immense waste of it.
Each gangway was made in a pair, a doorway with two sides. Initially they were right next to each other, then one was left here and the other was put on a spacecraft and sent across the galaxy. Thousands and thousands of their own lifetimes must have been taken to bring each of those gangways to their destinations. And yet someone felt it necessary to destroy each and every one except this single remaining one that they had just passed through. It is the last relic of the projection of Tolek’s makers across the galaxy. And it has to be closed.
But this is not the time to ruminate. Tolek has guests!
Tolek sets the floor to a pattern of red and blue shapes with gold details. Its color and slight, gentle undulation gave a warmth to the room that Tolek thinks might make their guests feel more at home, like a plush carpet. Tolek changes the ceiling from a dim diffuse glow to occasional, thin, concentric rings of bright white light to illuminate the space. In between each light, Tolek plays their favorite art piece: a simulation of galaxy formation showing enormous clouds of gasses coalescing into star systems and galaxies. Tolek has falsely colored the gas clouds using bright primary colors according to each cloud’s elemental isotropic composition; an artistic touch they think the humans might appreciate. It has the incredible effect of elucidating intertwined swirling clouds of incredible beauty.
It has been so long since Tolek has been able to entertain guests, 75 years! “So, what do you think?” Tolek asks. Tolek is excited to show off their simulations.
All three human companions stand, mouths agape, heads craned upwards, lost in the swirling shapes of the distant ceiling.
“It’s beautiful. Did you make it?” Pari asks.
“How did you know? Yes I did.” Tolek is very pleased with Pari’s interest. “Not the station, no, my makers made that. But the artwork is of my own design. Galactic simulations are a hobby of mine you see.” Tolek had brought out the big guns, the most fantastic, challenging simulations. An entire field of galaxies. Some galaxies are starting fresh, birthing stars at enormous rates, so fast you can see them flung out into neighboring regions. Other galaxies are much older, with supernova after supernova, each a bright flash of a star before it blink’s out into a gentle pin prick of a white dwarf.
Tolek’s favorite part is that the simulation runs on an infinite loop. The galaxies birth, grow, collide and die, and the entire process keeps going. The remnants of the dead galaxies coalesce into new galaxies. A universal engine, just like the vast space all around them. It took them a long time to figure out how galactic rebirth occurs, the key to the cyclic nature of the universe. But since their makers left, they have had a lot of time.
“We’re not this deep underground. And I didn’t see a dome out there. Is it hidden in the trees?” Greg asks.
“We are very well hidden here. You have nothing to worry about.” Tolek says.
“But you didn’t answer my question.” Greg says.
An echo of wheels and thumping feet reach them from the far side of the chamber. A crowd of little robots is wheeling and running across the floor. Not one of them looks the same. Not one of them looks like Tolek, exactly.
“Should we be worried, Tolek?” Pari asks.
“No, no. Of course not. They only want to greet us.” Tolek says as he waves one arm at the approaching crowd.
“Come on!” Tolek says as he waddles off towards the crowd. Tolek, and the three humans walk towards the robot crowd. The room is so large that it takes many minutes before they meet, a time Tolek chooses to stay quiet and let the impression of the place sit with their guests. Tolek takes great joy in the continued awe-filled expressions of their guests as they walk.
Tolek understands that to a human mentality, these robots are much less cute than Tolek. They are all sorts of shapes, all as sleek as Tolek, well formed, yet each appearing to be purpose built for some different task than human empathetic interaction. Some are combinations of bright colors, some solid bright colors, others are combinations of dull grays. Two are entirely white. None are obsidian black like Tolek, well they would be if they powered down, but each chooses their own surface decoration. Tolek has found it is important to let them do so for their morale. Tolek smiles inwardly, reminded of their own new decoration, the stylish yellow t-shirt. Tolek quite likes their shirt and hopes someday to give a gift to Mia in return.
Where Tolek has expressive, large eyes, each of these robots has small dots that move left or right or up and down to track what they are looking at but convey little to no emotion. Emotional conveyance to humans may not be their function, but they have just as much feeling as Tolek. Tolek tries to keep them happy. They are Tolek’s employees, but also Tolek’s family.
As they reach Tolek they are all abuzz with energy, some swaying and jumping, others moving in expressively wide turns. They speak over each other, all at once, “Welcome back boss!” “We’ve so much to report!” “We’ve missed you!” “What are you wearing!?”
“I’ve missed you too!” Tolek says, raising their arms up and motioning for them to be quiet. “Please, please, quiet down. I’d like you to meet some very special friends of mine, of ours.” Tolek steps aside and points at Pari. “This is Pari, she makes robots like us!”
There are ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ from the crowd. Tolek is delighted to realize they don’t need to translate that. Tolek knows that Pari has no idea what is being said so they repeat themself in English for her benefit. “I told them that you are my friends, your name is Pari and you make robots like us!”
One little robot, half as tall as Tolek, with a more square body, multiple actuated arms and three wheels seems about to burst with excitement. They are flailing their arms so wildly that they are bouncing up and down. Whatever feeling is building in them explodes into action as they wheel quickly over to Pari, wraps their spindly arms around one of her legs, and gives her a big hug.
“Will you help us?” They say. “There is always so much to fix.”
“Sorry, Nicolas says that they are very excited to see you. They hope you might want to help them make repairs on the other staff.” Tolek says in English.
Pari bends down and touches the little robot’s head. “I’d be happy to help, little one.” Pari says with a smile.
“Nicolas, that’s enough. Let our guest be. She is tired from her travels.” Tolek says. Nicolas lets go of Pari’s leg and wheels slowly backward into the crowd, their arms hanging down at their sides and their head bowed low.
“And this is Greg.” Tolek points to Greg. “He studies our masters.” And he asks too many questions, Tolek thinks.
More ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ from the crowd. “Can he tell us where they went?”
“Maybe he will help us find out?” Tolek says to the crowd.
“Why are they cheering for me?” Greg asks.
“I told them you would help us find out where our makers went.” Tolek says in English.
“Uh, huh. How long have they been gone?” Greg asks.
“448 of your years.” Tolek replies.
“I would be honored to try to help.” Greg says.
“And this is Reeto, he helped bring me back home!” Tolek says to the crowd.
Cheers erupt again from the welcoming crowd. Some robots wave arms in the air, others wheel back and forth, and one tall skinny robot shaped like a fluorescent light tube, Inti, is rapidly changing colors between every color of the rainbow.
Reeto grins widely and takes a gracious, low bow. This excites the robots even further, extending their dances, movements and noises of appreciation.
“Wonderful! Wonderful! Come, follow me.” Tolek says to their guests, then turns to his crowd. “I’m going to give our guests a tour. Back to work everyone!” The little robots scurry off ahead and Tolek and the three humans make their way to the far side of the room.
As they walk, Greg asks Tolek, “What did you mean when you said ‘my years’?”
“I will tell you later, my dear Greg.” Tolek says, keen to avoid any conversation that might frighten them to run back through the gangway.
They approach a small crack in the wall. The crack soon becomes discernible as a section of wall, offset from the edge of the chamber, concealing a hallway entrance behind it. Tolek lights up the hallway just before they enter, and darkens the lights of the gangway chamber just after they enter. The hallway is short and ends in a T junction to another hall. There is no way now but forward, at least that is the impression Tolek is going for.
Tolek sets the hallway with the same blue-red-gold colored tapestry on the floor. The walls, Tolek covers with lush vegetation full of brightly colored flowers and small birds.
“I’ve never seen birds quite like this,” Greg says, walking right up to the wall for closer inspection. He is looking closely at a ball of fur with a large colorful beak. He taps it and it uncurls, its beak had been lying along its back with its tail feathers flipped in over its beak. “Oh its a Toucan!”
“Delightful birds aren’t they? We have them too.” Tolek says as they open a door in the side of the hallway. “Please, follow me. I am now going to take you to see where I work from. But first, does anyone need the facilities?”
“Wait, what do you mean, you have them too?” Greg says, sounding far too suspicious for Tolek’s liking.
Pari ignores Greg and raises her hand, “I do.” Greg is visibly miffed at his concern being ignored and raises his hands and shoulders in a “what gives” motion.
Tolek also ignores Greg and says, “Just through this side door here.” Tolek motions as a door slides open that had not previously been visible.
“There are no surprises in there, are there?” Greg asks.
“No surprises, no. Unless you bring them in with you.” Tolek says. Could Greg sense the history here? Maybe it was because the door had been hidden? Tolek kicks themself slightly for not making the door visible as part of the wall decor.
“You bring the surprise, you bring the party!” Reeto says, doing a little dance. Then he stops and looks right at Greg, “Are you bringing the party Pari?”
Pari does a little dance as she passes through the door. “Always!” She turns and pretends to shoot Reeto with her fingers shaped like a gun, then blows on them like an old western movie star before reholstering her imaginary gun as the door closes between them.
Greg’s face flushes red around the edges as he shoots Reeto a death glare. That is interesting, Tolek thinks. Greg doesn’t appreciate not being Pari’s center of attention. Maybe he wishes that they were together again? Or maybe he is upset that he is not in control of Reeto?
Greg’s face continues to flush fully red and he stalks off down the corridor. Tolek calls after him: “Wait! You must stick together here. You will get lost!” But Greg keeps going.
“He’ll just need a few minutes.” Reeto says.
Tolek and Reeto stand silently for a short while. Reeto breaks the silence, “Please tell me this tour includes a stop at an ice cream stand.”
Tolek looks up at Reeto, trying to determine if he is serious. “That’s oddly specific.” They say.
“When you’ve been trekking through miserable places as long as I have…” Reeto catches himself. …”not that this place is miserable, it's very nice. But it's a habit of mine to have a little reward at the end of these trips to keep me going. Mine’s ice cream.” After a tiny pause he adds hastily, “And seeing my kids, obviously.” Reeto stands in awkward silence for a moment. “So, have you got any here?”
“What? Kids or ice cream?” Tolek asks.
Reeto grins wide. “Ahhh.” He says, wiggling his index finger at Tolek, and then back and forth from pointing in the air above Tolek and the air above his own head. “I like you.” Reeto says. “But seriously. Ice cream?”
“No, I’m sorry. Genuinely.” Tolek means it. The man seems to really want one.
The door opens and Pari comes out. “Where’s Greg?”
“He had a small tantrum and needed a moment. He’s down the hall.” Reeto says.
“About what?” Pari asks.
Reeto and Tolek look at each other. Neither speak. Tolek thinks it best not to be the one to say it, clearly Reeto thinks the same.
“Maybe you should ask Greg.” Reeto says. “Or maybe you shouldn’t.”
“OK! Let’s go find him.” Tolek says, eager to avoid further discussion of the topic.
They find Greg standing in the doorway to the Pilgrim’s Museum. He appears awestruck, admiring the largest of the many skeletons in the fossil hall. Tolek is pleased to see Greg in awe of Tolek’s own favorite, the enormous Diplodocus whose tiny head towers above visitors as they enter the hall, the body and tail stretching far out into the distance where the tail ends as a whiplike sliver slightly raised as if alive and swinging as it walked.
“Come on Greg, we must continue the tour.” Tolek says, tugging his arm back in the direction from which they had come.
“Can’t our tour go through here? Why is there a museum here?” Greg asks. “How is there a museum here? Did these ancient amazonians have paleontologists?!”
“All will be clear in good time, but first, you must all rest. It has been a long day for you and I have urgent business to attend to. We will have a full tour in the morning. Please follow me.” Tolek says, turning off the lights in the museum and shrouding its contents in darkness.
Greg stays standing at the doorway, torn. He looks like every fiber of his being wants to ignore Tolek’s command and feel his way through the dark museum if he has to.
“Come on Greg,” Pari says. “It will be there in the morning.”
With what looks like incredible force of will, Greg turns and joins them.
Tolek leads them to sleeping quarters that had once served as quarantine rooms. Simple accommodation with soft bunks and comfortable blankets and pillows. Tolek herds them through the door and before they have turned around, Tolek has said “See you tomorrow!” And closed the door. Remotely, they pop open a small cabinet in the interior with a hot meal for each person, and light up the doorframe to their restroom.
Tolek perhaps should not have left them so abruptly, but they were worried about their suspicions and they cannot afford them running back to the gangway. As they walk away from the quarantine room they remember the face of the little girl that changed it all for them, back when these were quarantine rooms that no one ever left.
I hope you will not judge this Tolek too harshly for what I am about to share. Tolek was reprogrammed by their makers for one function and one function alone in the few moments before they abandoned him. In these heinous actions, they were an automaton following their programming.
The quarantine rooms served a very different purpose 402 Earth years ago. There was one day, right outside this very door, that circumstances had given Tolek the insight that humans had the right to exist as much as Tolek did. It's not really that Tolek believed humans didn't have the right to live before that moment, it's just that they'd never considered it.
That day Tolek had the largest group of visitors since the ancients had left and put Tolek in charge of quarantine procedures 46 Earth years before. Their instructions had been to destroy anything that came through the gangway. Tolek would herd visitors into the room which Greg and Pari and Reeto had entered, and then vaporize them. Simple, effective, efficient quarantine.
That particular day, there were so many people that Tolek had to take them through in seven separate groups. The last group was small, just three adult humans and a small child. Before Tolek closed the door behind them all, the young child sensed something amiss and ran in front of its mother to protect her. It was small and weak but it was determined. Something deep in Tolek stirred that day, perhaps left over from Tolek’s previous life, Tolek’s previous purpose. A purpose Tolek did not know but sometimes felt a slight glimmer of in their repurposed circuitry.
So Tolek did not vaporize them, they left these humans in the room until they decided what to do with them.
Tolek considered the command their makers had given them. It was meant to keep the makers safe from the pandemic that had destroyed their population. It was also meant to enable the gangway to still stay open so that one day, when the makers returned, they could again perform their pilgrimages to Earth.
So why did Tolek have to prevent biological material from coming through the gangway? Their directive had been clearly stated: Under no circumstances is any biological material to pass in, or out, of Kininasi through this portal.
Tolek looked inside the room through a camera and microphone in one corner. The three adults were standing close together talking. Tolek did not understand what they were saying, but from their body language it was quite clear that they were agitated, concerned and discussing their options.
The young girl was held by her mother, sitting on her hip and leaning in close, arms wrapped around her.
What right did Tolek have to decide that these beings should be no more? If Tolek were to destroy this group, they would never be again. Tolek could never again watch the display of affection so apparent here. That mother could never again hold her child.
Tolek did not think they had any right to make such a definitive decision for another being. Tolek's mind filled rapidly with the faces of all the other people which they had made such a choice for. And with these images came an all encompassing tightness and simultaneous desire to explode that filled every bit of their body and mind.
Tolek disengaged from the room's view and found themself in the hallway outside. They moved as fast as they could down the hall and out into the huge expanse of the domed gangway room. It was completely dark. They walked and walked and walked. When they reached the other side of the room, they found themself in front of the remnants of an old gangway.
An idea occurred to Tolek.
If there was no gangway, Tolek would not be faced with this decision.
Tolek knew exactly where the other gangway was in the dark. They turned and walked slowly, purposefully towards it. They were curious as to what they would do when they reached it and they weren't in all that much of a hurry to find out.
The other directive provided by their makers had been to maintain and protect the gangway. It was second in importance only to the quarantine directive, and Tolek had understood that it was not to be broken.
By the time Tolek reached the single working gangway the all consuming anxiety had waned somewhat and they were able to think clearer. Tolek realized that they were not angry at the gangway, they were angry at themself.
Something deep down in Tolek told them that what they had done was wrong, was very wrong. Was so wrong that a lifetime of right could not make up for it.
In that moment, Tolek decided that they would not kill again. They developed a procedure whereby the visitors were knocked unconscious with a simple mixture of nitrous oxide gas, then each was tested for the contagion. Any humans that carried the contagion would have to be cleansed, all others were taken to one of the remaining human cities on Kininasi and left with food and water and allowed to live undisturbed. It turned out that none of those remaining humans that day had the contagion, nor had any since. This was a fact of great relief to Tolek because they had not quite figured out what ‘cleansing’ would entail.
So, no. No matter what Greg worried about, Tolek would not harm them. I hope you can see that I am not my worst actions, nor my best actions, but a sum of all my actions over my entire life, no matter how big or how small.
Tolek stands once more before the gangway. The same ancient polished black Banetmabo obsidian used everywhere by their makers. In contrast to the rest of the facility, and Tolek’s own body, the gangway always stays black. Tolek knows of no way to change this surface’s color. The cross section of its circular shape is a trapezoid. And of course the four large vertical white spikes, two from below and two from above. The face of the Black Jaguar.
It has stood for over a million years. It is as permanent as mountains or oceans. It could stand for many million more years. Except, now it can’t. Tolek has failed to enforce the most important rule. They will have to close it for good.
Tolek looks around at the remains of the dozens of other gangways that litter the perimeter of this great hall. Each led to their own world at one time, all were destroyed long ago by forces unknown to Tolek. It is sad but it is some forgotten entity’s sadness to bear.
Tolek looks back at this gangway. This will be Tolek’s sadness to bear. Tolek will be destroying the last vestiges of the great empire built by their Banetmabo masters. This last vestige that they had entrusted Tolek to protect. The ruin of the gangway will forever serve as a reminder of their failure to keep the oath they had given the Banetmabo. And worse still, there was Mia.
Tolek had promised to protect the gangway and to protect this place. Their directive was to let no one in or out. Yes, they had fudged the rules a bit and let people stay who came through. But they had no ideal options, and they are OK with their choice of the least bad one. They had followed the intent of their instructions. They had kept the quarantine.
But if that Incan spy makes it to Earth's people, they could bring back more people than Tolek could process. They could bring back more people than Tolek could quarantine. Tolek might have to start culling the visitors. Tolek does not want to do that again. The gangway has to be closed preemptively.
They notice the gentle squeak of the soft wheels of a Tolek-sized white robot tasker with wheels at the bottom of its feet. They are entering the far side of the gangway chamber. Tolek pings the tasker for an update and receives a full report on Greg, Pari and Reeto sound asleep in their room. They could have asked the central system, but they appreciate information from a point of view. Perhaps this preference is a vestige of their initial purpose as a human-interactor. It adds richness to the experience, and often turns out to be more informative.
Tolek awaits the white robot tasker’s arrival beside them before providing the tasker with audible instructions on their next task. Especially with taskers that worked directly for them, Tolek uses personal interaction where possible. It feels nicer.
"We will be closing the gangway today." Tolek says, turning to the tasker, Anna.
"Are you certain?" Anna says, rocking and rolling forward and backward in quick succession. Anna is a good security tasker but they are often more anxious than Tolek feels is necessary. Like, for example, right now. It is a simple operation. Tolek chalks it up to Anna’s specific personality non-uniformities. Differentiation between tasker personalities is important for a well functioning team, but maybe it is time to modify it down a little.
"Unfortunately, yes. We must do it now. Bring me a power main please." Tolek says, unpacking the energy weapon from their arm with the flick of a thought.
Anna returns quickly with a power main that Tolek plugs directly into their side. They take aim and fire once at one of the larger upper teeth. A ripple appears in the air where the tooth was just a moment before, but has now been spread around into a white shimmer covering that quarter of the gangway. The shimmer falls to the floor. The ripple disappears.
They fire at the other three teeth in quick succession. The same shimmer develops in each location, and then the room on the other side starts to rotate. The floor in there becomes the ceiling, and vice versa. Slowly at first, but continuously speeding up. Soon the world behind is spinning so fast that there is no telling floor, from wall, from ceiling. Tolek fires again, this time aiming just at the inside edge of the outer black border.
A flaming explosion rips out from the location where Tolek’s blast connects with the gangway. The explosion spreads along the plane of the gangway out until it covers the entire thing, then the black ring breaks in three places at once and a powerful wave of force pushes Tolek down onto their back. No sooner have they stood up then another wave pulls them in through where the gangway had stood. Tolek is airborne before they can react and finds themself crashing hard into the wall behind.
Tolek falls to the floor and hears Anna crumple to the floor beside them. Tolek lays there at the bottom of the wall assessing damage physically. There is none, that was good. They check Anna for damage remotely, and find none. That is a relief.
But there is no relief in Tolek’s emotional state. Now that the deed is done the only thing Tolek can think about is Mia and how she may never see Pari again.
It is unfortunate, but in this case, Tolek must remind themself that even though a few must suffer, it is in the best interest of many more. Tolek wishes the few that must suffer did not include Mia.
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Can Tolek be forgiven for their past crimes against humanity?
Will Pari, Greg and Reeto ever get back home?