"Max."
Max turned to the sibilant voice, watching in stunned fascination as a stream of drones flooded into the room and began piling on top of one another. The drones made a tower, building with unbelievable speed, like a dust storm in reverse.
In seconds the drones went from a pile of small insects to a vaguely human shape. The creature looked like something from a low-budget science fiction movie.
"What do you want?" Max asked, taking a step back. He spotted a door behind him. It was only partially open, six steel plates frozen in midiris. Evidently the door dilated to open and constricted to close. The six steel plates recessed into the surrounding bulkhead. Sand and rock had poured into the room through the door. Streams of drones worked like ants, carrying off the debris.
The creature hesitated. A rippling passed over its face, suddenly creating a mouth. A second later it opened its eyes. The eyes were hard and shiny, like hard silver marbles.
"This appearance is more pleasing to you?" the creature asked.
"Why did you bring me here?" Max demanded.
"We wished to speak with you." The figure rippled, like a monitor repixelating, tightening the image and refining the features.
Max waited.
"You're afraid of us," the creature said.
"Yes," Max said.
"Why?"
"You've worked hard to be scary," Max said.
The creature cocked its head, an altogether human expression that made the thing's alienness even more apparent. "We have," it admitted, and the voice almost sounded contrite. "Those actions are part of our preprogrammed defense. Our primary functions are the defense and repair of this ship."
"Who are you?"
"We are… " The creature hesitated. "Your language remains something of a problem to us. Our dealings with River Dog have been inaccurate and unsatisfying to a degree. Still we have learned much." The image flickered and refined again, becoming more human. This time some of the metallic sheen faded, leaving a color much closer to human pigmentation. The color looked pale and unhealthy. "You may address us as the Builder."
Max waited, running his options through his mind. His head still throbbed. Running wasn't a good plan, because he didn't know where to go.
"Scaring the local populations from this area is necessary to the continued survival of our crew," the Builder stated. "We jettisoned an emergency beacon before entering this planet's atmosphere and gravitational fields. We are awaiting rescue."
Max looked at the thing in front of him, watching as the image rippled again and the features became even more human. The eyes had true color now, and had turned greenish-gray.
"How long have you been waiting?" Max asked.
The Builder was silent for a moment. "We are not certain. While we were in stasis to conserve power reserves, several systems failed. We have been working to bring those systems back in working order."
"It's been thousands of years," Max said.
"We are still here," the Builder said.
"Where is the ship's crew?"
"They are awaiting rescue."
Max looked around the room. "Where?"
"It doesn't matter." The Builder rippled again. The chameleon power of the drones was incredible. In the poor lighting of the room, the creatures that had bonded together looked human. The body language, though somehow off, was still human in its interpretation.
"I want to talk to one of the ship's crew," Max said.
"Talking with the ship's crew isn't necessary," the Builder replied. "You can interface with us."
"Is someone coming to rescue you?" Max asked.
"The emergency beacon is in place."
"Have you been in contact with someone?"
"That doesn't concern you."
"You're hurting people I know," Max said. "You're hurting my town. That concerns me."
The Builder regarded him. "These are not your people, Max. We have seen you. We have scanned you. Your true species is unknown to our data banks, but we know you are not of earth stock."
"These people out there," Max said, "they're going to come hunting for you."
"Nonsense," the Builder replied. "We will simply scare them away. Our defensive position was programmed not to be overtly lethal. We rely on the primitive fears and superstitions of the mammal species and civilizations that live in this place. They fear the wrath of their dead ancestors. They will recognize this place as sacred and put it apart from the rest of the world."
"That's not true anymore."
The Builder regarded him.
"The civilization you first dealt with had a different way of looking at the world," Max said. "The early civilizations accepted the natural world and their place in it. People today investigate things like this. They seek to understand." And they want to control things they don't understand or are different, he thought.
"No," the Builder said. "We have adopted the proper defensive mechanisms and approaches. We will protect the crew."
"You need to talk to one of the crew," Max argued. "Do they know what's going on?"
"We are here to care for them and protect them," the Builder said. "We are not here to bother them while they are involved in their mission."
Vague unease stirred within Max. "Let me talk to one of the ship's crew."
"Impossible," the Builder replied.
"Why?"
"The ship's crew has important tasks to perform. They must not be disturbed. We are here to keep them safe and productive."
Max made his voice harder, sensing that something was wrong but not knowing what. "I insist."
"Request denied," the Builder replied.
"You brought me here for a reason," Max pointed out.
"You must communicate with your friends for us," the Builder said. "They must be made to understand that they must leave this ship alone. The crew must not be disturbed. No one must interfere with our rescue. We will be taken back and assimilated into the One."
"What One?"
"The One that is all of us," the Builder said. "The one we were separated from to go on this voyage with the crew." The figure paused. "We miss ourselves. We miss being… whole."
"I want to see someone from the crew," Max said.
"You can't. We exist to take care of the crew. We minister to their wants and needs. That makes us worthwhile. Without them we would be alone more than we are while outside the One."
Max's mind worked furiously. He started to see the incongruities in the Builder's logic.
"You must tell the others to leave," the creature said.
"You're afraid of Michael, aren't you?" Max asked. "His power destroys you."
"Your friend endangers this ship," the Builder said. "He endangers the ship's crew. That will not be tolerated."
"You were in stasis until a few days ago," Max said.
"We were conserving power," the Builder agreed. "Our energy converters had been damaged as well. We decided it would be better if we hibernated with the crew and awaited rescue."
"Why did you leave hibernation?"
"Because we felt a ship near us," the Builder said. "We felt the power surge only a few days ago."
The Granilith, Max realized. The power the vessel had used to return to the home world had been incredible.
"When the ship took off," the Builder said, "we were forced to wake. The ship was unknown to us and of alien origin. We knew it was possible that an enemy or potential enemy had found our emergency beacon. We can't rest until we are rescued now. The local communities must be repulsed in the manner in which we repulsed them before."
"Let me talk to the ship's captain," Max said.
"The person in charge of this ship is busy," the Builder said. "Tasks must be completed. Our rescue must be effected."
Max stepped forward, quelling the immediate instinct to avoid a confrontation with the creature.