Baswin

by Aurora Springer

  As she reached the top of the cliff, water stirred and Baswin appeared beside her. He caught hold of her belt, pulled her close to his side, and pointed over the seabed. Nikki and Kiron were moving swiftly away with the luma clasped under Kiron’s arm. Two of their guards swam behind at a man’s length above the couple, but Tollar had waited. The big First floated above the gorge, his blue crest of hair ruffled by the ocean currents.

  Brushing his lips against her ear, Baswin spoke in a gurgling murmur, “We can move fast with the jets.” He circled her waist with one arm and hit a button on the front of his harness. Propelled by his jets, they both zoomed forward, trailing a stream of bubbles.

  The seabed rushed past in a blur.

  Soon, they caught up with the Ramis Bell Duad and jetted at their heels. Veering toward the pale ocher light of the ice crust, they surmounted a prominent ridge of coral.

  Exhilarated by their dizzying speed and the warmth of Baswin’s arm, Holly felt like singing with joy. Not a good idea. She might drown if she opened her lips and forgot to breathe through the nostril filters.

  Fortunately, their swift flight did not last for long. Nikki and Kiron slowed, gliding at a shallow angle toward the seafloor. The luma detached from Kiron’s grasp. A rounded patch of white sand appeared below, outlined in black and red stones. The Duad dropped vertically to land with their feet on the edge of the circular space. Silna swam away to explore beyond the arena, nosing among the pebbles and extracting small creatures to eat.

  Bending his head toward Holly, Baswin asked, “Is it a jelsquid dance arena?”

  Unable to speak, she gave a vigorous nod. It was smaller than the one where she had whirled in the jelsquid dance and sensed the pulsing threads of hyperspace.

  Baswin guided her down to stand just beyond the rim of darker stones.

  The Blue Stars separated and moved into defensive positions on the circumference of the arena. Each Watcher aimed his harpoon outward.

  Just as Ennis had done earlier that day, Nikki swam into the middle of the circle, settled one knee on the sand, and knocked two stones together.

  They waited.

  At first, nothing happened.

  After pausing to look up, Nikki repeated the action twice at short intervals.

  A shoal of worm-like animals undulated across the arena and disappeared into the gloom.

  Curious about the delay, Holly peered up and around in all directions. No change. Only the gentle wash of waves and the faint orange-yellow gleam from the ocean’s surface.

  Nikki straightened and pointed up.

  A large disk hove into view, spinning out of the darker water. The jelsquid morphed, extending long tentacles from its central bulge. It plunged down to perch on the sand beside Nikki. She held out her hand and touched the tip of a swaying tentacle.

  A clicking sound came from the jelsquid, ending in, “Ki ki, Ke-on.”

  Angling in a shallow dive, Kiron joined his partner by the jelsquid. The luma abandoned her search for edibles and undulated into the arena where she nosed at the jelsquid’s arms.

  Nikki, Kiron and the jelsquid exchanged a series of taps between fingers and tentacle tips.

  At the end of this sequence of taps, Nikki nudged Silna toward the jelsquid. Its outstretched tentacles stroked gently over the luma’s back and tail, and then returned to pat Nikki’s hand. She arched her fingers to create a cage of about the size and shape of the lost luma pup.

  Enthralled by the strange drama unrolling before her eyes, Holly understood that Nikki had communicated the news of the missing luma to the jelsquid.

  The luma retreated out of the arena and toyed with the colored stones at the rim, while Nikki twisted around and beckoned to Holly and Baswin.

  After a nervous glance at Baswin, Holly sidled forward.

  Nikki nodded. As her fingers flew over her com, her voice come from Holly’s earbud, “This is Stardog, one of our oldest friends. Offer your fingers. Two taps mean hello.”

  As Holly reached out to tap a tentacle, Nikki said, “Holly.”

  The jelsquid responded with taps and a squeaked, “Olly.” Its final touch elicited an electric tingle.

  Holly had a fleeting glimpse of the vibrating hyperthreads.

  Motioning to Baswin, Nikki performed the same introduction for him.

  Stardog converted his name to, “Bazin.”

  After these greetings, Nikki patted Holly on the arm. “Which way is Tic?”

  Holly gave a nod of agreement. She shuffled next to Baswin. On this cue, he wrapped an arm around her. She unfolded her scrying mirror and peered into the glass.

  The vision came instantly. A small luma, its eyes shut, wrapped in a tentacle.

  Holly focused on the location, and aimed her finger in the direction she perceived. Exiting from her psychic vision, she felt something brush against her hand. The jelsquid had slid a tentacle along her arm, presumably to assess where she was pointing.

  It withdrew from her.

  She looked at Nikki, cocked her head and arched her eyebrows, trying to convey the question, “What shall I do now?”

  The answer sounded in her earbud, “Wait.”

  Nikki and Kiron swam to the outskirts of the cleared circle.

  Following their lead, Baswin led Holly out of the arena where they watched the big jelsquid.

  Stardog remained in the middle with its nine long arms spreadeagled like the legs of a giant spider. After a brief interlude, three smaller jelsquid descended into the arena and greeted the big jelsquid.

  Lifting Silna in a coil of one tentacle, Stardog rotated to allow each of the smaller animals to touch the luma. After a brief entwining of tentacles with the subservient jelsquid, Stardog extended one thin arm toward the location Holly had indicated.

  One by one, the smaller jelsquid disengaged and shot away, fanning out around the correct direction.

  Baswin whispered, “They’re hunting for Tic.” Dropping to sit on the pebbles at the border of the arena, he pulled her onto his lap.

  From this comfortable seat, Holly gazed at their companions.

  On the far side of the clearing, Kiron and Nikki were chatting with Tollar in the Warrish hand signals.

  Inside the dance arena, Silna was playing dodge-the-tentacle with Stardog. The luma looped up and down, swerving around the waving arms of the jelsquid.

  A wave of weariness swept through Holly. She relaxed within his arms, drowsy and thankful for his support. Hunger stirred. Her thoughts drifted through the past day’s events. Last night, she had slept poorly out of anxiety and excitement about the test to sense hyperspace. She had not eaten since breakfast when she had shared a nut cake with Rosie. She recalled the thrill of perceiving the immense tangled hyperweb, her dismay when Lana collapsed, her abrupt summons to the Warrish base to scry for the luma pup, and her joy at meeting Baswin. Yet, how long could they stay together?

  Something touched her hand, rousing her from the reverie.

  The jelsquid had stretched out its tentacle tip to curl around her wrist. It gave a light tug and angled the tentacle at about forty-five degrees up from the substratum.

  A torpedo-shaped object emerged in the gloomy distance. As it zoomed closer, other, smaller shapes appeared. The first one resolved into a jelsquid with its tentacles braided like a tail. It descended to the arena, unwinding tentacles and depositing a small, brown ball on the sand beside Stardog.

  The ball unrolled into a bedraggled little luma.

  Instantly, Silna dove toward her pup. After licking Tic all over, she grabbed the scruff of the pup’s neck and swam to Nikki.

  Stretching out her hands, Nikki exchanged interspecies claps with the tentacles of Stardog and the new jelsquid. After tapping goodbye, she beckoned to her partner. Gesturing in the direction they had come, she instructed, “Swim to the base.”

  They returned in the reverse order from their outward journey. Tollar took the vanguard, jetting ahead of Baswin and Holly. The Ramis Bell Dual swam behind, carrying
the two lumas, with the junior Blue Stars in the rear.

  Soon, they arrived at the gorge and descended to the concealed entrance of the Warrish base. One after the other, they crossed the membrane-sealed gate to the interior. Once in the vestibule, they replaced the jets and harpoons and the men covered their gills under their tunics.

  Carrying her restored pup, Silna trotted determinedly toward the guest wing.

  After thanking the Blue Star Triad for their protection, Nikki and Kiron hurried after the mother luma.

  Baswin placed his hand on Holly’s arm. “You must be exhausted. Do you want to rest?”

  “Actually, I’m more hungry than exhausted,” she admitted. “I scarcely ate anything this morning.”

  “No problem.” Swinging a hand toward the common chamber, he said, “We can get food in the kitchen.”

  The Blue Stars trailed them to the central space. Nobody else was present.

  Tollar offered Holly a bowl of soup, while his Third, Ronal, poured flasks of molte for everybody.

  Baswin ushered her to a table and sat beside her. She swallowed her soup under his fond gaze.

  Her pangs of hunger muted, she sipped a little molte. Remembered how abruptly she had left the minisub, she said, “I’ve been away for hours. My sister must be getting worried.”

  “Your com will work from here. Or if you prefer a quieter place, I can take you to my cell.”

  “Please.” Taking his hand, she sighed, “And, I should arrange for Denton to fetch me.”

  He led her out of the galley along the curved passage. As they passed the sealed entrance, he said quietly, “Do you really have to leave so soon?”

  Looking into his intense eyes, she stammered, “I...I don’t know. It depends on Rosie.”

  “You could stay with me until tomorrow. Surely, your sister would not object? She knows we’re fond of each other.”

  “I’d love to stay with you,’ she said frankly. “But, Baswin, should we be so intimate? We’ll be separated on Rishalt. Men are not allowed in the school for tripilots.”

  “All the more reason to be together as long as we can.” He brushed his fingers through her short curls. Meeting her encouraging smile, he angled his head to kiss her lips.

  After a sweet moment, they disengaged and he murmured, “My cell is private and more comfortable.”

  She chuckled. “Lead on. It’s private for sure.”

  When they arrived by his cell, the adjacent door slid open and Ennis came out.

  Eying them quizzically, she said, “Denton just called. He asked when you would like him to come.”

  “I don’t want to be a nuisance.” Blushing with embarrassment, Holly blurted, “Does he have to come soon?” She glanced at Baswin, adding shyly, “We’d like some time alone.”

  Ennis’ lips twitched in amusement. “Urish. If you prefer, you can meet Denton tomorrow by the dance arena. Mia and I will be swimming there to test the next trio of candidates.”

  “Brilliant.” Holly beamed. “What time should I be ready to leave?”

  After setting a time to meet in the morning, she thanked Ennis.

  Sliding a proprietary arm around Holly’s shoulders, Baswin drew her into his cell and pulled her into a fervent embrace.

  Breathless with delight, she returned his kisses.

  Chapter 31

  EARLY ON THE NEXT MORNING, Baswin took Holly along the corridor to say farewell to Nikki and Kiron.

  Kiron opened the door. “Calm seas, friends. Have you come to see the lumas?”

  Nikki was sitting on the bed mat with a hand resting on the lumas’ basket. The three pups snuggled in the curve of their mother’s soft belly. Silna opened one eye and mewed a hello.

  “I’ve come to say goodbye,” Holly said. “I’m rejoining my sister on Bathos. We expect to travel to Rishalt on the next starship and won’t return to Europa for months.”

  “You might see us sooner than that.” Gazing fondly at the reunited luma family, Nikki said, “We’ve been discussing what to do with the pups. It doesn’t seem right to keep them here. They can’t survive by eating the native animals in the ocean. Like us, they need supplements of specific amino acids and vitamins that aren’t found in the local sources of food. They’ll never find other mates on Europa.” Her lips twisted in a rueful grimace and she glanced at her partner.

  Slipping his arm around her, Kiron explained, “We’ve decided to take the pups to Rishalt and offer them to Prime Jadel. We’ll miss the scamps, but they’ll be happier in their native waters.”

  Picking up the narrative, Nikki said, “We’ve asked for berths on the incoming starship.”

  “Super,” Holly cried. “You’ll be traveling with us. I don’t have to say goodbye.”

  Nikki nodded. “If our request is granted, we’ll meet again soon.”

  After visiting the Ramis Bell Duad, Holly and Baswin met the tripilots outside their cell and they walked to the entrance.

  The Blue Star Triad waited by the shiny membrane, gills slits exposed under their harnesses, and armed with harpoons.

  While the tripilots changed into female harnesses, Tollar offered Holly a harness. “Brisa Moon, you may borrow jets for this trip.”

  Pleased with this chance for independence, Holly expressed her thanks.

  But Baswin took the harness from Tollar, and wordlessly insisted on helping her with the unfamiliar straps.

  When he had finished, Holly hugged him, murmuring, “I hope to see you on the starship.” Sad to leave him even for a small number of days, she knew he could not come with her. The other humans must not see him, or rather, his five-fingered hands.

  His voice low and husky, he replied, “May we win Warra’s blessings so our paths soon flow together.”

  Quickly kissing his cheek, she swiveled around and followed the tripilots into the ocean.

  This time, Tollar kept pace with Mia and Ennis at the head of their group, while his brothers jetted on either side of Holly.

  She soon grew comfortable with the speed, and learned how to adjust the jets and travel in the correct direction.

  When they arrived, the dance arena was empty. The Blue Stars dispersed to defensive positions around the clearing, while Holly stood with the tripilots at the edge of the circle.

  After a few minutes, Ennis glanced at her wrist com and made finger signs to Mia.

  Guessing Denton had called to announce the sub had arrived, Holly looked at the ridge, expecting him to appear with the next three candidates.

  In a minute, his dark figure rose over the reef, accompanied by the three Psi Techs from the United African Federation. They descended into the arena. After greeting Ennis, Denton moved a short distance outside the cleared circle.

  Mia beckoned to the candidates, Zabrina with her classical beauty and tall thin Oba, twice the height of her short friend Keisha.

  As Ennis dove into the middle of the sandy circle, Holly swam to Denton and sat on a rock to observe the dance.

  Ennis summoned the jelsquid as before. Three descended to the arena and swapped their multi-sensory greetings, tapping and emitting clicks, squeaks and flashes of light.

  Mia led the three candidates forward to meet the jelsquid.

  The dance began. First, the jelsquid began to spin. Then, the two tripilots, followed by the three candidates.

  Watching from a distance, Holly realized a new perspective on the spiraling routine. She had missed the details while emersed in the dance. In the second circuit, flickers of light ran along the weaving tentacles of the jelsquid. The tripilots’ mesh caps gleamed a brighter silver. Waves vibrated above the clearing in the rhythm of the flickering lights.

  Holly’s vision blurred. The whirling column of jelsquid and people morphed into the tangled pulsing web of hyperspace. She jumped up and laughed in joy.

  The vision dissipated.

  The dance was slowing. Tentacles unwound. The dark figures of the candidates dropped to the ground.

  Exiting the unraveling cl
uster, Mia and Ennis joined the candidates.

  Zabrina’s face bore a brilliant smile. Oba and Keisha held hands and gazed at each other.

  From their exuberant expressions, Holly guessed they had sensed some aspect of hyperspace.

  Instead of swimming away, one of the jelsquid sank onto the sand. It stretched a tentacle to touch Mia’s hand.

  She beckoned to the three Africans.

  They moved into the center of the arena.

  The last jelsquid reached out three tentacles to tap each of their hands. After a swift exchange of signs with Mia, the jelsquid swiveled to greet Ennis similarly. Then, it swam up, braided its long tentacles and shot away like a torpedo.

  Mia stretched out her arms and spoke to the three candidates.

  Diving toward Denton and Holly, Ennis said, “They see it.”

  Holly waved her hands in the air, applauding the success of her friends. In many ways, she felt more akin to the African trio than to the other candidates. The Li sisters were close-mouthed and simply obnoxious. In contrast, the American women seemed ostentatious and sometimes overfriendly.

  The successful candidates soon gathered around Denton. With their tests concluded, they were eager to return to Bathos.

  Beckoning to the Psi Techs, Denton led them over the ridge to the sub. Mia and Ennis followed.

  After they entered the sub, the psychics swapped descriptions of the wonders of hyperspace.

  The tripilots offered congratulations and Mia repeated the warning about not telling the other candidates any details of their experience.

  Finally, Holly turned to Mia and Ennis. Crossing her hands over her chest, she bowed in the formal farewell. Sadly, she might not see them again for months.

  The tripilots echoed her farewell.

  Calling, “Calm seas,” Mia and Ennis hopped through the hatch into the ocean.

  As Denton started the sub, Holly looked out. The Blue Star guards had joined the tripilots. As she watched, the five Warrish hit their jets and zoomed away toward their base.

  During the trip to Bathos, the sub was quiet. The Psi Techs were emotionally drained by their experience of sensing the mysterious hypernet, and in Holly’s case, by the brief meeting with her new lover.