They went to the hotel's restaurant where they met the boys. Ran-ald's frown told her Jes-syd was going through the same troubles she was having with Emma-lin about the company. Ran-ald didn't want Emma-lin tagging along more than Emma-lin wanted to share the journey with him. Ran-ald thought Emma-lin was a haughty redhead and Emma-lin thought handsome Ran-ald was too full of himself.
Iso-bel was glad she wasn't the prettiest girl in school – that would be green-eyed Emma-lin – and Jes-syd wasn't the most popular guy – that would be Ran-ald, or course, with his black hair carefully styled short and perennial suntan – so they could enjoy each other's company without being under scrutiny. Her family name might be more important than any of the other three, but they were still the least glamorous couple of the school, and proud of it.
A Humanoid waiter took them to their table. In the dining room there were other races dining – a group of cheerful Felines, a table of very serious Carians with a couple of half-bloods with a human body and feathered wings, and even a few Reptilians. There were also groups of Humanoids, and it was hard to tell where they came from, unless one read their unprotected minds – which Iso-bel was too tired to do.
"They don't have androids serving tables," Ran-ald said, scrunching his nose. "We'll have to leave a tip."
"It's bad practice not to leave a tip where Humanoids are still employed," Emma-lin said.
"If they still have Humanoids doing the job, we might as well tip them," Jes-syd decided. "Until they're replaced by robots, we should probably help them."
The waiter might have been Humanoid, but the dishes arrived through automated systems. The table opened at the center and a tray with their food appeared.
"Mm, smells good!" Iso-bel grabbed her plate. She was famished by now.
She had ordered a meat dish and it tasted like the equivalent coming out from the kitchens of the former Imperial palace back home. But then, she wasn't much of a foodie, so she let her friends comment on the food without adding a word. They sounded happy, though.
"I talked to the guys at the reception," Jes-syd said as they ate. "Booked us a tour starting tomorrow. Should take us through the main cities in a few days."
Emma-lin rolled her eyes but didn't object. If it had been Ran-ald saying that, she'd probably be ranting on other people's wrong choices. But for some reason she respected Jes-syd's choices.
Iso-bel smiled and nodded. She looked forward to visiting the planet and sending some pictures back home. She hoped Jes-syd had included the towns she wanted to visit. From his grin, she knew he had.
***
Iso-bel climbed in the small shuttle with her friends. A model of flying van imported from more advanced Star Nations planets, it went faster than the old airplanes available on Gaia and could fly over water and land at great speed. It allowed for a dozen passengers, a guide and a driver. She sat in the front with Jes-syd, while Emma-lin and Ran-ald took the seats behind them.
Their small group included a couple of Carians on honeymoon, two unrelated Felines who had met at the spaceport and traveled on their own, and a Reptilian. Being a telepath was helpful when one wanted to know something about the people around her.
And then there were the local driver, a plump middle-aged man with a round waist and a funny mustache, and the guide, a tall blond man who took the microphone to address them.
"Welcome, Humanoid, Reptilian, Feline, Carian or other sentient being!" he said in formally correct Intergalactic. "We call our planet Earth, but it's also known as Gaia among the Star Nations. I'm Jon, the best guide in the galaxy, and I'm going to take you throughout our beautiful blue planet, explaining history and customs to you revered alien visitors."
Iso-bel smiled and wondered what he'd say if she told him how much she knew about him and his planet already – albeit only by hearsay. She could glean the rest from his unprotected mind, if she felt so inclined, but for now she had raised her shields again and didn't want to be bothered by other people's thoughts.
"We are a former Saurian colony that was locked in a manufactured time loop which forced us to live and relive always the same hundred years of our history, with only slight variations," Jon continued as the driver took off. "Finally, in the year of our calendar 2012, instead of the doomsday prophecies and the end of the world we read in a number of our long lost civilizations messages, came the encounter with the Star Nations who, thanks to a favorable star alignment in the galaxy, finally took us out of the manufactured time loop."
And you can thank Kol-ian Vaurabi for that, Iso-bel thought. Her grandmother's younger brother had been a rebel who had found refuge on low-tech Earth in the previous local century. He'd told her often how helpless the Gaians were and how stuck to their planet they were because of covert Saurian control.
"Imagine our shock then – we thought we were the only sentient beings in the universe!" Jon said, making Emma-lin chuckle nervously.
Iso-bel turned to look at the Reptilian – a Draconian, not a Saurian – who had all his teeth out in a wicked grin. His presence didn't seem to disturb Jon, though. Iso-bel wondered if the Earthling knew the physical differences between horned Draconians and lizard-like Saurians.
"Yes, that's how obtuse and narrow-minded we were. But the Saurians kept us that way through brainwashing and mind control... does that remind you all of the galactic empire?"
Ran-ald smirked. He came from the House of Alligood, who had been mind-controlled under the Emperor. He knew exactly what Jon meant. But so did Iso-bel, whose grandfather Ker-ris Shermac had been mind-controlled since his wedding night.
"Yes, it was a rude awakening." Jon must be an actor, or a good orator. Iso-bel silently applauded his performance. "Being forced to close the weapon industries, throw away our guns, take down our borders and live in peace after centuries of war was... baffling. But once our energies weren't harnessed into killing each other, our creativity blossomed. We gathered our wits, cleaned up the air and the water, and found alternative energy sources. The other Star Nations were very patient and kind while we caught up with space travel and other technologies, and now we are proud to be part of the High Council along with representatives of all your planets out there!"
"He's good," Jes-syd whispered, amused.
Iso-bel chuckled. They obviously thought the same thing about their guide. And they didn't even have a mind link. She glanced at his profile, remembering how his smile had dazzled her when he had asked her out the first time, turning her from a grumpy tomboy into a dreamy girl who had found her prince charming.
"The best way to unite us was to force us to learn Intergalactic," Jon said. "Of course the regional languages are not all dead, like your own are kept alive on your home planet, but the common language makes us feel part of the Star Nations. It took us years to master it, but now I'm proud to say the new generations grow up bilingual and old people are slowly catching up too."
"Were you born before or after the time-loop was unlocked?" Emma-lin asked.
Jon hesitated only a moment. "Before," he answered. "But I was still a child when the Star Nations came."
He wasn't going to give away his age yet. Iso-bel exchanged an amused glance with her boyfriend. Jes-syd shook his head knowingly, grinning from ear to ear.
"During this tour you will be able to talk with natives, and I'll help when I can with the translation, especially if you want to talk to the elders," Jon said. "I am fluent in three local languages and one of them is English, that was very widespread even before 2012 as our business language."
"And what are the other two?" Iso-bel asked.
"French and Spanish."
"No Italian?"
Jon looked puzzled. "No, sorry. How do you know so much about our languages?"
"I think the first two Earthlings who emigrated to the Star Nations are now famous on their home planet as much as they are on the planet that adopted them," she replied. "I'm from Marc'harid and I grew up in close contact with Daniele and Chantal."
Jon
's eyes widened in shock. "You're a Sire?"
"We all are," Emma-lin replied, pointing at herself and her friends. "So you can be as vague as you want, I know you're forty. You were born in 2006!"
Jon glared at her and cleared his throat.
"Now, ladies and gentlemen," he resumed. "We are headed for our first stop, London. You guys are in a hurry, so we'll cover only the northern hemisphere. I sure hope this taste of Earth will make you want to come back and explore more."
Maybe on my honeymoon, Iso-bel thought. She knew so many people who found Earth romantic... that was why she hoped its magic would work on Emma-lin and Ran-ald!
"We will travel eastward and will take you back here in a few days after showing you half of our planet. It will be an over twenty thousand miles, or thirty-three thousand kilometers, journey that will touch London, Dubai, New Delhi, Tokyo, Hawaii and San Francisco."
Iso-bel grinned and blew a kiss at Jes-syd who winked in return. His amber eyes sparkled with mischief. He'd been obviously paying attention when he'd visited with her parents.
"Our flight time to the island off the coast of the continent called Europe will last approximately six hours, then we'll reach our destination. This is our driver, Henry, give him an applause and then relax in your seats. You're in good hands."
Iso-bel and her friends cheered and clapped their hands while the Felines meowed their approval. The Carians and the Draconian pretended not to listen.
"What autonomy does this flying van have?" Ran-ald asked. He was very interested in planetary means of transportation and looked forward to move from his motosonic to a real flying car – a fast and luxurious one, of course.
"About five thousand miles, or eight thousand kilometers," Jon answered. "You can ask the specifics to Henry when we get to London. If any of you is hungry or needs relief, the back cabin has food and a toilet."
Jon kept talking until they were over the Atlantic Ocean, at which point he allowed his passengers to doze off or stretch their legs. He didn't have much to say about life in the water, and Iso-bel considered transmitting to the sea mammals, but she soon gave up the thought. They were going too fast to start any conversation anyway. The flying van felt comfortable and she relaxed, still looking outside at the clouds meeting the sea.
She was happy to be on Earth at last. Both her parents had seen it when it was still trying to catch up – and they didn't know each other – and then had come back ten years later with her, her younger brother and the rest of the extended family.
Iso-bel had a vague memory of a trip on a strange, old-fashioned tower that seemed to have no reason to be except as architectural wonder. She checked her tablet and found the image.
Yes, that was it, at the time it had been built the tallest tower of the world, now just a memory of a century long gone. The Eiffel Tower in Paris, built before the manufactured time-loop caught Gaia and stuck it in time.
"We're not going through Paris," Jes-syd said, leaning towards her and staring at her screen.
"I know, I've been there as a kid, I didn't remember the name of this place, so I looked it up," she answered.
"Have you started sending pictures to your parents and brother?"
"Yes, yesterday – the hotel room view." She chuckled. "They were impressed."
"And we've only just started," he said with a wink.
She switched off the tablet. "Thank you for taking me here," she said, squeezing his hand.
"My parents never left Marc'harid, I wouldn't have known where to start from," he replied, amused. "The fact that your mother is from Xi-kong and your father has Earthlings friends certainly helped with our itinerary..."
She giggled. "Emma-lin only wanted to see Mirabilis."
"Same with Ran-ald. They both think they belong to the Perfects." He winked. "Maybe we should drop them there and come back on our own, what do you think?"
"I think Gaia might help us before we get to Mirabilis," she answered with a grin. "Wait and see..."
***
"Revered guests, welcome to London!" Jon said as the shuttle approached another city. "Another reason why English was so widespread is because this tiny island at one point was at the head of the largest empire in our history and, for over a century, was the foremost global power. They still have a royal family, even though the king has only nominal power. But in this piece of land, they love George Windsor and his dynasty of kings. The first was also called George, and if the current one had been crowned king, he'd be George VII. Please note that the last reigning monarch was his great-grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II."
"It's a bit like you," Jes-syd whispered, amused, staring at Iso-bel. "My rainbow-haired princess without a throne!"
She blew him a kiss. It was a joke between them, since neither her father nor her grandfather had ever really wished to sit on the emperor's throne. But the history of England looked a lot like the history of the Sire emperors. The English royalty had lost their empire long before meeting the Star Nations, though.
Ran-ald wasn't as discreet.
"It's like the House of Vaurabi and the House of Shermac on Marc'harid," he said. "The descendants of the last Sire Emperor."
Jon was consulting his list of guests and nodded absentmindedly. But then he must have read Iso-bel's name because he turned to look at Emma-lin.
"Are you Iso-bel Shermac?" he asked.
"No, she is." Emma-lin pointed at Iso-bel with a grin.
Jon looked shocked to see the princess was the most unassuming of the two girls.
"Mmm, Ssire arisstocratss," the Draconian said from his seat. Like all Reptilians, he spoke Intergalactic with many hisses.
"We're on vacation," Ran-ald challenged. "So what?"
"Nothing. Ssire teens are jusst like the other Humanoid teens."
Except for telepathy, Iso-bel thought, rolling her eyes. Ran-ald should know better.
Jes-syd squeezed her fingers. I know, he's an asshole from time to time, he apologized. He must have sent a telepathic message to his friend too, since Iso-bel doubted Emma-lin's glare had had any effect on Ran-ald.
The shuttle landed on the roof of their hotel, a skyscraper in the Docklands area. Jon told them to wait in the lobby as he gathered the room keys and distributed them to the small group – three double and three single.
Again Iso-bel shared with Emma-lin. They were supposed to have two triples, but a couple of friends had dropped out at the last minute, which was actually better since Iso-bel was the shortest and usually the one who slept in the third bed. Kim-ash was skinny but too tall to fit in the small bunk.
They had a free afternoon before doing their guided tour the next morning, so they met in the lobby as soon as they'd dropped their bags in the room and headed out. They took the Docklands Light Railway to Tower Hill and explored Tower Bridge and the Tower of London.
Iso-bel was impressed by the bascule and suspension bridge built in the late 1800s, but even more by the White Tower built almost a millennium before. It must be the oldest building still standing she laid her eyes on.
"Does my lady fancy this castle?" Jes-syd teased, squeezing her shoulder.
"Actually, it's too big," she replied. "But I'm impressed by its longevity."
"Pre-technological Humanoids knew some neat tricks indeed," Jes-syd mused. "But I couldn't live in a place without computers."
Iso-bel smiled. Jes-syd would probably become a great hacker, employed at the Vaurabi Labs when he finished university. She had more passion for old things than him, though. Her father loved ancient manuscripts and she liked studying history and cultures, and visiting old buildings.
Emma-lin was more impressed by the Crown Jewels of England, and she gaped at the size of the diamond known as the Koh-i-Noor, probably mined in India in antiquity, and set in the Queen Mother's Crown.
"You could wear it," Jes-syd teased. "You're a woman!"
Emma-lin checked her tablet. "Oh, I see what you mean!" She read aloud. "As the diamond's history involves a grea
t deal of fighting between men, the Koh-i-Noor acquired a reputation within the British royal family for bringing bad luck to any man who wears it. Since arriving in the country, it has only ever been worn by female members of the family." She glanced triumphantly at Ran-ald who looked away with a frown.
"I don't even know why you'd want a crown, royal or imperial," he muttered. "You're not the Emperor's great-granddaughter, Emma-lin Wisenthon!"
"I wouldn't want it on Iso-bel's colorful head," Jes-syd said, staring at the crown and scrunching his nose.
Iso-bel's rainbow hair had raised eyebrows at home but not on Jes-syd's part. She had covered her natural chestnut brown as soon as she'd done her secondary school's final exam, not even waiting for the results. She had washed her hair since, so the colors were fading already, but it would take a few months to wash them out completely.
Emma-lin was too fond of her red curls to change their color, but Kim-ash had done the same on her stylishly short, usually black hair, to the horror of her boyfriend. So Kim-ash and Dan-sam had dropped out of the trip, too busy screaming at each other to bother visiting the Star Nations and leaving Iso-bel and Jes-sid alone with Emma-lin and Ran-ald.
"Should we eat?" Ran-ald asked as they left the compounds of the Tower of London. "What do you think Jon will show us tomorrow?"
***
The tour of the city included the oldest bits and the strangest sights. The former capital's most senior living citizen was the magnificent Ancient Yew in Saint Andrew's churchyard in Totteridge, a two millennia tree that had seen the founding of Londinium and all its history to the present.
Sutton House was a Tudor house built in 1535, and the oldest lived-in house – a survivor of the Great Fire of 1666, German bombs and developers' bulldozers – was at 41-42 Cloth Fair in West Smithfield. It had been built between 1597 and 1614.
The Olde Wine Shades on Martin Lane was deemed to be London's oldest pub, who'd been rosying Londoners' cheeks continuously since 1663 and had survived the Great Fire. And the oldest restaurant was Rules on Maiden Lane in Theatreland since it began selling oysters in 1798.
Star Minds Third Generation Snippets Page 4
