by Eric Vall
Neka leaned her head against my shoulder as we rode, but soon we had arrived at the temple, and there were several Gelm gathered around on their knees praying.
“I will be back later,” Shaso said as he stepped out of the carriage.
King Grenn stepped out after him, and the Elphad turned to the older male in surprise.
“You didn’t think we were going to leave you to do all the cleanup, did you?” I asked as I also stepped out, and my girls followed behind me.
We’d discussed it, but they knew me well enough to trust me by then, and not only did it make us look good to help the Gelm repair their temple, but it felt right. They’d lost a piece of themselves when their temple had been set on fire, and it seemed only correct we did what we could to help them repair that lost piece.
The temple was an absolute disaster, just as we’d left it the day before. It was charred and blackened from the fire and smoke, and I frowned as I looked at the damage.
Before we started to clean, Shaso went to the head of those who were on their knees praying, and he joined them for a moment, with his head down as he faced the temple.
“Is there a way we can speed up this cleaning process?” Sef’sla whispered and made a sad chittering noise as she surveyed the damage around us.
“Akela.” I raised a brow. “Any suggestions?”
“Well,” the mechanic mused and rubbed at her chin, “a power washer is out of the question. It’d be way too strong, and it would probably break that statue in half.”
“Let’s not break any statues if we can help it,” I chuckled.
“Well, duh,” the mechanic replied and playfully rolled her purple eyes.
“What else have we got?” I asked, and I thought about the gadgets back on the ship and which of them might be able to help us make this process easier on ourselves and the Gelm. The quicker we could get this repaired, the quicker the Gelm might feel better, and the quicker we would be able to get back to work on other improvements.
And getting some mior.
Finally, we decided good old fashion scrubbing would have to do, but Sef’sla was able to whip us up some plant extracts that would help remove the charred appearance from the stone.
We worked with the Gelm people all morning to clean the temple, and by the time afternoon came, the structure looked far improved over what it had been like earlier in the day. I could still see the smoke from the fire on the cliff where the zealots burned, but it hadn’t spread, and I told Omni to keep an eye on it just in case.
Not all of the Gelm from the city stayed to help. Some went home, or to do chores, or farm, and others seemed distraught by what had happened, but still, we had a large crew to assist with the cleaning of the temple.
We nearly had it restored to its beautiful red color when I bumped into Shaso while we were scrubbing the floor.
“I never thought I would see you scrub a floor,” I laughed.
“It has been a long time,” the male muttered, and he kept his focus on the rag in front of him.
“I’m sure it has,” I said, “but sometimes it’s nice to do a bit of work. Makes you feel good.”
“You are strange,” he snorted, and he looked up to meet my eyes. “And I still don’t like you, CT … but I do thank you for what you did today.”
“Well, that’s nice to hear.” I smirked. “I thank you for what you did today, too. You made a good speech.”
“Thank you,” the male said, and then he went back to scrubbing.
Truth be told, I still didn’t like him much, either, but he’d started to grow on me, and I felt that if we could keep him on the right track, he might be able to be a half decent ruler by the time we left the planet.
This was a place I would definitely come back to, though. I loved these people, and I was particularly fond of the king.
As I looked around at the faces of the Gelm who worked to restore their beloved place of worship, I felt a sense of pride. I wasn’t one of them, no, and if anything, I’d inadvertently contributed to the fire that had nearly ruined this place, but I felt a sense of pride to be among such wonderful creatures and to be able to help them achieve their full potential in the galaxy.
After the temple was clean and the Gelm began to gather around to celebrate, pray, and bring offerings, I stepped back and admired the work with a smile.
“Hey,” Akela said as she joined me. “Looks like we did good. Everyone did.”
“They did,” I agreed.
“It’s nice to see a community work together,” Sef’sla added, and I realized she and Neka were right beside Akela.
“Thank you girls for all your help,” I told them with a soft smile. “I love each of you.”
“Yeah, yeah, we love you, too,” Akela chuckled, but she leaned up and kissed me on the jaw. “Honestly, I didn’t think we were going to stay for this, I thought it would maybe be too personal.”
“I felt the same.” Sef’sla nodded. “But this felt right. It was nice to be able to help the Gelm people.”
“You all have helped so much already,” I told them.
“We try our best.” Neka shrugged. “But this was probably the most rewarding time. After saving them all from dying of that icky cough, at least.”
A few moments later, King Grenn approached us and gave us a soft, sweet smile.
“You all did not have to stay,” he said.
“We know,” I replied, “but we wanted to help.”
“The temple seems to be mostly restored,” the king sighed as he regarded the place of worship. “Now, the scars will only serve to better tell its story.”
“I like that,” Akela said with a nod.
I was happy the temple had been restored as well, but I was also antsy to get started on all the other projects we still had to complete. There was no telling when the first Corporation would arrive through the wormhole, but I figured it would be soon, and we needed to at least have the Gelm declared a self-governing body by that time.
“Alright,” I said with a clap. “Who’s ready to get back to the rest of our work?”
“Me,” Akela said as she raised a hand. “I’d much rather build than clean. Not that this wasn’t rewarding and all … but, oh, you know what I mean.”
“I am ready as well,” Sef’sla hissed with a small laugh at the mechanic.
“Let’s do it, CT!” Neka yowled, and her eyes crinkled in a smile.
“And I am ready, too,” Grenn said as he looked up at me with a grin. “But first, tea.”
“Tea first, then rebuilding the kingdom.” I smirked. “Sounds like a plan to me.”
Chapter 17
It had been a few days since the zealots were taken care of, and we’d begun on the improvements in the city. Akela and Omni had blown the holes in the mountains for the mines, and the operation was underway there.
Sef’sla and Neka also checked on the soil for the farmers like Grenn had requested, and they found it was too acidic for most of the plants the king grew in his garden. Luckily, Sef’sla was an expert, and she’d been able to come up with a solution. She and Neka had sprayed the fields the day before, and it was expected the soil would be at optimal acidity within two days.
It was a lovely, bright morning today, and I’d woken to no girls around me, so I headed down to the garden and found them at tea with the king and Shaso. The Elphad leader had been joining us in the morning to listen to the daily updates, but I didn’t mind so much, since he now contributed more to the conversations about ways to improve life for the Gelm.
“Alright,” I said after I’d joined them and poured myself a cup of tea. “What’s on our agenda for today?”
“Oh, yes.” The king grinned. “What is happening today?”
“Well,” Akela began, and she set her cup down on the table, “I’ve figured out the best way to get you guys energy.”
“That’s great!” I exclaimed. I knew the mechanic had been working on that question since we got to the planet.
&nbs
p; “What do you mean?” King Grenn asked, and his brows pulled together in confusion.
“We can get you lights,” Akela explained. “Like the ones we have on the ship.”
“Oh,” he replied, with his eyes as wide as saucers.
“All it will take is a bit of mior placed around the city,” she said with a smile. “Easy peasy.”
“Will there be enough mior for that?” the king asked.
“More than enough,” the mechanic laughed. “You have enough mior to last for centuries.”
“Well, we should put up this energy around the other cities and villages as well,” Grenn said.
That had, of course, been the plan all along, but the king still didn’t seem to comprehend just how much mior was on his planet.
“That’s the plan,” Akela confirmed.
“And the soil?” the king asked Sef’sla.
“Neka and I will check on it today,” the Almort princess assured him with a gentle nod. “Then we will head back to the hospital.”
The princess and Neka had taken to helping out at the hospital and sharing their herbs and medicines with the Gelm doctors. Once Akela was able to set up the electricity, it would really come to life.
“Fantastic,” the older Gelm male sighed, and then he turned to me. “And you, CT? What do you have planned for today?”
“Not I,” I chuckled. “We.”
“We?” the king echoed.
“Yup.” I grinned. “I have a special project for us.”
“Really?” King Grenn asked, and his eyes were full of childlike excitement. “I’m afraid I’m not as good at these improvements as you and your team are.”
“You are wonderful, Your Majesty,” Neka told him as she nibbled on a fish cake.
“You are,” I agreed, “but today I want to set up a communication device for you and your people.”
“Like the one you gave me before?” he questioned as he tilted his head to the side.
“Kind of,” I said, “but this one will be for you and your planet. You’ll be able to talk to the travelers who want to come here, as well as anyone else in the galaxy.”
“In the galaxy?” the king asked with awe. “Gods, that is a large responsibility.”
“Oh, no,” I laughed. “Most other planets don’t just call to say hello. You’ll find you mostly use it for business.”
“Ah.” Grenn furrowed his brow and still looked a little confused, but he went on anyway. “Well, this sounds excellent. Especially with the travelers who are on their way.”
I didn’t know about excellent, but I didn’t correct the king.
The Corporations could be here any day, and the sooner we got the improvements finished and the Gelm society established, the sooner they could open for business and start to profit from these crystals their planet created. The best part about the mior was it naturally formed on this planet, meaning the crystals would continue to form, and as long as they weren’t harvested too quickly, they would never run out. Even if they did run out, it would only be for a short period while the planet made more, but I didn’t see that happening anytime soon. Besides, when you had a limited supply of something, you could charge a lot more for it.
The Gelm were about to become wealthy beyond measure, and I wondered what they would spend their credits on.
“The rest of the lords will arrive today as well,” Shaso informed me.
“Perfect,” I said. “The king and I can practice with the communication device before we give it to the lords.”
“That will make me look good, eh?” Grenn chuckled and elbowed me in the side.
“Shall I set up a meeting for this afternoon?” the Elphad leader inquired.
“That would be greatly appreciated.” I nodded. “And please bring the other Elphad as well. You will all be getting a communication device to use, as well.”
“Thank you,” Shaso said, and a true smile crossed his face. He seemed like a completely different person than the asshole we’d met when we first arrived, and I couldn’t help but be impressed by how much he’d changed, and for the better, too.
“You can accompany us to test out the devices, if you’d like,” the king offered, and he seemed to be enjoying the new Elphad leader as well.
“I would,” Shaso said. “Thank you.”
After breakfast, I took the king and Shaso up to the king’s table and pulled out the communication device.
“Ta-da,” I chuckled as they looked at it with wide, studying eyes. It was larger than the handheld device I’d given the king before, but still small enough to fit in my pocket. The best part was when I pressed a button and a hologram came up.
“Oh, my,” the king gasped and leaned forward. “What is that?”
“That’s how you’ll see people,” I told him. “When people call you to talk, you’ll be able to see them as well as hear them.”
“Will we be able to use this to communicate with the lords in different cities?” King Grenn asked. “Or is it only for the star travelers?”
“Of course, you can use them to communicate with your own people as well,” I said with a nod.
“That will be wonderful,” Shaso mused. “It can sometimes take a day or more to deliver a message across the kingdom.”
“Not anymore.” I smiled.
“So, how do we use it?” the king asked as he looked up at me with eager eyes.
I showed him how to use the touch interface, and which buttons to press to call someone and end the call, but he didn’t have any people to call at the moment. So, I told them to wait for a second, and I stepped out of the room into the hallway and called them up on my own handheld device.
It rang several times, and I heard the king and Shaso whispering about which button to hit.
“Give it a try,” I called out, and a second later, they answered my call.
The two Gelm males leaned much too close to the device, but they stared directly up at the hologram screen where they could see me.
“Good job,” I laughed, “but lean back from the screen.”
“Like this?” Shaso asked as he pulled the king back with him.
“Perfect,” I said. “Now I can see you.”
I walked Grenn and Shaso through the buttons they had available during a call, and what each of them did. The leaders tested these buttons out, then I told them to press the end button on their own side.
“You did it.” I grinned as I walked back into the room.
“That was easier than I thought,” the king chuckled, and Shaso rolled his eyes. The Elphad leader had been the one to do most of the button pushing.
No matter where I went, it seemed it was always more difficult for the older generation to learn new technology. By the time the Gelm youth got their hands on this device, they would figure out ten new things to do with it.
“We’ll give one to each of your lords to take with them back home,” I said, “and we’ll deliver them to the villages as well so they can communicate, too.”
“Thank you,” King Grenn replied sincerely.
Since that part of the day was done, and the lords weren’t set to arrive for a few more hours, I figured I would go find Akela, Sef’sla, and Neka to see how their day was faring. The king sent me with some tea and cakes for lunch, as well as some actual food since I told him we couldn’t eat sweets all the time. His response was he had earned it, given his old age.
First up was Akela, so I made my way over to the mines outside the city.
The mountain they’d blown into was huge, but the mine shaft was easy to spot, and the walk only took a half an hour or so.
“Akela!” I shouted at the entrance of the dark mine. “Are you in there?”
“I’m here!” she called back.
I flipped on my spotlight and made my way into the dark tunnel, and as I walked, my jaw fell open at the sight of all the mior around me. The silvery material was everywhere in the shaft, on the ground, the walls, and the ceiling above. I couldn’t believe it. A
kela mentioned they’d already harvested some of the crystal when they blew the hole, but I didn’t think it was that much. If the walls were any indication, though, then I was sure they got more mior out of the tunnel than dirt.
“This way!” the mechanic called, and I turned to see a light come from a small walkway.
I headed into the tight space and found Akela at a workbench, with some mior, a scale, and a hover cart in front of her.
“What are you working on?” I asked.
“The mior is a bit heavier than we expected,” she explained, and her tongue poked out of the corner of her mouth as she fiddled with something on the workbench. “I’m just recalibrating the hover carts to be able to hold more at once. Then we’ll be taking the pieces I have rigged up into the city, and we should have power going by the end of the day.”
“That sounds amazing,” I said, “but don’t push yourself too hard.”
The mechanic had a habit of not sleeping or eating when she worked on a project. Even now, she turned to glare at me with soot or motor oil or something else smeared across her left cheek.
“You are gorgeous,” I told her, and her face softened. “And I brought you some lunch.”
“Not hungry,” she muttered and turned back to her work, but I grabbed her hands and pulled them away from the workbench.
“Noooo,” I chided, and I pulled her hands to my chest. “You’re going to sit down and eat with me.”
“Alright,” she sighed with an eye roll.
I grinned and kissed her, and her plump lips were cool from being in the mine all morning.
“Let’s go outside and get you some sunlight,” I chuckled.
I led the mechanic out of the mines and into the bright light of the day. It was warm as I found a large rock for us to sit on, and I pulled out the plates of food the king had sent me with, as well as the tea, which had become a favorite of all of ours.
