by Reiter
“I think Sai-Eg would be easier to pronounce,” Dungias said. He was touched that the sentient light would name itself after his name spelled backwards.
“I didn’t ask you to name me!” he protested.
“You didn’t ask me not to, and I owed you a taught lesson,” Dungias pointed out. Sai-Eg considered the argument for a moment before facing Dungias and smiling.
“Indeed! We have an agreement. I am Sai-Eg,” it said, extending its hand. Dungias reached for the forearm and winced in pain at the burning touch of the iro-form. “What did you do that for?”
“I wonder if all of my lessons are going to be of the painful sort,” Dungias thought, looking at the burns on his hand.
Sai-Eg took hold of Dungias’ wrist and turned it to where he could see his palm. “See, I conditioned my hand so that you could touch it.”
“And in my culture, we take hold of the forearm when the meeting is more than cordial courtesy,” Dungias advised. “You have taught me the price of blind assumption.”
“And you have taught me the depths of your heart,” Sai-Eg returned. “Let me,” he said as he leveled the index finger of his free hand to the burn. A blue-white misty beam of iro fired from the fingertip and into the burns on Dungias’ hand. The skin was first cooled; then it was healed. “There. Any better?” Dungias flexed his hand and looked at where the burns had been.
“I will want to speak with you after my next sparring session,” he said, still flexing his hand.
“Shall we try again?” Sai-Eg asked, extending his hand. Dungias reached for the form’s forearm and wrapped his hand around what felt like a force field. Likewise, Dungias felt the speaking iro-form take a grip of his arm as well. “Pleased to make your acquaintance, Dungias.”
“Likewise, Sai-Eg.” Dungias smiled until he noticed something. Actually, two things he noted: one, he was easily distracted, and two, he had attributed Sai-Eg with being the light he had seen earlier. As the two shook hands, he once again saw the light in the distance.
“But I can see that you are still fixed on the thing that brought us together. Might I be of service?”
“If you wish–” Without releasing his grip, Sai-Eg took to the air, pulling Dungias behind him. To keep Dungias from being forced to roll as he flew, Sai-Eg changed his body to where his overhand grip became an underhand grip.
Sai-Eg did not move as if Dungias was a hindrance to him, and flew rather quickly to the suspended light source. It was still glowing white, but the magnitude had not fluctuated and it was still not giving off any heat. Sai-Eg carried Dungias over the light and then around it so that he could get a view from all sides. It was oval-shaped with the slender ends facing left and right. As Dungias gazed into it, it looked more like a pool of glowing fluids which rippled from time to time. The center of the ripple seemed to be facing Dungias, and followed him as he orbited the object.
“What is it?” Dungias finally asked Sai-Eg. “Assuming, of course, you know what it is.”
“It was here before we arrived,” Sai-Eg answered as he began to descend.
“We?”
“My people,” Sai-Eg informed. “One waits for us there,” Sai-Eg pointed at the ground where a sphere of red light hovered. As the two drew closer, it changed to resemble Nugar.
“How does it know to do that?” Dungias asked as he was set down on the ground.
“We are living energy and can sense various emissions of energy,” Sai-Eg advised. “Your thought is an emission that we can read. This image is heavy on your mind. That is why I assumed it.”
“Incredible!”
The red Nugar opened its mouth, but Dungias did not know what it was saying. Unlike Sai-Eg’s attempt to impersonate Nugar, there was no emotion in the face of the red Nugar as it pointed at Dungias and continued to emit a mixture of shrill sounds. Sai-Eg stepped in front of Dungias, blocking him off from the red Nugar.
“You should go, Dungias,” Sai-Eg advised. “Just over your left shoulder is a crawlspace which will empty out over another tunnel. Take a left and that will take you to the control room.
“I would also caution you to never return to this place, my friend,” Sai-Eg added with stress registering in his voice.
“But I–”
“Let’s not have a lesson at this moment, Dungias,” Sai-Eg interrupted, and although there were many interpretations to the wording, Dungias quickly concluded that all of Sai-Eg’s lessons had been painful enough and he decided to take his newfound friend at his word. He was backing away and about to turn and run when Sai-Eg’s body started to change color; turning pink and then red.
“RUN!” Sai-Eg called out as the red Nugar stepped through the iro-form, dissipating him.
“No!” Dungias yelled, reaching for his pistol. He leveled his weapon and fired. The energy beam struck the shoulder of the red Nugar and the arm was removed. The definition of Nugar’s visage faded to a blank face as it appeared that the red Nugar would also dissipate.
“I see your fear!” the red form taunted as it grew, quickly becoming a red Grenbi. Dungias’ eyes flared wide with fright, but he managed to fire a second time. The energy bolt was easily absorbed and the Grenbi lunged for Dungias who took steps toward the creature and bent low at the knees, thinking that his best leap would carry him over the form. Reading what it believed to be Dungias’ thoughts, the flying red form quickly climbed, grabbing only air as Dungias rolled under it, smiled at his ingenuity, and varied the output of his weapon before firing. He hoped a variation of the beam would produce more of the desired effect. He struck the creature at the center and it exploded.
A hand clapped down on Dungias’ shoulder and lifted him from the floor. He was flying again, but much faster than the last time. He looked up to see Sai-Eg carrying him. He would have smiled save for the look that Sai-Eg wore on his face. He was very concerned, and that became fear as he looked back. Dungias looked at the way they had come and he could see the red form slowly reforming, but several other forms flew through it and were doing so at a rate of speed much faster than what Sai-Eg was doing.
“Can you go any faster?” Dungias asked, altering the output of his weapon again.
“Not without hurting you, and stop shooting them,” Sai-Eg commanded. “You’re only making them madder!” Dungias quickly holstered his weapon.
“Do they mean to only hurt me?” he asked.
“They mean to consume you!” Sai-Eg stressed.
“Then a little hurt is a fair trade against the loss of life!” Dungias reached up and took a two-hand hold of Sai-Eg’s arm and braced himself.
“Then you’ve managed another lesson anyway,” Sai-Eg said as he increased his speed. Keeping the hominoid form slowed him down, but not as much as the careful flying. Dungias bumped against a couple of the walls of the path Sai-Eg had taken, but he was still conscious when they reached the crawlspace. “Flatten out as much as you can,” the sentient iro-form directed. “Don’t worry about holding on to me!” Dungias winced in great pain when his shoulders and back smacked against the top of the crawlspace. He was burned as an arm reached out of one of the chasing forms and grabbed at his leg. He kept from screaming, but he was still wracked with pain when his body slid to a stop. He looked around slowly to see a small mass of glowing white light that was beginning to fade.
“Sai-Eg!” Dungias called out as he crawled over.
“These tunnels drain us of our power,” Dungias heard Sai-Eg in his mind. “… and the Radient’s means of disciplining has left me too weak to return. I am fading. But I got you here. We made it. You are safe… my friend.”
“Friendship is never meant to end like this.” Dungias drew his weapon and quickly took out the cubic slide that served as its battery. He inserted it into Sai-Eg’s form and brilliance returned to the soft white light.
“What was that?” Sai-Eg asked, resuming his bodily image.
“That is what powered my gun,” Dungias explained. “I did not think that shooting at you would
be too useful.”
“But now you are defenseless,” Sai-Eg pointed out.
“This is not a war zone,” Dungias argued. “… and even if it were, I’d rather be defenseless than friendless. And don’t worry about these scratches. I’ll be fine. Are you going to be okay?”
“Their aggression is against you and you alone,” Sai-Eg answered. “… the only concern they will show for me is to verify that I have not been changed by you. Once that is done, they will simply keep searching for you… for at least one of your star-terms.
“But I meant what I said: stay away from this place,” Sai-Eg repeated. “When I can, I will charge enough to survive the crawlspace, and then I will come and find you.”
“I understand, Sai-Eg. I look forward to seeing you again,” Dungias said just before he started off for the tunnel.
It was not long before he dropped down into the tunnel and turned for the control room where he surprised everyone. There were many questions, but for Dungias, the most pressing was one he posed: “Where is the infirmary?”
Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school.
Albert Einstein
The s’tonki passed without any word coming from anyone. Or, at the very least, no one said anything to or in the hearing range of Dungias about the matter. Nugar had questioned him... three times… and after conducting his own investigation, he had come to a conclusion with which he was both happy and quite tight-lipped. As soon as Dungias was judged fit enough to exit the regenerator, it was Nugar who came to bring him from his radiation device that sped up the healing process.
“I take it you were unable to find the crawlspace?” Dungias asked.
“Nothing that would qualify as such,” Nugar replied, running a hand scanner over the body of his student. “And with no registered iro-forms on my scanners or my Osamu, I would suggest that we leave the matter until such time that it chooses to present itself a second time.”
“I suppose it is difficult to believe the accounting I have given you when no evidence can be derived,” Dungias said.
“Quite correct. I have nothing of the sort,” Nugar was quick to respond, completing his scans and putting the device back inside the console of the bed. “However, I do find myself leaning toward believing your statement.”
“Only leaning, Teacher?”
“You have to forgive me, Dungi,” Nugar said, squaring his shoulders. “You see, I’ve been a Traveler longer than you’ve been alive! Come to think of it, I’ve had this domicile longer than you have been alive, and in that time I’ve seen quite a few things. Were I to be exact, I would say that the impact of disappearing sentient iro-forms and folding physical dimensions to be rather underwhelming!
“Now, if are you done feeling sorry for yourself, we do still have work to do and quite a bit of it.” Nugar started out of the infirmary with Dungias in tow. “That little reception at Gavis Station has been reported by now, with all sorts of reactionary triggers pulled. I doubt that outcome at the eatery was strong enough to have them reconsider their resolve.”
“Speaking of that, Teacher,” Dungias started and Nugar sighed.
“That one I did to myself,” he muttered as he kept walking.
“… that is an Osamu you have, isn’t it?” Dungias asked, looking at the sash.
“Yes.”
“Do all Travelers carry them?”
“No,” Nugar said flatly. “I would think that the dead Travelers most decisively do not carry Osamu. They have enough trouble with their own corpses! But more to the inquiry you are launching so very poorly, not all Travelers carry Osamu. Some carry Star Spikes. All of the Osur carry Osamu. Yes, even the dead ones!”
“And what is an Osur?”
“My, my, my! Something you have not read about. Let me guess, some sort of failure in your Vi-Prin’s throwing arm?!” Dungias looked at the floor as they reached a chamber. Nugar stopped walking and turned to look at his student. He knew it was too soon after the most mysterious incident to press as hard as he was going to, but he also knew that life was not going to be so kind as to make reservations or send invitations. “Aahhh, there we are. That is what I wanted to see. She still gets to you, doesn’t she? So many Stars away and still she’s pelting you with books and data files. Quite the arm on that one!”
“If I may have a mo–” a quick and painful slap burned Dungias’ right cheek.
“You’ve had plenty of moments,” Nugar said bitterly, slapping Dungias again. “This is another moment; the one you’re supposed to be living. And despite the fact that you’re in the moment, you want another! Greedy, Dungi,” Nugar scorned, landing another sharp hand across his face. “Very greedy.”
“Please, Teacher,” Dungias pleaded, blocking the next slap only to be struck harder on the opposite side of his face. More painful than the slaps was the assault Nugar had launched against Dungias’ mind. The teacher teased his student’s inner calm with surges of rage, suppressed pain, and fear.
“And now comes the begging and the pleading, eh?” Nugar chided in Liangu. “Well, if you’re going to beg, shay-spawn, do it properly. Get down on your Malgovi knees!”
Dungias roared as he lunged forward. One outstretched hand took hold of Nugar’s shirt, and the other squeezed around the Traveler’s neck. Nugar was lifted from the floor by the force of the attack, landing on his back with Dungias on top of him as they slid into the chamber.
Kynsada was already in the room and stretching. After the little verbal exchange she had shared with Dungias, she was looking forward to the session. She gasped at the display of power as student tackled teacher. She rushed forward but skidded to a stop as she looked at Nugar’s hand come away from the side of his body and wave her off.
“I said please!” Dungias screamed. “Damn you, I said please!”
“What of it?” Nugar projected into Dungias’ mind. He had every reason to believe his student would miss the telepathy, but to be fair, mind-to-mind communication was the least of the things Nugar was doing to Dungias’ mind.
“I begged you!” Dungias cried as tears welled up in his eyes. The pain of the mind scans flared up in his brain. He could see once more the smirk of the analyst’s assistant… the lack of concern on his Vu-Zai’s face when he had told him that he was in pain… the distance Gantee kept from the proceedings and his choice not to speak of the truth, even though he had witnessed it… the endless books and data files thrown, without error, against his head and back.
“There is something about that girl,” Nugar thought, almost losing his focus on his body. The boy was stronger than he expected, and had he used both hands to choke Nugar; not even the skills of the Traveler could have kept Dungias from delivering the necessary force to close the airways in his neck. As things stood, the Traveler could not speak, but he was far from being in any real danger. He returned his thoughts to Dungias’ unshielded mind and pushed the anger and apathy out of his mind. “There was a time when sending probes into a Malgovi brain was akin to suicide!”
“Can’t you see me?!” Dungias roared as his mind was flooded with every incident Nugar could find in his memory. “Is my light so dim that I am invisible to you?!”
“And yet he remains poetic,” Nugar judged.
“You may not see me... but you will feel me!” Dungias said, lifting Nugar from the floor only to slam him back down. “You will feel me!” Surprised by the first slamming, Nugar had presumed his new gauge of Dungias’ strength to be properly adjusted. Surprised yet again, his Osamu came away from his hand and his throat muscles lost their protective energy-sheath. Almost immediately he could not breathe and he put both hands on Dungias’ forearm, trying to remove the choking grasp from his neck. The hand signal he was giving Kynsada was gone and she immediately came forward, reaching for the choking arm.
“You will feel me too!” Dungias said, his free hand jutting out and grabbing Kynsada’s neck. She gasped and choked at the surprising strength in the young one
’s limb.
“Animal!” Danatra’s voice rushed to the front of his mind and Dungias released both of his victims. Kynsada, however, was still engaged in the struggle and swung for his face. The Traveler caught her fist the instant before it could strike Dungias’ jaw.
“He stopped on his own,” Nugar whispered, returning to his native K’Vo. “I pushed him to lose control, but he regained it on his own.” He looked over at Dungias who had backed his way into the corner of the room where he sat on the floor, covering his face and struggling to keep from crying.
“Or did he?” the Traveler thought as he extended his senses to make sure there were only three people in the room… as it had appeared, if only for an instant, that there was a fourth.
Stretching his neck, Nugar stood up and walked over to his student. Calling his Osamu from the floor, the old Traveler breathed a tortured sigh. His heart would need time to fully engage in this methodology, because it was not his normal approach. Still, he knew he would not be given the twenty-five orbi-terms he would rather have to train a Traveler. More than that, he was being asked to facilitate the Star Chaser. But the enemies of Dungias were growing, and they were the sort that refused to be undone. They were hunting veks that would howl, bark, and chase to the last. Dungias had to be made ready, and as quickly as Nugar knew how.
“That is some temper you have there, Dungi,” Nugar said softly.
“Please leave me alone,” Dungias cried.
“You already know that I cannot do that,” Nugar said, placing his hand on the student’s shoulder. “But I think we’ve had enough of telempathic control for a while.” Dungias knew what the term meant and he looked up through teary eyes at Nugar.
“Why would you manipulate my emotions?”
“For one, it should not be as simple a task as it was,” Nugar explained. “You have a very strong mind, boy, but it is unprotected and therefore a liability. That is one of the things we will have to work on as soon as we can.”
“And two?” Dungias asked, wiping his eyes.
