“Or perhaps a birth condition.” She suggested.
Alex wasn’t sure if he was safe or not, but he understood curious people. They were inquisitive and reasonable, most times. Feeling a bit of courage with the woman being present he decided to speak.
“I was born this way. The people on my planet are all this way. Though none of them are as good looking as me.” Alex opened his eyes staring at the male on the other side of a well-decorated room. It was certainly rustic and if he were on Earth he would assume the female was heavily involved in its condition and appearance, stereotypes being what they were, flawed and everything else that went with them.
The male had changed into other attire since he first saw him, which reminded Alex of sweat pants and a tank top. In his hand was a wooden spoon which he gripped with intensity. The resemblance to being human was in no way a coincidence, he thought to himself.
“I apologize for kicking you, it is not my custom.” The man replied.
The woman looked from him to Alex. “You have nothing to fear from us. But what did you mean your planet?”
Sitting up in his bed he noticed his odor mixed with the foul smell from the pot, and he was keen to running away. His side stung terribly.
“I meant what I said, I come from a plant we call Earth. I crashed here.”
“You came from space!” She replied with a big smile.
“Is that why you were captured by the empire?” The male replied stepping closer to him.
Many questions rose to Alex’s mind but before he could ask one, the man spoke again.
“I assume you escaped the air mover, that’s how you ended up in my field.” The male turned back to the stove to stir the pot again.
“What’s your name?” The female asked.
“My name is Alex. What are yours?”
“Iesala and Bromi.” She said with a hint of a smile.
“Alex, before I was awarded my life I served the Empire for many cycles. It is very rare to earn a life in the service and I managed to do so, which says something about my abilities. I have many contacts in the service, and while I might be a table, I can easily dispatch one such as yourself - .” Bromi said.
Alex squinted his eyes, something was amiss with the translation that he understood. Bromi had stopped stirring the pot and looked at Alex.
“ - Do not befoul me with your words.” The man had finished saying.
The wife now stood and backed away. Leaving a direct path between Alex and Bromi as he slowly approached. The wife then grabbed the spoon from him and stirred the pot.
“If you are from Earth then how do you know our words?” Bromi said coming to a halt.
The wife turned facing him with an expression of surprise, as if she hadn’t considered it.
“I’ve been on your planet for a time, long enough to learn your words and make friends. My friend and I were traveling North through the barren lands when that helicopter landed and…” Alex stumbled not knowing how to translate kidnap. “Stole my friend. I jumped onto the helicopter as it took off holding onto the bottom, hidden from sight. I rolled off in my weakness as the pilot turned, and landed in your field.” Alex said and closed his eyes.
Focusing on the man nearest him he reached out with his mind. It was clouded like Alesti’s was. Knowing how to break through it now he dove into the center of the cloud and focused on finding the center. Then he encompassed the cloud like before. He was slowly rewarded with his thoughts.
<…. unlikely. More likely that the empire sent you to test my loyalty. They are foolish If I am to be convinced so easily. I need to stomp on his story.> Alex heard in Bromis mind.
“Do you have a favorite food on Earth?” Bromi asked breaking his concentration.
“Yes of course… Steak with potatoes.” Alex replied trying to maintain focus.
<….sounds strange.> Alex caught the last thread of his thought. It was also distracting that he struggled to translate some words.
“Did you leave behind family on Earth?” Iesala asked.
“Yes, many friends and my father.” He gave up trying to read Bromi’s mind and briefly thought of his father, the old familiar feeling of loathing had vanished. He was surprised by that and wondered at what time he had let go of that anger.
“Tell me something about your planet.” Bromi asked.
Alex wished he could maintain concentration on reading his mind but the constant interruptions were making it difficult. Still he tried to talk and maintain focus at the same time.
<….hing you couldn’t rehearse.>
Alex withdrew and assumed he understood what Bromi wanted.
“On my planet we have something called putt-putt golfing. Each location typically has a theme of some kind. You pay money to borrow a stick and a ball. Then you hit the ball with the stick into a small hole not too far away. The idea is to hit the ball as few times as possible. At the end you give the stick and ball back to the owner. The person with the fewest hits wins.”
“Sounds incredibly dull.” Bromi commented.
“Depends on who you bring with you.” Alex recalled a prior memory but focused his attention once again.
<… mind would think that a good idea.> Alex sensed from Bromi. Meanwhile Iesala smiled briefly.
Alex was pleased he was getting through to him. He began to get dizzy and discontinued reading minds for now.
“Are you hungry? I’ve made enough for everyone.” Bromi asked returning to the stove.
“Where would they have taken my friend?” Alex asked sitting up on the edge of a padded bench as he tried to stablize himself.
Iesala once again looked to Bromi.
“If your story is true, your friend would be at the Air Field where the air movers are located.” Bromi said pouring his smelly creation into a bowl. Alex struggled to identify the smell to give him an indication of what was coming his way. Hot motor oil maybe. The mention of an airfield redirected his thoughts and he stood up.
“Just point the way.” Alex over enthusiastically blurted out.
Bromi stopped loading bowls and regarded Alex for a moment.
“Just what do you think you’re going to do?” Bromi asked setting the last bowl on a tray.
“I’m going to recover my friend.”
“No, you won’t.” Bromi brought the tray to Iesala, she grabbed two bowls and handed one to Alex.
Grabbing the bowl he looked at its contents. Inside he found what appeared to be a peeled white whole potato with a string of seaweed wrapped around it. Looking closer there were small brown flakes of something swirling in the liquid moving on their own accord. Slowly looking up from the bowl he observed Bromi and Iesala drinking and eating the contents directly from the bowl itself. Which on one side had an indented lip to funnel the contents towards a small point for the eater. Alex wondered how he would tackle the potatoe without a utensil.
Bromi set his bowl down and regarded Alex looking over his own bowl.
“If you want to get yourself killed. The airfield is in that direction.” Bromi pointed to a corner in the room without looking. “If I were you I’d thank the gods that you were not their target and go home.”
Belatedly, Alex realized he didn’t have his weapons. He scanned the room and noticed them on a small table on the other side.
“If you crashed here, are you able to get back to your planet?” Iesala asked.
“No, and I must find a way, there is a threat coming for all of us and I must warn my people.”
“Speak more of this threat.” Bromi said unmoving.
Alex sighed and considered just leaving. But memories of the city… a complicated city was on the forefront of his mind. Fear took root that he might not even make it to the airfield before getting caught. With little hope of this conversation bearing fruit, he started his story from the start and ended at his current situation. He left out some details, Symboli being one of them, keeping him a guarded secret. He also left out his weapons and his abilities. All the
while Bromi would occasionally stop him in the story and ask a question and a couple times he asked the same question, supposedly to see if he was making up details.
What he didn’t anticipate was Iesala becoming deeply involved in the conversation. The longer Alex spent on his story, the more concerned she became, Bromi was harder to read visually and Alex talked so long he didn’t have the time to focus and read their minds.
“So these alien robots are going to kill everyone, and all the planets?” Iesala asked.
“Yeah, I know I sound crazy I get it, but it’s true.”
Iesala pulled Bromi away from Alex into another room, allowing him to focus on their thoughts.
< Do you believe him?> Alex heard in Bromi’s mind. Oddly he wasn’t sure If Bromi himself was thinking that or if Iesala was asking that and he was hearing it. Everything he heard was tainted with his own voice in his mind which added another layer of odd complexity.
Try as he might he could only hear mumbling in the other room and no matter who he focused on, he couldn’t tell who was saying what and thinking what.
A few moments went by and Alex’s anxiety started to rise. He eyed his weapons that were on a table close to his hosts.
Alex breathed a sigh of relief and stood up as they entered the room.
“We feel we should help you.” Iesala said.
“You know a way on the airfield?” Alex asked pressing that knowledge.
Bromi hesitated, “Yes, I know a way and even where they might be keeping your friend.”
“Do you know how to fly one of those things?” Alex asked.
“They are called air movers, and no.” Bromi said.
“I’m going to have to take one to get home.” Alex said.
“Wheres home?” Iesala asked.
“We don’t need to know and we don’t want to know.” Bromi said dominating the conversation. “If you want me to help you then you’re going to do exactly what I say. Any deviation and our association ends.”
“How confident are you that you can get me to the airfield?” Alex looked between Bromi and Iesala.
“I have no doubt I can get you onto the field. Everything after that is really up to you.”
Iesala grunted loudly and Bromi looked at her in disbelief.
“What?”
“If you’re going through the field you might as well walk.” Iesala said staring Bromi down, eventually she looked at Alex and seemed lost in thought.
“What do I need to do?” Alex asked hoping to get the conversation back on track.
“I’ve got limited clearance, it’s a bit unusual and I will attract some attention, but I can legally be on the airfield. Getting you inside is a different story. I don’t have a good idea for that one. If I knew anyone in the resistance I’d reach out, but I’m not liked at all by those people.”
“I know some people.” Iesala said. Bromi turned to his wife with a look of surprise.
“And who exactly do you know at the airfield?”
“Nevermind that now, this is serious.”
“You’re not-“ Bromi started.
“We can have this conversation later, not in front of our guest.”
Alex couldn’t imagine feeling more awkward as he set aside his uneaten bowl of whatever. Trying to think of a way to excuse himself from the conversation.
“I’m leaving, I’ll be back before dark. Be ready to leave for the airfield when I return.” Iesala grabbed a bag hanging on the wall and walked out. Bromi followed her out the door. Shouting all the way for all the good it did, she hopped into a ground vehicle and took off without responding.
Alex took the opportunity to retrieve his small collection of items on the table and sat back down on the bench.
Bromi stormed back inside slamming the door.
“Is she going to be ok?” Alex asked in all seriousness.
Bromi looked at Alex and for a moment he feared a confrontation. Then in a flash the anger faded from his eyes.
“I regret you witnessed that.” Bromi relaxed his posture and sat in a odd hanging seat attached to the ceiling that supported his whole body.
“Ehh, it’s ok, I know what it’s like. Tell me about the empire.” Alex said leaning back.
Bromi grunted.
“My ancestors were traveling to another star. Some of our ships systems failed and we had to divert to this star hoping that this planet was habitable. We had a shuttle, but with fuel enough for only two or three round trips the idea of using it was abandoned. Our ship had over one million passengers. Other systems began to fail and our low orbit approach turned into a crash on the surface. We lost the front section of our ship during the initial moments of entering the atmosphere, then we lost some other sections. The largest part of the ship crashed here. They say we lost ninety percent of the crew at the crash and another thirty percent of what remained in the initial cycle.
“With our population reducing at an alarming rate we formed a governing body to focus our resources. Initially we had an elective system. Then after a few years a stronger system was needed. A military type group was formed to protect us from the dangerous vernun that had taken a liking to us.”
“The vernun?” Alex asked.
“Sliding animal about the length of this room. Would swallow people whole, or bite you and wait for the venom to take effect.
“The protectorate took over governing affairs at a critical point. Shortly after they formed the empire.”
Bromi became stiff and began reciting. “Our mission is to support the Empire, as the Empire serves us.”
“Does it?” Alex asked, assuming that it didn’t.
“Depends on your view I suppose. There hasn’t been a death of a citizen for nearly a generation. Our lands are well protected now. Also, they are nearly finished with the bonoki project.”
“What’s that?” Alex asked raising an eyebrow.
“The empire is building a ship that should be able to get us home.” Bromi said thumbing one of the cables.
“You don’t sound too sure about that.”
“They are building a ship. There’s no doubting that. But when they started construction seventy years ago our population wasn’t half as large as it is now. There’s no way everyone will fit in the ship now. Many believe the empire will take its own and leave the rest of us to fend for ourselves.”
“Does the general population know?”
“Over the years the Empire has become so shut mouth that no one has any clue. Even those within the empire don’t know the truth.”
“Hense the resistance.” Alex guessed.
“The resistance is a pot of water.” Bromi said without looking at Alex.
“I’m not sure I know what that means.”
“You know a pot of water, it fumes until it boils but eventually it goes dry either way.”
“I get it, that’s clever.” Alex said cracking a smile.
Bromi looked at him with a slightly twisted face.
“Some say the resistance fights for the rights of the people to ensure everyone gets a seat. Others say they only fight for equality among the population. Some say they are the remnants of the old governing body waiting to reclaim their power. I think they are just a group of criminal traders is all.”
“What do you mean?” Alex ask
ed.
“The empire controls all the currency, the loans and everything. If you want to borrow you need the empires blessing, and since they are the ones that pay you, they make sure you’re paying them their dues. I have heard the resistance offers a reduced fee for loans, but I really wouldn’t know the details.”
“Do you know where the resistance is?”
“No… I hunted down the resistance for many years. Rarely was I successful.”
“Not sympathetic I take it.” Alex asked as he readjusted what he knew about the man.
“I was just doing my job, maybe I wasn’t trying very hard.” He cracked a smile.
“What did you do in the empire?”
“I was a man of middle rank, responsible for personnel. I made sure people were at work and doing their jobs. Occasionally I’d be rotated for field duty and hunt for the vernun or the rebels. Finding the rebels may or may not benefit you, but I cannot afford to be seen with them.”
“I understand, you have done plenty for me already.” An uncomfortable silence began to grow between the two men and Alex started to wonder, despite knowing it was paranoia, if Iesala was searching for the nearest officer to turn him in for an award.
* * *
(Orlock)
Junior Master Orlock stood against a wall as he looked at the woman who called herself Alesti. She was strapped to a chair, her hair covered most of her face, and she certainly could use a shower. Her minder continued to ask her questions but she refused to answer all but the most basic.
He scanned the room to the other members observing the questioning. Some started to filter out as the excitement started to wear thin.
“Perhaps you could tell us the name of the one you were with.” The minder asked.
Alesti didn’t move or respond.
“Will you tell me anything about the history of your crashed section?” The minder leaned back in his seat that was planted fairly close to hers.
It was obvious to Orlock that the minder was becoming frustrated.
“Perhaps that’s enough questions for now, minder.” Orlock said as he pushed himself off the wall drawing the attention of everyone in the room.
The minder stared hard at Orlock for a few moments but stood, bringing his tablet with him, and left abruptly.
Terrineia Page 24
