His first reaction was frustration. His second, anger. His third, fear that such an impossible task would surely end in his destruction. In the end, he sighed and tapped the com on his desk. After giving the captain orders to return to Jasan, he exited his makina and climbed up into his favorite corner. He needed, and deserved, a good long rest. After that, he’d eat. And then he’d worry about how to actually fulfill his new orders.
Day Ten
“Mana, who’s Shari?” Nica asked.
Honey looked up from the vid-terminal and frowned. “Who?”
“Shari,” she repeated. Honey studied Nica’s face for a long moment, noting the little line between her eyebrows that always indicated she was worried about something, which didn’t happen often. She turned off the vid screen and turned in her chair, giving Nica all of her attention.
“I do not recall ever knowing anyone by that name,” she said. “Why do you ask?”
“She confusdeds me,” Nica said, her face too serious for Honey to tease her about her mispronunciation. Besides, something told Honey this was not a light subject. Nica saw and heard things sometimes that could be very serious indeed.
“Tell me how she confuses you, Nica, and maybe I can help,” Honey suggested.
“Well, sometimes I think she’s very nice,” Nica said. “But sometimes she’s not nice at all. I think she wants to be nice but can’t because it hurts.”
“It hurts to be nice?” Honey asked, feeling a little confusded herself.
Nica nodded emphatically, her long glossy braids bouncing over her shoulders. “I think I should hide from her but I don’t know who she is so I don’t know who to hide from.”
“I see,” Honey said, carefully hiding her sudden worry. “Why do you feel you should hide from her?”
“Because she wants to do bad things,” Nica said.
“I’ll ask around and see if anyone knows who Shari is,” Honey said. “If you figure out who she is, or where she’s coming from, you let me know, all right?”
“All right, Mana,” Nica said, throwing her arms around Honey’s neck and hugging her tightly. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, sweetie,” Honey said. “Now, would you like to go play with the boys for a little while? I have to go see a patient at the clinic, but I won’t be gone for long.”
“Okay,” Nica agreed brightly. “I like playing with them. They’re fun.”
“Good,” Honey said, smiling as she stood up and held one hand out for Nica. “You’re so good with the little ones, Nica.”
“I like them very much,” Nica said. “They’re so lucky to have three daddies even if they don’t call them daddy. Why is that, Mana?”
“What do they call them?” Honey asked, perplexed.
“They use different names for each one,” Nica said. “Ata, Dede, and Popi, but I think they all mean daddy.”
Honey thought about that for a moment as they left their room and headed toward the stairs. “I guess each one means daddy or father, but if they use the same word for each of their fathers it would get confusing.”
“Oh,” Nica said, accepting that explanation and moving on to another subject. “Mana, are there kids here my age?”
“No, Sweetie, I don’t think so,” Honey said.
“When I go to school I can meet other kids my age, right?” Nica asked hopefully.
“Yes, but the closest school is very far away,” Honey replied. “It would take us two hours to get there, and two hours to get back every day.”
“That’s a long time isn’t it?” Nica asked, crestfallen.
“Yes, it is a long time,” Honey said. “After I drive you to school, I’d have to come back to work, then drive two hours back to get you. So that would be eight hours a day of driving, which is really too much.”
“How come I can’t go to a school that’s not so far?” Nica asked.
“There isn’t one, Sweetie, I checked,” Honey replied. “But don’t you worry. I’ll figure out something, all right?”
“You won’t forget?”
“No, I won’t forget. I promise.”
Nica smiled, then released Honey’s hand as she sped the rest of the way down the stairs and headed for the garden. Honey followed behind her at a more sedate pace.
“Hi Honey,” Hope greeted her when she stepped out onto the patio. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m great, Hope,” Honey said. “When Jareth does his healing magic, he does it up right.”
Hope grinned. “Good thing. I hear the Vulpirans stood over him and growled the whole time.”
Honey blushed, but didn’t reply since that is exactly what they’d done. “Do you mind keeping an eye on Nica for a couple of hours? I’m need to go to the clinic to see a patient.”
“Carly Gryphon-Hiru?” Hope asked, her smile fading.
“Yes,” Honey replied. “I was supposed to see her the day of the explosion, and I’ve been worried about her.”
“She’s the one who took five doses of the vitamins,” Hope said. It wasn’t a question. Everyone knew.
“Yes,” Honey said. She wanted to reassure Hope that the woman and her babies would be fine, but she couldn’t. Not honestly.
“Of course I don’t mind watching over Nica, Honey,” Hope said. “My thoughts will be with you, and Carly.”
“Try not to worry,” Honey said. “I’ll let you know how she is as soon as I can, all right?”
“Thanks, Honey,” Hope replied. “See you later.”
Honey waved at Nica, then left the house and headed for her new ground-car, a cute little red one with a convertible top. The Dracons had given it to her when they learned that her other one had been destroyed. She’d tried to tell them that it hadn’t been her car at all, that the Vulpirans had loaned it to her, but they didn’t seem to care. Then, Aunt Berta had whispered that she was bordering on rudeness, so she’d given in as gracefully as she could and accepted the gift.
That had been yesterday, two days after the explosion. She’d accepted the Bearens’ invitation for her and Nica to stay with them since she knew that Michael had to stay in the guesthouse. They’d agreed that, since the cat was out of the bag concerning their marriage, and everyone knew that she was the Vulpirans’ Arima, it would be best if they lived apart.
Still, she hated imposing on the Bearens so much. She wanted a home of her own, for herself and Nica. She’d hoped that they’d be offered another guesthouse, but that hadn’t happened so she had no choice other than to accept the Bearens’ offer, for which she was thankful. But they couldn’t stay there forever.
Honey thought about the Vulpirans as she drove. She hadn’t seen them since she’d been released from the clinic. She knew, through Michael, that they had a lot of work to do down at the garrison. They were overseeing the clearing of the rubble, and salvaging the few things that were salvageable. Everyone was working hard and fast, so the rebuilding wouldn’t take long. She tried to convince herself that was why she hadn’t seen them, but it wasn’t easy since she didn’t believe it. She strongly suspected that their absence was related to what she’d told them about herself and Michael. It was the only reason she could think of.
She parked her car outside the clinic and went inside, forcing a smile onto her face when Michael looked up from the receptionist’s desk. The procedure to remove the device from his skull had gone well, with no side effects. He’d accepted a permanent position with the Jasani, so she’d accepted the position Doc had offered her. Until the Research Center was rebuilt, Michael was working out of the clinic.
“Hi Honey,” Michael said. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m good, Michael,” she said, giving him a brief hug. “How about you?”
“I’m great now that I no longer have mysterious devices inside me,” he said with a grimace. “I have good news for you.”
“I could use some good news,” she said. “What is it?”
“We are no longer married,” he said, handing her a large white
envelope.
“We aren’t?” she asked, opening the envelope and sliding the documents out. One was their marriage contract, signed by a Terien marriage clerk, herself and Michael. She’d deliberately misspelled her name, as had Michael, in a childish hope that it would matter later. It didn’t.
“Where did you get this?” she asked. “Is this the original?”
“Yes, it is,” he said. “I got it two years ago and don’t ask me how. I’ve been carrying it with me ever since in hopes that someday, it would come in handy.”
“And it did, huh?” she asked as she set the contract down and looked at the other document.
I, High Prince Garen of Clan Dracon, by the authority vested in me under Jasani law and custom, and as the Chief Executive Authority of Planet Jasan under the Interspecies Convention Relating to Recognition and Dissolution of Domestic Relationships (hereinafter, “the Convention”), hereby find based on credible and competent evidence that the Contract of Marriage entered into on Planet Terien by Michael James Davis and Honor Vinia was obtained by force, threats, or coercion as those terms are used in Article IX, Section 2, Paragraph 15 of the Convention. Accordingly, the aforesaid marriage contract is declared to be an absolute nullity, is invalid and void ab initio, and is totally without any force or effect of any kind on this world or any other. Further, the child Monica Jean Vinia, (currently known as Monica Jean Davis) is recognized as the adoptive daughter of Honor Vinia, said adoption effective nunc pro tunc to the date upon which the child’s birth mother departed this plane.
Thus given by my hand and seal at Dracon Ranch on Planet Jasan.
“This is amazing, Michael,” she said around the lump in her throat. “Our lives are our own again.” She hugged him again, tightly this time. “I’m so happy for both of us.”
“So am I,” Michael said as he released her and stepped back. “I know that you and Nica are going to be happy with the Vulpirans. They’re good men. I only hope they won’t mind me coming to visit now and then since you two are the closest thing I have left to family.”
“Well, don’t get ahead of yourself there,” she said. “Right now I’m staying with the Bearens and no other plans have been made.”
“Don’t let love pass you by, Honey,” he said soberly. “It doesn’t come along every day.”
“I know,” she said softly. “I want you to be happy too, Michael.”
“I’m not living a lie anymore,” Michael said. “That’s enough for me. Maybe someday I’ll find love again, but in the meantime, I get to do my work, use my psychic talent without fear, and I don’t have to lie every day. I’m content.”
“Content is not a bad thing to be,” she said. “By the way, I have something to tell you.”
“What’s that?” Michael asked, sitting back down behind the desk and waving Honey to a chair next to it.
“The other day, before you came back from Berria, I got a message for you from Saige Lobo,” Honey said. “It’s complicated, but lets just say it has to do with her special gift.”
“Okay, I understand,” Michael said, smiling. It was so nice to be open about such things for a change. “What’s the message?”
“Let me think,” Honey said, frowning as she tried to remember the exact words Saige had used. “She said to tell you this: Time is running out. The spectrum puzzle must be solved and the knowledge shared before the fateful path is chosen.”
“Spectrum puzzle?” Michael asked, frowning. “What on...oh!” Michael leapt to his feet and turned as though he was going to run somewhere, then paused. “Damn,” he said. He turned back to Honey. “Thank you, Honey, that helped me figure something out, I think. I have to go find Vikter, right now.”
“All right,” Honey said in surprise as she watched Michael race out of the clinic without another word, the door slamming behind him. She stood up, shrugging. Whatever it was, she hoped it was good.
“Was that Michael running out of here?” Doc asked from the doorway.
“Yes, it was,” she replied. “I gave him a message from Saige Lobo that made no sense to me, but obviously meant something to him.”
Doc nodded, but didn’t comment. “How are you feeling, Honey?”
“I’m great, Doc,” she replied. “Looking forward to doing something worthwhile for a change. I’m tired of sitting around.”
“That’s good news,” he said. “All four of the women you were going to see the other day are coming in today. They’re all worried, and I don’t blame them. You up to that many?”
“Yes, I think so,” Honey replied. “If I’m just checking, it’s not that draining.”
“If you get too tired, let me know,” Doc said. “I don’t want the Vulpirans in here growling at me for not taking care of you.”
Honey smiled politely. She’d been trying not to think of the Vulpirans but everyone kept bringing them up. She was too embarrassed to tell everyone that they hadn’t even tried to see her since she’d left the clinic, and she was trying to convince herself that it didn’t matter. She had plenty of things to be happy about, and she was determined to count her blessings. No matter how much her secret heart was hurting.
***
Michael drove as fast as he dared along the gravel roads down to the garrison, his pulse pounding with excitement. He tried to tell himself to be calm, and not get ahead of himself. He could be wrong. But it wasn’t working. He knew he was right. He just needed to confirm it.
He parked the ground-car outside the temporary fence that had been erected around the building site and got out. He paused for a moment, astounded by how much work had been done in such a short time. What had been a mountain of rubble a couple of days earlier was now completely cleared. The foundations of the new Research Center and the new infirmary were already laid out, and delivery trucks loaded with stone and brick were waiting to be unloaded.
He spotted Vikter talking to the foreman on the back side of what would again be the Research Center and hurried toward him. Vikter saw him coming and frowned. Michael saw him dismiss the foreman and call Lance and Hunt to join him before walking toward Michael and meeting him half way.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“Nothing’s wrong,” Michael assured him, understanding that Vikter’s first thought had been Honey. “Honey just told me that she got a message for me from Saige Lobo the other day, and as soon as I heard it, things fell into place for me.”
“A message from Riata,” Vikter said, excited by the prospect. “What was the message?”
“That time was running short, and the spectrum puzzle needed to be solved,” Michael said, not remembering the exact words in his excitement.
“Spectrum puzzle?” Lance asked. “What does that mean?”
“I’ll explain,” Michael said. “But first, I need to see the bio-suit.”
“All right,” Vikter agreed readily. He turned around and walked back across the building site to where the biggest lab had been in the Research Center. He waved one hand and a large square of earth rose up, then slid aside, leaving a set of stairs leading down to the room sized vault where the bio-suit had been safely stored. Michael followed Vikter down the stairs, waiting impatiently until he opened the door and went inside, flipping on the bright, overhead lights powered by an emergency generator.
Michael went straight to the bio-suit and looked inside. When he turned around to face the Vulpirans his excitement was almost palpable.
“It’s been bugging me for days now, that something wasn’t adding up, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. I went over all of the results from the tests you ran on the Xanti, and one of them, I’m certain, indicated that the Xanti do not see as we do. Their eyes are incapable of seeing color; all they see is light, dark, and limited shades of gray. There is some rudimentary heat sensing ability, but the primary organ for that is their mandibles if I remember correctly.”
Vikter nodded. “Yes, that’s correct. We believe that they normally rely on scent and taste rather than eyesight,
by nature. Their technology is vision-dependent, however, which seems strange until you remember that their technology is not their own.”
“Exactly,” Michael said. “Aisling Gryphon told me that her father had gathered information on the Xanti over his life-time, and that the Xanti enslaved other races to create and build everything they used. Which fits with the fact that they don’t have a creative brain, as I told you.”
“Yes, it does,” Vikter said. “We found it odd that the primary sense requirement for the technology we’ve seen, like the bio-suits, is vision since theirs is not that good. But that’s explained by the source of their technology.”
“Exactly,” Michael said. “One thing explains the other, and is upheld by yet another. I’ve been running this circle for days. Something didn’t fit, and I could not figure out what it was. But, here, look inside the bio-suit.”
Vikter walked over to the bio-suit and looked inside. It took only a moment for understanding to hit. “It’s in color,” he said.
“Exactly,” Michael said. “There are colors on the dials and switches. There are colored arrows with lettering above them. Colored labels, colored text.”
Vikter turned and looked inside the bio-suit again. Michael was right. There were colored labels and signs on everything, including a big blue square on the rear wall with red text across it. Some of the symbols looked like warnings, others appeared to be directions, especially the arrows and circles.
Vikter turned back to Michael with a frown. “So the question is, why are there directions and warnings given in color, when the Xanti do not see color.”
“More than that, I bet if we put a mono-spectral light source inside that bio-suit, those colors will disappear altogether. The Xanti cannot see color, nor can they see the difference between the colors and the background that the colors are on because those colors all have the same grayscale value.”
The Vulpirans' Honor: The Soul-Linked Saga Page 19
