“I’m not a spy! I’m a factor! I’m here to open relations with your people,” Yllera hurried to reply.
Nelimu flashed a wary eye in Yllera’s direction, “Factors? Who are they? Another name for catalysts?” Nelimu>s English was definitely better than Uohvu’s. “I told you we couldn’t trust her” Nelimu pulled a dagger from her pack.
The bared blade made Yllera freshly aware of her peril, “No, they aren’t catalysts, though they do pretty much the same job they aren’t affiliated with any galactic council.”
“I bet they’re mostly Tanerian!” Nelimu said making a show of checking the edge of the blade.
“No, actually they’re mostly briaunti or human. Right now I can’t think of the name of a single Tanerian factor. “ Yllera kept her feet firmly placed but inched her hand towards her emergency return activator hanging from a zipper on her left thigh.
Nelimu threw her knife down “I bet the Tanerians are in charge. You can’t expect me to believe otherwise!”
Uohvu held up his hands. “Let her talk!”
“The factors were founded by briaunti, and most of the best are briaunti. The chief factor is a briaunti. Most of the leadership are. In the support staff there might be a couple of Tanerian department heads. . .”
“See!” Nelimu reached for her dagger where it stood handle up blade buried in the sand.
Uohvu glared at Nelimu and the blade stayed where it was “Hush! Please tell us more about them,” he was becoming hostile but it was difficult to tell whether it was towards Yllera or Nelimu.
“They’re only in charge of food and custodial services. I think.” Yllera said after scratching at the back of her mind.
“Food! So a Tanerian is in charge of dispensing food. What are custodial services? It is some kind of euphemism for secret police perhaps?” Nelimu spat.
Yllera felt disgust and frustration setting in, “Food services is in charge of growing, harvesting, cooking and replicating food. Another department handles distribution. Custodial services is a euphemism,” Yllera paused for a brief wry grin, “for the department responsible for cleaning and waste management. They’re maids and garbage collectors.”
Uohvu took a moment in comprehension and laughed, “Finally! Tanerians finding the kind of work they deserve! I actually think I might like your factors! Forgive us, bad blood runs deep with our tribe. “
“It isn’t easy to forget the ongoing persecution our people have suffered,” Nelimu growled, “Before the genocide we suffered greatly! Back then many of us were forced to wear limiters because our abilities exceeded those of the Tanerians. Then after our race was nearly wiped out they drove most of the survivors into exile, and violently quarantined or enslaved the rest. As if that plague were our fault! Many of the elders still profess the Tanerians were responsible! Tell the girl about it! About how we have been used and abused. Tell her how our people were forced to colonize this world! It began as a penal colony, for obstructionist Agurians. Then as we discovered the mineral wealth we were driven further from the habitable zones. “
“Put aside the past,” Uohvu urged, he clearly had heard her diatribe before, “It was bad, but things have improved.”
Nelimu retrieved her dagger and put it away, fishing out a small wrapped bar of food while she was at it. Nelimu then sat heavily on the sand, “It isn’t the past I am worried about. We have been under continuous threat from slavers and the Tanerian defense force, for generations. Even now that this world is independent from the empire, The world may be free from imperial constraints but we are exempt from that freedom! They tear up the sands to strip the minerals and leave behind an even less hospitable wasteland. Worse yet, they steal our people to use as labor to do it. “
Uohvu waved his hand in the air in front of his face as though to remove a bad smell, “Sand and dust, sand and dust. We are out here to gather livine, >lifeweed’ as they call it in humanspeak. This patch is very potent. It can save you from sandburn even when dried and rehydrated. We almost trust you enough to bring you back to our camp. First we must share, I am Teverum.”
“I am Illay.” The woman quickly added.
“I thought your names were Uohvu and Nelimu?” Yllera cringed inwardly, she was here to collect the cultural awareness that would make moments like this easier for future factors.
Illay / Nelimu laughed, “It isn’t wise to hand around a name too freely. Especially to stranger-women. Plus we were over inflating our worth. Nelimu is the name for without-defeat, Uohvu is strong clean darkness.”
Yllera nodded and sat next to Illay who was eating every crumb of her dried food. Yllera thought about it and retrieved a small pouch of water from one of her endless pockets and offered it to Illay, “Here that looks dry.”
Illay accepted it and felt the pouch for a few moments before breaking the seal and sipping on it. Her smile widened, “It’s pure, totally pure! What kind of filter do you use? And it’s cold!” Illay handed the pouch to Teverum / Uohvu. He sampled it then took a deep quenching drink.
“It is good water. But I would prefer your name,” Teverum said drawing the conversation back to task.
Yllera smiled and opened her mask to reveal her smile, “My name is Yllera Vllett.”
“That means something like beautiful-true-light. And I see it hides in your smile,” Illay said offering Yllera a chunk of her dried food.
Yllera cautiously accepted, “Do I want to ask what this is?”
“It is a dried paste of livine, hardgrain, mauveberry, and lizard flesh,” Teverum answered, “It is quite good.” He retrieved a small chunk from his bag and began eating with enjoyment.
Yllera grimaced and worked up to tasting it. It was going well so far, but did she really have to eat lizard jerky? Yllera popped it into her mouth and began to chew. It was crumbly, almost sandy in texture and it tasted sweet, like sweet sand, with a slightly bitter aftertaste. It wasn’t bad.
- - - - - - - - - -
Chapter 7
Resettling, Unsettling, Whatever!
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With a yawn, a stretch and the thought of the uproar she could expect at the morning meeting, Angela slapped her feet on the cold floor, no slippers. Angela didn’t dread the mirror. The chief was at bay, because Annette had beaten Tony. Now Niri’s smiling face should- would replace Sinclair’s smug sneer. Angela didn’t know what Dennis or Ralph would make of her “gift,” but at least Angela could expect a few more factors in the future.
Damn, Angela was thinking of the future again. That meant dark plans and patterns would pop up in the back of her mind. She knew she had a hint of paranoia, but just because you think people are out to do harm didn’t mean that they weren’t. Why couldn’t somebody around here mutiny and take the cares off of her shoulders.
She had to go to the morning meeting, that was enough buy anyone a ticket to a bad train of thought. It was all too easy to see her life as nothing more than empty meetings she had to attend just so the Chief would be there. The Chief was really getting on her nerves, making her go to meetings, making her tired, making her old.
Stop, she wasn’t going to go down that road again today. Today was party day, because Niri got a promotion. Crap, things will have to be rearranged, and Niri, long-winded-much, Everett will probably want to keep >The Chief’ apprised of all of it. At that thought Angela almost missed Sinclair, but how could she miss him if he hasn’t really been gone yet? Oy! This was going to be a day.
Angela finished in the bathroom and dressed in an off white jumpsuit. She shuffled past her sleeping husband out into the living room. No doughnuts today! She had been making too much of a habit of them and her metabolism wasn’t as swift to adjust as it used to be. She’d gained a couple of pounds already. Back to hardtack and stale water for her. Angela walked into the kitchen and ignored the perpetual box of doughnuts, always full, always fresh thanks to the kitchen computer. She searched the cupboards opening and closing doors softly so as not to wake
Daniel.
“Excuse me miss, is there something I may get you?” The kitchen’s voice asked. The voice was full of subservient female angst.
Angela paused in her search, she’d only really been looking to see what was in them. She’d lived in the apartment for decades and still had no idea what was where in her own kitchen. “I’d like a doughnut and coffee,” Angela mumbled leering at the box. She could feel Pavlovian saliva forming at the back of her mouth.
“I have a full box on my counter,” The voice said while a spotlight highlighted it, “If the selection is insufficient I can get any type of pastry you would prefer.”
The whining submissive tone of the computer’s voice was beginning to grate on Angela’s nerves. Daniel, usually so reasonable and equitable preferred it this way. It was a holdout from his formative years on a planet where women were property. Angela felt suddenly frustrated with it. “Get some balls would you?”
“Excuse me Miss, do you mean doughnut holes, or meatballs?” The kitchen asked.
“Neither and never-mind,” Angela took the chocolate glazed doughnut that was pleading to be eaten. She knew she shouldn’t but she was “The Chief” and everybody knew “the Chief” could do anything she wanted.
Angela almost scolded herself for lying to herself so early in the day, but she had to start sometime. Yes, and today would go through without a hitch, and Niri would be too busy to be long winded, and pigs had wings with mauve feathers with which they frolic happily through the sky. She was getting pretty good at lying to herself. Perhaps she should start a self help group, “Better life Through lying to yourself.” No, it negated too many of the traditional twelve steps, and the fantasy world two-step was a dance Angela sucked at.
“Never-mind and neither!” Those were the words of the day. She would have a good day if the ignorant bliss killed her. Time to be on the carpet for the meeting, no stop in communications, not since the day Ruth had snuck up on her. It didn’t look good to be seen in slack-jawed contemplation of one’s navel. She had to keep morale up. She was “The Chief”. God forbid someone see Angela the woman, tired, overworked, and mildly melancholic.
Ah, but then there was that Girl! Brightest star in most any constellation, Annette held so much promise. Though Angela didn’t delude herself into thinking that the girl would be willing or capable of taking on the burden of “The Chief.” Neither and never-mind today, Angela reminded herself. The clock bonged and Angela teleported herself to the conference room.
All of the chairs at the table were filled. Niri sat in her usual place, the chair behind Sinclair’s seat. The room almost buzzed with anticipatory energy. It had been decades since the last major change had been made. Though not quite official everyone knew what had happened at the test yesterday and everyone waited to find out whether or not Angela would officially hold Sinclair to the wager.
Angela sat in her seat. Everyone but Niri looked at Angela. Angela looked at Niri. Niri looked at and fidgeted with her pop-pad, occasionally glancing the back of Sinclair’s head. Angela Glared at Sinclair, but his eyes found ways to avoid her. Angela looked at everyone else. Gene was present, in fact he seemed more >present’ than usual given his quick glance down at his solitary pop-pad when Angela tried to make eye contact. Okay, that meant he wasn’t going to ask, everything was always up to the chief.
“Department Chairs sit at the table Ms. Everett, I’m sure Sinclair can make room,” Angela said. The room let out a collective sigh.
Chavez finally caught Angela’s eyes and her point. He rose and shuffled backwards awkwardly. He no longer knew where to be. It made him look like a sick puppy dog. Angela resisted the urge to tell him to sit, and roll over. “Dennis I was wondering if you could use someone new in R&D.” It wasn’t really a question.
Dennis choked back a grimace and glanced over his shoulder at, surprise of all surprises, Ralph. Angela smiled at the sight of her old, older than she thought he would be, friend. Ralph looked Sinclair over and made the slightest of shrugs. Angela had to blink, it was the closest Ralph had gotten to personnel politics, ever. Dennis glanced at Sinclair, then back to Angela, “Ralph has been looking for an assistant, someone to help out with detail work.”
“Sinclair’s the man for it, he’s into details, but occasionally he misses the forest for the tree,” Gene mumbled. Like a tennis match all eyes bounced across the room to fasten on Gene.
Maybe it was more like a pop fly into left field. Nobody knew what to expect from Gene. Angela wondered how someone so disorganized in thought and action could be so utterly dependable. Everyone in the room had at one time or another depended on Gene for their lives, an increasingly large number of them were delivered by him. The babies were now pushing the strollers. Time strolls onward, but today was the day of neither and never-mind, Angela reminded herself again.
Sinclair stood now looking like a toddler in desperate need of changing. Why wouldn’t he just go sit with Ralph and Dennis? Time for Angela to play Chief again, “Please do find a seat Mr. Chavez.”
Angela fought to keep her convulsive laughter silent and internal as Chavez shuffled like a penguin on Valium towards a seat next to Ralph. Things were looking up, for Angela, for Niri, and for Annette. Angela didn’t hold back her smile at the sense that things were taking a marvelously unique turn.
Come on and get to business, Angela thought to herself. Seeing as she’d already focused on Niri, maybe she could forestall a flood of words by initiating the communication. “So, Niri, I’m assuming you’ll be making a few changes to the program. I want you to know I trust your instincts and will allow you to handle things as you see fit. There is one thing I don’t want you to neglect. I meant what I said about Annette; get her training going, put her on the fastest fast track you have.”
Niri gulped visibly, “May I be excused? I have a lot of work to do.”
Angela smiled, and nodded, “Not a problem I understand your position. “ Niri left quickly, and focus settled solidly on Angela. She could feel how much most everyone in the room wanted to be in Niri’s place. Angela found herself saying, “How about we call this meeting on account of rain?” She meant it to be a silent musing, but somehow it had slipped past the trip wires and barriers put up against such slips and it had made it to the tongue and beyond.
Again there was a semi audible group sigh, ending in an apathetic doubt that she had meant what she said. Angela stood up. “If everyone wants to be somewhere else then why are we here? You can send your reports to my pad and to anyone else who needs the information, and everyone can check their pads like good little children and we can take back one more hour of our days for actual work slash play.”
The whole room blinked disbelievingly in unison. With the exception of Gene, who was twiddling with his pop-pad and Ralph, who had fallen miraculously asleep within the bare moments since Dennis consulted him on accepting Sinclair. Angela blinked back at them all, half because she couldn’t believe she’d said what she’d said, half because she couldn’t believe they were all still sitting in exactly the same places.
Angela telekinetically nudged Ralph awake, “Hello? Anybody still present, meeting adjourned permanently!”
“Cool dude!” Ralph stood up and collected his pop-pad, “Yo, Chavez let’s get to work.”
Sinclair stood stiffly and followed as Ralph left the room, Dennis was next and pretty soon everyone followed.
Angela stood in a silent empty room, okay so there go the meetings every morning. What was she going to do with her life? A lot of reading seeing as people would now be sending their reports to her pop-pad. She could always trade it in for an unlisted pad. No that was ridiculous the information was clearly important or they wouldn’t send it to her. Right? Besides what would she do with spare time? Maybe she should look into getting a hobby. She’d always wanted to paint, not pictures, but houses. Maybe she could put a fresh coat on the apartment. Angela wondered what Daniel would think if she started to paint their bedroom.
- - - - - - - - - -
Annette had finished the day early yesterday, before noon. After a large meal of cereal, yogurt and pepperoni pizza she had retreated back to her assigned quarters and basically fell into a calorically induced hibernation, with Tawny mumbling softly that she should see Tina. When Annette finally awoke from her slumber she had passed over twenty-four hours asleep on her bed, in the same outfit she took the test in, except for the shoes. Although, the pale blue coverall no longer covered all. During the night she had grown. Now the seams at the bottom had risen from ankle to almost her knee and the sleeves ended more than halfway to her elbow instead of at her wrists. Some of her newly acquired baby fat had redistributed itself into womanly curves. If the coverall hadn’t been created with situations like this in mind, the cloth might have restricted her breathing, but the clothes had done their job stretching and even ripping where necessary thanks to their sensitivity to her body’s chemical cues.
Annette should have been shocked by the transformation, but to begin with she didn’t even notice. A sort of anesthetized fog still hung over her mind as she shuffled into the bathroom to take care of pressing bodily business. Her first clue to the change was the disgraceful state of her clothing, she had no idea how it had been damaged. Taking it off to shower was the last blow to its structural stability and the coverall came completely apart. Looking down at the shreds Annette saw there was just a bit more to her in some places and a bit less in others. In shock, she ran to the mirror and saw the new her for the first time. Her body had done it, metamorphosed, without her noticing, or going to see Tina. Annette rushed out into the bedroom stark naked.
“Tawny, I’ve been through a metamorphosis!” Annette almost asked why the program hadn’t woken her for it but asked instead, “Why didn’t you call Tina?”
Tawny answered softly, “I kept a close eye on you, if there had been the slightest problem I would have. I just thought maybe you wanted it to be private, seeing as you completely ignored the suggestions I’d made to go see her. You seem okay now so I think it was an okay choice. As soon as you shower and get dressed, I think you should go and check in with her.”
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