Jaross came forward, scooped up a bundle of fabric from the table, and allowed it to unfold into a large blanket or wall hanging before Tinor. Jaross peeked over the top. “I took some salvaged items and wove them for you in the traditional way. I hope it pleases you.”
The gift was green, like most of the fabric originating on the ship, but was woven into elaborate textural patterns. Some of the fibers shimmered, others were matte. Jane wondered when Jaross had found the time to make it, because she hadn’t brought it with her from the Hator compound. It was lovely.
Tinor took the material gingerly, staring at it until Ryliuk interrupted, pushing an item toward her already-full hands. It was something small and wooden with a long lanyard made of braided plant fibers. Jane had looked at it closely earlier in the evening. It appeared to be a hand-carved whistle. When Tinor fumbled, Ryliuk settled the cording over her head and one shoulder, then moved away without a word.
Pledor was just behind Ryliuk. He held out a large, smooth-skinned purple fruit in one hand. “A zoba fruit,” he said proudly. “Harvested from the Greenspace earlier today at peak ripeness. Don’t wait long to consume it. It will rot quickly.”
Ron stepped up, grinning, and delivered a very realistic sketch of a cat that he’d drawn. He patted Tinor’s arm. “Thought you might be curious about what Earth creatures look like.”
Tinor held the sheet of paper delicately, like a treasure. She nodded shyly at Ron.
Ron sidestepped back to the table and returned with the last remaining item: a screwdriver. He shook his head as he passed it to Tinor. “This is from Berg. It’s a human tool. Happy…” He shrugged. “Happy coming-out day.”
That seemed to conclude the proceedings. People were already leaving. Tinor lingered, examining each of her gifts closely with a reverence that made Jane smile.
Jane walked to the door to head to Tech Deck to obtain Brai’s batch of nanites, but before she reached it, Schlewan stepped into her path.
The same intense expression that Jane had noted earlier was fixed on Schlewan’s face. “As an off-worlder, you cannot possibly understand the symbolism of the gift you just bestowed upon Tinor. I will inform the girl of this, so she doesn’t misunderstand your intent.”
Jane hesitated. “I’m sorry. Have I blundered in some way?”
“Did you wish to form an alliance with Tinor?”
Jane’s eyes widened. The word was filled with implications. She wasn’t sure how to respond. She queried Brai and he supplied her with the missing information instantly. Jane blinked. “Oh, no. That wasn’t my intention at all. This is a customary human gift…” She trailed off, unsure how to navigate this huge gaffe. She should have run the idea for the gift by Schlewan before deciding on it.
Schlewan pursed her lips. “This is unfortunate. Tinor has already formed a fondness for both you and Dr. Alan Bergen. It would be an advantageous attachment for her for obvious reasons. She will be disappointed to learn that she will not be joining your circle.” Schlewan turned on her heel and moved away.
Jane staggered out of her quarters into the hall so no one would observe her expression. She knew that sectilians didn’t pair bond the way humans did. They formed circles, small diversely gendered polyamorous groups to raise children and share resources. It had never occurred to Jane that any of them would want to include humans in that social construct. She would have to discuss this mistake with Tinor, and soon.
43
Brai twitched with palsy.
His thoughts were sluggish. He was restless.
This space was too small. His limbs ached with the need to move.
It was too warm here, too close to the edges of his habitat. Water constantly circulated, but at a restricted rate, and the warmth from the hominids’ spaces bled into the tiny diagnostic bubble.
The bright light made his brains ache, and though he worked to keep his body turned away and his eyes covered with arms and tentacles, it was a difficult position to maintain indefinitely.
There was nowhere to go to escape all of this. It was too much.
They had effectively trapped him here for monitoring. He knew it was only for a short time, but it felt like he was caught in a time-dilation field. Each moment stretched out like an eternity.
He hadn’t been confined like this since infancy. It was not a happy comparison. He kept flashing on the agony of that long-ago time, reliving the punishing moments he’d endured until he was able to figure out what the mind master wanted of him. The light, the warmth, all of it was so similar.
But Jane wouldn’t let the mind master repeat those devilish training exercises. She’d just said so to Ryliuk without hesitation. He consoled himself with that. He had to do everything in his power to protect her, so that she would continue to protect him.
He was an Ei. He was far beyond reconditioning. Reconditioning was for underachievers, for maladaptives, for those with behavior issues. To say that it should be required of him was a defamation of all that he’d accomplished. That insult would not stand.
The growing sense of debility unnerved him. His interface with the ship was dimming. His mind was turbid and clogged. The pain grew apace, but that, at least, was something he could ignore. The rest of it was impossible to disregard, so he focused on Jane and the others.
Young Tinor had just had her ceremony. She’d told him in advance that she would choose the female gender. She seemed to be pleased with having achieved her new status. He liked her. She enjoyed conversing with him and sharing memories. It helped.
He hadn’t considered that Jane’s gift for the young woman would be problematic. He was only peripherally aware of the ancient custom of presenting potential lovers with circlets as a form of invitation to a lovers’ circle. He did know that the Sectilius tended to avoid restrictive clothing around the neck, except in displaying the collar of rank. Uniforms with collars were worn to symbolize that one was tied to high office. He hadn’t realized the two concepts were connected. Or perhaps he’d just forgotten…
He didn’t want to think about that.
Instead he focused again on his crew. Ronald and Ajaya were quietly discussing the day’s activities. They touched their lips together in that oddly human way and parted. Jaross was heading to the Tech Deck to resume work. Pledor wheedled Ryliuk about returning to the Greenspace Deck to hunt nepatrox. Tinor and Schlewan carried the young woman’s gifts to her quarters, debating the merits of each item.
And Jane…he’d lost track of Jane…
She stood before him.
He parted his limbs to see her better. In the blazing light she glowed. Her ceremonial sectilian uniform was a white blur. Her pale hair was pulled back from her face neatly in a tight configuration. His attention converged on her gray eyes which were lit with the fire of determination.
Her thoughts were quiet as she worked. She executed a series of commands. It was no small thing to break the seal. It took time. He curbed his impatience as she temporarily shut down the flow of fresh water to contain the nanites in the small space, so that none of them would be lost in the vast tank. Efficiency was everything now.
Finally she released the shimmering mass into the diagnostic bubble. He moved closer to the port and inhaled deeply to pull them into his body quickly.
She continued to work, but he’d lost the thread of her thoughts.
He trembled. His body was on fire. The billions of new nanites burned as they burrowed into him. He’d forgotten how this felt.
Jane was speaking inside his mind. “You will sleep now until I wake you, Brai. Then I will release you. By then, I hope we will have completely severed the yoke as well.”
He started to protest, but her command didn’t allow the thought to express itself. His circumstances had changed dramatically. His mind was no longer completely his own. He shook with choler, but it subsided quickly.
He drifted, barely aware of her as she extinguished the painful lights and set the environmental controls to a much lower temperatu
re. Her pale form hovered for some time watching him. His eyes went unfocused and then she was gone.
He descended into the oblivion of a complete and total sleep.
44
Alan pulled in a deep breath and held it. Something had woken him again. His heart pounded. He stayed still and listened, all senses on alert.
He was going to 3-D print a deadbolt for that door in the morning, everything else be damned.
Soft padding feet on the floor. Someone was here without his permission. He stiffened, every muscle tensing to fight, all grogginess swept from his mind in that instant.
He was curled on his left side, away from the door. He suddenly felt very exposed. His only viable defense was surprise. He had to maintain the illusion that he was sleeping.
He curled his fingers into fists and mimicked the slow, soft breaths of deep sleep.
The blankets were lifted and someone slipped beneath them with only a whisper of sound. The mattress dipped behind him.
Wait…what…?
Relief flooded through his body. He relaxed slightly.
Jane had come back. It was time for some good old-fashioned make-up sex.
His thudding heart didn’t let up, but now it was sending blood somewhere else. He waited to see what she would do.
She eased toward him without a word until he could feel her warmth against his back. Still not touching, but just there. Of course that’s what she would do. She wouldn’t wake him because she was so damn sweet. She’d just be there when he woke.
It was nicely played. If he’d thought he could get away with such a move, he’d probably have done it by now. He wasn’t normally so timid with the women he was involved with, but this was different. She was in control. She had an image to maintain and shit. And he wasn’t complaining. Not at all.
Except that he was awake now and didn’t really feel like waiting until morning.
She wouldn’t apologize. Just like that it would all be okay again. He should probably put up a bit of resistance, at least for show. The last thing he wanted was Ron taunting him that he was pussy whipped. But dicking around like that with Jane could just throw things in reverse again.
He frowned. That wasn’t what he really wanted. He wanted her. In his arms. Under him. He wanted crazy animal sex. He wanted to show her how he felt about her. He wanted her to forget every other man who had ever touched her.
But indecision weighed on him. He’d gotten things wrong before. He’d screwed things up more than once.
Well, two could play this game. He rolled on his back, still feigning sleep.
She retreated slightly. Her breath quickened.
Ah, yes. This was good. This was fun.
He should wait a bit, draw it out. Extend the anticipation. But his loins had other ideas.
He rolled on his right side. Now he could feel her. His hand snuck out to rest on her stomach. He wriggled his face into her hair and breathed deeply, meaning to place a kiss on her jawline before climbing on top of her and trapping her beneath him.
Except something wasn’t right. She smelled different. Her hair didn’t feel right. His wandering hand froze on a bony frame that didn’t feel anything like Jane’s curvaceous form.
He pulled back and scrambled from the bed, yelling, “For fuck’s sake!”
Whoever was still in the bed sounded like she was hyperventilating. What fresh hell had he gotten himself into now?
Fuck sleep. He was going to go design and print a padlock—right fucking now.
“Jaross?” He couldn’t remember a damn word of Mensententia.
“No,” said a tiny, trembling voice.
He strode to the wall and triggered the lights. He blinked against the sudden blinding glare.
It was Tinor.
He rubbed his hands over his face. He’d been touching a kid. He felt like hurling.
He found a shirt and threw it over his head. At least he was wearing pants. Thank God for small favors.
He pointed at the door. “You have to go,” he choked out in broken Mensententia.
“No, it’s okay,” the kid protested, still in his bed.
“No. No. No. Not okay.” He opened the door. “This is not okay.”
Tinor lifted a necklace between two fingers. The kid’s eyes were huge. “Quasador Dux Jane Holloway gave me this. I’m a woman, now. She wants us to be together.”
He shook his head. “You’re not making any sense. You need to leave my room. And you can’t come back.”
He heard footsteps in the hall. He groaned and hung his head. Now the shit was gonna really hit the fan. He was going to take the heat for this. He clenched his jaw, nostrils flared, and watched Jane appear in the doorway.
“I heard raised voices…”
He stared at her hard, shaking his head. “This is not what you think, Jane. I swear to you. You gotta believe me.”
She took in the scene and went all business mode. “Tinor, I was just looking for you. I’ll escort you back to your quarters now. We need to talk.”
“No, I want to stay.”
“You can’t stay,” Jane said firmly. “Come on. I’ll explain everything.” She gestured to the kid, who got up and shuffled toward the door, making anxious whimpering sounds.
“Jane—” Alan started to say.
She held up a hand. “I’ll be back as soon as I can and we’ll talk about it.”
By some miracle she didn’t sound mad. He didn’t know if that was good or bad. He eased down to sit on the edge of the bed and wait.
As they walked down the hall, Jane said, “Did Master Schlewan talk to you about my gift?”
* * *
He sat with his head in his hands for an age. Then he paced. Then he pulled out a laptop and did some work on the nanite code for Ei’Brai.
Finally Jane appeared in his open doorway again. There was a strange expression on her face. Her lips were pressed together in a line as she turned to hit the door control.
She paused for a moment with her mouth open like she was searching for something to say. She looked guilty and embarrassed, then she started stammering. “Oh, Alan. I’m so sorry. That was completely my fault. She told me what happened.”
He blinked and shut the laptop. She wasn’t mad? It wasn’t his fault? That was new. He just stared at her warily.
“I mean it was bad enough what the young women on Atielle were doing to you, but this… Oh, God, please tell me she didn’t touch you!”
“She didn’t.”
She sank down next to him. “Sometimes a necklace isn’t just a necklace. I made a huge faux pas and you paid for it. You okay? You look freaked out.”
“Let me get this straight. You gave her a necklace for her sectilian bat mitzvah and she decided that meant she could sleep with me?”
She bit her lip. “Cultural misunderstanding. Yes.”
He rubbed the back of his neck. “I thought she was you. I thought you came back.”
Her head jerked back and her eyes went wide.
“Nothing happened!” he exclaimed.
She stifled a giggle. “I believe you!”
“Don’t laugh at me! A twelve-year-old girl just snuck into my bed!”
Jane sobered.
He nodded. “Yeah, I did the math a long time ago when they started talking about this coming-of-age business. That’s how old she’d be on Earth if she were human.”
“Well, by their standards, she’s an adult woman now with full rights and responsibilities.”
He huffed. “That’s fucked up.”
“They’re a different species. If there’s one thing I learned in my line of work, it’s that we can’t expect everyone to have the same societal expectations that we grew up with.”
He frowned, thinking about his sisters at age twelve and how they’d been nowhere near grown-up enough to take on adult responsibilities. They’d still been playing with Barbie dolls, dressing up as princesses, pinching each other and pulling each other’s hair while fighting over the
remote.
He looked at her. “How’s the Squid?”
Worry flickered over her features. “I have reason to believe he’s going to be okay. He’s resting comfortably now. I’ll check on him after I get some sleep. It might take some time but I think we’ll get things back on track.”
He nodded. Her hair was slipping out of its severe bun. His fingers itched to pull it apart so he could run them through her hair. He hesitated. He needed to be sensitive right now. “It can’t have been easy to hear the bad news. I’m glad it’s looking up.”
“It’s only looking up if Ryliuk knows what he’s talking about. That’s just between you and me.”
“That guy.” He rolled his eyes.
She nodded solemnly. He felt the urge to lighten the mood.
“I hope he’s right. He probably is. Of course, if we do get stuck here, I could have a good life on Atielle. All the women there want me.”
She sputtered out a laugh. That was good to see for a change.
“I was wishing for your anti-anipraxia device earlier when he cornered me to talk.” She emphasized the word “talk” dramatically.
“I know what you mean. The dude’s intense.”
She leaned back slightly on the bed. She still looked worried.
He said, “You know you can tell me anything. I won’t repeat it. Just get it off your chest. I can take it.”
She looked down and said, “Thank you.”
And all he wanted to do was pounce on her. But he didn’t. He had to have some kind of sign. One he was sure of. That had never been his way before, but this was different. He had to be the man she needed now, a better man than he used to be.
He patted her hand awkwardly, then let his fingers linger. “Brai’s gonna be okay, Jane. The squillae will patch him up. You’ve seen the miracles he’s worked around here with them.”
She stared down at their hands. “When did you realize she wasn’t me?”
He groaned. “She didn’t smell like you.”
“What do I smell like?” she asked softly, raising her eyes to meet his. Those clear gray eyes, so haunted and full of longing.
Confluence 2: Remanence Page 27
