by R. E. Weber
At first, there would just be fleeting glimpses of H’th’hka from a distance, who would stop and watch as she walked silently around the grounds, occasionally stopping to undertake bouts of meditative relaxation. But as the days had progressed, their distant appearances had become more frequent and not so distant. Then one morning, she had been approached by a single H’th’hka, who had stopped directly in front of her and lowered its head to the ground in the now-familiar manner – as she had done many weeks before. And although the gesture had been far from an insult, the sudden appearance of a complete stranger, who had gestured in such a way before walking silently away, had been a tad unusual. But in the days following, the single gesture had become many as being after being would wait for Ruby to appear, then block her path and insist on having the opportunity to lower their heads for her before allowing her to continue on her way.
Ruby had contemplated discussing the situation with Paltoor Tan Shah upon its first occurrence, but decided against it, believing that her instincts would suggest the correct course of action. As the encounters had become more frequent, Ruby had considered either cutting down or cutting out the morning strolls as they were no longer serving their purpose of allowing her to relax. But it had taken one particular incident to convince her that she should give up the walks altogether.
On the day in question, she had taken her usual route through the grounds of the palace and encountered a number of scattered groups, who had responded, as expected, by lowering their heads. However, as the last of the groups had left her, she had caught a snippet of conversation in their native tongue, suggesting that they were perhaps beginning to see her as something other than just an alien with weird habits.
Ruby had been surprised to discover that she’d had the uncanny ability not only to understand some of their seemingly impenetrable language, without the need for a translator, but also replicate parts of it as well – an ability that no other non H’th’hka she’d ever met had developed.
As the group had walked away, she’d heard what sounded like the phrase she’s the one or perhaps is she the one? Of course, such a phrase might have meant little if anything of importance to a person who did not understand the H’th’hka or their history. But Ruby did understand them, probably better than anybody she knew, and she had learnt that they rarely engaged in superfluous or light hearted conversation and that everything they said was of importance. So if they had taken to describing Ruby as the one, it was for a very good reason. Subsequent encounters had resulted in further utterances of the phrase, sometimes along with another word, best translated as divine or blessed.
Ruby had attempted to research the matter further, hoping that there was a historical reason why she might be referred to as the divine one without it meaning what it sounded like. However, her investigations had proven fruitless – clearly the H’th’hka did not wish to share certain details of their history and culture with the rest of the Affinity.
After being unable to come up with a valid reason for her new name, she had finally given in and contacted Tan Shah to report the issue, hoping that she might be able to shed some light on the matter. But when Tan Shah had responded that very morning, Ruby had wished that she’d not asked. The report had stated, in the typically dispassionate manner of a Polisian, that the H’th’hka were, on the whole, deeply religious people, united under a single religion. And in the most ancient of their sacred and holy texts was the prophecy of the Pa’til’ha, a tiny, fragile being of startling, otherworldly beauty, who would one day descend from the sky on the back of a gigantic black bird to save the H’th’hka from their own failings – a creature who spoke in a foreign tongue, yet was able to see into their hearts, to share their joy and their pain. And from the best translation that Ruby could obtain, it seemed that certain members of the H’th’hka religious cast were discussing the possibility that Ruby herself might be the Pa’til’ha.
Not wanting to propagate such beliefs, Ruby had cancelled her morning walks immediately and made sure that she was never seen meditating in public – that being an obvious activity for a divine or religious figure to undertake. And so aside from her official duties, which had been strangely quiet of late, Ruby had taken to remaining in her quarters most of the time. Isolating herself from the H’th’hka had been the last thing she had wanted to do, but it seemed like the only way she could begin to dispel the myths that seemed to have grown up around her appearance.
But it had also occurred to Ruby that her arrival on Ch’Dath might have somehow been engineered to look like their ancient prophecy was coming true. It was entirely possible that as soon as she had interacted with the H’th’hka delegation at the conference, they had seized on the opportunity to present her as the prophecy made flesh so to speak – she had, after all, been invited by the H’th’hka rather than appearing out of the blue through divine intervention. But whatever the truth of the matter, one thing was for sure. Ruby was not ready to become a messiah for an entire species, however much they might have wanted her to be.
Rubina Chaudhry, your presence is requested in central council chambers immediately. Please confirm acceptance and attend without delay. Ceremonial attire is required.
Ruby stood up, crossed the room and stood in front of her ceremonial robe on its wire frame. She hadn’t been told about any planned formal events, which was unlike the H’th’hka who were normally organised and efficient in such matters. She lifted the ornately decorated robe from its frame and carefully slotted her arms through the sleeves. Grabbing the robe by the lapels, she gave it a couple of light tugs to ensure that it was hanging correctly. She put on her breather and fitted it snugly to her face, tapping the tiny red panel on the side so that an airtight seal formed around her nose and mouth. Then she headed towards the airlock, which opened into the long corridor leading towards the council chambers in the centre of the massive building. Something told Ruby that today was going to be a little different to normal.
17 – A Day in the Life of the Ice Maiden
Lara awoke that morning at precisely the same time as she had always done since arriving on Polisium Prime. Although the recent visits she had undertaken to a variety of locations within the Affinity, during her Ascent, had proven intellectually stimulating, the lack of routine during her voyages, which the remainder of the group had seemed to relish, had proven a source of continual irritation for her. Being back in her quarters and in full control of her time allowed Lara to feel relaxed and better prepared for her day.
But despite her annoyance at the lack of routine during her travels, she had begun to look forward to and even enjoy the company of the rest of the recruits from Earth, which was something that she had not expected. Upon their first meeting over a year before, they had appeared unable to engage in any meaningful conversations with her, instead just choosing to re-state the obvious to ensure that the conversation continued, even if it led to no conclusion. Lara did not understand or enjoy such conversations, instead preferring to remain silent unless she could contribute meaningfully. But as time had progressed, the situation had begun to change.
She had first noticed the change when she had been given a nickname several days after her arrival. Being referred to as the ice maiden had at first seemed derogatory or insulting due to the reasons behind the choice of name – those being her seemingly cold manner and the fact that her home country resided close to the Arctic Circle. However, as Abs had explained to her, being given a nickname for whatever reason meant that she had been accepted into the group, which was a good thing. Having them chant ice, ice baby whenever she entered the room indicated that she was officially a member of The Seven, even if she did not understand the cultural relevance of the chant. Being accepted and even liked was a rare experience for Lara – a fact that she appreciated more than she would ever let on. The Seven were the closest thing to a family that she’d had for a long time.
But despite Lara’s acceptance within the group, many of the subtleties of social int
eraction still eluded her – a fact that had not gone unnoticed by Abs, who had taken it upon himself to help her better understand them. Abs, or Abubakar as she preferred to call him, had been extremely patient, never once drawing attention to anything inappropriate she said in front of the rest of the group, instead preferring to subtly indicate that she should stop talking by simply squeezing her forearm or whispering to her.
In the time she had spent with Abs, most often with the rest of the group but occasionally on their own, they had become closer than she had ever allowed herself to be with any other person, including the members of her family. When Lara had asked Abs why he was so patient and understanding with her, he had simply replied that she reminded him of his brother, before quickly changing the subject – a behaviour she had learnt was a sign that the person concerned did not wish to continue with the topic of conversation.
She had also noticed that in the presence of Abs, unusual sensations, the like of which she had never experienced before, would overtake her body and cause irrational thoughts to flash through her mind. They were sensations that she had been unable to put into words or understand, yet were present whenever he was near or expected to arrive. She had never attempted to explain this to Abs, or indeed anybody else, instead preferring to keep the matter to herself, fearing his confusion or anger. Her best conclusion was that a hormonal imbalance was the cause of the sensations, and that they would soon pass as her body matured. She had decided that she did not need to be too concerned with such matters.
As she sat silently on her bed reviewing her schedule for the day, a repeating bleep interrupted her concentration. Abs had arrived to share breakfast with her. Her heart rate momentarily uneven, Lara stood up, turned to face the door and selected allow. The door disappeared into thin air, revealing a smiling Abs. For a moment, Lara stared at him in silence. Somehow, despite the illogicality of it, he appeared to be a little taller than the last time she had seen him.
‘Hiya, Lara. How are you today?’
‘I am well, Abubakar. How are you?’
‘I’m great. And I’ve told you before, call me Abs.’
‘And as I have told you before, I prefer your full name. I do not understand why others find your name difficult to pronounce. You have a simple four syllable name. I have no need to shorten it.’
‘Fair enough. What’s for breakfast?’
Lara sighed quietly – a sign to Abs that he should already know the answer. But instead of sounding irritated, he just smiled.
‘Oh wait, let me guess. That nutrient gunk on toast, three portions of fruit and a glass of water.’
Without replying, Lara walked over to the wall and produced two identical trays of food. She handed one to Abs and took one herself. Then they sat down together and ate in silence. Lara preferred not to talk while she ate because it affected her digestion. As she had often told Abs, food needed to be chewed carefully, at least thirty times per mouthful, which allowed little or no time for conversation.
Once they had finished, Lara stacked the trays together and disposed of them into a slot in the wall. Then she returned and sat back down, her mouth unusually dry despite having drank several glasses of water.
Attention all human recruits: Your presence is requested in the Sensorium immediately.
‘Sounds urgent. Wonder what it’s about?’ said Abs.
‘We should leave now,’ replied Lara sternly.
‘Are you OK, Lara? You look nervous.’
‘I... I’m fine,’ she replied, her voice a little shaky.
‘OK, if you say so.’
Silently, Lara rose and made her way through the doorway, with Abs following close behind. As was often the case, their morning walk to the Sensorium was made in total silence.
*
When they reached the Sensorium, First Mentor was already present, as were Weng and Cristos, who were busy laughing and joking together. They flashed Lara and Abs a quick smile as they entered.
‘Good morning, Lara, good morning, Abubakar. Are you well this morning?’ chimed the soft voice of First Mentor.
‘We’re both well,’ replied Abs quickly to save Lara the inconvenience of responding.
‘Good. In which case we will proceed without delay.’
Cristos glanced back at Weng, the smile dropping from his face. The coming announcement was clearly very important.
‘I have just received the following statement from the H’th’hka homeworld. Since it was deemed alpha priority, I felt that you should hear it together, as soon as possible.’
As the group stared at First Mentor, a shimmering image formed in front of them out of thin air. The image was of Ruby wearing a long ceremonial robe. Cristos glanced quickly around the group, in surprise. Then he looked back as Ruby began to speak.
‘Hello. My name is Rubina Chaudhry. I am the Paltoor Zanshal-Sec for the H’th’hka homeworld. I have been granted authority to speak on their behalf.’
The image viewpoint panned out to reveal a line of five H’th’hka standing behind Ruby, wearing the ceremonial robes of the H’th’hka council. A series of clicks and guttural noises communicated their approval.
‘This public announcement is being transmitted simultaneously to all Affinity member homeworlds for unrestricted distribution to all.’
Abs glanced at Lara. Her face was a picture of focus and concentration, and she did not look back at him. Then he looked back at Ruby, who had paused for a moment, visibly nervous.
‘We, the H’th’hka council,’ said Ruby, taking great care to pronounce their species name correctly, ‘have decided that we are to withdraw from the Affinity with immediate effect.’
Abs looked at Cristos and Weng, who were staring forwards, their jaws hanging open in shock. Then he looked at Lara. The expression on her face had not changed.
‘We have already communicated our intent to the Affinity council and all member species councils, and preparations are being made to progress this matter to a prompt conclusion. This decision follows lengthy and intensive diplomatic negotiations with the Affinity with regard to the attack on our homeworld and the lack of progress made towards apprehending those responsible.
This historic and unprecedented decision was made in order to secure our homeworld against attack from aggressors, and although it was made with the greatest regret, it was deemed necessary by our council and provincial leaders.
From this point forwards, aside from the procedural matters that need to be attended to for the cessation of our relationship, no further communication will be possible with our species. We will remain neutral in any conflict that the Affinity might engage in, and we will not intrude on the sovereign territory of any member species, unless specifically invited. In reciprocation, we expect the same treatment from all Affinity member species.
Due to the deemed neutrality of the quantum portal network, we will continue to use it as and when required, and we ask that no attempt be made to restrict or monitor it in any way. Any breach of this will be taken as an act of aggression and will be accorded the appropriate response.’
Ruby paused for a moment to allow the message to sink in.
‘I… I don’t believe it,’ said Weng, visibly shaken.
‘It’s unreal,’ said Cristos.
‘Lara, are you OK?’ whispered Abs. But Lara didn’t respond.
‘We have agreed with the Affinity council that any technology or buildings not constructed by ourselves will be removed from H’th’hka territory or destroyed under the supervision of Affinity observers. We have also agreed that it would be impractical to erase any scientific knowledge and data accumulated during our membership of the Affinity, and as such, this remains ours to do with as we deem acceptable. We have also agreed that our companions will not be removed and may still be used.
This decision in no way reflects on the actions of any individual within the Affinity, but is instead aimed at the organisation as a whole, which we believe has proven ineffective in providing security
to its members. We wish no harm to any being within the Affinity, and we hope that you will, in time, accept the necessity of what has been announced today. We also pray that you will learn to evolve and accept change more readily for the benefit of all member species.
This transmission ends, now.’
For a moment, the image of Ruby remained frozen in front of them. Then it winked out of existence.
‘I trust,’ said First Mentor, ‘that you have understood the transmission and its implications.’
‘I understand,’ replied Lara.
‘Well I bloody don’t,’ said Weng. ‘After everything we’ve done for them. Their planet would be dying now had it not been for the Affinity and the help we gave them.’
‘They’re blaming us, but they’re wrong,’ said Cristos. ‘How do they know they wouldn’t have been attacked if they hadn’t joined the Affinity?’
‘We must accept their decision,’ said Lara.
‘Oh, yeah. Why must we?’ said Weng.
‘It is their right to determine their own future.’
‘Oh, they’ve determined their future all right. They’ve just signed their own death warrant. How are they gonna protect themselves now?’ said Weng.
‘What’s going to happen to Ruby?’ said Cristos.
‘An Affinity transport will return her to Polisium Prime soon,’ replied First Mentor.
‘When?’ said Cristos, now visibly angry.
‘I cannot give you a precise time because there are matters that need…’
‘Well I want her home now,’ interrupted Cristos. ‘She’s not safe anymore. Who knows what they’ll do to her. They could lock her up as an enemy of the state or worse. She…’
‘Cristos, may I assure you that Ruby is perfectly safe. The H’th’hka planetary leader has personally guaranteed that no harm will come to any member of the Affinity while under their jurisdiction at this time.’
