The Senthien (Descendants of Earth Book 1)

by Tara Jade Brown

  “Dora, could you come with me, please?” Peter said, still holding Stevanion, and motioned with his head to follow him over the wooden bridge. I stepped onto it and felt the swaying movement that Peter made with his walking. It made me feel nauseous.

  “You can hold onto the rails,” said Patrick behind me.

  I swallowed and grabbed the rope rails on both sides.

  “Perhaps you should wait a few seconds until Peter gets across. Then it won’t sway so much,” he added.

  I nodded and waited.

  Once Peter stepped onto the cottage platform, I stepped forward.

  Having the ground move below my feet was something I had never experienced before. It was thrilling and scary, but with every step I took, the more comfortable I felt. Once I reached the other platform, I heard Peter talking to someone else.

  “… should definitely go to the infirmary. He needs medical care.”

  Stevanion was now conscious but clearly scared to protest the body-to-body contact with Peter. The person Peter was talking to was a woman. She turned around and came closer to me, thankfully stopping one IP away. Her skin was suntanned bronze, and she had dark eyes and a strong build. Her thick dark hair was tied at the back of her neck, and she wore a loose beige dress with straps, her arms free of fabric.

  “I’ll come back in a moment,” Peter said and turned to walk over another bridge. The woman didn’t turn to Peter but kept looking at me, her eyes filled with curiosity and interest.

  “Hi, Dora. I am Tania,” the woman said, her voice strangely familiar, as she put her hand out toward me.

  I looked at her hand, then at her.

  “Where is he taking Stevanion?” I asked.

  Tania pulled her hand back. “He needs to go to the infirmary. The hospital house. He seems to be dehydrated, and he will need a day or two to recover. You teleported two days ago, isn’t that right?”

  “That is correct.”

  “Hmm,” said Tania, lowering her gaze. “He seems surprisingly weak after only two days without water. Did you drink anything, Dora?”

  “Yes. I drank the water from the water-shower above us, which collected in the leaf of a tree. Stevanion refused.”

  Tania raised her eyebrows. “The water-shower? Ah, you mean the rain. Okay. Well, how about I show you to your cottage, and then you can have something to eat and drink?”

  “My cottage?” I was confused. Why would I want a cottage, and why would they have one for me at all?

  “Well, we have a few more cottages that just became available. People getting together, moving in and stuff, you know.”

  My gaze was as blank as my thoughts. I did not understand any of what she was saying.

  “Never mind. There is a cottage that is free for you, and you are welcome to live there.”

  “Live? Here?” I was dumbstruck. Then I took a deep breath to center myself. Even if I wanted to stay here, hiding from the Zlathars, Stevanion didn’t need to. He needed to go back to Senthia. “Stevanion… we need access to your computers. I am fairly confident that I can correct the mistake in the port,” I said, keeping my tone flat and matter-of-fact.

  She turned around to look at me.

  “I would love to give you access to a computer. In fact, I would love to have access to a computer myself. But Dora, there are no working computers here. We are back in the Middle Ages.”

  “I do not understand. The Earth had computers before the Evacuation. Where are they now?”

  “Well, the computers are still here, sort of, it’s just that we can’t use them. They don’t work. After the Evacuation, something happened that destroyed all the electronic devices on Earth.”

  I took a moment to connect to my nanoprobes, searching for information about the escape from Old Earth.

  “EMP.”

  “Pardon me?”

  “Electromagnetic pulse. I do not have the full information, unfortunately, because the data on Old Earth is very scarce, but the computers are not working because of the EMP.”

  Tania wrinkled her nose. “Let’s talk about it later. I’m sure lots of others would like to hear what you have to say. Until then,” she said, “shall I show you where you can sleep?”

  I nodded. “Yes, Tania, please take me to my sleeping quarters.”

  “Sleeping quarters,” Tania repeated and smiled. “It’s really quite small, you know,” She started walking around her cottage to the other bridge, her feet tapping on the wooden platform. On the other side, the platform connected to the neighboring platform with another hanging bridge, only this one was made out of a row of thick wooden branches held together by a rope. On both sides of it, a mesh net of dark green vines made an elastic but resistant fence.

  Tania was already on the other side. She turned around.

  “It’s safe, don’t worry.”

  I stepped on the bridge and immediately felt a lot less comfortable than on the previous one I had to cross. Through the gaps beneath my feet, I could see the ground below. I grabbed the fence tighter.

  Tania looked down to the ground and then back at me.

  “It’s about ten meters high,” Tania said, realizing the thoughts that occupied me.

  I didn’t know what size a meter was, but ten of them looked very high.

  “Look at me, it’s easier.”

  I moved my gaze to her.

  She was right. It was easier like that.

  I moved on and reached the next platform.

  I followed her across several bridges, when we finally stopped next to what was apparently my cottage. Tania walked to the other side and stopped next to an opening with a thick hanging curtain made of leaves. She walked in and held the curtain with her hand to let me through.

  I stepped in. The room was a lot darker than outside. The two narrow windows did not allow much of the fading afternoon light into the cottage. Tania walked to the small wooden table next to one of the windows, then picked something up and made a short scratching sound in her hand. A flickering light appeared in front of her.

  I came closer and peeked around her to see what was making the light.

  In front of her on the table was a small white tube, and on the top of it was a beautiful yellow-orange light.

  “A candle,” Tania said, noticing my enchanted gaze. “You’ve never seen fire?”

  I shook my head. I could not find my voice to answer her.

  Tania smiled. “It’s nice to see it’s making such an impression on you. Uni Humans still use it on Zema4. They’re not half as thrilled about it as you are.”

  “I have heard of it. I even downloaded some pictures of fire, but…”

  “But what?”

  “But I just didn’t realize it moves!”

  Tania laughed. “Oh, just wait until you see what Earth has in store for you!”

  “In store?” I was puzzled.

  “Never mind, it’s an old term. Why don’t you get comfortable? I’ll bring you some clothes so you can change. And otherwise…” Tania looked around the room. “Just make yourself at home, okay? I’ll be right back.” She nodded and left.

  I turned to look around the small room. Although night was falling, the candle lit the room well enough for me to take it all in. Everything around me was made out of wood: a narrow table, two chairs, a bed, and a wardrobe.

  Wooden floors. Wooden walls. Wooden ceiling.

  It felt warm.

  It felt cozy.

  And it was beautiful.

  I walked over to the bed and bent down to see what its top was made of. It had two thin layers of textile on top, and below was a dense meshwork of very thin brown threads, making the surface soft but resilient.

  Tania came back then. She placed a small bag and a leather bottle on the table.

  “I also brought some food and water for you. You probably don’t feel hungry right now, but as you relax a little bit more, you’ll realize that you’re starving,” she said and smiled.

  “And here are some clothes. I’ll
put them on your bed. Tomorrow morning, I’ll take you to a lake pool. You can have a bath there. It’s very pleasant this time of the year.”

  I stayed silent.

  What is a pool? And what is a bath?

  I quickly checked my nanoprobes. I received the images instantly, but I did not understand them. It resembled nothing I have heard or done in my life. However, I didn’t let that show on my face.

  Senthiens always understand.

  Senthiens always know.

  “Is that okay with you? Are you all right being here by yourself?” Tania said warily, as if doubting that any of what she said had reached my processing centers.

  “Of course, Tania, I thank you.” My voice was calm, steady and confident. “I will see you tomorrow, and we can go to a lake pool.”

  Tania waited for another moment and then smiled slightly, obviously not understanding what was happening behind my confident façade, but realizing that she wouldn’t manage to find out much more tonight.

  “Good night, Dora. Get a good rest.”

  “Good night.”

  “And Dora, before you go to bed, put the candle out.”

  I turned to the candle, then back to her. I did not understand what she meant.

  She smiled broadly. “Blow on it to turn the fire out. All right?”

  “Yes, I understand.”

  As she left, I felt tiny pricks of panic crawling up my throat. I did not understand several things she had talked about.

  Pool? Bath? New clothes? Why can’t I wear my skinsuit?

  I picked up the soft, beige-colored clothes she left on the bed. I wasn’t even sure how I should put them on. They were too large and would leave too much space around my body.

  Did Tania want me to dress this way for sleeping?

  I let them fall back onto the bed.

  Sleep times at Senthia were spent with no clothes on at all, but as I thought of taking off my skinsuit, I realized that the temperatures were not tightly regulated as they were in my world. So I decided to keep the skinsuit on.

  I walked over to the table to blow on the candle. My breath made the fire move even more, and the orange flickering light made beautiful shapes dance on the walls and ceiling. When the fire finally died, the room got dark, and it almost reminded me of the complete darkness of the sleeping time in my apartment. I walked over to the bed and lay down on top of the double sheets with my boots still on as well.

  It took me a long time to fall asleep. My mind was full of jumbled thoughts. None of them made any sense anymore.

  What was I doing here?

  Why did the Mind start making mistakes?

  Who were these people?

  Where did they come from?

  And how, for the Moons of Senthia, does Earth still exist?

  Earth was dead.

  It died a long time ago. What was once a vibrant green planet became a dead, dry place with no oxygen and all the oceans scorched. I remember seeing the images of Earth that were taken by the satellites, the last transmission before the Descendants left the Solar System. I remember seeing them.

  So how is this possible?

  My troubled thoughts wore me down until they were lost somewhere, falling away in the dark as I finally fell asleep.

  Chapter 6

  I opened my eyes slowly to the waking traces of the dawn. I gazed idly around for a moment and then closed my eyes again, seeing behind my eyelids the residual image of the wooden ceiling above. Sunshine rays made a random pattern on the wooden cottage wall, leaving an artistic design of soft yellow-white shimmering images.

  I took a deep breath.

  Air.

  No!

  Oxygen.

  It was downright intoxicating. It was rich and powerful and natural, bringing with it the fresh green smell of this planet’s flora.

  It was early morning. I hadn’t had a Vision. The night had released me to a deep, dreamless sleep, allowing for a complete and thorough rest I hadn’t felt since childhood.

  I opened my eyes again, slowly, deliberately, and enjoyed the soft rise of the morning light, the natural start of the day. The Earth’s day.

  Earth.

  Earth.

  I’m on Earth.

  I smiled at the thought.

  I was walking on a ghost planet. A natural, green ghost planet. And no one in Uni knew about it.

  If they did, would they want to come back?

  Somewhere behind this cottage, I heard voices: men’s voices, women’s voices, and other tiny voices that might have been female but were somehow different. They were all muffled, and I assumed it was because people were still in their cottages.

  A moment later, I heard soft footsteps crossing the wooden bridge and stepping onto my platform.

  There was a knock on the wooden wall, just on the side of the leaf curtain. I remained silent, waiting. I didn’t know what I should do, although I felt this situation needed some response.

  There was another knock.

  I thought about it again and decided that knocking on the wood of the bed frame might be the best reaction.

  There was a soft laugh outside, and I heard Tania’s voice. “May I come in?”

  “Yes, Tania, please, do come in,” I said and stood up.

  She moved the heavy leaves and stepped forward.

  “Don’t worry about it. I know it’s confusing for you,” Tania said with an empathetic expression as she came in. “Even more so for you than for other Jumpers, I imagine. Many of the others do have some recognition of the old customs and ways. Before entering a cottage, one knocks to say, ‘I am here! Can I come in?’ And then the person inside comes to the door and lets them in, or gives them permission to come in. Just so you know for the future.” She smiled. “How do you feel today? Did you sleep well?”

  “I slept well. I appreciate your concern.”

  Tania looked at me, and again her face gave me the impression that I had said something unusual. I decided to ignore it. I knew it was bound to happen.

  “Good, I’m glad. I see you didn’t feel comfortable taking off your suit,” she said, looking at my dark gray skinsuit. “It’s quite understandable.”

  She walked to the bedside and folded over her arms the beige robes she’d left for me the night before. “I know those special suits can handle being submerged, but you should really take it off when you take a bath. It is so much better. Trust me, you will enjoy it.”

  She smiled and motioned for me to follow her.

  I was not at all certain that I would take off my suit when we came to whatever a pool was to do whatever a bath was, but I followed her all the same.

  We had to walk through the tree village and over several platforms and wooden bridges to reach one of the trees with a way down to the ground.

  “Shall I go first?” Tania asked, arching her eyebrows.

  “Yes, please do.”

  Tania started climbing down, skillfully placing her feet on the protruding wooden rods placed in the tree trunk as stairs.

  “Tania, do you have information on Stevanion’s health state?” I asked as I slowly followed her.

  “I went to see him just before I came to you. He’s feeling better, but I think he should stay in the hospital cottage for another day or two,” she said as she climbed down. When she reached the ground she looked up, waiting for me to descend, and then started walking again.

  “I guess you have many questions,” she said, turning her head toward me.

  “Yes, Tania. I do. Have you been living here for the past five thousand years?”

  “For heaven’s sake, no, not at all! We were cryo-preserved. Frozen. We woke up only nine years ago.”

  “Was this the plan, to wake up at this specific time?”

  “Oh, no! We were supposed to wake up one hundred years after the start of the cryo. But the de-freezing schedule was overridden. As far as we can tell, we weren’t supposed to wake up at all.”

  “When was the cryo-preservation performed?”<
br />
  “That was 2231. We were supposed to de-freeze in 2331.”

  “And the News came in 2232,” I said. I didn’t need to access nanoprobes for that. It was a famous year; everyone knew about it. It was the year when scientists determined that Earth had an expiry date. “By the time you were supposed to de-freeze,” I said, “the Earth would have been dead, nothing but rock and sand.”

  She nodded. “We only found out about the News and the Evacuation when our first Jumpers came. We had no idea what had happened when we woke up.”

  “This means that whoever overrode the hundred-year wake-up plan did not want you to wake up on a dead planet,” I said.

  “Not only that. I think the idea was to save us from the solar blasts, too.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, our cryo-crèches were located in the CPC, the Cryo Preservation Center. And that was in the city… well, on the outskirts of the city, but still, the city.”

  I looked at her for a moment, then said, “I assume this is not where you de-froze, then.”

  Tania shook her head. “No. New place altogether.”

  She moved aside a long branch that blocked her way and held it for me as I passed, then continued. “We were about four walking days’ distance from the city, and… we were underground.”

  I looked at her. “Underground? That saved you from the solar storms and the EMP. That is how your cryo-crèches were still working.”

  Tania nodded. “We were transferred to… some kind of industrial underground installation. Well, some of us were transferred, anyway…”

  “I do not understand.”

  “I’m not really sure myself. It was maybe fifteen to twenty meters underground, and the immediate surroundings and the staircase up to the surface all looked… industrial, or military even, I don’t know.”

  “No, I meant: why did you say ‘some of us’ were transferred?”

  “Ah,” she said and lowered her head. “There were a lot of people who went under cryo, several hundred, I’m sure. But when we woke up, we were only two hundred.”

  “What happened to the rest of them?”

  She shook her head slowly. “I don’t know. I guess the same thing that happened to the rest of the world who didn’t evacuate.”