“They’re not ships. It’s like, well, it’s a mold for whatever you want to do with it,” Gheno tried to explain. He had explained that earlier.
“But do they know what is going to happen to it?” she asked again.
“Ayia. Sentinel and I don’t know what’s going to happen. Nothing may.”
“And what happens if something really wrong happens?” Ayia asked. Hers was a diplomatic concern. They were still for all intents and purposes, prisoners on Gadoni..
“Then we run?” Gheno asked, smiling. “Really fast,” Karai added. Her expertise in this matter was very limited, but she was genuinely interested in what would happen. Her drones were still feeding her data banks with lots of information and she could review those later.
“Sentinel? This is something you want to do?” Ayia asked out loud.
“This is a very unique opportunity. It is my desire to go through with this,” the AI replied.
“Ok. Listen. We’re all happy and enjoying the beaches here, but remember, our place here is still unpredictable. You do what you need to do and good luck, but be very mindful of what you are showing to our hosts. We are just as strange to them as they are to us. The last thing we need is for us to become real prisoners.”
Gheno said thank you and stood up quickly to get his gear. He was about to walk out when Ayia called out to him.
“Oh, and Gheno?” she started. Gheno turned around. “Don’t tell Kale. Not only is he busy with everything going on, but, he might not like what you two are about to try. Hell, I don’t think he would even understand.”
“Uhm. He’s gonna find out, especially if it works. And even more so if it doesn’t.”
“I will deal with that if it comes to that point,” she said. Gheno saw a look of concern on her face, even more so than usual.
“You ok?” he asked.
“Just peachy,” she replied.
Gheno stood there for a moment. He was trying to think of something smart to say, but decided against it. He took his gear and exited the room, followed by Karai.
Ayia waited a few minutes till they left, then brought out her tablet. She tapped up the security measures on the ship, verified they had left, then opened a secure channel to the Galaxy. The familiar face with long black hair faded into view.
“How is everything going?” Ayia asked.
Cruxe wiped some sweat from his forehead. “Everything is fine. They say it’s not an interrogation, but the questions never stop.”
“Are you ok?” she asked.
“Yes, I’m fine. They have upheld their end of the bargain. It’s just, they want to know everything. The Admiral, especially, seems to think they have Crusaders on board the Galaxy and I’ve been going through every single face on file to see if I recognize anyone, but I haven’t yet. The big guy, too, he keeps drilling me on locations and assets, but I don’t know all that.”
Cruxe explained everything to Ayia. He had been to several locations with the Crusaders, but had never really been given access to much. He was a good pilot, and therefore had been on board many of their ships, but everyone he knew on board the ships were the normal rank and file of the Crusaders. They were men and women who had completely left their allegiances and become full members of the church. They did not belong to that secret group that was in every government and planet in the human galaxy.
He talked a little about their recruitment. Most of it was aimed at disenfranchised youth on poor planets. They were the men and women that had lost their dreams of life on a new colonized planet and had lost hope in their governments. He also knew that many powerful men and women in large corporations were a part of the church and it was always rumored within Crusader ranks that a very important person in either the Commonwealth or the Alliance was in their hold as well, but Cruxe had no idea who.
Cruxe was able to give them some information about their fleets and capacity and most importantly, how they had been tracking Kale and his ship for information on the events with the new hook. The Admiral had found that incredibly interesting, considering they had now found them.
“Cruxe, why did you do it?” Ayia asked, interrupting him.
“Which part?” he asked.
“Why are you helping us?”
“I’m helping you,” he assured her.
“Why?”
“Would you believe me if I said it was guilt? That I was trying to make amends?”
“Kale wouldn’t believe you,” she said, looking down.
“Do you?”
“I can’t forget what you did.”
“I know. Which is why I don’t expect much.” Cruxe paused.
“What do you expect?” Ayia said. She was afraid of his answer.
“I thought I loved you once. When I thought I could have anything I wanted,” Cruxe explained. “I had only my life as a reference to what was right and what was wrong. I knew what I was doing was wrong, but I didn’t care. But after being among those church people, it became clear to me that being wrong was, well, wrong. I had to find you, and try to explain that to you.”
“What do you want?” Ayia asked.
“Your forgiveness,” he said.
“Your actions got a lot of good people killed,” she said.
“I know,” he said.
“Kale will never forgive you. Or Gheno,” Ayia added.
“They don’t matter.”
“They are all that matter to me,” she said.
Ayia saw him nod his head slowly. He then looked back and heard his name called. He waved goodbye and Ayia was left alone in the mess room of the transport. Ayia had a family, and had never felt so alive in her entire life. Yet at that very moment, she felt completely alone.
***
Kale had never been used to this kind of popularity. In fact, he had strived hard to maintain a level of anonymity his entire adult life. He had done many possibly illegal acts in his life as a merchant and found that the less anyone knew about him the better. He certainly didn’t like being in the center of attention of dozens of people. Yet, here he sat. He was at a large round table. Uli was sitting next to him, and the entire table was full of food, while dozens of men and women sat around the table asking him questions. It was rather awkward as he had to have Uli interpret for him. They asked him questions about the planets he had visited. He described with as much detail as he could all about the different varieties of planets he had encountered. Most were like Earth, with varying temperatures and climates, but there were some odd systems. Aefricano was an example. The desert planet was unlike anything the Gadoni ever heard about. Many laughed, thinking he was making it up.
He captured their attention as he described Alioth. They had oceans on Gadoni, but that nearly the entire planet was covered in water was quite foreign to them. He told them about the floating cities and the giant sea creatures. They were completely fascinated by this. Gadoni oceans were shallow and there were plenty of fish, but no large ocean creatures. Kale had to spend a lot of time explaining all the different deep sea creatures that abounded in Alioth’s oceans.
They were all equally as amazed at Devil’s Den. They had a hard time understanding how people could live on a planet without air. They seemed particularly disgusted with the idea of living underground. They referred continually to the dark spirits. He never quite got them to understand that was the safest thing to do.
The saddest moment came when someone asked him about Earth. Kale could tell that it was a question everyone had been waiting to ask. There was a hushed silence when the young man asked him. It was an even sadder moment when Kale had to reply that he had never been or even seen Earth. The shocked look on their face was confusing to him. Uli had to explain that the Gadoni had a dream of returning to Earth, but each knew that because of the changes in their human bodies, that they never would be able to return there.
“Why would it matter?” Kale asked. He had never felt any kind of affinity to humanity’s birthplace. Uli was about to answer when an older ma
n stood up and began talking. Uli translated.
“The three spirits from Earth came with us on the journey through the darkness. They were our guide, our protector, and our warrior. Our last chief sent them with us. We met no new spirits out in the void. The dark spirits that tried to destroy us were corrupt and devoid of life. When we found Gadoni, this world was full of life, but had no spirits.”
The old man told the story of the how the first men and women had survived a brutal existence on Gadoni when they first landed. Their bodies were changing rapidly and many would die as young adults. The first generation on Gadoni did not survive. The same happened to all the animals that they brought. Most animals perished nearly instantly once exposed to the world’s biology. But three specific animals were able to adapt and survive.
“The eagle, the bear and the wolf,” the old man said. The three spirits from Earth.
They changed just like the humans did. The second generation of men and women on Gadoni thrived and spread out among the planet as did the new changed spirits. Their spirits infused with the other beings on the planet and the medicine men began to see other beings develop their own spirits. The three were a reminder that they belonged to Earth, and were also a reminder that they would never be able to return there.
“They’re pretty important then, huh?” Kale asked.
The old man nodded. He said something to a young teenaged boy, and he stood up and began reciting the ancient prophesy.
“The Eagle, the Bear and the Wolf,
through the darkness and into the web,
will come when our end is at hand.
The Wolf will be the sacrifice,
The Bear will be our protector,
the Eagle will carry us away.”
The old man then nodded and said something directed at Uli. She did not immediately translate.
“What did he say?” Kale asked. Uli didn’t say anything.
Kale insisted. “What did he say?”
“They call me the Wolf,” she said, quietly.
“From the prophesy?” he asked. She nodded.
She was clearly admired by her people.
As the day winded down, people began to leave the table. In his mind, it was night, but two suns still shined clearly in the sky. Kale was getting tired. He got up and excused himself, saying that he was going to try to make his way back to where he was sleeping in the city. Uli offered to walk with him. They walked quietly at first, until Uli broke the silence.
“You do not wish to see Earth? Why?” she asked.
“They never did anything to help my people,” Kale answered bluntly. He answered knowing she didn’t know what he was talking about.
“But you really blame yourself,” she said. Kale turned his head quickly to look at her.
“When we first touched, I saw and felt your pain. You blame yourself,” she said.
“I’m not sure if I’ve gotten over how creepy that is. But how do you do that?” Kale asked. They continued walking.
“Do what?” she asked.
“See what I’m feeling.”
Uli didn’t answer right away. They walked for a few more minutes. Kale could see people closing windows and doors. Even here, the human body wanted darkness to rest. After hundreds of years and many physiological changes, they still had that requirement.
“Did you know that in two days we celebrate the night?” she asked, observing Kale.
“The what?”
“The night. The one time in the cycle where the suns leave us on this side and we have darkness for three trails.”
“So it will be dark? Completely?”
“It will,” she said.
“How often does that happen?”
“Every seven hundred and three trails.”
Kale tried to calculate how many Earth days that was. It was about four hundred days.
“I see how that’s a big deal,” Kale said.
“There will be many celebrations as we begin a new cycle,” she said. “I don’t like celebrations. Instead, I climb the Yauheah and wait for the sunrise.”
“The what?” Kale asked.
It was a trail that led up the mountains to a vantage point nearly eight thousand feet high. It didn’t reach the highest peaks behind the city, but did supposedly provide an amazing view.
“I remember climbing the mountains of Urt as a child. Very different, no trees,” Kale reminisced.
“Would you come with me?” Uli asked.
Kale stopped and thought. He had been running ragged for the past days.
“I do remember enjoying climbing the mountains as a child,” he said.
“I would like to show you my world from up high,” she said, “and I can also show you how I can see your pain.”
Kale stopped and looked her in the eyes. There was a pain there that he recognized. He wasn’t sure if it was this connection they had through the brown goo, or if it was his own pain reflecting back to him. He had gotten to know her well over the past days and found himself comfortable in her presence, even though she was so foreign to him. He didn’t know how long he would be here on this planet. Soon enough, they would have to return and warn the rest of humanity of the black spheres.
At that moment though, he felt that he would be ok just staying here. It had been busy, but he hadn’t felt as peaceful as he had since landing here. Everything was so new. The life here was vigorous, aggressive, and energetic. He felt new. Sentinel had informed him that the biological agent may be changing them as well. Maybe this was why he felt different.
Then there was Kale’s own self-assessed weakness. He trusted everyone, while not trusting anyone. He so desperately tried to avoid conflict that he routinely told himself to just trust everyone despite what logic might dictate. He had come face to face with one of the men who had caused him so much grief. Gheno had been ready to kill him, and yet he had backed down just to please Ayia. Kale found himself thinking about why he trusted Uli. He had just met these people. He should be working on getting off the planet, but he found himself giving in.
“Sure. When are we leaving?”
***
Eight and a half hours later, Kale was on the path alongside Uli. He was carrying a makeshift pack made out of a surprisingly thin yet strong material. He carried some of his own food. His body was still having difficulty processing the biology of Gadoni. There were no side effects that could be common with foreign food, but he could tell that he wasn’t getting the nourishment needed. The people of Gadoni already ate a lot less than he ever did but seemed to expend so much more energy. If he was going on hike, he would certainly need to keep up his energy.
Uli had brought him the pack. He had laid it out and admired the material. Every day he found and discovered new items and materials native to Gadoni. He had talked with Gheno over the com a few nights before, and the boy had tried to explain to him that the nearly endless energy the planet received from three suns was certain to produce an unheard of biological variety. What the Gadoni could harvest from this planet was unlike anything he could compare to. Kale wondered, if these people became part of the trading network with the rest of humanity, what their influence might be on the rest of mankind.
Of course that depended on if they could find their way back, or if they black spheres would become a threat. It also depending greatly on if the Gadoni wanted to be found. Certainly, their history on Earth was not a pleasant one. Kale wouldn’t blame them if they decided against reuniting with their human brethren.
They left the city on foot, opting against the many transport options they had, either animal or Vahe. It was the first time that he had seen their grown mechanical beings as ground transport. He saw eight legged Vahe that carried people or cargo the size of a small locomotive. The sight of sixteen of these creatures in a row was impressive as they navigated the heavily forested terrain outside of the city. Kale begged Uli to stop and watch the caravan. All sixteen of them walked in unison, each one lifting and moving the same leg
s at the same time. Kale wondered if that was pure luck or if it was by design.
The road that left the city was wide, although rudimentary. There was no paving, or stone, concrete or metal. When asked about that, Uli simply said there was no need. They did their best to maintain the roads. The simplicity was overlooked though. During a break a few hours into that morning’s hike, Kale reached down and dug into the ground. Just a few inches into the dirt he found a layer of crushed rock. He smiled. They maintained a simple exterior, but this required engineering and research.
Six hours after leaving the city, they arrived at their first village. It was a farming village. Large fields towered high with different plant-like stalks, many fifteen to twenty feet high. Women and children worked the fields, either directly on the field themselves, or onboard different Vahe. Kale had now seen many different varieties of Vahe and his curiosity broke down. He needed to understand these beings.
“Are they alive?” he asked.
Uli explained the lore behind the Vahe. They were neither alive nor dead.
“They are with life, but without spirit.”
The beings grew from the ground in massive fields, all tied to each other. When they reached a certain size, Threadweavers could change how they grew from then on. They had learned that from several living creatures on the planet that also manipulated the Vahe, usually to create homes for themselves. The Threadweavers had learned this trick from the animals and took it a step further, creating tools, homes and ships from the Vahe. But unlike other animals, they had no consciousness. When an animal on Gadoni changed a Vahe, it remained mindless, but somehow, when the Threadweavers did, they were able to form a bond with humans.
“We sit with the Vahe and dream with it. In our dreams, we see what it will become and when we wake, we have set it on its path,” Uli recounted from her experiences.
To Kale everything seemed magical, mystical even. He knew there must be a real scientific explanation for it all, and maybe Gheno would know, but it all seemed supernatural to him. In the fields, women were sitting on top of a long slender Vahe that appeared to have a very wide mouth. The mouth sported long brown scythe like teeth and went through the tall stalks and harvested them. It moved along slowly on its six legs. The woman operator sat in a small depression on the top of the Vahe, her arms clearly stuck into the being itself. This, Uli showed, was how they two bonded and did what they needed.
The Lost Tribe (Sentinel Series Book 2) Page 23
