by S. G. Basu
Maia flinched. “Security system? Emmy barely needs a reason to—”
“It won’t have anything to do with you. Trust me. Hans will find a way to make it sound spontaneous.”
“Trust me, Dani. Emmy will find a way to make a point about how defenseless I am. She always does.”
Dani chuckled and tugged Maia’s arm. “It’ll be okay. Come on, let’s go in.”
It was close to nightfall, and Maia walked into the sitting area expecting a dimly lit room, a low fire in the grates, maybe more than just one candle burning on the table in honor of the visitors. As they stepped through the door, the bright white light made her stop and stare in amazement. It bathed every corner of the small room, spilled through the open entrance, and washed away the every-day shadows. The source of the beautiful light was a small box that Hans was in the process of setting up on the table. It looked like a small silver lantern with glass windows surrounding it on all sides. At the center of it sat a glowing white globe. Dada and Emmy stood next to Hans, watching in hushed reverence, their eyes wide with wonder.
“That’s a LumTorch. Once charged in the Challowist farms, that little globe can emit light for ten days,” Dani whispered, her voice bubbling with excitement. Seeing Maia’s perplexed face, she went on to explain. “The Challowist farms are energy farms. Well, I don’t want to drive you crazy with too much detail right now; you’ll see the farms when you visit us.”
Waiting until later was definitely a good idea, Maia thought. Her head was swimming. Since the days of the final challenge in the Xifarian phase, things had been happening around her. And while she expected a gazillion wonders in the Jjordic settlements, she was not ready just yet.
“Maia, there you are.” Hans walked over to the two girls with a smile that was far more luminous than the LumTorch. The dimples on his cheeks were still as charming, and his hair was longer now, falling in dark gold waves to his shoulders. His eyes, a shade deeper than Dani’s, shone with kindness. “You look all grown up. Whatever happened to the little girl I met a few months ago?”
Maia felt warm, and she knew a blush had flooded her cheeks. She looked for a place where she could safely fix her gaze.
“I haven’t grown any taller,” she squeaked when she managed to find her voice. She had been a little upset with that particular fact for a while now, especially since all of her friends had easily managed to add some length to their frames over the last few months. Maia was sure that she would be the shortest of them all.
“I didn’t mean it that way.” Hans found a perch on the arm of a chair and smiled reassuringly. “It’s your eyes, Maia . . . those are the eyes of a brave and capable young woman.”
“Things . . . have happened,” Maia said slowly, thinking of all the situations she had been through since meeting Hans a few months ago—the attack of the R’armimon, the Xifarian chancellor’s threats, the message from Sophie. Maia knew her experiences had made a difference in her, and she wondered if it was indeed a change so easy to spot.
“All of you have been through a lot on Xif,” Hans said in a warm, earnest tone. “I’m glad to see you’re holding up well, and you look strong and confident.”
“My little girl is brave, Hans.” Dada had stepped closer to the group as they talked. He beamed at Maia. “And I know I have no reason to worry with friends like you around.”
“Of course, she’s very capable, sir. They all are,” Hans replied. Maia held her breath, hoping that Hans would not linger on this topic. Hans changed the subject quickly enough. “They had so much fun together on Xif that Dani already missed her friends. She kept begging me to let her visit Maia. I hope you won’t mind her staying here for a few days?”
“Dani can stay here with us for as long as she wants. I’m sure there’s nothing Maia would love more than to have her friend here,” Dada said with a broad smile. “You will stay too, I hope?”
“I really wish I could, but . . .”
“Hans has to get back to work,” Dani explained. “I’m so glad we made this trip though, we had a blast traveling to Appian. Didn’t we, Hans?”
They settled down around the fireplace as Dani chattered with excitement, narrating her first ever over-land travel. The conversation drifted to a variety of topics, Hans and his work, Appian and its people, and, of course, the Alliance Initiative. Soon, it was time for dinner. Everyone did justice to the sumptuous meal—roasted potatoes, skewered seafowl, and Emmy’s special spiced bread.
Hans had plans to leave for Zagran early the next morning, so he soon retired. Maia helped Dani unpack, and with the incessant chat, everything took longer than expected.
“Oh, Maia,” Dani squealed midway into her unpacking. “I forgot to show you this.”
She pulled out a piece of paper from her travel-box and waved it eagerly in Maia’s direction.
“What is it?” Maia leaned forward to look.
The paper was honey-colored and the words stylishly scripted.
The Alliance Initiative—A Grand Success
The first phase of the Initiative was concluded with great fanfare with the winners being presented with medals of honor by the chancellor of Xif. Twenty teams have been chosen to advance to the Jjordic phase. Stay tuned for more news as these fearless youngsters continue their journey.
“The time we spent on Xif will be the most memorable of our lives, our team unanimously agrees. None of us expected to learn so much, yet have so much fun and find new friends among people we would have never met if not for the Initiative.” — Core 21, Winners, Xifarian phase.
“This is about us,” Maia said breathlessly. “Where did you get this?”
“They were mailed to every house in the Colonies,” Dani replied, rolling her eyes and shaking her head. “And not once, but three times already in the past week. People are totally tired of this publicity overload.”
Maia found it odd that there was no such buildup around Appian. Xifarian propaganda never reached her village. There was something strange about her village and it probably had to do with the Resistance, the Solianese rebels who opposed the Xifarian domination of Tansi.
“And did you recognize that quote?” Dani asked. “That’s from our final paper, remember?”
Maia nodded, recalling the last task they had been assigned during the Xifarian phase—to write about their experiences on Xif. The two girls sat up for the longest time reminiscing the good times and speculating about the upcoming months. It was not until Emmy came by and bade them to turn out the lights that they finally went to sleep.
5: The Candy Shop
Hans was already up and about when Maia and Dani came down to the kitchen the next morning. He had been working since daybreak, Emmy informed the two girls, putting up a “perimeter shield” around the house. Apparently, Hans had found it bizarre that houses on Appian had so little security. Luckily enough, he also just happened to have enough hardware and tools with him to install a basic system along the farmhouse fence. Dada had no reason to disagree to his proposal of setting up a shield, Emmy was ecstatic, and Herc was not given a chance to speak. So, Hans had set off on his mission.
“Finally, I find someone who is bothered by the lack of security around here,” Emmy declared a little too loudly, raising a triumphant eyebrow at the figure seated at the table. Herc was bent over a plate of food, his face scrunched up in annoyance. He made a dismissive grunt at the comment, and Emmy smiled smugly at her slouching opponent. Dani broke into a giggle as Maia sighed; fervently hoping that Dani would not motivate Emmy any more.
Maia slipped out of the kitchen, dragging a still-giggling Dani behind her. As they walked out to the porch, Maia decided to settle the matter.
“Dani, please don’t aid Emmy in this. If she could, she would keep me locked up in a room. I’ll die if you guys expect me to stay indoors for the next few days,” Maia said in one feverish breath.
“Oh, come on, Maia. You are overreacting.” Dani tried her best to reassure her friend in-between giggle
s. “Don’t you worry; I plan to have plenty of fun with you in Appian. Too bad I missed the trip to Shiloh. Now, let’s find out what Hans has been up to.” Dani strode down the porch steps in search of her brother, followed by a half-calmed and half-anxious Maia.
They did not find him in front of the house, so Maia led Dani toward the stable at the back. Halfway to their destination, something large and silvery sitting near the side of the house made Maia stop and squint.
It looked like a large upside-down saucer, not quite round but more of an oval with a pinched middle. The frame of the body sat on tiny wheels that ringed the entire rim. The top of the saucer was transparent, while the rest of the body was silvery white, and a pair of blue stripes spanned it from head to tail.
“That, my friend, is the one my brother has given his heart to, the one who has his eternal allegiance. Don’t you dare touch her or give her the evil eye, for if you do, you risk my brother’s everlasting wrath.” Dani gestured at the vehicle with a flamboyance that reminded Maia of Geir-Sei, the melodramatic vice principal of the Xifarian Defense Academy or the XDA. “Maia, I present to you the ‘Hansmobile.’”
Now it was Maia’s turn to burst into a fit of giggles as Dani tiptoed to the vehicle and imitated Hans professing his eternal love to the Hansmobile.
“Please don’t believe everything my sister tells you, Maia.” They had not noticed Hans emerge through the kitchen doors. “I just happen to like this Aqumob a little, that’s all.”
“Words cannot capture the depth of his feelings, Maia, believe me,” Dani said in a mock whisper. “You know who this reminds me of? Our distinguished and cranky mentor on Xif and his Raptor.”
It was good that Dani had brought it up; Maia did not want to be the only one to remember how proud Miir had been of Shadow, his Onclioraptor.
During the Xifarian phase, Core 21 had been placed under the guidance of a senior from the Xifarian Defense Academy that hosted the Alliance Initiative. This senior, Miir, was also one of the scouts who had recruited Maia. Although Maia and her teammates shared at best a tumultuous relationship with their sixteen-year-old mentor, there was no denying that he was a prodigy of a pilot and one of the best students at the XDA. He was also related to the high and mighty of Xifarian society, being the son of the Xifarian chancellor, the supreme ruler of Xif.
“I still don’t understand why you should talk of Miir that way, Dani,” Hans protested. “I found him most amiable, and he was the one who helped Maia and Ren, if you care to remember.”
“I do, dear brother.” Dani continued to argue; she was not about to give up so easily. Dani’s spirited exchanges with her brother made Maia smile. The usually quiet girl was always remarkably lively with Hans. “But I also remember that Miir didn’t even think of saying good-bye to us. I find that quite rude and very unpleasant.”
“I would rather not fight about this at all,” Maia commented solemnly. “We’re never going to see him again, so who cares whether he is nice or not?”
“I wouldn’t be so sure, Maia,” Dani said. “Of course, we’ll get a new mentor for the Jjordic phase, but with Miir’s talents, I’m quite sure he’ll rise through the ranks of Xifarian leadership. And if that happens, given the ideas the chancellor had about us, we’ll surely cross paths soon.”
The trio fell silent for a while before Dani spoke again.
“Hans, you should definitely take Maia out for a ride when we’re in Zagran. She needs to see how wonderful the Hansmobile is, won’t you, please?”
“All right, I will,” Hans chuckled. “I have to get ready now. And please don’t bother her while she is foraging.”
Dani laughed as Hans disappeared into the house.
“The Aqumob’s power supply comes from the sunlight it stores in its solar packs. That’s what he means by foraging, in case you are wondering. Let’s give her some privacy while she has her breakfast, shall we?”
Maia and Dani spent some time walking around the house as Hans left to prepare for his trip back to Zagran. After all good-byes had been said, and all directions about the perimeter shield conveyed to Dani, Hans got into his gleaming Aqumob. The engine started with a soft purr as the glass top closed noiselessly. A set of tiny jets erupted from the edge of the wheels that lined the rim of the vehicle. As the jets grew louder, the cushions of air around the Aqumob raised the vehicle a little so that it hovered above the ground. Hans waved, and a loud growl of the engine later, he vanished in a flash of silver and blue.
“He’s off to Zagran, is he?” Herc asked Dani later as the girls sat watching him feed the horses.
“Yes, he’ll enter the porthole for T’ra— that’s where our home is,” Dani explained. “From there he’ll take the Transoceanic Highway 25 that goes straight up to Zagran.”
“Transoceanic Highway? And this highway is under water, right?” Maia asked.
“Yes, it is. There’s a sizeable mesh of roads and highways under the seas. They’re all enclosed in super resilient materials and laid out to form a grid of paths connecting all our settlements,” Dani explained.
“Mus’ be beautiful down there,” Herc said. He had been listening with rapt attention.
“It is quite beautiful,” Dani said softly, and fell silent for a moment. “Maybe when the Initiative is over, all of you can come visit us. I’ll show you around T’ra. You’ll love it.”
“Why, thank you, Miss Dani. I woulda love it.” Herc grinned. “But now we need to show you ’round our Appian, don’ we, Miss Maia?”
Maia nodded vigorously. Appian was small, rather dull compared to the spectacular underwater settlements, but she wanted to show Dani the places she loved and treasured.
After a hearty breakfast of stringed potatoes, poached eggs, and cured seafowl meat, Maia decided to take Dani out on a tour of the village. Herc was confident that the two girls would be fine by themselves, but Emmy’s insistent pleas won Dada over. So, after the girls were wrapped in hooded coats to safeguard against the light chill, the three headed toward Appian’s famous candy shop.
The trio walked along Market Street, a narrow paved road lined on both sides with rows of quaint and pretty shops, their walls painted in bright colors. Appian was a rather sleepy place; men and women went about their daily chores at a relaxed pace. Herc had to stop for some supplies at the food store, so the two friends continued their journey to the candy shop without him. They walked to the end of the street where the road made a twisty turn toward the East-West high roads. Studded across this turn were a few shops; the smallest had a lopsided sign that read, “Mama Bililo’s Candy.” Maia strode toward its worn door that stood open on its well-oiled hinges.
They had almost reached the door when a flash of orange and yellow emerged from inside, streaked past the girls’ feet, and disappeared among the shops on the other side of the road. A flying broomstick came next, tracing an ambitious path through the air, and landed noisily on the pavement. The flash of orange was Chico, the resident tabby cat of the candy shop. A robust voice that exuded effortlessly from inside of the shop promised things of great misfortune for the escaped feline.
“Watch out,” Maia cautioned her friend, stepping closer to the doorway gingerly, ready to dodge any other projectile that might come their way. “Anything can happen at the Bililo’s.”
The duo walked in guardedly. The legendary Mama Bililo sat crouched on her bench behind a wall of huge glass tubs full of colorful candy, her hands clamped over her ears. Time and again, she looked with annoyance at the back door of the shop, which opened into the house and the candy factory beyond. It was from the other side of this door that the stout voice continued its long tirade against the plots of the evil cat and the people who had brought that source of mischief home. On seeing Maia and Dani at the doorway, Mama Bililo flashed a wide, toothy grin. She was well built on a smallish frame and looked young for her fifty years.
“Maia, come in,” she welcomed, smiling sheepishly, “don’t mind my sister. She is mad at that thief
of a cat. I don’t understand why Chico does it, he is so well fed. Sometimes I suspect that he steals for the thrill of it all. Poch never should’ve brought that tabby home.”
It was about four years ago on a rainy afternoon that Mama Bililo’s youngest son, Poch, rescued a bunch of stray kittens from the Woods of Penning. No one knew where they came from, but the whole village impinged on the little candy store to help raise the tiny ones. Two of the infant sisters never made it through that night. Little Chico survived and so did his brother, the equally troublesome Dusty whom Maia adopted. The third kitten found a home in neighboring Shiloh.
“And who is this, Maia, a friend of yours?” asked Mama Bililo as threatening sounds continued to stream through the open doorway.
“Yes, this is my friend Dani from—”
“The seas, I think,” Mama Bililo finished the sentence, and Maia nodded. “Will she be staying for a while in our little village?”
“Yes,” Dani replied quickly, “I will be here until—”
“Maia leaves for that contest or peace summit or whatever.” Mama Bililo was not shy about finishing Dani’s sentence either.
“Now, Maia, what would you like today?” The woman did not wait for Maia’s answer though. “I think you’ll have your usual, the ginger candy. And you’ll want a little more today to share with your friend here, am I right?”
“Yes, you are,” Maia replied, counting the coins. “I’d like two sacks of candy please.”
“That’s so sweet of you, darling.” Mama Bililo handed each of them a bag full of ginger candy. “Here you go. See if you like our grubby sweets, little girl from the seas.”
“And oh, Maia,” Mama Bililo exclaimed as the two girls were about to leave. “If you see Herecule, tell him to go to the mouth of the power grid, please. Poch and his boys are trying to fix some stuff up there, and they said they could use some help.”
6: The Mouth of the Power Grid
