by Lori Beery
“Getting your mother’s consent,” I said gravely.
“Why would you do this?” asked Mary with some of her husband’s cynicism.
“I am a Healer,” I replied shrugging.
“I am confused,” said Phillip frowning. “Healers do not work for free, especially this far from their home world. Why would you?”
“It is not money I want,” I stated.
They exchanged a long shocked look with each other. Then Phillip asked suspiciously, “What do you want?”
“I want you to honor your mother’s wish and continue your journey to Patros,” I said leaning closer to them. “Let her stay there if she so desires.”
Again, they eyed each other. Thoughts tumbled into the air. Shock that this Healer guessed they would cut short their journey if Mother was well. They would postpone it until she was again close to death’s door. Then, they began questioning why they had come at all. All was arranged currently, their greed said. Why change it? But love and honor asked, don’t we want what is best for her? Wouldn’t she want to be free of this cancer? Wouldn’t she be able to enjoy her last cycles more?
Into their chaos, I said, “I will do nothing without her consent.” My words drew their attention back to me. They nodded.
“We will ask her,” Phillip whispered. “Thank you for your time, Healer.”
“You’re welcome,” I said, getting to my feet as they did. Then I added, “You know where to find me.”
They nodded and made their way out of the suite.
I knew they would ask her if she wanted to be healed. I wondered what my price would cost them. They had already made travel arrangements both ways for all but one. Extended stay expenses? Lost wages at home? I didn’t know. I turned my attention to finding my Hexacle members. Silently, I sent the ‘meeting over’ message. Chamber doors swished opened within the suite. Beltrain, Marleah, and Lucera rejoined me in the common room.
Lucera stepped toward me asking, “Do you think the mother will want to be healed?”
“I am not sure,” I said shaking my head. “If she comes, she will come for pain relief. I hope she will permit the deep scan.”
“The choice is hers,” said Beltrain.
“That it is,” I responded with a nod. “Is anyone hungry?” I asked meeting their eyes. They all were. We decided to have replicated food for lunch. It is convenient and quick I thought.
Shortly after lunch, the four of us went down to Deck 2. We met up with Dulain, Jacarr and KwinJai. They told us they had not learned anything more about the Altera System. But, they did learn several locations where the first-shift bridge crew frequented when they were off duty. The places included the gym, the arcade, and the lounges which had dance floors. Apparently, physical activity was necessary for relaxation. And why not? Exercise is an effective stress reliever.
Since we had quite a while before dinner, we decided to head to the gym. Perhaps one of the game courts would be available. We knew Tile Ball was among the selections. It was one we enjoyed. Like other ball games, one team had to get the ball through the other team’s goal. In Tile Ball, throws or kicks could only be made from certain colored tiles. Those colored tiles could be changed during the course of the game. One needed quick reflexes, good eye-body coordination, visual recognition, and team work to do well. But, even then, players ended up in a heap on the floor. That occurrence increased when the number of players increased. Seven was a very good number. We usually played three to a team with a spare to substitute.
The gym was busy. The place was comfortably filled with our fellow passengers. There were a few crew members. Most likely, they were third-shifters. Sadly, all the game courts were in use. We did find one without a waiting list. So, we added my name to the reserve roster. The court would be ours after the current game was complete. Then, we stayed to watch the action. We didn’t know what was being played. It was a ball game. It seemed the ball had to bounce on the floor as the player with the ball moved across the floor. Points were scored by throwing the ball down through a ring which was parallel to the floor. The play was variable in speed. Sometimes players stood and passed the ball to their fellow team mates. Other times they darted across the court. It was fascinating!
About a turn later, the court was ours. We selected Tile Ball, agreed to random time tile change, and a two turn play time. We entered the court. Beltrain choose substitute. Marleah, Jacarr, and Dulain faced off against KwinJai, Lucera, and me. My team wore red sashes around our waists. That way, we would be able to tell who was on which team as substitutions were made.
At the end of play, the red-sash team lost by three points. A moot point really since substitutions were made without regard to team. We had a good time. Play had been challenging. We did have one pile up near the end of the game. Poor Marleah suffered a wicked floor burn from knee to mid-calf on her left leg. The rest of us had scrapes and bruises. But, thankfully, there were no major injuries.
We exited the court and headed back to our suite to get cleaned up for dinner. Tonight, we would be dinning in the main dining hall, not a restaurant. The attire was to be somewhere between formal and casual. It would, most likely, be more formal than casual.
We decided on Hexacle garb. Marleah choose an indigo dress with a skirt that fell just below her knees. The skirt had quite a lot of swirl factor. Lucera selected a simple indigo skirt that also had lots of swirl and just reached her knees. She wore a sleeveless light purple top. We men were all dressed in black trousers and indigo dress shirts. These shirts were long sleeved things that wrapped across the chest and fastened at the left shoulder and from under the left arm clear down to the hem. It was a short tunic that only reached the upper thigh. From the left shoulder, a black tab hung down. On that tab, we wore our Hexacle medal, the six white stones set at the vertices of a hexagon upon a silver circular disk. The ladies had decided to wear theirs as pendant necklaces. Mine differed from the others because it included a purple stone set in the center. Also, I wore my Healer medal from the black tab hanging from my right shoulder. That was a gold metal shield with a gold winged staff entwined with a viper on a green field. It was a larger replica of my ring.
Once we were ready, we trooped off to the main deck. This was where we had entered when we first boarded the ship. The main lobby was here as well as the main dining room. Extending toward the lobby, was the line to enter the dining hall. I guessed it was better to be early or very late than to be fashionably late. In any case, we were waiting for a table.
We soon learned that guests were getting to meet the Captain. People could even get a physical image of themselves with him. Quite a memento of their trip. Presently, we were next. It was clear from the crew’s surprised expressions that they recognized our uniforms.
Stepping forward and taking the Captain’s hand in a handshake I said, “Good evening, Captain. Allow me to present my Hexacle.” I waved them forward. The first to reach me was Dulain. “Captain, this is Dulain, Jacarr, KwinJai, Beltrain, Marleah, and Lucera. And I am Hexator Nickoli.” The captain nodded and shook their hands as I had introduced them. Then, he shook my hand.
“Greetings to you all. I’m Captain Lawrence. This is my communications officer, Lt. Dresdan, and this is my helmsman, Lt. Faber,” he said indicating the man on his right and then, the woman on his left respectively. “We don’t often have such esteemed guests,” he finished smiling.
I returned his smile and nodded, “I hope you will honor me with some of your time when it is convenient for you.”
“Perhaps, tomorrow evening?”
“That would be fine. Thank you Captain,” I said, inclining my head respectfully before ushering my friends into the dining hall. The room was huge. The tables were draped in cloth and topped with lots of dishes. It had a very formal feeling, just as I had expected.
Marleah took my arm. “Hexator Nickoli,” she whispered, “they are seating people as they have entered into the hall at tables for eight,” she continued. “If we are seated together, we wi
ll split up a couple.”
“Let us avoid that. Let’s split into three groups. Marleah, you and Dulain go on ahead. Then, Beltrain, Jacarr and KwinJai will enter. Lucera and I will go in last. That way, we can speak with more people and see what we can learn.”
Before long, Lucera and I were next in line. The hostess led us to a table just beyond where the boys were seated. As we took seats that faced the rest of the room, the hostess whispered her thanks that we had split up our party. We nodded our acknowledgement and turned to watch our table fill up. They were Azulians. They had white hair and lightly blue-tinged skin. They were three sets of couples. The youngest couple sat across from us. The other two couples were older. The ladies sat furthest from us. From their banter, it was clear they were well acquainted with each other.
“Good evening,” I said politely when it looked like they had settled in. “I am Nickoli and this is Lucera,” I said.
They went silent. Then the young man across from us said, “I am J’rel. This is my wife Sutra. These are Sutra’s parents, M’drin and Trania,” he said indication the couple beyond Sutra. Turning to the couple next to him, he continued saying, “These are my parents, B’trel and Deela.”
Smiling, both Lucera and I nodded to each as they were introduced. “It is nice to make your acquaintance,” I said. They nodded politely, but made no additional verbal response.
Sadly, Azulains are a people who lack mental shields. This means their thoughts overflow into the air around them. They are easily heard by anyone with a modicum of ability. Unfortunately, these Azulains were not very comfortable around non Azulains. They didn’t like sharing the table with ‘pink skins’. Nor did they want to spend time speaking with us. That is except J’rel. He spent the vast majority of the meal wondering who we were. He had noticed our attire. His speculations were amusing and nowhere near the mark. Lucera and I had to pay close attention to know when the thoughts we heard were actually being voiced.
“Excuse me Nickoli,” he began well into the main course. “It seems you are wearing a uniform.”
“Yes, of a sort,” I said.
“I have never seen anything like that,” he replied pointing at me like a child.
“Have you traveled from Azulia much?” I interjected.
“No, this is our first trip off world. It is our marriage journey,” he explained. “We are going to Thendara Station to visit some of our relations. It has been a very long time since we have seen them”.
“We wish you a safe and pleasant journey,” replied Lucera.
“Where are you going?” asked J’rel.
“We are traveling to the Altera System,” said Lucera.
“Where is that?” said J’rel
“It is out in the frontier near the rim,” I answered.
“Why would you want to go there?” the family chorused disparagingly.
“We are going there to work and live,” Lucera responded. Her comment was met with derisive remarks about our sanity and thoughts less polite.
“What do you know about the frontier?” I asked pointedly. They swiveled their heads to look at each other grumbling as they did so.
“It is the frontier!” exclaimed M’drin. “It is a very dangerous place.”
“Yes, it is unknown,” I responded. “The unknown is a dangerous place. Would you consider Thendara Station to be unknown and, therefore, dangerous?”
Silence met my question. Then, J’rel spoke, “It is unknown to us. But, since we have family there, it is less unknown.”
“It helps to have something familiar in the unknown,” I agreed. “Do you think traveling on this vessel is dangerous?”
“No,” they responded.
“It travels within the empire and is safe,” said M’drin emphatically. The others nodded their agreement.
I smiled and turned to Lucera. “Have you seen any Imperial Cruisers during this leg of our journey?” I asked her.
“I have not,” she answered shaking her head.
“What makes here safer than the frontier?” I inquired. “Are we not traveling in space away from everything that is familiar?”
“It is safe!” exclaimed M’drin again. The others made emphatic sounds while their thinking became less confident.
“Perhaps, it is safe because the unsafe elements have been removed and those who live and travel here respect Imperial Jurisdiction,” suggested J’rel. The others agreed with this comment. Their thoughts indicating their reestablished ‘safe’ views.
“Ah, perhaps that is so,” I replied. I looked over at Lucera. She met my eyes with a slight smile. ‘It is amazing how naïve people can be. I wonder how the people of the Altera System feel about their own safety,’ I thought to her.
‘A good question. Maybe they are looking to us to provide it,’ she returned.
‘I hope that is not the case. I hope it is a more cooperative venture,’ I sent.
‘So, another mystery?’ she concluded.
I nodded slightly as I picked up my fork to finish eating my desert. Shortly thereafter, the meal concluded. Our tablemates drifted away without any further remarks. We rose and joined the others of my Hexacle. Then, we became part of the throng exiting the dining hall. As we moved, we discussed our dinner conversations. Each group had similar experiences regarding the Altera System and people fearing the frontier.
“How did you deal with the ‘uniform’ question?” Jacarr asked modifying the subject.
Lucera laughed. “He stopped it from happening,” she said pointing at me.
“What?” they all gasped at me.
“What did you do?” asked Marleah
“I asked him a question before he could ask his,” I said with a shrug. “Since, he was the only one with any curiosity about us, speaking about himself was far more comfortable for him.”
“So, how did you deal with it?” Lucera asked looking at Jacarr.
“We told them it meant we were members of a Hexacle,” he stated.
“Yes, and?” I prompted when it became obvious he wasn’t going to continue.
“They were all surprised and curious about our destination,” he replied
“And that’s when you learned they didn’t know anything about the Altera System and that they feared the frontier,” supplied Dulain.
“Yes, exactly!” exclaimed KwinJai. “You, too?”
“Yes,” nodded Marleah.
“So, what now?” asked Beltrain.
“Let’s return to the suite so we can remove the ‘uniform’ issue from the equation,” I said. “Then, we can visit some of the lounges.” There was a chorus of agreeing voices.
We called a halt to our lounge expedition at the thirty-sixth turn. We had learned quite a few of the popular dances. Met a number of interesting people. We truly enjoyed our outing, even though none of our companions knew anything about the Altera System. Upon returning to our suite, we were pleased to get to our beds before the new day could add a turn; a rare occurrence since the start of our journey.
Chapter 4
There was smoke in the air. It billowed thickly from a house. Flames licked at the windows and door frames. Screams echoed from within the structure, panic evident in the sound. Fear became a tangible entity. It danced with the smoke. It taunted me to come and dance with it too.
Instantly, I came awake. Leaping free of my bed, I headed to Lucera’s chamber. She was having her nightmare again. “Lucera!” I yelled both mentally and verbally. “Wake up!” I entered her room and quickly crossed to her bed. Taking her by the shoulder, I shook her. “Lucera, wake up! That night is in the past. Come back to the present. Awake!”
Her blue eyes snapped open. Then confusion clouded them and fear shadowed them as she worriedly looked about. “Wh – what happened?” she asked breath coming in gasps.
“You are alright. You are in your bed aboard the Paradise. You are fine,” I told her soothingly, sinking to kneel next to her bed.
“I had my nightmare, didn’t I?” she ask
ed finding my eyes.
“You did,” I replied.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you,” she said contritely.
“Lucera, you had a nightmare. You do not control them,” I told her. I held my palm toward her to stop her from speaking. “You are not and have never been responsible for your family dying in that fire all those years ago. And it is not wrong for you to have survived and not them. It is also not wrong to miss them. I have measures in place to alert me when certain gifts could trigger. That is why I awoke.”
“The imager gift?” she asked softly.
“Yes, that very one,” I said with a smile as I tweaked her nose.
“When are you going to teach me?” she asked, wonder and excitement building.
“Not until after breakfast. So, you should get back to sleep,” I said as I rose from beside her bed.
“But… I’m afraid to go back to sleep,” she whispered shrinking away.
“I know. How about sleep without dreams?” I asked.
“That would be great,” she said more confidently, moving to get comfortable.
“Good thing I’m a Healer,” I said as I nudged her into a deep, dreamless sleep. I pulled her covers up to her chin and crossed the room to the door. Noticing Marleah was awake, I asked, “Are you alright, Marleah?”
“Yes, I’m fine. I didn’t wake up until you were coming through the door,” she said groggily.
“Hmm, I suppose I could have been quieter. My apologies,” I responded.
“It’s fine. I’ll have no problem going back to sleep,” she replied. “But can we all learn about the imager gift?”
“Not until after breakfast,” I told her.
“Okay,” she said with a yawn. She wasn’t kidding about not having any trouble going back to sleep. She just rolled over and fell into deep slumber, no assistance necessary. Shaking my head, I made my way to my own bed.
*****
After breakfast, we gathered around the table in the common room of our suite. I placed a mug in the center of the table.
“I have a challenge for you,” I told my Hexacle. “Replicate the mug to the best of your ability.”
