The Twisted Vine

by Alyce Caswell

  ‘How do ya know you’re not actually talking to him?’ Ala asked, her one real eye blade-thin.

  ‘It’s just pretend.’

  ‘Hmm,’ was all Ala said to that.

  Fei peered out the window as they approached their destination, a large hotel with silver cords that curled endlessly around the core of the building, reminding Fei of a twisted Bagaran Strangler. The hotel, shining so brightly it caused Fei to see its shape on the backs of her eyelids, seemed to be a newer addition to the cityscape, judging by the fact that it wasn’t decaying and decrepit like some of the other buildings crowding Atsa.

  Ala jumped out of the hovercar before it had fully stopped, clearing a path with threats and a wave of her lasgun. Fei dropped her feet onto the pavement — and then went very still. Hundreds of people were waiting for her, but one man in particular made hot fear curdle in her gut.

  ‘You alright?’ Ala shouted over the din.

  Fresh briny air streamed over Fei’s face, forcing her to blink repeatedly. The man kept watching her, his blue eyes so pale they were almost colourless. When Fei shivered, the man slowly grinned and turned away, disappearing into the crowd.

  What is he doing here? Kuja’s voice demanded.

  Fei’s jaw clenched and started aching. Do…do you know him?

  You could say that. But it’s alright. He’s decided you aren’t a threat. For now.

  Fei realised a vidcam was aimed at her so she flashed a dazzling smile. I wish I knew what it was you were actually protecting me from.

  ‘Ms Neron, Ms Neron!’ someone shouted. ‘If these rumours of a connection between TerraCorp and GLEA are true, why have you turned your back on a company sanctioned by the Creator God?’

  Fei felt her cheeks tighten, enough to make the inside of them meet the edges of her teeth. Ala grabbed her arm, trying to pull her towards the hotel, but Fei dug in her heels and swung towards the offending mediaist. ‘If the Creator God really does care about free will then he won’t have an issue with it — and enough people accept me for me, so I don’t care if one particular god doesn’t like me. I’m done denying myself to please him.’

  Fei lifted her chin, gave an imperious nod and then marched inside so quickly that Ala had to jog to keep up with her. The cool air awaiting them in the hotel lobby was a welcome change from the heat outside, but it made Fei immediately sneeze. She caught the spray on her sleeve, then belatedly realised that most of the conference attendees were staring at her. Ton Tinel was among them, the only mediaist allowed inside, his vidcam recording everything. Fei dropped her arm, mouth agape, and gave no resistance when Ala ushered her over to Bock’s side.

  The Chipper who was currently speaking to the governor had smooth dark skin and his hair lacked any silver which Fei thought unfair, given the amount he had caused to grow over her mother’s scalp. Fei was glad she had tamed her own hair with a heavy dose of chemicals that morning, keeping it far flatter than his springy mop. The differences didn’t end there — her strands were brilliant green today, matched by her eyes. His natural irises remained earthen brown.

  ‘Colonel Lilon Neron,’ Fei greeted when she was sure her voice would remain steady.

  ‘Call me “Dad”,’ Lilon requested. ‘You are well aware that I am living with your mother again. You might as well give me the same courtesy you do her.’

  Fei felt a twinge of guilt. You’re the reason I haven’t called Mum in a while.

  Bock glanced at her. ‘This true? He’s your dad? Could’ve asked him to help us out earlier.’

  ‘Oh, he barely knows he has a daughter so there wasn’t a point,’ Fei said acidly. ‘In my experience, Chippers don’t care about anyone, much less their own families.’

  Her father could have at least had the grace to look stricken, she thought.

  ‘Fei — ’ he began, his voice stern.

  Head General Huw Hunslow, much more pasty and pinched in person, coasted over to insert himself into the conversation. His lips peeled back to display several layers of teeth, his face shimmering as it struggled to accommodate his predatory smile. Hunslow was poorly disguised by an illusion projected from the device on his belt, to make him pass for human in a predominantly human organisation. Fei thought her father was attempting to pass as a decent person but with less success.

  ‘Let us be professional,’ Hunslow said. ‘This is not the time or place for personal issues — ’

  Fei opened her mouth, but Bock got in first. He laughed and patted the lasgun on his belt, a not-so-subtle warning. ‘You lot didn’t land yourself in this mess by being professional. Get in that room and into your designated seat before I decide this is all just a big waste of time and blast some extra holes in your worthless hides.’

  As if waiting for this command, the gold floor-to-wall doors of the conference room swung outwards in an ancient style, revealing a brightly-lit interior. Ala followed the other conference attendees into the room but Bock calmly waited outside, letting everyone else pass ahead of him.

  Fei cleared her throat. ‘Thank you, Bock. But I think I can fight my own battles now.’

  ‘I figured,’ he said. ‘But stark, I really like putting ’em in their place.’

  Bock held his arm out to her.

  Smiling, Fei took it and let him lead her to her fate.

  • • •

  That same potted plant inside the Chipper outpost on Saren warned Kuja when Zareth began packing. The Rforine swiftly formed a body and stomped down the hill, using the walk to query the nearby virus. It confirmed what Gerns had already told Bagara that morning — there was now a barrier in place around the town that it couldn’t cross.

  Kuja allowed a brief smile, impressed. Gerns did it, she actually did it — I’ll have to get her a drink for real this time, to celebrate.

  He made his way into the outpost’s sleeping quarters and fixed his most potent glare on the moon’s only remaining agent.

  ‘So now that Gerns has saved these people,’ Kuja said, shaking his head in disgust, ‘you’re going to leave and take the credit whenever a mediaist asks.’

  Zareth stared at his visitor, a spare purple jumpsuit dangling from one hand. ‘You can’t seriously think that’s what I’m up to. I’m going to Gerasnin — I gave it some thought and I realised I can’t change things out here on Saren. I have to do what I can to save other worlds, the ones that don’t have blackmail material to protect themselves.’

  ‘I have a feeling that Bagara considers every moon, rock and planet under his protection, regardless of their climates,’ Kuja said, his voice firm.

  ‘No sub-level god can look after that many people,’ Zareth said. ‘The galaxy’s too big for them. Us mortals have got to pitch in where we can.’

  ‘Maybe mortals aren’t meant to protect, just be protected.’

  ‘Maybe,’ Zareth echoed politely, his mind full of disagreement.

  He resumed packing his things. It didn’t take long; within ten minutes, he was bidding the townspeople farewell. Zareth told the Sarenites he would return one day with agents enough to protect the moon, either from pirates or opportunistic criminals. This didn’t seem to be an immediate problem for Saren, but Zareth’s promise made many of the townspeople emanate relief.

  Kuja watched Zareth talk to each individual who asked for his time, thinking, I wonder…I wonder if Zareth will manage to change GLEA. Is it possible that while mortals can corrupt the Agency’s purpose, a mortal can also correct it?

  Kuja accompanied Zareth to the landing pad where both men waited as another egg-shaped ship descended from the sky, its hull covered in multiple solar panels that glinted in the sunshine.

  ‘Will you go back to Fei?’ Zareth asked. ‘You don’t talk about her much, but I get the feeling…’

  Kuja shook his head.

  Zareth turned to grip Kuja’s forearms, his gaze deep and fervent. ‘Kuja, you need to pursue what you want, even if it means risking everything.’

  Kuja’s chin hit his chest. ‘I…
I have failed before.’

  ‘So you’re giving up, just like that? You can’t!’ Zareth’s hold on Kuja tightened. ‘When you failed before, did you fail because you weren’t good enough, or because you expected to fail?’

  ‘There was no way to win,’ Kuja said haltingly. ‘I didn’t want to give up but I…it was inevitable.’

  ‘Was it?’ Zareth challenged.

  As the starship came closer to the ground, nearby branches whipped to and fro, performing a frenzied dance and slapping leaves onto the ground.

  Zareth leaned further in, until their noses were almost touching. ‘Fight, Kuja. Fight because it’s the right thing to do. And who knows…you might even win.’

  The ship finally settled onto the landing pad, throwing grit over their faces. Kuja kept his feelings churning low in his gut as he waved Zareth off, but when the ship rose into the sky, it sent a solid gust of air against his midsection, dislodging everything he’d tried so hard to hide.

  Kuja clenched his fists and stamped his feet, a scream tearing out of him — raw, angry, defiant. Some plants begged him to calm down and others cheered him on, demanding retribution, but all of them carried the image of Fei, the woman who had inspired their god, the woman who was — the Creator of Worlds? Kuja paused, taken aback by the title the rainforests had given her.

  Well, she does create worlds — and she needs me right now, he realised, feeling her distress.

  He swiftly shed his body and sent a large portion of his presence over to Yalsa 5.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  The conference dragged on endlessly. Even after a short break for lunch it felt like an eternity had passed since Fei had left the warmth of her bed. She rested her chin on a bridge formed by the backs of her hands as she listened to various people repeat themselves over and over again. Her father was seated near her, much to her dismay, but between them were several bodyguards and even Ala, whose menacing mechanical eye frequently swiped in Lilon Neron’s direction, keeping him in place.

  Fei’s stomach gave an unhappy twist. Ala’s cup of coffein was throwing off the standard bitter scent, which usually wouldn’t have bothered Fei, but today it burrowed into her nostrils and deposited greasy, acrid layers. She fought the urge to double over.

  Ala looked at her. ‘You alright?’

  ‘It’s just…just nerves,’ Fei ground out, her forehead now low enough to graze the table.

  Slowly, uncertainly, something unfurled inside her, a small, curious presence that reached for her the moment it noticed she was paying attention. Joy pricked the corners of Fei’s eyes. She had to force herself to swallow the words she wanted to shout.

  When she finally managed to lift her head, Ala’s mouth was forming soundless shapes and the continuing murmurs around the table made even less sense than they had before.

  I’m pregnant, Fei thought with such conviction that she almost laughed.

  She heard a sharp intake of breath, as though Kuja was sitting beside her.

  No, he protested. No, that can’t be.

  Fei hid her smile by pretending to cough into her hand and nodded along when Ala leaned in to enquire about her wellbeing. So I wasn’t dreaming all those times. I’m sorry — I am so, so sorry — but I took the implant out weeks ago. Before you left. It was stupid and selfish and wrong.

  Why didn’t you tell me!? Kuja sounded upset. Fei had expected that, given what she’d done, but what she hadn’t expected was the undercurrent of fear in his words.

  Kuja, she said, not bothering to mask her annoyance, I’m not the only one at fault here. Clearly you were visiting me and pretending it wasn’t happening. If I’d known you were really there, I would have told you! Look, I know you’re just part of my psyche, but it would be nice if you were at least a little bit happy about this…

  I am! Kuja cried. And I would love to start a family with you — but he will come back!

  What are you talking about? Just tell me, Kuja!

  An image of the strange man who had been in the crowd outside the hotel surfaced in Fei’s mind. Her heart spasmed in fear and she grabbed the edge of the table to keep from falling off the chair that for whatever absurd reason didn’t have a supportive back. Fei had to blink several times, stunned, because suddenly there were vines entwined around her arms, keeping her anchored to the table. It was as if they’d grown right out of the wooden surface.

  A tiny blade shot out from the cuff of one of Ala’s sleeves and the other woman swiftly used it to saw through the vines. Ala then yanked Fei’s hands off the table.

  ‘Anything you want to share?’ Ala demanded, her voice a harsh whisper as she swept the remains of the plant onto the floor.

  ‘You saw that? It was real? Oh!’ Fei’s heart soared. ‘Bagara! Bagara has given me powers so that we can fight the Chippers. This is great news, Ala — we need to tell Bock — ’

  Ala’s nails dug into Fei’s flesh. ‘Tell no one. This is not what you think it is.’

  ‘But the rainforest god — ’

  A low, strangled sound corded its way out of Ala’s mouth. ‘I don’t doubt it’s the rainforest god. But I don’t think you should start splashin’ this about.’

  ‘But why else would he give — ’ Fei began.

  Ala hushed her, scowling. ‘We’ll talk about it later. Put that god out of your head for now and focus on the god that’s actually causin’ us this trouble.’

  Fei quickly projected a mask of polite agreement, which she hoped fooled Ala. Fei was certain she’d had more than enough practice doing this; she’d spent two Old Earth years convincing Moz she was actually listening to him and not staring at his mouth, wondering when it would stop moving.

  But then Bock turned towards her and she really did have to listen this time.

  Fei nodded once, getting the gist of his words, then took in the wide, round table full of people waiting to hear what she had to say. She swallowed. ‘Um. Hi. I used to work for TerraCorp but then I discovered they were bankrolling GLEA. We have proof of that now. But why not let the whole galaxy know that you are one and the same? Just be transparent. You wouldn’t have to worry about us, um, releasing the files then. You could spin this any way you want to, make yourselves look good.’

  Lilon rose from his chair, causing it to scrape over the marble floor. ‘Feiscina, you refuse to listen to our god and so feel abandoned by those who do, those who know the path the Creator God has given them to follow. You are jealous of that faith and success. Admit that this is the true reason behind this farce. Admit that you are choosing this battleground for your personal vendetta.’

  Fei raised her eyebrows at him, wondering if he expected her to shrink the way she’d always done before him. She’d suffered years of him talking over her and never bothering to understand her. Berale Neron was ten times the parent he would ever be.

  I’m a grown woman and soon I’ll have my own child, Fei thought, leaving her seat and gaining as much height against her father as possible. I will not abandon my son. I will never let him think he isn’t good enough. I had Berale. And he will have me.

  ‘Transparency.’ Fei’s voice was wispy at first and failed to rise above the mutters filling the room. So she lifted her chin and tried again. ‘Transparency. You ask transparency of me yet won’t give it yourselves. That is…disappointing.’

  Fei caught Ton Tinel’s approving nod and grinned at the mediaist. But her triumph faded when she saw her former boss, Mozel Zan, jump out of his chair.

  Moz turned away from her, to the rest of the room, and said, ‘Feiscina Neron was suffering a crisis of faith. She let her own personal doubts interfere with her work. And now she is letting those doubts create strife where there should be none. If you want transparency, there it is.’

  ‘Sit down, Mr Zan,’ Bock ordered. He worked his shoulders against the air, apparently loosening them — or getting ready for a physical fight. But his words remained carefully chosen, his genuine accent buried. ‘This isn’t about Fei. This is about the
fact that GLEA’s bankrolling TerraCorp and not being entirely forthcoming to their clients or the people they’re supposed to be looking after.’

  Ala nodded sagely. ‘Could be that GLEA’s afraid the folk they’ve hurt will stop pumpin’ coin-chips into TerraCorp once they find out the truth.’

  Moz lobbed a pleading look down the table at the TerraCorp leaders whose vinyl suits shone beneath the piped lighting. Moz might be middle management, but even he was at the mercy of his superiors. They were using him in an attempt to rattle Fei.

  She smirked. It wasn’t working.

  ‘Since you are now aware that TerraCorp belongs to GLEA…’ Lilon Neron said, his voice booming across the table. Moz seated himself hastily. ‘…it’s in your best interests to return the machines. Or there may be repercussions. Governor Atsason, just how many gangs do you have to fight a war for you? And would they? I was under the impression they are still separate factions despite being united by the man you ousted from power.’

  ‘That is not how it happened,’ Ala said icily.

  Bock’s forehead creased so much that his brow cast shadows over his eyes. ‘Are you Chippers looking to start a war? You’re insane. You’re not in charge of any governments. And not everyone’s going to let you walk all over them — some worlds even have armies larger than GLEA.’

  ‘Makes you wonder why the Chippers are so keen to get an outpost on every planet,’ Ala added. ‘They’ll end up taking over the whole starking galaxy at this rate. Is that what you’re plannin’ on doing, Head General?’

  Huw Hunslow’s pointed silence condemned the entire Agency.

  ‘Oh, I see,’ Fei said with a jagged shake of her head. ‘Stark free will. We don’t get to choose which god we worship.’

  ‘Only one god has given his people the power to protect the galaxy!’ Lilon roared.

  His hands shot out in front of him, rising until they stood above his shoulders. The table, caught inside the forcefield his chip had generated, lifted at his command and began to hover a hand’s width above the floor. Multiple conference attendees reacted in panic, pushing themselves away from the table, their chairs forming a concert of screeches.