The Entean Saga - The Complete Saga

by C B Williams

  “Never fear,” Kalea said. “We will all count them tomorrow morning. Wren said you were both going on a run.”

  “Yes, early.”

  “Tap on my door when you’re back, and I’ll come by to fix your hair, and then the three of us can breakfast together before we take off.”

  “That will be perfect.”

  “Good,” Kalea said. “Good night, Perin. Rest well.”

  The pair waited until Perin had skillfully opened her door panel and entered her room.

  Chapter 5

  Nuri In Cryo

  Since they were the most experienced, Wade and Aiko went into the sleep first.

  “Who’s next?” Mink asked while she turned on the Cryo bed next to Aiko. She had begun the sequencing checks when she noticed the silence filling the room and raised an eyebrow.

  Wren considered Genji and Kalea, who seemed focused on each other. “I think that’s my bed,” she said and released Eloch’s hand. She moved alongside the bed and stood beside Mink, gently tapping the side of the unit. “This is new,” she told her. “I’m not too good with not having control of a situation.”

  Mink nodded. “You saw how easily it worked with Wade and Aiko,” she said. “Granted, they’ve done this before, and I do remember my first time, wondering if I’d ever wake up.”

  “Exactly,” Wren said.

  “You will wake up, Wren. Guaranteed,” Eloch said softly.

  She glanced at him. “Okay,” she said and swallowed. “Let’s do this.”

  She took off her robe. Underneath was the dark blue Cryo suit, the hood resting at the nape of her neck. She fastened her coilmats into a tail and climbed into the cylindrical bed, using the footrest as she had seen Aiko and Wade do. With Mink’s help, she settled on to the soft bed, and Mink began attaching the hoses to the fittings on the suit. “Time to pull up the hood, Wren, and say nighty-night.”

  Wren swallowed and looked up at Eloch, who had come to her other side.

  He picked up her hand and cradled it between his own. My love, we will still be able to connect, he said into her mind.

  Even in this sleep state?

  Even then.

  Slipping her hand from his warm grasp, she nodded and drew the hood over her head, leaving only the top half of her face exposed.

  Mink adjusted the formula flow. “Okay, Wren. I’m going to slide the hood shut, and you’ll soon be asleep. See you in three years, fit and fine,” she added with a smile.

  The hood slid shut. Wren watched their faces fog and warp through the thick plastic dome. Then the cold hit, and she knew why both Wade and Aiko gasped. She had never felt as cold as she felt in that moment, even during that terrible time on Spur when she lay naked, beaten, her back one massive wound and exposed to the elements, by the fountain with The Lady. She welcomed the numbing that spread through her body as she relaxed into a sleep so deep and unnatural, she doubted Eloch could reach her. But by then it was too late to say a word.

  With Wren asleep, Mink readied the next Cryo bed. She glanced at Eloch, who still stood by Wren’s side, his expression unreadable. “She’s fine, Eloch.”

  “I know,” he said, not looking at Mink. “I’m just not sure if I will be,” he added to himself.

  Mink turned toward the remaining pair. “Which one of you is it going to be?” she asked, gesturing to the bed beside Wren.

  Genji smiled. “I’ll go next. This isn’t the first time for me, either.” He looked at Kalea, “You can watch me and see how easy it is.”

  “I have been watching, Genji, and I know it is easy. But...” she paused. “I am uncertain.”

  “Everybody is the first time,” Mink said.

  Genji laughed. “So true,” he said as he expertly slid into the bed. Kalea stood at his side, looking down at him while Mink attached the hoses. “That’s exactly what I want to see when I open my eyes in three years. I love you, Kalea,” he said, pulling his hood in place.

  “I love you, too, kind Genji,” she whispered as the lid slid shut.

  A few moments later, Genji was sleeping peacefully. Kalea stood watching him, her hands resting on the lid. His initial gasp had frightened her, and when his eyes flew open, it frightened her even more. They sought her out, and she watched his eyes close again, his face and body relax as the Cryo sleep state enveloped him.

  “Okay, Kalea,” Mink said. “It’s your turn.”

  Feeling empty, she nodded and crossed to the bed Mink had prepared. But something felt wrong. She hissed and whipped around toward Genji’s bed just as a warning signal sounded, its shrill tone accompanying her hiss. “What’s that?” she asked and raced over to Genji’s bed, peering in through the hood.

  “Stand aside, Kalea,” Mink ordered while she rushed to the readout pad by the machine. “It says he’s awake. Unstable.” She looked inside the hood. “But he looks fine. There must be a malfunction with this particular bed. We’re going to have to wake him up and put him in a different one. Good thing we’ve got plenty.”

  “No,” Kalea said. “It’s the Nuri,” she said, noticing the lizard-like slits when Genji’s eyes flashed open. “The Nuri is not asleep.” She gasped. “He’s going to change!”

  She looked at Mink. “Stand back,” she commanded. “He is very dangerous. The Nuri is frightened. A frightened Nuri attacks. Maybe—”

  There was no time. Instead of explaining what she intended, she simply shifted into her Nuri form. The room was suddenly too cramped, so she kept her wings folded closely to her side. In her Nuri form, she reached out to Genji’s Nuri. It was very frightened, unable as it was to connect with Genji. She tried to soothe it with small hisses, but it refused to calm itself.

  It felt trapped. Caged. It wanted out. It’s breaking out.

  Plastic shattered and metal groaned as Genji’s Nuri exploded out of the Cryo bed, wings unfurling, neck snaking as the bed’s hoses whipped around it and spewed fluid, which instantly froze whatever and wherever it landed.

  Mink cried out as she was thrown against the adjacent bed, her arm shielding her face from the fluid.

  Kalea hissed at the Nuri, and it whipped its head toward the sound. The Nuri did not recognize her, seeing only a potential threat. It snaked its head, the thick throat muscles undulating as it prepared to breathe its fire.

  Terror hammered through her. Even in her Nuri form, she would be badly injured. And the others! Helpless in their Cryo beds! Hoping to draw the Nuri away, Kalea moved swiftly toward the exit, steeling herself for the pain from the blast.

  “Hold!” a deep voice commanded.

  Kalea froze in mid-step. She could do nothing else.

  The room went silent, as if time stood still. For several moments, nothing happened. All Kalea could hear was the bellows-like breathing of the Nuri, which was behind her exposed back.

  Cautiously, Kalea turned her head and hissed in surprise.

  Genji’s Nuri stood quietly with its head bowed, frill flattened, and wings folded, gently breathing into Eloch’s palms.

  She hissed again and returned to her human form. Slowly, she crept to Eloch and stood behind his broad back.

  “It’s okay now,” he told her in a calm, low tone.

  “How?”

  He shot her a sidelong glance. “I’ve had experience with dragons. On Entean.”

  “But how? I tried to reach him, and I couldn’t do it.”

  “You were trying to reach Genji-as-Nuri, Kalea. This is not Genji. This is a beast. A dragon. It needed to be soothed as one would soothe a beast.”

  “I-I tried that. It wouldn’t listen to me.”

  Eloch shook his head. “I’m not sure, Kalea, if you can separate the two things. All you know is Nuri. You are Nuri and you see a oneness, but with Genji asleep...” His voice trailed off as he concentrated again on the beast.

  Kalea was quiet, feeling Eloch’s power. “I think,” she said slowly, “there is more to this than you knowing how to soothe beasts.”

  “Perhaps. Come, let�
�s take this dragon someplace more comfortable. Give it something to do.”

  “Genji?”

  “I believe Genji is safely asleep. When he wakens, he will be able to shift. Mink can—"

  They both looked over to where Mink lay huddled under the Cryo bed where she had been thrown, her eyes squeezed shut.

  “Go,” Kalea said. “I will stay here with Mink.”

  Eloch looked at the Nuri. Some kind of silent exchange happened between them, and then he turned. The Nuri dutifully followed Eloch out of the Cryo lab, nearly wedging itself in the doorframe.

  Kalea slipped on a lab coat to cover her nakedness and knelt down by Mink, afraid to touch her.

  Mink was breathing softly, which made Kalea relax. Until Mink moaned.

  Kalea touched her shoulder. “Mink?”

  Mink’s eyes fluttered open and slowly focused. “Kalea?” she groaned. “What happened?”

  “Genji went to sleep, but his Nuri didn’t. Genji shifted into the Nuri form, but there was no Genji to control it and it went mad with fear. I was helpless to calm it, but Eloch could. Can you sit up? Are you hurt?”

  “Where don’t I hurt?” Mink replied with a grunt. “But I think I can sit up.” She started to push herself up and immediately cried out and collapsed. “Maybe I need some help,” she gasped.

  “Your arm.”

  “Yes, yes, I see. Don’t worry. Help me up.”

  With Kalea’s help, Mink managed to slip onto one of the chairs placed haphazardly around the Cryo lab.

  “Your arm,” Kalea said again.

  “It’s been frozen, Kalea. But accidents happen, and all Cryo labs are equipped with med kits that can heal this.” She nodded to a black med kit attached to a wall. “If you’ll fetch one of those, I can take care of it right now.”

  Kalea nodded and rose to get the kit. When she returned, she noticed the beads of sweat on Mink’s forehead. “Why don’t you sit back and tell me what to do.” She drew up another chair next to Mink and opened the kit.

  While Mink described to Kalea what steps to take, Kalea soon had Mink’s arm wrapped in a casing, which was programed to slowly bring the frozen limb back to body temperature.

  “It mainly takes time,” Mink explained. “And when this casing comes off, my arm will look dreadful—all black and blue—but that’s just the blood circulating and cleaning out the dead cells. Good thing I won’t be going into Cryo for another three years or so. My arm couldn’t take it. An injury like this takes a full eighteen months to heal completely.” She grimaced. “Hurts like a sonofabitch. Can you hand me one of those pain relief injects? Should have done that first.”

  As the pain relief meds took effect, Mink and Kalea considered the damage and debris, which was all that was left of the exploded Cryo bed.

  “Should have been worse,” Mink commented.

  Kalea nodded. “Plastic and metal were flying everywhere but”—she nodded over at the beds where their three companions slept—“look how it all stops and lands in a line right before it can touch any of the others. How?” She paused, thinking. “Oh— Of course. Eloch.”

  “Eloch,” Mink agreed. She took a breath. “I’m sure they’re fine, but I want to double-check to make sure they are. Come with me, will you? Still too light-headed.” She looked at Kalea. “You need to learn all this stuff anyway. I was serious when I said everyone should know how to work the beds.”

  “Not a problem for me,” Kalea said. “I love learning new things.” She sobered. “Genji?”

  “If he was a normal human, I would say Genji will wake up on his own when all the Cryo fluids flush out of his system,” she said as Kalea helped her over to Wade’s bed, “about a year or so from now. And he would need immediate medical attention.”

  She pointed to the bed’s control panel. “Wade checks out. See how all the readouts are somewhere in the middle range?” She waited for Kalea’s nod of understanding. “That’s what we want. If they are too extreme on either side of that range, we have a problem. Let’s check Aiko and then Wren.”

  As Kalea helped her toward Aiko’s bed, Mink nodded at her arm. “Genji will be like my arm if he’s not properly taken care of, which means we need to get him into a Cryo bed, dose him with pain meds, and run the wake-up cycle.” Leaning heavily on the hood of Aiko’s bed, she glanced at Kalea. “But he’s not a normal human being, is he? So I’m not exactly sure when or how Genji will wake up.”

  Kalea shook her head while watching Mink read the panel displaying Aiko’s vital signs.

  “Nuri are very hardy,” Kalea said after a moment. “We heal very quickly.”

  “That’s good to know, Kalea. Then we will think positively. Aiko’s fine, too. Help me over to Wren. Even though I suspect she’ll be fine as well, I need to be sure. I’m going to let you check the vitals and tell me what you notice.”

  Kalea nodded and helped Mink cross over to Wren’s bed, noticing that Mink seemed stronger. Perhaps the pain meds were helping.

  “Listen, Kalea,” Mink said. “I’m so sorry. This is all my fault, and I’m not sure I’m ever going to forgive myself if…” She paused and looked at Kalea.

  “Nuri are very hardy,” Kalea repeated. “I am sure Genji will be fine.”

  Mink nodded, not feeling reassured in the least. “Well, I am so very sorry this happened. Please forgive me. I should have taken into account the Nuri physiology. I honestly have no idea how to put you people into a cryogenesis sleep stasis.”

  Kalea was silent for several moments. “Perhaps Genji and Spider can science it out. When Genji wakes up, he will understand more of the Nuri’s experience.”

  “And perhaps it’s only possible for humans.”

  “I believe I can put the Nuri to sleep,” Eloch said from the doorway.

  The two women looked over at him.

  “When Genji wakes up and contains his Nuri, I will try it with the two of you, Kalea,” he said, frowning at the stuck door panel, which was damaged when the Nuri wedged its body through the tight doorjamb.

  “Where did you take him?” Kalea asked.

  Eloch smiled. “He is in the Solar Farm, the forest there,” he answered as he straightened the door panel and popped it back in place. “He’s hunting a wily boar, which should keep him occupied for some time. I put a field around the area so his fire won’t harm the ship. I’ve also told Perin, Spider, and Grale to stay away from that area.”

  Kalea blew out a breath and nodded. “I was worried. I am still worried for Genji.”

  “Don’t be. I will be able to sense when Genji wakens,” Eloch said.

  Kalea glanced at Mink. Eloch rarely spoke of what he could or could not do, but this was so reminiscent of something Longwei would say, she wondered just how extensive his powers truly were. She forced a smile, wishing Wren was awake so they could talk. “Thank you, Eloch.”

  “We’ve been checking on the other sleepers,” Mink said. “All is well with them.”

  “Good,” Eloch said. “And you, Mink? Are you injured?”

  She lifted her arm. “I got frozen, but it will heal. Kalea helped patch me up.”

  “I’m sorry you were injured,” Eloch said.

  She shrugged. “I’m just happy it’s not worse. Like I said, I will heal, and in the meantime, I’ve got pain meds.” She made a face. “Could use some help cleaning up this mess, however.”

  Eloch hesitated. “The damaged Cryo bed,” he began. “If you like, I can repair it.”

  Mink glanced at the bed where Genji, in Nuri form, had erupted. The hood was shattered, and the bed was bent at an awkward angle on its pedestal. The readout panel dangled beside it. Hoses still dripped fluids. Pieces of plastic and metal were strewn about the room. She laughed. “Even if you did, I wouldn’t trust it. These beds are precision instruments.”

  “Nonetheless, I believe I can repair it. I would appreciate the challenge.”

  “Then by all means, be my guest.”

  At Mink’s direction, Eloch and Kalea c
arefully cleaned up the fluids and put the bed’s bits and pieces in a semi-organized pile.

  Eloch looked at Kalea and smiled. “The Nuri just caught the pig. He is enjoying his meal. Shall we go wake Genji?”

  Kalea nodded. “Mink said he could be in serious trouble. Frozen like her arm.”

  Eloch glanced at Mink. “Good to know,” he said with a nod. “I think it will be all right, Kalea. I believe I know what to do.”

  Kalea turned to him. “You do? How?”

  He shrugged. “I think I can do a lot more than I expected.” He laughed. “I was searching for something to occupy the Nuri and I just created an actual pig. A pig! From the aminos we’ve got in the protein labs, I created a pig. Let’s go, Kalea, Genji is waking,” he said.

  Chapter 6

  Three Years into the Mission

  Three Years Later...

  Perin seated herself on the bench with a contented sigh and leaned her back against the young tree so reminiscent of the one shading her favorite garden seat on Talamh. Here on the Valiant, there was no breeze to rustle the leaves, but there was the lovely scent of blossoms and growing things.

  She sighed again, soaking up the peace, and stretched her legs out, making sure she didn’t accidentally kick the tapping stick Spider had crafted and then showed her how to use.

  She loved her tapping stick. Owning it had given her freedom, freedom to walk the ship without needing to count steps or wait for a person to lead her someplace. Over the past three years she had reveled in her ability to explore in solitude and discover the places she most enjoyed visiting. She was even able to keep up her daily runs.

  She liked visiting the science labs, where Spider and Mink gathered data, measured distances, analyzed radiation, and studied the ever-increasing variety of flora and fauna Eloch was creating. She’d sit in an out-of-the-way corner and listen quietly while the pair discussed findings and hypothesized what it all meant.

  Sometimes she even participated. The task and traditions of being a Seer had defined her existence and never allowed her to even imagine other ways of learning and gathering information. She’d been surprised to discover that learning fascinated her.