Solar Twins

by Jason F Crockett

  They began to bow, but the Mwene could tell that Rakhabi was still recovering and quickly put a stop to it. “Do not concern yourself at this time with such formalities.” He waved one of his guards over to help them back to their feet. “Your condition and the fact that I am calling on you in your home” (though they were technically under his roof, he was in their home) “gives us leave to forego the usual formalities. How are you faring, Lady Rakhabi?”

  “Your Excellency is most gracious,” she said as she settled herself into the pillows at the end of the long bench where the guards had led her. “I am feeling remarkably well given the procedure that has been undertaken by your healers. They are indeed miracle workers and I have not enough words to amply convey my appreciation. We are indebted to you.”

  “On the contrary, you have placed yourself at risk for the sake of the life of a stranger and at the request of a Mwene not your own. My hope is that you will remain here and allow us to serve you and care for you while you are with child.”

  Rakhabi smiled at Yakobe. “That is our desire too, your Excellency. We have graciously been given time away from our normal activities for the express purpose of resolving the issue of my barrenness. We never expected our desires to be realized so quickly. Surely the Creator’s hand is in this.”

  “Have you had an opportunity to meet the other surrogate mothers, too?”

  “No,” Yakobe said. “We do know there were two others that volunteered as well. We were the first though, and the others I’m sure are not as recovered yet.”

  “Indeed, the last procedure was completed less than two marks ago. They will be your neighbors and you may share this experience with them.” The Mwene stopped and waved at one of his guards who stepped forward with a small crystal slate about the size of their hand. “I was told that you were unable to register as you entered the city because of all the commotion. If you would each place your hand upon the slate, we will take care of that now.”

  Yakobe stepped forward first and placed his hand on the slate. “What now?” he asked.

  Use your sight to read it and respond in kind. Your answers will be recorded. If you brought any currency to trade, you may take it by a bank later and then it will be available at any time around the city. I will have a nlaikha sent here who will show you all you need to know and act as a guide while you are here. You may use him for as long as you like.”

  Yakobe’s eyes dilated and he got a far-off look in his eyes as he worked his way through the series of questions that only he could see or hear. When he was done, he passed the slate to Rakhabi and said, “Rakhabi since we are together, it only requires your hand signature and confirmation of what I have already answered.”

  “O.K.,” she said as she placed her hand on the slate and began to concentrate. She was done almost immediately and handed the slate back to the guard. “If we had not arrived how we did, where would we have done this?”

  “There is a station at every gate inside and out. No one is permitted in unless they have been palmed. The city watch periodically asks passersby for a reading and, in the unlikely case of an incident, all witnesses will be palmed and possibly called on to testify if the details gathered at the palming are too vague to make a solid conviction.” The Mwene leaned forward as he spoke weaving his words with his skill. As he spoke it was as if they were reliving his memories. He was obviously proud of the advancements that they had made. “We have only set up this system in the major cities, but I think that when my scientists fix the permanent communication problem, it will be much more widely used even at remote locations. We can do it now, but an operator is required to manage the connection. I believe you Arborers have other means of accomplishing this?”

  Yakobe spoke up for her. “It would appear that we still have a much more intimate connection with living creation than you are able to maintain here in a city like this. We are not surrounded by impassive stone and crystals or other non-living structures. We surround ourselves with all manner of life. The animals, trees, and other vegetation all have a story to tell. Though some of their memories are very short, it is usually possible to question the surroundings where an incident occurred. We have experts that are trained in communicating with various life forms. We ask them to grow where they are needed, move when it is necessary, and tell their story if possible when called upon. We have a relationship built on mutual trust and dependency. They do not lie but tell it how it happened. It would take a powerful skilled to weave an illusion that would trick the experience of these living amongst us. Though we have great intellects, we are the more easily fooled. Even though we are skilled and can see without sight. How often do we trust more upon what we see with our eyes than what really is?”

  The Mwene looked thoughtful for a moment before he replied. “Long ago when we began to gather in this area, all was not as you see it now. Trees and brush, fish and birds and other living beasts were not so plentiful. We grew from the rock that which the living could not provide. So, it is that we who are so alike have become so different. I desire to renew our friendship with your land. It seems there would be much for us all to learn of one another.”

  “That may be easier said than done,” Yakobe replied. “We are a body tied in tradition unwilling to forsake our compact with the living. There is much more to that relationship than can easily be explained. But, it is worth the effort.” He looked around. “What you have learned is indeed splendid. There is much I would know of how this type of lifestyle is accomplished.”

  “Perhaps then we shall have an opportunity to do so during your stay here,” replied the Mwene standing to his feet. “We will celebrate much when these new alien lives are born amongst us. Until then, enjoy the run of the city. Now that you are registered, you have access to the great library of Kipero, our parks, and markets. We even have a university where you will find many new ideas and many freethinkers to talk with. I’m sure they would love to hear your perspective as an arborer.”

  “We are so thankful for all you have provided for us,” Rakhabi said.

  “If there is anything we can do for you, please just ask,” Yakobe added.

  Mwene Crisópraso paused in the doorway flanked on either side by the special guards. “There is one thing that you could help with possibly, Yakobe. We are keeping the news of the crash of the alien vehicle very quiet. I have selected a few who were there when it happened to study the wreckage and technology of the children of the stars. The day may come when others follow their trail and we are forced to interact with them. I want to know all I can about them before that time. Are you willing to aid in this endeavor?”

  “I am, your Excellency. I’m sure our child will be curious about his roots when he comes of age.”

  “We will have to decide what you will be permitted to tell him later. For now, all must be kept within the walls. Only your soulmate may know what is discovered.”

  “Until that day then, I stand ready to serve.”

  “Good. I will send someone to bring you along when the time is right.”

  Yakobe and Rakhabi watched him leave and then turned to each other. Their eyes locked in rapport.

  Who would have thought that their journey would bring them to this place? Not just this physical location but entertaining the Mwene of another mwendom in their home, Yakobe having the opportunity to study the vessel of the children of the stars, and Rakhabi actually bearing one of those very children. It was all so overwhelming.

  Jacinto woke from an uneasy sleep. Even in her dreams, she replayed the tragic accident that had changed their lives so dramatically. She glanced around at the bare room surrounding her. Surely someone could have fixed it up for her some. Where were her mlaikha? Surely, they didn’t leave her all alone with no one to care for her. Was she even awake, or was this just another dream? She began to look around. She saw four smooth flat walls that rose to a plain non-descript ceiling. All was dark and yet she could see as if it was twilight and the walls themselves were just barely a
glow with what remained of the daylight outside her four-walled prison. There were no doors, no windows, no obtrusions but the solid cot on which she lay.

  Then suddenly as she lay there looking up a nlaikha materialized beside her. “I told you she was waking up,” the nlaikha said. Jacinto wondered who she was speaking to and turned her head to see. The room looked like the same room, but this time it was full of activity. Other mlaikha ran errands for the healer that was reading a slate across the room. The nlaikha by her head extended a core rod over her abdominal area and looked at her with a smile. “Would you like to hear your baby’s heartbeat?” she asked.

  Jacinto gasped as she remembered what had happened. Somehow the Mwene had found out that she and her life partner, Barilio, were unable to have children. Because she already knew all about the aliens, she had been one of three women selected to bear the children of the stars, saved through an experimental operation.

  “It was a success then?” She asked her voice huskier with emotion than usual.

  “It was an enormous success,” the healer said standing up and walking over to her. The nlaikha moved down closer to her feet. “You are now bearing a female child of the stars. The procedure went quite well. As a matter of fact, there has been absolutely no rejection between you and the child. The nlaikha has not been so fortunate, but we hope that in time her body will accept the child. Rakhabi is already up and walking around I hear.”

  “Why were you all gone when I awoke?”

  “Ah, I was wondering if you noticed. Sometimes with the more highly skilled such as yourself, your own auto defense mechanisms get in the way of what we are trying to accomplish. So, we essentially fed you an illusion of peace and emptiness to keep you from using your skill on the child or us. It was a necessary inconvenience.”

  “Is Barilio here? May I speak with him?”

  Ah, yes, I sent someone to fetch your life partner. We gave him something to do rather than letting him sit here just waiting for you. You will be staying in the palace next to the other two patients.” The healer raised her hand as Jacinto made to ask another question. “I know you have many questions, but please be patient. We will answer your questions as soon as your life partner returns. So just relax and wait. It won’t be long, and he will be with us.

  Jacinto watched as the healer went back to work. She could sense the line of energy connecting her crystal to the slate in her hand. Actually, now that she stopped to think about it, she could see the connection from the slate to the core rod, and the nlaikha standing with it over her belly. She tentatively used her skill to try to read the flow of information coming from the core rod, but the nlaikha and the healer immediately looked up; the nlaikha with a puzzled look, and the healer with a look of consternation.

  “Now listen here, Jacinto,” said the healer coming to her feet threateningly. “We’ll have none of that around here. If you can’t keep to yourself, I’ll send you back to that bare room with nothing in it. Do you understand?”

  “Yes, healer,” Jacinto replied. Already she had released the data stream. “I won’t do it again. It’s just…”

  “I know,” said the healer, “you’re a curious one with a lot of questions. Be patient though. You will have your answers in due time.”

  It was a half-mark later until Barilio came in. Jacinto was never so glad to see him as she was then. She was not used to sitting around idly waiting for something. The nlaikha restrained her as she tried to sit up when he came through the door.

  “Jacinto, my love,” he said when he saw her. “How are you? They said you were fine, but the nlaikha is struggling so much and it was taking you so long to wake up. I was so concerned for you.”

  It was all Jacinto could do not to break down in tears. Such was their connection though, that he knew immediately how she felt and knelt quickly by her side. She poured all her anxiety onto him silently in the confines of their minds where he could take ownership of her feelings and provide the support she needed.

  He rounded on the healer. “You should have told me you isolated her like that. She wasn’t asleep and taking a long time to wake up! She was trapped in there with no way out.”

  The healer stepped up to the challenge. “We did what had to be done for the good of your life partner and your new child.”

  “I could have helped her.” He said and then repeated it more to himself than to the healer. “I could have helped her.”

  “And risk us having to fight both of you to get the job done? No. I am an expert at what I do. Next to Healer Gaio, I’m the best. I did what I had to do though you may not see that now. Now, you may stay and help her recover, or if you wish to fight me, we will put you out where you were before. What will it be?”

  Jacinto’s thoughts caressed his own, drawing some sense back into him. He took a breath and answered, “I wish to help. I am here to stay. What do you need from me?”

  Two marks later, Jacinto was released into his care with a nlaikha to stay close to her, help her, and monitor her.

  “I think you’ll like our new home away from home,” Barilio said as he pushed the floating bench along. The bench was a concession he was willing to make to get her out of that static room she had been in.

  “Why can’t we just go home, Barilio? It’s not like we live way far away like their other patient—what was her name?”

  “Rakhabi.”

  “Yes, Rakhabi. She lives days away from here, but we live very close by.”

  “As it was explained to me,” Barilio said as he guided the bench through a sliding door into another long corridor. “There are a number of factors. First, they are trying to keep the alien crash a secret. Second, they have never done this procedure with an alien before and want to ensure that you and the child are safe. Third, the Mwene will cover our expenses as long as we are under his roof. Think of it as a vacation!”

  “That’s all well and good if I didn’t have two other known alien vessels that need to be located and tracked.” She put a hand in front of her head. “Maybe I should not have done this. I have too much I should be doing with Baryesu gone now.”

  “Not so!” he exclaimed. “We have wanted a child for turns. The Mwene has others that can cover for you in your absence.”

  “But they are so lacking in skill. I know. I have worked with them before.”

  “We could ask the Mwene to provide what you need here at the palace.”

  “There is too much interference from all that goes on in the city. That will never work.”

  “How about a gateway to and from your observatory? That would work if he was willing to have someone else create it.”

  “Now that’s an idea. Yes, it just might work. Would you ask him or send him a request or whatever it is they do here?”

  “Sure, Jacinto. I’ll ask him as soon as I get a chance. In your condition, the healers will never allow it if you don’t get ample rest for the next couple of days. Which is why…” he paused to open another door, “I’ve fixed this up to give you maximum relaxation.” Jacinto’s face lit up and Barilio smiled as he watched her reaction.

  The room they entered didn’t look like a room at all. Instead, it was as if they were in space itself. The floor was like the entrance to the tunnel that went to their sister planet. The ceiling looked like the starscape beyond it. On the far wall was the sister as seen from the tunnel entrance on the far side. On the near wall, hung their own planet. It actually felt like they were there.

  “Oh, it’s wonderful however did you do it?” she exclaimed. “Is this where we will be staying? How?”

  Knowing what she was thinking, Barilio explained. “The Mwene graciously permitted me to borrow some low power scopes and loaned me a stargazer to help me set it up. The palace has all the energy we needed to create a permanent connection with the scopes and present it on the walls and ceiling itself.”

  “Do you mean to say it’s real, it’s live?”

  “That’s right.”

  “This is absolu
tely amazing.”

  “The only downside is that you have to be at the scope to make any adjustments. But for our purposes it was sufficient.”

  The nlaikha interrupted them. “Forgive my intrusion, but I was given specific instructions. It is time for you to rest. If this environment is not conducive to you getting that rest, we will have it turned off during your marks of rest.”

  “No, please leave it as it is. I will rest just fine as it is.” Jacinto practically begged the nlaikha.

  “Very well, but it is time. Barilio, you may take her into her bedroom, and then you must let her rest.”

  She followed the two of them in to make sure they did as directed and began to set up her monitoring equipment as Barilio got her settled in.

  “Rest well, my love, I will go and speak with the Mwene. Before you know it, you’ll be back to work.”

  Jacinto looked up at him, her eyes at peace. “With what you’ve done here, I’m almost content just to stay here. Almost,” she laughed.

  Barilio kissed her softly and walked out the door with a smile on his face. When she was happy, he was happy.

  Nenele and her healers were fighting a fierce invisible battle. Their physical bodies had been stabilized against all odds, but mentally, the mother and child were suffering tremendously. The battle raged, but the fight against the unknown is one that is most often lost. The only way to defeat the unknown is to bring it into the light, to make it plainly seen and identified. But what the healers saw in the child and to some extent in Nenele as well was only a shadow of reality. Surely the shadow itself was not the reality. But no one stopped to consider that possibility. And so, the battle raged.