8. Carter

EIGHT

CARTER

U nable to deal with my home life, I threw myself into my work as a Sage. Eventually the number of artifacts which required definition began to ebb, and I was able to return to my explorations of the Precursor ship.

Lo proved invaluable on these treks. I soon grew tired of his constant finagling for food. One day I placed a full Yez in his hand as we met near the edge of the flying island.

"What is this for? Do you want me to go and purchase something for you again?"

"No. That is your payment."

"Payment?" He stared at the disc in his palm.

"Yes. I'm going to pay you so you can buy your own food. And shelter, too, I would imagine. My point is you don't need to try and scam me any longer, because I am paying you."

He pocketed the disc and grinned.

"I would be a fool to turn you down. I must say, though, that it's kind of taboo for a tribesman to do business with a Shunned such as I."

My face wrinkled into a scowl. I'd been among the Masari long enough to have learned some things about the people and their culture.

Some aspects of their culture appealed to me less than others. Chief among these were the built in misogyny, and the fact that illegitimate children like Lo were cast aside by society.

Some of the Shunned lived in a rough camp on a steeper, less desirable edge of the island. In addition to illegitimate children, widows who were too old or undesirable to be taken as mates and people stripped of their names resided there.

In Masari culture, the system of justice had little oversight. The Village chief, a man whom I had still not met, would listen to the account of the alleged crimes, and then he would decide on one of three fates: A fine, exile, or being stripped of their name.

Being stripped of the name was considered a worse fate than exile. An exile might find another tribe willing to take them in. Once your name was removed, you were not welcome anywhere but the Shunned camp.

"You look angry, Gro."

"Never mind. Let us see if we can breach the security door in the southern nacelle today."

I need not waste my time with outrage over alien injustice. I just need to get back to my body.

We entered through a maintenance shaft, using the rungs of a ladder crafted by hands immeasurably older than our own. Thanks to the strange properties of the emerald metal walls, restoring power to some sections of the ship was possible. We no longer had to rely on lamps to penetrate the depths of the ship.

Once we reached the bottom of the shaft, we diverted through a crew corridor. Our pace slowed as we picked our way past a damaged section. A stream flowed right through the ruptured hallway, emerging from a waist high tunnel and forming a small pool before vanishing down a steep, low shaft.

"Where does the water come from?"

"What?"

I turned to Lo once we crossed the stream.

"There are streams on this flying rock, which form lakes and ponds. Where does the water originate from? There is no aquifer a mile in the sky."

Lo scratched the back of his head. I resisted the urge to throw his filthy form in the water.

"If you track the water back to its source, you find Aebon portals. The portals correspond, allegedly, to water sources on the surface."

"Aebon portals?"

"Areas of utter darkness that connect two places that can be very far from each other."

My heart beat faster in my chest.

"The phenomenon you describe sounds like Voidspace. A side effect of a Superluminal drive which goes critical. Can you take me to one of these Aebon portals?"

The portals would not be able to get me back to my body, but if I could determine their source, I'd be one step closer to my goal. At the least, I could use a Superluminal drive to travel to a less primitive planet and seek help.

Lo's lips drew into a tight line.

"I do not wish to anger you, but I don't think I can take you there."

Frustration tinged my voice when I loomed over him.

"And why not? Do you want more money?"

"No, that's not it. The path to the portals is not an easy one. It requires crawling through cramped tunnels that I'm uncertain you would be able to navigate."

I snorted, amusement tinging my frustration.

All those years of wishing I were bigger, stronger. Now that I have my wish, my size becomes a hindrance.

I decided to let the portals go for the time being. The sealed security door probably held something more useful, anyway. The hope that there would be any remnant of the superluminal drive that still functioned had been a long shot.

We made it to the security door after another twenty minutes of walking. The sleek green metal door greeted me with its stubborn refusal to open. A dozen pried open control panels dotted the walls, my earlier fruitless attempts to gain ingress.

Lo and I could not breach the door that day, or the day after that. I soon moved on to other areas of the ship, but every few days or so I would come back and try something new to get past the security door.

I sat in my chamber at the Sage's tower one day, some six months after I'd transitioned into the alien body. I fiddled with a spanner circuit I hoped would allow me to get past the security door and discover the secrets which lay behind it.

"Gro?"

I looked up to see one of the apprentice Sages standing in the portal to my chamber.

"What is it?" I didn't bother trying to keep the annoyance out of my tone.

"Your lifemate is here."

I set the panel down, alarm growing inside of me. She never visited me at the Sage's tower. Never.

"See her in."

I don't know why, but I stood up when she entered. We stood there staring at each other for a moment. She clutched a knapsack at her belly with nervous, fidgeting fingers.

At last she stepped fully inside, placing the bundle in a clear patch of the work table before me.

"Traders from the Old Mountain tribe glided in today. I bought you a gift."

I clouded my gaze with confusion. We did not buy each other gifts. In fact, we barely associated at all despite sharing a dwelling. I slept before the fire and she in the bed upstairs.

"A gift?"

She nodded, and had trouble meeting my gaze. I unwrapped the bundle and found several oblong, purple skinned fruits and another cylindrical package.

"It's Ligimer fruit. We can't grow it on the island. It's very sweet."

I picked up one of the fruits, finding it had heft similar to an apple. I bit into the flesh and found it had a flavor similar to an almond mixed with a blueberry.

"It's delicious, thank you. And this?"

"It's a Photonic flute. You used to have one, until…you, um, broke it when you were angry. They are not easy to find. Only the Engineers of the Red River tribe know how to craft them."

I nodded, trying not to let my anger show. The mention of the engineers brought up a sore spot for me. Unlike the Sages, the Engineers refused to allow me to petition for membership.

The Engineers were more insular and secretive than the Sages. They jealously guarded their secrets, even from each other. It angered me as a scientist that they would hoard knowledge so callously.

I unwrapped the package, chewing on another bite of fruit. Inside, I found a silver cylinder capped by a walnut sized, clear gemstone. The opposite end held a molded mouthpiece, while a series of different hued crystal buttons covered the shaft.

"This is an instrument?"

I put it to my lips and blew. The shaft grew warmer in my hands, vibrating with my exhalation. A spark of lavender light appeared above the clear gemstone. Startled, I stopped blowing and nearly dropped the flute.

"What was that?"

"The Photonic flute makes light rather than sound. I'm sorry, I should have warned you."

I held up my hand.

"No harm done, Arael."

Her twilight hued eyes softened, losing their fear. The instincts which drove her to fear Gro died hard, but they were dying.

"The studs atop the shaft will change the color and intensity of the light," she said, taking hold of the flute in my grasp. Her fingers brushed against my own and my pulse quickened. "See?"

I nodded, suddenly transfixed by Arael. Her beauty had stunned me at first, but then I'd grown used to it. Or so I thought. I was struck by the fact I could never get used to how hauntingly beautiful I found her.

Arael's hair had grown to her shoulders in the last six months. A deeper shade of purple than her eyes, it almost seemed like spun midnight. I followed the contours of her slender, graceful neck to the swell of her bosom, barely contained in her halter top.

I deliberately tore m y gaze away from her and tried to play the flute, in order to distract my mind.

"Your brain waves will help shape the light, so you must keep your subject firmly in mind."

I heard her words, but I was lost in the world of the flute. My fingers moved along the keys, changing the brightness, color, and intensity of the light produced by the flute.

The purple sphere coalesced, grew more distinct. Arael's face came into being, shaped by my will as much as my traveling fingers and intent exhalations. I could have done the same thing without all the effort using IHC or Alliance technology.

Yet, somehow the image created by the flute had a richness to it that computer generated renderings lacked. I was never an artist on Earth, but I'd always envied those who could capture the essence of humanity with skill and aplomb.

I soon realized the flute wasn't just about translating my conscious thoughts. The way I felt about what I created directly influenced its appearance. My discovery of this facet of light-based performance occurred in a rather embarrassing manner.

The image of Arael expanded from a portrait of her face into a bust, and then a fully-rendered figure.

A fully rendered figure with no clothing. Not a stitch.

I pulled the flute from my lips, mortified. The image lingered for a few moments more, cupping its breasts and giving me a half-lidded, sultry gaze before it vanished.

"Apologies," I muttered, not quite able to look at her.

"Gro! Gro!"

Ignio burst into the chamber, sweat streaking his face and staining the armpits of his robes.

"You must come quickly! Gliders from another tribe have traded us the most intriguing device."

"I'm a bit busy at the moment, Ignio," I snapped.

"No, it's all right. I was just leaving."

Arael went to the door and sidled past Ignio. She paused and gave me a look I could not interpret before vanishing.

Tonight will be even more awkward than usual. And after she brought me such thoughtful gifts…I don't know whether to thank Ignio or throttle him.

I followed Ignio out of the tower, blinking in the sunlight. I noted the island was near the Snaggletooth Peaks, a rugged mountain range we came near once a week or so. The snow capped mountains formed a magnificent backdrop for the scene before me.

Three Sages clustered around a hover sled. Atop the sled rested an artifact which resembled a flywheel four feet in diameter. A clear crystal gemstone formed the centerpiece of the device. A panel with some dark lights lurked beneath the wheel array.

"What is it?"

"Nobody knows. It's only partly operational."

My curiosity got the better of me. I fiddled with the control panel, then realized it would be useless until I figured out how to activate the inactive buttons. That would require opening it up.

I scratched my chin as I examined the flywheel further. I could not detect any seams or fastenings. How it had been manufactured, I could not guess.

We brought the flywheel inside the tower. Ignio and I spent many hours trying to discern its secrets. We found ourselves flustered at every turn.

When the sun had long since set, and the trinity of moons glowed high in the sky, we finally admitted a temporary defeat.

"Cheer up, Gro." Ignio slapped me on the shoulder. "We are far from the first team of Sages to attempt to crack this particular enigma."

"But we will be the last. We will find the purpose of this device, Ignio. I swear it."

"I do not doubt you, my friend. Now you should go home. Your lifemate must be missing you."

I grunted and gathered my things before leaving the tower. It didn't hit me until I stood bathed in the moonlight, considering what he had said.

He called me friend. I wonder if he is sincere? I have not had a friend since childhood. Not really.

And I doubt that Arael is missing me, not after this afternoon.

I felt mounting dread as I drew nearer to my home. Yet, when I opened the door, I found Arael moments away from plating our dinner.

"Welcome home," she said simply, as she always did. I sagged into my seat with relief.

She's going to pretend like it didn't happen. Thank goodness.

We ate in relative silence. She inquired about the flywheel, and I told her that we hadn't really found anything as of yet.

Arael rose from her seat and gathered the empty plates. She returned a moment later, and then dug around in my pack. I stiffened up, wondering why she did so. She never touched any of my things without asking first.

Arael withdrew the flute and handed it to me, then stepped to the middle of the floor.

"You show remarkable aptitude for the photonic flute. Yet, I think your imagination is insufficient. You obviously need a much closer study of your subject."

She reached up behind her neck. A moment later her halter dress fell from her body, pooling around her feet.

My pulse quickened as she stood before me in all of her glory. I put the flute to my lips and blew, creating a miniature Arael once more.

Her nipples were a lighter hue than the rest of her body, looking more pink than purple. Other than that, my imagination had not been far off the mark. Masari anatomy was similar to all other so-called descendents of the Precursors.

I used to scoff at the notion, but now I found myself wondering how much veracity the Precursor theory really held.

Then Arael put her arms up over her head and placed her feet widely apart, and I forgot all about Precursors. I set the flute down and stood up, going to her. She shivered like a captive mouse at my approach, but met my gaze with unwavering desire.

I put my hand against her cheek. She sighed, eyes closing. My lips brushed her own. She surged forward, pressing her body against me and kissing me back hard.

I picked her up and carried her up the stairs, my mouth on her body the whole while. Soon nothing separated us at all. I slid on top of Arael, pinning her with my bulk as well as my passion.

After that night, two things changed. I no longer slept by the fire, and I was seldom late for dinner.