“Why?” she asks, her expressions even more mask-like.
“Because, as I have told you, I have been alone for a very long time. Any friend I make, any person who I allow to get close to me, ages and dies in a very short span. It seems they pass just as soon as I really get to know them, and almost none of them have ever known me for who I really am. Clive is a very rare exception, and he is already at least a third of the way through his life. All of that changed after our unlikely reunion. Though not by conscience design, we became bonded. I found someone who knew me better than anyone before and appeared to like me. Even better, you could stay with me for as long as we enjoyed each other’s company, if we wanted. It was far more than I ever could have hoped for. And it was great, for a few weeks at least, to pretend that my future might be different than my past. So yeah, if I could stop the universe and return to that time and let things be as they were, I would do it in a heartbeat.”
She sifts through all he just shared before responding. “But to me, you are a complete mystery.” she says, matter-of-fact. “Yet, unbidden, I feel something. A connection. After I came back into my unitary, it was like I could almost remember things. Feelings. That is why I need you to tell me what you think He meant. It doesn't have to be now. Think on it, be sure, then let us discuss it again before you leave for Earth.” She takes his hand and squeezes it, then lets it drop and relaxes her demeanor. “I'm sorry. I'm being a poor host. Let’s just sit here a while longer and watch the sun set while you tell me all about Trègar and the other recruits.”
“And why are you so interested in him?”
“Because of the way Beltare pursues him, of course. She's been trying to bond with him for nearly 6,000 years. I'm curious what she thinks makes him so special,” she says in a conspiratorial manner.
Achi chuckles. “Well, we didn't really discuss his feelings about that in the two months I was with him. But I'll tell you what I think, as well as my thoughts about the others. They're a good group.”
It is well after dark before they head back, late for dinner.
Chapter Seventeen
Planet Fall
The elders and the rest of their planning group decide to visit the camp and see how they are doing training the new recruits. Zaleria walks around the camp, hand-in-hand with Achi. They've grown very close over the last two weeks. Achi can't read her mind, but he imagines she is thinking back to her first day on Juruele, when she decided this was the one place she'd make her home. It was wild, natural. A young world that would never have a chance to age. Teeming with life, doomed to be snuffed out by a fast maturing star before any of it could mature into complex life forms. But more than long enough for a galan to make her mark upon it. She is looking at it again now, comparing how her small patch has diverged from the rest.
“You still love it, don't you, even in its natural state?” Achi asks.
“Of course. You have those memories, I'm sure. But yes, I was thinking about what it was like, and what I have shaped my home to be. But you knew that.” She smiles, wrinkling her nose a bit. “It's okay. I'm getting better at recognizing how your knowledge of my memories helps you 'read me.' I can read you too, you know. You're seeing this place through my eyes, falling in love with it all over again—while at the same time also looking at it detached. It isn't your home. Not as it is for me.”
Achi shrugs.
“Is that all you have to say?” She prods.
“Yes. You know you have the right of it. And I know you don't really need your ego stroked. You're confident, but not a narcissist.” Achi says, teasing her, but also giving her hand a slight squeeze.
They walk on, silently, lost in their thoughts. They spy Beltare and Trègar sharing. They are facing each other, standing very close, but not touching. Their attention on each other, and not on who might be walking around them. Achi and Zaleria leave them to their communion, undisturbed.
“Do you think they'll ever bond?” Zaleria asks him.
“I hope so, but I can't quite figure Trègar out. I think he wants to be with Beltare, but something is holding him back. Does he still have feelings for his last partner? I don't know. You galanen can take so long to act on your feelings; I just can't think on those time scales. Even having lived as long as I have and having been married as many times as I have, I don't see the point. You either love someone enough to want to share their life, or you don't. Get it on or move along.”
“Oh really, just like that? Don't you think it is worth studying your potential mate? Making sure you're compatible in every way, that nothing will come between you in the centuries and millennia of your lives together?”
Achi shrugs again. “In my experience, people are either committed to 'we' or 'me.' A human, or galan for that matter, who is more focused on themselves than on the pairing they enter into will eventually become unsatisfied and part with their bond-mate. But to be honest, I haven't had the luxury of sharing that much time with anyone, so I haven't really thought that hard about it.”
Zaleria opens her mouth to supply a retort, but then stops herself. Is he wrong? She thinks he may have made a very profound observation. She recalls those whom she has known that pair well, and those—like Trègar and his ex, Stelarosa—who have left their mate—often with bitterness. She has had a few pairings, friendships that became physical for a little while, no more than a few decades typically. But never with the intent of a permanent relationship. She thinks about what it must be like for humans, who at most only have a few decades to mate and raise children before aging and dying. And what did Achi share? He'd been married 172 times? How painful it must have been to lose those he loved. She knows at some point she remembered each of those losses, and she believes she may still feel the echoes of those emotions. Or is that her imagination? She shakes her head as they walk on. “Perhaps it'll be different next time,” she mutters, almost to herself. She feels him tense and stop.
She turns and looks at him, standing there with a conflicted look on his face. “Please don't toy with me,” he says.
She's taken aback for a moment. What is he trying to tell her? Then it dawns on her, his loneliness. How much it must torture him. She lowers her head. “I'm sorry, but that is not my intent.” She raises her head to meet his gaze. “I respect you and am attracted to you. I still feel a bond, despite all that has happened. I can't explain it. I'll be frank; I have enjoyed getting to know you, again. I don't relish your return to Earth, leaving me here. I'm not entirely sure why, but I don't like it. I know you must go, and that it is your place, your duty. But I want to go with you, be with you,” she says, staring at him, daring him to tell her no.
“Are you sure?” is all he asks.
“No. But it is what feels right to me. 'Cherish your bond.' Why did the Being of Light tell us that? That one thing to remember. I don't know, but it feels… right.”
Achi shakes his head, almost in disbelief. “I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think we're rushing things. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining, but this is not how you normally do things. It feels as though you are being rash. I don't want to be part of a rash decision.”
“Oh, really!?” she asks, getting her back up. “How many times have you been mated? How many lives have you shared? Are you now lecturing me about quick decision making, after just telling me that people either focus on 'me' or 'we?’ You know me, what do I focus on!?”
He laughs. “Okay, okay, fair point.” He reaches out and caresses her face. “To be honest, the prospect is too enticing, given my history. I don't trust it instinctively; it's too good to be true. I have watched so many people I loved die. I even thought I'd lost you, once. You don't remember all the pain, nor all the baggage I come with. I'm just not sure you'll feel the same way about me if you do.”
“I understand,” she says, knowing that she will have to fully meld with all her symbiots before proceeding, and thinking he may not be ready to take that step. And frankly, she isn't sure she's ready, either. She re
aches out and returns a caress to his face, watching his eyes widen at the gesture, leaning into her hand. “We know what we will have to do about that, don't we? But let's not make that decision right now. Let us think about it. No need to be hasty, or conflicted.” She takes his hand again and gives him a gentle shove with her shoulder. “Come on, let's just enjoy each other's company and go see the others.”
He hesitates, resisting her tug. She turns to face him, concerned, brow furrowing. He stares at her with a strange look on his face, reaches out, takes her face gently in his hands, bends her forward a bit to make up for the height difference, and kisses her tenderly on her violet lips.
She is shocked at first, but quickly feels a sense of warmth spread though her body, radiating from her head to her extremities—along with a tingling sensation along all her nerves. She wraps her arms around him as she feels goosebumps spread along her arms and shoulders. She kisses him back. After a short embrace, she pulls back with a smile spreading unbidden along her generous lips. Yes, she thinks to herself; this feels right. She takes his hand again, and they walk off to find the others.
Clive watches them approach. “Hey sis, I hope you're not letting this guy talk you into investing in his company; it's just a front for a subversive group.” Zaleria walks over and gives him a hug. They've enjoyed getting to know each other, having overcome the potential awkwardness of their relationship. What she thinks about his short life compared to hers, she hasn't yet shared with any of them. Achi suspects it troubles her when she looks at Clive—and Cheryn for that matter. And who knows how many others? Humanity are cousins to the galanen, but for Zaleria, they are more than that; they really are family, at least from a genetic perspective. How can she say they aren't galanen? Why shouldn't they have symbiots and be considered part of the elder race? Complex questions with no easy answers, but one the galanen will have to face, or choose to ignore. Achi bets on the latter…
Clive has been chatting with Trègar, Rialle, Toshi, Fandtha, and Jevelle. Achi joins in. “Clive isn't trying to talk you all into a card game, is he? Remember, we keep out clothes on.”
Fandtha takes the bait. “Why would galanen shed their clothes as part of a card game?” he asks.
Achi smiles, while Clive puts his hand over his face and shakes his head, trying hard not to laugh. “Welll…it's an old Earth variant on betting. To really demonstrate the mastery of cards, we bet articles of clothing, and those who lose a hand must take off what they've wagered. It is, uh, usually a game played only by the young, because once humans age, it loses much of its appeal.”
Fandtha looks at him, trying to gauge his seriousness, and finally just decides to laugh. “Must be especially challenging in the higher latitudes, eh, especially for the male players. You'd know a thing or two about that, I'd expect.”
Achi grins. “I see that you are beginning to understand what it means to be human.”
“Speak for yourself,” Clive interjects. “I'm trying to up my game, and here you go dragging me down to your level,” he says, chuckling.
“Speaking of dragging down a level, how is the training of the new recruits going, Trègar? Rialle?”
“It is going well, although I think we lack your flair, or passion,” Rialle says. “At least we haven't hung them from the trees yet, although we've shared the experience. I'm not sure it is as effective at getting the point across.”
“I defer to you. The galanen need to be prepared mentally for what they may encounter. Hopefully, we'll be able to avoid the worst things I can imagine, but my gut tells me we'll have to adapt to the worst Gravis' shell can imagine. I expect it is far more depraved. Frankly, I'm not sure what it would say about me if it isn't.”
She laughs. “I don't think we're sure either, but we have learned to value your perspective, and your passion…”
Suddenly, Achi senses something, a warning. It is via his symbiots, Zaleria's symbiots. He looks over at her just as she meets his gaze, alarmed. Something has entered the system. A D-ship from Luna. It was expected, but something has detached itself from the ship and is moving rapidly using a gravitational drive. Something smaller than a waverider but generating far more power. Far more.
“Fandtha, we have a problem,” Achi says.
“Juruele is under attack!” Zaleria says at almost the same time. “Defenses are tracking, but we should evacuate. Looks like a gravitational tug. It is currently seeking to acquire a large mass.”
Fandtha curses. “Dammit Achi, you were right. We should have taken more precautions. At least we've beefed up Juruele's defenses. Hopefully that, ah, hasn't been anticipated and will give us an edge.”
Achi is already thinking about the worst. It is absolutely imperative that Zaleria and Clive get off this planet. If Juruele is destroyed, only three souls on the planet would die, and those two are high on the list. The rest can regenerate. Except for himself, of course.
The tug has picked up a large asteroid and is accelerating it at high speed towards Juruele. Specifically, towards the center of Zaleria's home. The asteroid is massive and likely to destroy the entire planet, but not immediately. Since they are on the far side of the planet, it might just buy them enough time to escape. Perhaps their defenses can whittle it down.
They're reacting far faster than either he or Zaleria can think, calling in a waverider from the recently translated D-ship just entering geostationary orbit above Zaleria's home and calculating how best to reduce the mass of the asteroid before it hits the planet. “No! Not like this!” Achi looks at Zaleria to see her switch from an inward focus to give him a piercing, and knowing, look before shrugging her shoulders.
“Cherish your bond,” She shares, with some sense of irony—not meaning it to sound like an accusation but knowing full well Achi will enjoy resuming their connection. “My home is lost, but let us save all the souls we can. You were right; we should have put this thing on defense. We've given it too much free time to scheme.”
He feels her exasperation as their thoughts become one again, but he doesn't sense any fear, especially not of him. He does feel anger, though, a deep seething rage beginning to boil over—she is barely keeping it under control. He had no idea the depth her anger had grown; he'd dismissed her earlier display, but he now realizes how wrong he was to do so. How very wrong…
“Achi. Clive. Get to the waverider back in the clearing,” Zaleria commands. “You have no more than five minutes. Everyone else, move it. Another waverider is inbound, whoever can't fit will have to take it. Impact will be on the other side of the planet; you should have ample time, about 12 minutes.”
“You too. Your home is lost. I've very sorry, but you are too valuable to risk losing. I mean it,” Achi tells her, just as Traemuña and Toshi show up.
Toshi backs him up. “Listen to him; he makes sense. We can handle the evacuation of those who don't clear with the first ship. Get away; there is no need to risk casualties. Jevelle! Go with them, sequester the D-ship, and halt all comms out of system at the moment of impact. Let the universe think what it will. It'll buy us some time.”
Zaleria looks for a moment like she is going to argue—Achi feels her inner conflict—but she feels Achi's thoughts as well, so finally nods her head and takes off for the clearing. Achi signals to Clive, and they follow. Achi sees Jevelle moving with them.
“Elder, we will need your wisdom and authority to handle galanen in system and the collective. We must use this opportunity to ferret out the traitor. There can be no doubt now that the shell has help—active or otherwise.” He shares with her.
She nods. “That's why I'm coming. Now is a time for action, and I have the most… experience… in matters such as this.”
They reach the clearing in a little over a minute, where the waverider is wa
iting. It can hold ten galan plus supplies; right now they need to get at least sixteen on board.
Jevelle, true to form, takes charge immediately. “Rialle! Stay behind with the new recruits. You will accompany Elders Traemuña, Toshideor, and Fandtha when the other waverider arrives. Beltare! Trègar! You and the rest of your team are with me. Now! Move it!”
They file into the ship, squeezing in as best they can. Beltare is last and can't decide where to stand, as they are out of room. Clive, sitting next to the door, leans over, grabs her by the waist, and pulls her petite frame across his lap. She lets out a sharp squeal of surprise before relaxing enough to allow herself to be manhandled, knowing they are out of time.
The door closes as the ship quickly rises. Achi links in with his symbiots to see what is going on. Their symbiots have created a tactical plot. The gravity tug is traveling at about 50 percent the speed of light—its best possible speed with the mass it is carrying. It is incredible. The impact will be devastating to the surface but will take a long while to spread to the rest of the planet. If they were at Zaleria's home right now, at least half of them would suffer corporeal death.
This is exactly what Achi had been concerned about, the simplest way to destroy a galan is to catch them at home and drop a massive rock on them. Still, it is no small undertaking. Without the gravity tug and a D-ship to deliver it when and where you want, the concept would not be feasible. Fortunately, the shell had imperfect knowledge. It didn't know waveriders were standing by, and that all of the targets were on the other side of the planet. But, if a waverider wasn't handy and Zaleria had been at home, it would have been an extinction event for her, Achi, and Clive.
Luckily, Fandtha has not been idle. Zaleria's home system is now teeming with sensors, remotes, and other defensive measures—including weapons designed to prevent unwelcome guests.
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