Baswin

by Aurora Springer

  Denton said, “A siork, the top predator in the ocean, combines the ferocity of a shark with the shape of a sea serpent. It’s hunting seadilloes. They’re named for armadillos since they have hard bands of shell protecting on the dorsal surface.”

  The siork caught the lagging seadillo and swallowed it. The other two seadilloes dropped to the seafloor, and curling into armored balls, rolled into the background of coral mounds.

  The next change revealed a spinning disk with a fringed rim. It descended, slowly morphing into a round body with elongated tentacles. “A jelsquid, also called a spinner by the Warrish. It’s highly intelligent and communicates in sound, chemical emissions and electric pulses. The local jelsquid have learned to recognize humans as sentient beings. They can detect changes in the hyperspace nexus, and possibly influence those changes.”

  Rosie leaned against Holly, murmuring, “It’s a different world for sure.”

  “Wait ‘til we get to Rishalt,” Holly whispered.

  When the instructional TriD ended, Al poked his forefinger at the chosen six candidates. “Off you go. Change into wetsuits and insert the breathers.”

  They hastened to their rooms and reconvened in the galley.

  Only Denton remained in the room. He handed out their goggles and demonstrated how to adjust the fit and control the lens. After inspecting their gear, he led them to the main airlock opening to the ocean.

  “This airlock fits four people.” Denton pointed at the Li sisters. “You three go first. The airlock will fill with ocean water. Exit opens automatically. Swim out and Ennis and Mia will meet you.”

  When the airlock door reopened, Denton nodded at Holly. “I’ll go through with you.”

  As expected, once the inner door sealed, water gushed into the central space and the lighting dimmed.

  Rocked off balance by the surge of warm water, Rosie grabbed onto Holly’s arm, while Denton guided Lana’s hand onto the rail.

  Securely wedged between Denton and the wall, Holly swallowed a laugh.

  As soon as the outer door slid open, Holly dove into the ocean. Halting about three meters away, she angled vertically with her feet toward the sea bottom and rotated in a circle to examine her surroundings.

  Rows of lights along the exterior walls of the two adjacent wings illuminated the water and seafloor around Bathos. Long pipes extended from the lower level of the building. The seabed was littered with coral growths and slimy mounds of an unfamiliar species. Meter-long seadilloes with shelly humps and dangling tentacles hovered over the mounds.

  Above the top of Bathos, thick cables ascended from the central hub toward the pallid yellow light of the ice crust.

  Farther out and closer to the bedrock, the dark figures of the three Li sisters swam behind the two pale-chested tripilots.

  Intellectually, Holly knew kiloms of ocean extended above her. Yet, the weight of water was not uncomfortable. Instead, the wall of darkness beyond the lights of Bathos seethed with menace. A giant siork might be lurking just out of sight. Remembering the perimeter fence, she shook off the moment of dread and looked for her sister.

  Rosie joined her, arms outstretched in a dive and smiling under her goggles. She rolled into a somersault, straightened and held out her flattened palm.

  Holly slapped her sister’s hand in a joyful high-five. She spared a thought for their Warrish guides at the embassy, Arrak, Arkan and Arkur of the Blue Crescent Triad. Thanks to their patient encouragement, she and Rosie had become comfortable with using the nostril filters to breathe underwater.

  Behind them, Denton escorted a nervous Lana for her first dive with breathers. He gestured for them to follow the advance party.

  Lana shot past, clearly recovered from her initial dismay, and exhibiting the agility of an expert.

  Unable to match Lana’s speed, the Moon sisters swam away from the airlock at a slower pace.

  A stream of pseudo-eels undulated across the illuminated area. As Lana approached, the shoal of little animals divided into two streams, diverging in different directions to avoid the strange human swimmer. Soon, Lana caught up with the tripilots, while Denton stayed with the Moon sisters.

  When they reached the others, they sorted into three groups. Denton joined Ennis and Mia in front, followed by Lana and the Moon sisters with the Li clones moving into the rear position. Holly eyed the Warrish women curiously. They had removed their tunics to free their gills and wore leather harnesses to support their four breasts. A short tube was attached to each of their slim backs. Once again, she noticed a moment of rapport when Ennis smiled and reached out to touch Denton’s hand.

  They swam around the five unequal wings of Bathos, keeping well within the perimeter. Each wing extended from the cylindrical hub as an elongated geodesic dome. The cables of the Bullet ran from the middle of the hub through the ocean to Topside.

  After three circuits, Denton angled erect, rotated to face the candidates and gave a thumb’s up sign of approval. Then, he swung his arm and pointed toward the main airlock.

  Holly smiled at Rosie. Their first swim in the ocean of Europa had ended and she was impatient to experience hyperspace.

  Chapter 27

  TWO DAYS AFTER HE ARRIVED on Europa, Baswin received an unwelcome invitation. He was sitting with the Black Arrows, who were describing their successful hunt for Europan Gulbers, when. Gavarin walked in.

  The Gold Band Third aimed straight for Baswin. Giving a slight bow, he said stiffly, “Our noble Triarch has summoned Brin Tallis to his workroom.”

  Stifling a groan, Baswin wondered what the Triarch wanted. Would Webale command him to return to Earth and resume his covert activities? He glanced at his comrades, detecting sympathy in their expressions. Murmuring, “Excuse me,” he stood and nodded at Gavarin. “Lead me to the Triarch.”

  The young underwarder guided him to a different section of the base and rapped on a door marked with the Triarch’s red trident.

  The door slid open.

  An indistinct voice called, “Enter.”

  Gavarin stepped aside and motioned for Baswin to enter alone.

  As he walked into the chamber, Baswin’s belly gave a nervous twinge. He squashed the flare of anxiety and waited for the Triarch to acknowledge his existence.

  Triarch Webale leaned over a console, peering at the display. He turned to face his visitor. His snow-white brows contracted in a slight frown, emphasizing the severity of his pale, wrinkled visage.

  Moving into the ritual obeisance, Baswin dropped onto one knee, bowed his head to touch his raised knee and waited for a response.

  “You may stand, Underagent Tallis.” The Triarch’s cool tones gave no indication of his intentions.

  Baswin obeyed, glad to straighten his legs.

  Webale said, “Your stance has improved since your last report. Are you fully recovered from your injuries?”

  Surprised at this sign of concern, Baswin bowed. “I can walk, Triarch, although I had little opportunity for vigorous exercise on the Earther spaceship.”

  The Triarch’s straggly gray mustache twitched as he pursed his thin lips. “If you desire exercise, you can swim in the waters near this base. Do not approach the Earther Station. They must not see you.” His eyes narrowed and he pointed a finger at Baswin. “What did the ship’s crew know about you?”

  “The captain was told I was severely injured and unable to walk. The crew only saw me when I was carried on board and wheeled out. Both times, I wore a spacesuit, a Warrish suit with six-fingered gloves. During the voyage, I hacked into the controls and monitored their communications. No signals even hinted they knew of my deception.”

  Webale’s expression relaxed in a faint smile. “You report is satisfactory. According to the Earther records, Ben Brown was swept overboard in a storm.”

  “Two of the psychic candidates know of my existence,” Baswin confessed, “two sisters, Brisai Holly and Rosie Moon. They saved my life. They found me on a reef near our embassy, and later they came to o
ur submarine base to soothe my fevered delirium.”

  “The Ambassador informed me of their actions. You cannot be blamed for their discovery. The young women acted honorably in saving your life. Do these sisters know you are on Europa?”

  “We met again by accident on Taxyon Two. They learned I was traveling to Europa with the hope of rejoining my brothers on Rishalt.”

  Webale replied in a dry tone, “Since your First has won favor with Prime Jadel, I cannot interfere with the reunion of the Flaming Comets Triad. You have our permission to sail to Rishalt on the next starship.” His lips curled in a wry smile. “It is possible the Earther psychics will be on the same starship.” He waved his wrinkled hand at the door. “May the sacred springs of Warra sprinkle your path.”

  Pleased with the Triarch’s concessions and blessing, Baswin bent his head to waist level and placed his hands over his face. “I hear and will swim as you directed.”

  Flooded with relief, Baswin tempered his urge to race out of the Triarch’s presence. Instead, he backed away slowly, bowing for a final time before he exited into the corridor.

  Debating if the Triarch’s permission extended to him swimming with the Watchers to snare fish, he ambled around the passages toward the common space.

  At the intersection with the exit to the ocean, he met the Ramis Bell Duad accompanied by the luma family. Silna greeted him by brushing against his legs, while the pups frisked about him.

  Nikki smiled at him. “Have you seen Webale?”

  “Urish.” Baswin gave a shaky laugh. “He gave his blessing for me to join my brothers on Rishalt.”

  Kiron said, “A summons to the Triarch is always a trial. Yet he is not unkind.”

  “He’s learned to tolerate humans,” Nikki said. “Even before we won Prime Jadel’s favor.”

  Picking up the smallest pup, Kiron said, “We’re taking the lumas for a swim. Would you like to come with us?”

  “I long to plunge into the ocean.” Baswin added regretfully, “Webale will only permit me to swim near this base. No Earthers must see me.”

  “You’ll be fine with us. We can’t swim far with the pups,” Nikki said.

  Eager to swim in the ocean for the first time in five hexads, Baswin walked with his new friends to the exit. An iridescent membrane sealed the gate into the ocean.

  Nikki restrained an excited Silna with a hand on her collar, while Kiron stripped off his tunic and hung it on a hook.

  Opening a side door, he said, “Grab jets and a harpoon. We like to be prepared.”

  Following Kiron’s example, Baswin removed his tunic and fastened the jets and harpoon on a harness. The familiar attachments stirred happy memories of hunting tantra with his brothers in the years before their battle service.

  Once Nikki released Silna, the mother luma leaped through the membrane. In quick succession, Kiron and the three pups dove after her.

  Nikki also took a jet tube and harpoon, donning them with a speed that proved her familiarity with the devices. Unlike the men, she pulled a pair of goggles over her eyes. Intercepting Baswin’s puzzled glances, she explained, “Human eyes can’t adjust as well as yours to the minimal light at this depth.” She touched her nose. “We use special nostril inserts to extract oxygen from seawater. I assume the human psychics will use similar breathers.”

  He shook his head, indicating ignorance, while he imagined swimming beside Holly.

  Gesturing at the membrane, Nikki said, “The exit opens in the side of an undersea cliff. We’ll meet you at the top.” She stretched out her arms and leaped at the gate. The membrane dimpled and she slid through.

  Baswin waited a minute and then dove into the membrane. He emerged in the ocean and twirled in the swaying waves. The warm water tasted of mineral salts with traces of sulfur. Savoring the caress of the currents on his bare chest, he drifted for a moment beside a rock wall encrusted with various corals, sponges and slime molds.

  Aiming for the pallid light of the surface, he swam up parallel to the cliff face. He rose above the top and almost collided with a luma pup.

  The three pups were chasing each other, darting around Nikki and Kiron, and scooting under hanging coral fronds. After letting the pups play for a few minutes, Silna nosed at one of her babies and swam off. Propelled by their wagging tails, the pups swam after their mother.

  Using jets at low speed, Nikki and Kiron kept pace with the lumas.

  Wary of losing his guides in this unfamiliar ocean, Baswin also jetted behind the Ramis Bell Duad.

  Silna led her pups away from the concealed residence of the Watchers to rougher terrain where larger coral bushes hid swarms of small swimmers. The lumas, following Silna’s example, weaved under the branches to catch the animals. Each pup emerged with a small titbit in its little mouth. Rolling belly up, they held their catch in their front paws and nibbled contentedly while swaying in the slow currents of the ocean.

  Kiron moved his fingers in their nonverbal language, “Luma mother is good teacher.”

  Baswin flicked his fingers to indicate his agreement. Privately, he believed Kiron and Nikki would make excellent parents as judged by their kindly treatment of the lumas. But Earthers and Warrish could not, as far as he knew, conceive children together.

  Silna swiveled around, whiskers twitching, and abruptly darted upward.

  Silhouetted in the weak yellow light filtered through the ice crust, a shoal of tiny eel-like frellis swam overhead.

  At first, Baswin thought Silna would scare away the frellis. Instead of charging straight into the shoal, the luma slowed and veered around at a discreet distance from her prey. Maneuvering above the shoal, she plunged down onto the tiny eels. The frellis scattered out of her path, angling toward the seabed.

  The pups, alert to their mother’s actions, darted at the small creatures.

  Baswin fingered his applause of Silna’s hunting tactics.

  As the pups snatched the wriggly delicacies, dark shadows loomed above them. Five huge creatures with gaping maws descended on the shoal, flapping triangular fins like giant wings. The waves created by their beating wings hurled against the pups and they scurried to escape the ocean giants.

  Alarmed, Baswin reached for his harpoon, looking at Kiron for guidance.

  Kiron gestured a negative, “No danger.”

  Indeed, the bat-winged monsters were scooping frellis into their huge mouths. Filter-feeders, Baswin guessed, and harmless to anything larger than the tiny eels. But they had terrified the pups, who had fled in three different directions.

  Silna was hurrying to gather the nearest of her displaced offspring. She grabbed little Toe, the smallest and slowest of the pups, holding her by the scuff of the neck.

  Exhibiting the agility of long experience, Kiron zoomed after one of the older pups.

  Nikki jetted in the direction of the third pup. As the pup fled, his darker fur quickly merged into the background gloom.

  Kiron joined Baswin and handed him the pup. “Hold Tac. I’ll help Nikki.”

  The pup trembled in his arms as if uncertain of its safety.

  Hugging Toe within her forelimbs, Silna whipped her tail and rushed to her older pup. She hovered at the level of Baswin’s waist, poked her nose at Tac, and rubbed her sleek head against his bare arm as if showing her gratitude.

  “Good,” Kiron signed. “She’ll stay with you.” Giving Silna an affectionate pat, Kiron twisted around and raced after his partner.

  Baswin looked at the mother luma. She was clutching Toe to her belly and drifting idly on her back. Luckily, she seemed content to stay close to her two younger pups. He had no clue what to do if she decided to swim in search of her oldest pup, and only a vague sense of direction for the swim to the hidden entrance of the base. Could Silna lead him home?

  Giving a mental shrug, he waited, resigned to an uncertain wait.

  In a sixth of an hour, Nikki returned. She tapped on her com, transmitting her voice, “We can’t find Tic. Kiron will keep searching, but the o
ther pups must be tired. Let’s carry them back to the base.” After persuading Silna give her the littlest pup, Nikki swam off beside the mother luma.

  Baswin tucked the second pup under his arm, activated his jets, and followed Nikki. They traveled roughly parallel with the seafloor and soon arrived at the cliff above the concealed base.

  Two of the Rudea’s Crescent brothers stood on guard at the top of the cliff.

  The Second, Gannor, aimed a thumb at Baswin, moving three fingers up, and then curling one down.

  Stroking the pup he held, Baswin signed, “One is lost.”

  Nikki gave the guards a perfunctory greeting, and dropping below the top of the cliff, plunged through the sealed gate into the base. Following quickly, Silna and Baswin entered one after the other.

  Silna stretched up, hissed and pawed at Baswin’s thigh until he restored her baby. Grasping little Tac’s neck, the luma galloped toward the guest quarters.

  Still carrying the smallest pup, Nikki shook her head and sighed, “Silna wants to keep these two pups safe. I’d better let her into our cell.”

  As Baswin walked beside her, he suggested, “Kiron might already have found Tic.”

  “No. He’ll call if he found the scamp. The naughty pup’s probably hiding or poking into an interesting hole.” She rubbed her eyes. “Once Tic grows hungry, he’ll look for us.”

  When Nikki unlocked the door of her cell, the mother luma rushed inside with Tac. A moment later, she returned and demanded Toe.

  “Look at them now,” Nikki held the door open so Baswin could see inside. The two pups snuggled by their mother in their basket.

  Gazing at the adorable luma family, Baswin said, “If the other pup doesn’t return soon, I know of someone who might be able to help find it.”

  Nikki frowned at him. “Who?”

  “She’s one of the twelve Earther psychics who came to Europa to be tested for their potential to become tripilots. The Earthers want to train their own hyperspace navigators.”

  Nikki nodded. “They are staying on Bathos. Mia and Ennis swam out earlier to test three psychics for their sensitivity to hyperspace.” Sending a skeptical glance at Baswin, she asked, “How could this woman find Tic?”