by Drew Briney
Aria froze, responding nothing beyond a blush. What had she said to give that away?
Still connecting dots, Blaze continued: “So, if you were separated from Dr. Boyd, how do you and Toka know so much about him? How could you know what he was doing only weeks ago?”
Neither woman followed his train of thought but the question was valid nonetheless. The young siren speedily reconciled herself to concede that the time of deception had passed. If Blaze’s intuition was already functioning at this level, trying to hide details would only instigate more challenging inquiries.
“Toka was a master of many things,” she confessed. “They say that those who are heartless once cared too much. That very much epitomized his life.” Aria was looking at the charred corpse of her previous master and felt sorry for him. “He was still trying to get other followers of Dr. Boyd to join our team. I only recently learned that he retained contact with people that he knew before he left. Apparently there were other people who were not happy with what Dr. Boyd was doing but who were afraid to leave and join us. I’m not really sure why …”
“Can you undo any of my enhancements?” Blaze interrupted, disinterested in learning much of anything about the beastly man that lay only a few feet away from them.
“Why would I do that?” Aria responded, entirely befuddled.
“I read about intelligent people noticing that less intelligent people tend to be happier,” he began, “and if we do not know what these new enhancements will do, we do not know whether or not they are desirable,” Blaze finished.
“Oh … I see … I guess we will have to cross that bridge when we come to it,” Aria answered rather sketchily. “I really don’t know the answer. I’ll have to do quite a bit of research to know the answer to those questions. For now, let’s just hope that you will be well enough to run the ship,” she teased. Despite the clear jest in her voice, Evelia heard some ominous prediction in Aria’s words.
Blaze didn’t.
“That should not be of too much concern,” he responded. “We have a very competent crew who knows their duties well. They barely need any guidance to smoothly run this ship – especially when their captain, only a few weeks ago, believed all of the technologies running this ship were long lost. They will only heavily rely upon my leadership if we have an unforeseen emergency,” he confessed.
“Speaking of,” Evelia interjected, making eye contact with the siren. “We better get the captain to the deck so he can give our next orders. It appears that we are changing course.”
Observing the curious look on Aria’s face, Blaze elaborated further. “The alien captain gave us coordinates to a lush moon…”
“Planet,” Evelia corrected.
“Right, a lush planet not too far from here where we can conduct research that will hopefully improve life back home.” Then, after making that announcement, Blaze second guessed himself.
At least, I thought the coordinates were not too far from here. Was that your understanding Evelia? The instant he received an affirmative response, Blaze continued. “We need to finish this discussion in greater detail some other time. For now, take some time to relax and freshen up. We need to change course before our alien friends start stressing over our slowness in keeping our promises.”
Without further word, he turned around and walked past the grisly body of the beastly Toka. Taking time to look over the body, he noticed how little it resembled the man he had spoken to earlier that day. The beastly Toka was a monstrosity and it grieved his heart that someone could alter their own body so heavily and so grotesquely. It made him all the more resolute that he didn’t welcome further enhancements to his own body – except possibly one that might make him feel less stress.
Looking over at Evelia, he silently asked: do you have the coordinates ready so we can chart our course?
Yes, sir, she responded. Well, at least I will have them ready by the time we get to the deck. Right now, I just know the general direction and I can see where it sits in relation to where we are now. I can access the precise coordinates in just a few minutes.
As the next several moments passed in silence, the duo made a number of twists and turns as they neared the main deck. As Blaze commanded the door to open, Evelia offered him a brief morsel of trivia: Remind me later to tell you more but the alien captain invited us to come visit him again later. He gave me more lessons to add to what the magic woman gave me and says there is still a lot more to learn. Apparently, the magic woman was considered … well …a little clumsy … by her society’s standards she bordered on being a flunky.
Blaze had neither the time nor the inclination to respond. It wasn’t his season to be learning all of these things. Or was it?
LITERALLY, THE WORD “AVLA” MEANT “not fur.” It had long since lost that meaning to her people but somehow, it continued to describe the feathery substance lining the neck of this magnificent creature. She dug her hands deep into the avla and held it as tightly as she could. Its thick, yet indescribably soft texture made it both difficult and enjoyable to hold onto. She mentally instructed the beast to plunge quickly through the low level clouds below, excited to see what beautiful scenery undoubtedly lay ahead. Its muscles tensing as its paws tightly pressed against its hulky chest, its head drooping downward, and its tail flicking with anticipation, the beast folded its magnificent wings to effectuate the intense dive its master was directing.
The relationship between the magic woman’s race and this griffon-like species went back so many generations that the origins of their bond had been lost. They had grown inseparable in many ways – it would not have occurred to either species to stop living together or to stop working one with the other. And while the “havna” were universally recognized as an intelligent species, there was neither thought nor consideration given as to why the havna were universally subservient. Indeed, they took so much joy in serving her species that the magic woman had never even considered the possibility that there should – or could – be any other type of relationship between them.
Rhythmic pulsing pounded against her ear as the duo made their way through the clouds. Her hair pulling behind her as if someone was trying to hold her back, the magic woman briefly wished she had tightly placed her hair in a bun rather than putting it in multiple thin, snake-like braids. Occasionally, they would snap around from changing air pressure and lightly whip her on her face or neck – but the long braids also intensified the sensation of moving quickly through the air and that left her feeling more free – without the disadvantage of getting her hair irretrievably tangled into a horrible mess. As the duo cleared the shallow cloud bank, the havna spread its wings and slowed its plunge until the magic woman felt nothing apart from sheer exhilaration. Involuntarily, her lips spread into a huge smile and she had to remind herself not to release it into a gaping, open mouthed laugh while flying at such high speeds.
Some water droplets tenaciously clung to her hair while other droplets quickly raced over her skin and traced lines like arched racing stripes before being released back into the atmosphere. While the nearly garish colors of the sunset in front of them materialized and the clouds above them dissipated, the magic woman mentated her desire for the havna to level off its course and rejoiced as it did so. Her smile now grew in size as she took in the unfolding scenery and then she released her primeval impulse to laugh out loud. This was her favorite spot in her entire world. In front of her stood the largest mountain on her moon and several hundred feet below lay the largest set of cascading waterfalls known to her species. The near deafening sound of the waterfalls was little more than a quiet buzz from where she was but the excitement of standing at their feet and feeling the water pound over her body to envelop her like blanket overwhelmed her as if she was there already. The anticipation of the moment was nearly as exhilarating as actually being there.
The scene changed.
Tied to a pole, the magic woman nervously stared at her mentor. Only a small girl, she felt somewhat betr
ayed. While she understood that this was an important part of her training, she also felt overwhelmed. Perhaps … she wasn’t ready. Perhaps she was so gift-less that she would fail. Perhaps she was meant to remain in the lower classes – perhaps she was even meant to plunge to the lowest of all classes, the Ravee. In the recesses of her mind, she even considered that she might utterly fail this test – she might die. An arrow whizzed by her head and impaled the pole only a few inches above her head.
“Wake up,” came the instruction. “Focus.”
The magic woman watched as her beautiful mentor pulled on the bow until it bent so beautifully into that strong restful arch. The golden eyes of her mentor stared back at her from the opposing side of the bladed arrow and aimed carefully before releasing it. Each arrow would be directed closer and closer towards a lethal target. Very few had ever been lethally injured during this test but the magic woman nevertheless feared she would be joining their ranks. For now, the first few volleys would merely be painful lessons.
So, she mentally focused with everything she had. Pulling deep within her inner resolve, she tried to create a psionic barrier to deflect the arrow – and failed – but the arrow failed to stick into the pole, resulting in it ricocheting against the magic woman’s thigh, its feathers neatly slicing her skin enough to encourage a better effort the next round. Before she had a chance to feel much of anything besides pure panic, the magic woman looked up to see a second arrow being released. She focused harder this time, desperation fully engaging in her psyche. Strong barrier, she thought to herself, more in pictures than in words. Somehow, she had to succeed. Her instinct of self preservation was starting to kick in.
The second arrow, aimed to the left of the last arrow landed in nearly the same spot, this time slightly piercing her thigh and exiting out the backside of her leg, causing no small flash of pain. She yelped.
While the magic woman began to panic even more, her mentor smiled. That’s better, she thought to herself, pulling a third arrow back and carefully preparing her aim. This one she carefully aimed slightly lower than the joint where the clavicle meets the shoulder. Even if the arrow founds its mark, the result wouldn’t be lethal – but it would send a very strong message. Then, considering the young girl’s success with the last arrow, she adjusted her aim slightly towards her heart. As the arrow whizzed past her ear, the mentor felt a pang of sorrow for the young girl. Her eyes clearly betrayed her panic, her overwhelming fear, her lack of confidence. The mentor remembered all too well those same feelings from when she had taken this same test – although it didn’t require four arrows to accomplish the task and the scratch she had received was negligible compared to the bleeding gash on the young girl’s leg. But all of this was of little consequence. Her species was chock full of competent healers; there would be no long term damage to the young girl.
This time, the arrow met its mark. Unprepared and unable to concentrate, the magic woman snapped her head backwards from pain when the arrow landed, stunning herself and nearly losing consciousness from her new head wound. The pain from the arrow was sharp and intense but somewhat dulled by the dizzying throbs coming from her head.
The mentor dropped her aim and let the bow hang close to her side for a moment as she considered what to do next. Tradition and experience long held that waiting too long between arrows could lead to complete failure so she couldn’t pause for long. Still, she feared to release another round too quickly. The situation was delicate and a mistake in either direction could be fatal. The last thing she wanted was blood on her hands so she quickly notched another arrow, took quick aim towards the young girl’s belly and let the arrow fly.
Success, she emoted a moment later.
Mortified, the young girl’s deep instincts took over, allowing her to create a forceful psionic barrier to deflect the last arrow. While it didn’t deflect fully away from her body and left her wincing from another large scratch slightly under her lowest left rib, it didn’t impale her and she was alive – although she was hurting badly and pegged to a pole. But this too would pass.
The scene changed.
Evelia watched scenes pass by for what seemed like days. What she learned from the magic woman this time was much more diverse in nature. She learned how to channel energy to increase the heat of a fire, to decrease the amount of smoke in a fire, and to cook meat without any fire at all. She learned how to use energy to run faster, magnify her vision, and hold her breath underwater more efficiently. In short, she learned dozens upon dozens of techniques to improve life and to make it more enjoyable. While she didn’t learn how to control other creatures, she did learn how to speak to them through pictures to such an astonishing degree that Evelia wondered whether or not she would be able to quickly communicate complex ideas to intelligent species who spoke unknown languages. As scenes passed by, Evelia began to feel overwhelmed, although she also recognized that most of the principles and techniques involved in each of these skills were notably similar. She suspected that she could learn most of them fairly quickly if she just took the time to devote herself to this new endeavor. As the last scene passed by, Evelia felt relief that the session was over. Not only was it longer than previous sessions, it left her especially exhausted.
It was therefore more than a little stressful to learn that the alien captain’s instructions were attached to the magic woman’s session and that she would have to pay close attention to remember anything he might offer her – she was, after all, very fatigued mentally.
Almost immediately, the information delivered by the captain felt very different. She recognized that it would not leave her feeling so fatigued and worn after her session and she also recognized that the memories and lessons that he offered her would be easier to retrieve and to remember. Somehow, the quality of lessons that he had given her were superior in nature to what the magic woman had given her. And to some degree, Evelia quickly understood, the alien captain’s instructions were much more complicated in nature. While the magic woman was teaching Evelia life skills and survival skills, the alien captain was instructing her on items that were much more philosophical in nature. He was instructing her on principles that govern relationships, communities, and societies; he offered light and knowledge about abstract concepts that govern leadership choices and principles by which compromises and concessions need to be made when conflicts arise. In short, he taught her every foundational principle and theology that had governed his people for untold generations – principles of how to take a primitive species and mold them into the most advanced civilization their intellectual capacities would allow them to become. By the time the lesson was finished, Evelia felt no small degree of disbelief that he had told her that there was much more to learn and that he would be happy to teach her people much more if they were able to successfully implement the most important principles that he had just delivered.
And to top all of this off, he offered her insight into how she could modify the method of separating crew members who were ideal for starting a new society from those who ought to be exiled. She had agonized over this complicated detail but the alien captain’s method seemed perfectly simple to her now – was it really possible that they could embark on this portion of their journey so easily? Only time would tell.
Typically, Evelia awakened from her sessions a little drowsy, perhaps even a little uncertain of her environment – like how you feel when you wake up before you are fully rested. You might know your way down the hall but you might have to sit on the bed’s edge for a moment to allow your body to find its bearings. This time was remarkably different. Despite her feelings of fatigue upon finishing the magic woman’s lengthy session, Evelia felt almost refreshed after finishing the alien captain’s lessons. But there was an extra bonus as well: this time, there were things that Blaze would be motivated to learn and there were things that they could work on as a team to guide the crew in determining the team that would be left behind on some strange planet – a planet where the alien captain had
left some few exiles in generations past. This time, Evelia would not be alone in practicing and implementing what she had learned; this time, Blaze would stand by her side.
EVELIA STOOD UP AS SHE FINISHED her session and walked into the other room where Elayuh lay asleep. She was silent apart from nearly inaudible breathing sounds that only occasionally escaped her mouth when she dreamily twitched a little. While Evelia looked at the calm babe, she pondered over what future lay ahead for this special child – a child that seemed entirely oblivious to the horrible things that had happened since she had been taken away from mother, from her entire race, from her home planet.
But they were headed home again.
Sort of. Already, yesterday seemed so very long ago. The memory of Blaze broadcasting new orders to the crew passed through her mind as if it was part of one of her teaching sessions with this new race of aliens that no one even knew how to name. They were simply “aliens” and that was it. Evelia felt a sense of shame that her culture didn’t even value these people enough to give them a name.
The most wonderful woman Evelia had ever met (apart from her own mother) was simply “the magic woman.” The most intelligent and gracious being she had ever encountered was nothing more than “the alien captain.” But then, if her own people had named these aliens, they probably wouldn’t have given them an honorable name. History suggested that a simple, thoughtless name would have been their fate: “the brainwashers,” “the tattooed monkey-tailed aliens” may have been candidates. Or, perhaps this crew would be different – it seemed they were unique somehow – more refined. Maybe they would offer these graceful and wise creatures some special term of reverence they deserved. The artist in her wanted to give them a name, an inspiring name. Perhaps one day, she would do that. Today, she had no inspiration. For now, Evelia was simply trying to survive the day to day grind of incorporating the aliens’ teachings into her life.