by E L Russell
“How much time will it take?” Knosh asked
“As long as you need to get it right. With time travel, we have all the time we need to train, which means you will remain here until you know your roles perfectly.”
“How—”
Mother waved a hand in the air. "No more questions until I request them." She scrutinized the six teammates. "The Silva have sacrificed their enemies to the Maelstrom for centuries. Their method of killing is quite simple and quite horrific. A metal cylinder, much like a coffin, and large enough to hold one person and several days of air, is set adrift in a location to be drawn inexorably to the Maelstrom by its gravitational field. Once the cylinder reaches a certain distance, nothing can escape the pull of the Maelstrom. And that includes repositioning. If the unfortunate captive still lives, he or she accelerates into the black hole of an unknown yet certain death. After passing the Maelstrom's point of no return, no one has ever been seen again."
Finna peered deep into the eyes of each person present, and lingered on Leeth’s wondering what could have drawn the two together?
Mother continued. “The cylinder is launched in a way that the occupant rotates within the cylinder’s axis, thereby giving him a view of the Maelstrom for excruciating hours, perhaps days before reaching the point of no return. The encapsulated person has a long time to ponder death.”
She stood and placed both hands on the back her chair. “This is Vald’s plan for the Liberi who do not pledge themselves to the Silva.” After a pause, she said, “Now. Questions?”
Finna spoke. “Why don’t we reposition the people before they are put into the cylinders and dumped into the Maelstrom?”
"If all we needed to do was to reposition the captured Liberi away, we could do that now. However," Mother paused for effect, "there are a couple of problems with that scenario. The place where they are detained is constructed from sapping stones. They block our powers. Of perhaps of more importance, is even if we could rescue them, the Silva, knowing they were alive somewhere in the galaxy, would never stop looking for them. Although the Liberi would be avoiding death from the Maelstrom, a life of forever hiding from the Silva would be a living hell for generations.
Jamal addressed his question directly to Leeth, and Finna liked the tone in his voice.“So how are we going to do it?” He had every confidence it would be done. She shared a smile with Yasmin. They had all come to think Leeth could accomplish anything and Jamal had been the first on board.
"One solution is to reposition those condemned after they leave the internment area," Leeth said, picking up the questions. "We must determine how to do it, so they will not be missed."
“How many people need rescuing?” Miri asked, showing more interest than usual.
“Three hundred and fourteen people are currently slated for death in the Maelstrom. There could be more, making the total number unknown.” Mother lifted a hand in a way that said she was still thinking. “We would be wise to expect more and will plan an escape process that can scale the numbers up or down while still achieving success.”
Three hundred and fourteen.
Finna’s previous smile turned somber. “That’s a lot of people to be repositioned in a short time. Do you think the six of us can handle it?”
“God’s Bones, Daughter. Have some faith.” The old woman shook her head as though in disappointment.
God’s Bones? What the hell?
"Of course, we can handle it," Mother said. "As time travelers, time is not a problem. There is another, more serious problem, however." Mother glanced at Leeth, and he clicked his tongue. "Not being able to communicate with the captured Liberi presents a great challenge." He drummed his forefinger on his upper lip. "Because they don't know they will be rescued, some may convert. Others will argue with the Silva and get themselves murdered. Worse, they may panic at the last minute, and they'll all be killed in the confusion of an uprising."
Jamal seemed to grasp the situation immediately. “We need a way to get a message to them so they can remain calm and go into those coffins knowing we will rescue them.”
"Who in their right mind could stay calm and walk into one of those death traps willingly?" Tood wrapped his arms around his middle and scooted back from the group. “This idea is crazy."
Mother was quick to address his criticism. ”Crazy it might be, but Jamal's idea for a message is correct. Unfortunately, we can't ask someone to risk the wrath of Vald by trying to slip in as a spy. At some point, he would be questioned, and Vald would sense a lie and make sure the infiltrator died with the others. We're still working looking into ways we might communicate with the prisoners."
Finna plunged on. “Let’s say we do figure out a way and let’s say the six of us are capable of snatching these bodies from the jaws of certain death, where would you have us put them so Vald’s people couldn’t find them?”
“By the time you return from your training here, Daughter, the six of you will have the power and the skill to accomplish what is needed.”
Vague. Finna searched deep into the mysterious woman’s piercing blue eyes and was surprised to find no disapproval of her lack of faith. In fact, she detected a crinkling that might indicate humor. The softening of her expression disappeared immediately, however, with a strident answer.
“We must be successful. More than several hundred lives are at stake in this mission. Millions await the fruit of your success.”
Finna nodded. What was there to say? Without question, the Liberi must be saved, but how did three hundred turn into millions? Mother was as incomprehensible as Leeth.
* * *
They had all gone their separate ways when Finna heard Yasmin shouting and crying. She had joined Mother and Leeth in wild frenzy.
“Jamal. He’s gone. Where could he be?”
“He can’t be,” Leeth said. “Let us all look.”
“You don’t understand. I’ve searched everywhere. Jamal is not here. Bismillah. You must find him. Dieu aide moi”
Yasmin’s distress, expressed in an incomprehensible mix of Arabic and French, was hard to grasp, but the gist of her words was clear. Jamal was missing. Leeth reached out to her, but she backed away from him, slapping away his outstretched hands. “Swear to me you didn’t tell him to go. In the name of Allah, swear it.”
He lowered his arms. “Yasmin, what are you saying? You think Jamal has gone to warn the Liberi not to accept Vald’s offer?” He firmly took both of her hands in his and looked into her eyes, speaking softly, “I did not send or ask Jamal to take on a such a mission. I swear it.”
Mother added what she knew. “The Time Overlords and I have done a mind sweep in all directions, and we can viz most of the galaxy. Our attempts to reach out to Jamal’s mind made no connection.”
Yasmin started to speak, but Mother stopped her. "Be assured Jamal still lives. Leeth, the Time Overlords and I would have felt his death in our mind no matter where he is. Since the mind connection can only be blocked by death, the only logical place his thoughts cannot be read is where sapping stones or potions have shut down his brain's ability to use the mind to communicate. I'm sorry."
Jasmine jerked her hands loose and held them in fists over her heart. “You must find him. You said you would protect us. You promised.”
Finna went to her and Yasmin collapsed against her. “We’ll find him. We will.”
Leeth’s eyes caught Finna’s, who had wrapped her arms around her panicked friend’s shoulders. He shifted his head in a minuscule shake. It did not look good for Jamal.
Finna vanished with her friend to a more private place.
* * *
Finna needed a quiet and private place where she and Yasmin could be alone. A quick examination of Mother's home, located inside a protective sphere, had a couple of options. She chose a section of Mother's Victorian slate roof. They sat close together between two gabled windows on a railed rooftop platform. "This is about as private as it gets in Mother's sphere. Now that you've had a mom
ent to think about it does Mother's comment sound right to you?"
Yasmin pulled the sleeves of her robe onto her palms and wiped her eyes and cheeks. She nodded between soft sobs. “I know Jamal. He’s gone to warn the prisoners. He wanted to tell them there is hope, and that we are coming for them. He wants them to know they can’t give in.” She swallowed a sob. “Why did Leeth ever teach him to reposition like that? Jamal is so far away.”
Finna gave her arm a shake. “Jamal is a leader. He is heroic. Look at me. I think he’s doing what he believes a man should do. We will save him.”
“But how? How can we save any of them?”
"Leeth and Mother will tell us how. They are confident, and I believe in them."
67
Real Torg Time
More Training
Yasmin’s jaw quivered as she held back tears.
Yasmin covered her face.
She offered Yasmin a small open ceramic jar.
After taking Yasmin to a room where she could lie down, Finna didn’t waste time in reaching out to Leeth.
His mind-speak was unusually calm and soft.
Before she spoke, Finn checked Yasmin was asleep. < Leeth, I believe Jamal found a way to get through Vald's defenses, and he's working among the captured Liberi making sure they understand we're planning a rescue, but to believe we can pull them from the Maelstrom with such exquisite timing will take a huge leap of faith. I know he's only twelve, but he is remarkable. I believe if he is capable of convincing the adults we can do it. We can save them.>
Leeth said nothing.
Leeth called the group together and spoke privately first to Mother.
Mother sighed.
Leeth gave an affirmative nod. He was open to any and all good ideas.
Mother put a wrinkled hand to her chin and tapped her lips.
Leeth raised his hand for a high-five, and she snorted and gave his open hand a good smack.
Finna watched their by-play with interest. There were double meanings in their exchange, and she had no idea what they were. At one point, she was sure Leeth was going to laugh, but he checked himself and returned to the somber mood in the room and said,
They sat around the large table once more for a meal, and while everyone ate, Finna listened carefully in on Leeth and Mother's conversation. They spoke of more unfamiliar concepts, and she concentrated on understanding. How could they create two huge dodecahedron spheres like the one that surrounded Mother's house, for each rescue team?
Oh, Lord, please make our magic strong.
Part of her wanted to hang out with Miri and the others and let Mother and Leeth continue with their esoteric banter, but she was too curious to leave.
Leeth lifted his chin in acknowledgment of her confused look. "I'm glad you're listening. These spheres Mother and I are talking about are like the one we're in now, only bigger. Each inscribed dodecahedron is a bubble with twelve flat sides that not only gives the sphere tremendous structural strength but also allows us to orient an internal gravity for one flat side to act as a floor.
She and I plan to steal enough blankets and pillows from Vald’s hospital for each sphere to make the ones we rescue comfortable enough to recover from the shock of yanking them from their coffin and tossing them inside a transparent sphere.>
Finna asked,
Realizing her mouth was open Finna snapped it shut.
He smiled as if he had a secret.
Finna had trouble wrapping her brain around the concept of a dodecahedron and world-sized spheres and opted instead to go on faith. What she knew for certain was that they needed to practice remote vizing and repositioning objects within the indestructible spheres Leeth and Mother were going to create for them. One thing was clear. These bubbles were not quite like a world. One obvious difference was they would be inside rather than on the surface
68
New Skills
New Travel
As promised, Mother created several collection spheres, each large enough to hold one hundred and fifty people.
Finna asked, “How did you manage to fill half of your sphere with earth and water?”
Mother laughed. “I didn’t. The young man who made it for me constructed it that way once I showed him what I wanted. It’s difficult to do, but he was very skilled.”
Difficult? It seemed impossible to Finna. “Do you think I could ever learn to make one?”
"Of course. I had to learn, after all." She waved away that line of question for one of her own. "Now, for these smaller collection-spheres, I chose to construct each one with an inscribed dodecahedron, so the prisoners have a flat floor to stand, sit, or lie on.
What had at first seemed an achievable challenge soon grew tedious o
nce they attained proficiency. Knowing that people tend to drop to their lowest level of success when stressed, Leeth made the teams practice repositioning large rocks again and again and again for greater and greater precision. Although it made little sense to her, Leeth assured her that repositioning an object was the same whether it was large or small. Where they set the rock and how they positioned it, however, was something else entirely. Each repetition had to meet Leeth’s impossible standard.
At first, getting the large rocks through the shells of indestructible nested spheres seemed impossible, but Leeth goaded them, badgered them, and harangued them until they achieved success. Then, success was not enough. He made them practice their successes until their retrievals and deliveries were an automatic skill, not that he allowed them to work on automatic.
The only other bright spot was that Yasmin came out of her stupor and practiced with a vengeance. Seeing Jamal in every successful execution, she set aside her anxiety and sorrow and became a valued member of the team, which was a good thing because they needed her. With her return, Knosh and Tood lost their usual banter. Retrieving Jamal became the team’s mantra and all energy went to pleasing their taskmaster.
Leeth didn’t let up on them. Once they conquered the meticulous positioning, he demanded more speed. They were to retrieve ten rocks within thirty-seconds. Once again, Finna thought it was an impossible goal, but one look at Yasmin drove her to try harder. She concentrated so hard she thought her head would explode, but she didn’t let up. Again and again, they got eight rocks properly positioned, but not the ninth and tenth. Knosh and Tood had managed only six when Leeth called a stop to the activity. It was not for a rest. It was to announce an ultimatum.