Merker's Outpost

by I. Christie

  The small door to the control unit came open easily. Carol found the switch, which looked very different from the equipment above the doorframe. She pushed the on switch and for a brief moment, lights flashed on the panel then a small screen came on showing that the small system was coming up.

  "The camera light is on, Mistress," Carol commented after a few minutes.

  "Ahh. It is good to see that you are both doing well," Guardian's voice came over both their helmet speakers.

  "Hello, Guardian. Anything happen while we've been out of touch?"

  "No, just the usual reports from the troops searching out Alan's group. And a protest from Lady Varina filed with the Counsel of Rings in absentia of the Committee's Grand Counsel, in the Collective's refusal to return her men or ship, due to their attack and mistreatment of one of the Collective's officers." Guardian cleared his nonexistent throat. "I'm not sure she understands the seriousness of the crime, being that one government official condoning the kidnapping, imprisonment and mistreatment of an officer from another government, in peace time."

  "So…I…" Lt. Montran was not looking forward to facing a sea of faces she did not know and reliving her ordeal. It would open too many other closed doors that no one had the right to reopen if she did not chose to.

  "You are not required in this matter. My filming your capture and treatment has been presented to the Counsel of Rings, since the Committee is in a mute state at this time. I have launched the protest as you were my guest and they were not welcomed or here in any legal capacity. It's better for people that are skilled in such matters to handle."

  "Right. So…we'll discuss the matter when I return…which I'm sure my commander will have a lot to say." Oh, bloody moon! This will give them the opening to nose into my past. I can always resign. Right. And run away again? How many galaxies are there to run to? "Well, back to the present...do you know where we are?" Harriet asked, hopefully.

  "Yes. You are in the chancellor's library. Actually, it was his son's. I see that he had not taken his readers when he left. That is curious. I would have thought MaaSa would never leave without his collection."

  "So, these are…books," Carol said as she picked up what she had laid on the table.

  "Yes. That is what you would call them. They are data cards. You place one on that table and the system would play it on the screen for you. It would be either audio or visual. For you it would not work, for you do not know their language or see with the same vision as they. They could be out of the water for a while but they did most of their living underwater. The library was set above the water to see if the data cards would last longer."

  Harriet paused and listened for a moment. What was that she heard? Did she hear a sigh? She did not feel any presence in the room.

  "Well, we shall move on to the next structure. We have a lot to do and I'm sure not all will be this easy."

  Carol was the first out through the doorway. As Harriet bent down to crawl back out through the doorway, the moment she cleared the doorframe she could feel a force pushing at her. The energy that was coming from the room was not friendly nor was it familiar. She could see what resembled a lifeline from the pond attached to the gray cloud that was leaning over Carol who was crowded to the wall on the other side of the pond. Harriet quickly moved to the lifeline and patted it with her gloved hand. The gray cloud was instantly before Harriet with all its malevolent energy surrounding her. No small wonder why Carol was pressed against the wall! The energy was staggering! Harriet remembered some childhood protection incantations, which she mumbled as she tried to slowly back away from the pond. She could not see Carol for the gray cloud was all around her. It closed off most of her senses.

  Harriet resigned herself to the entrapment and sat down. Quieting her fears, she centered herself as she had done long ago when frightened. When was the last time she had done this? A flower. She had been admiring a flower from her aunt's garden when she experienced a profound love that had made her heart ache. This remembered moment she radiated to whatever was covering her.

  Harriet was startled out of her meditation when someone tapped her shoulder. She looked up to see Carol smiling down at her. She was not wearing her helmet. In fact, she was not dressed at all. Harriet laughed humorously. The entity was so clever.

  She could feel her amusement reflected back to her.

  "So, you are Guardian spirit of this home. Perhaps you know of MaaSa?"

  The presence vanished quickly and she found Carol next to helping her up.

  "You okay?" she asked Carol.

  "Yes, Mistress. Are you?" she studied her mistress closely.

  "Uh, huh."

  There was a splash on the outside and the building rocked gently. The entity that appeared before them was a glow of no color, but the center was an off white.

  "Well, MaaSa. Welcome!" Guardian's voice could be heard from a speaker in the room they were in.

  "MashiMaa, it has been a long time since I have heard you speak and a long time since I have used this language!"

  "We could speak in your own language, but my emissaries would not understand," Guardian returned.

  "I had heard you were no longer," MaaSa continued.

  "I had heard everyone had left," Guardian returned.

  "It is good that neither of us believed," MaaSa returned in humor.

  "I cannot take credit for that. Lt. Alexandra Harriet Montran felt the deserted cities needed a long over due inspection."

  "Yes. The one that sent a message to me. How do you know of our ways, Lt. Alexandra Harriet Montran?" the form asked as it moved toward the two women.

  "She asked for subliminals of the culture of your Enuits, MaaSa. Don't be hostile so hastily," Guardian broke in quickly.

  Harriet did not feel any danger but she believed Guardian knew what he was doing.

  "You have information on my Enuits? I had thought I destroyed all records of us."

  "Not all. So what have you been doing with yourself all this time?"

  "I have been doing what I have desired since a youth."

  "Writing," Harriet stated.

  "Yes. I have finished eleven stands, which represents books to you. I am now outlining the final. We write in twelve's," MaaSa explained.

  "What will you do when you are finished?" Guardian asked curious.

  "You shall send them home for me. I don't have any desire to return. I like it here. I am free to write or wander without anyone telling me I cannot do it."

  "I shall take care of that as you ask, MaaSa." Guardian assured him.

  "So, now that you have found someone, what more do you want?" MaaSa rumbled his question to Harriet.

  "Are you the only one that is here?"

  "Perhaps. Is this something MashiMaa is asking, or is it your own question?"

  Harriet's subliminal was telling her she was asking questions that are not asked in this culture. Enuits were a secretive group when compared to humans, beasties, and most of the clans in the Zed sector. There is a scattering of planets that still held to the secretive nature like the Enuits but Harriet felt an urgency to push past the cultural barriers. Would Alan find this city an easy target? And the plan that was partially forming in her mind, was it right for everyone?

  "There is one who wishes to destroy this planet, if he cannot take possession of it, and he has already found he cannot possess it."

  The pressure from MaaSa lessened for a moment. "So, what are you wishing to impart on my city?"

  "We wish to activate some more of Guardians cameras, however I don't think that will be enough." She let him think about that for a moment.

  "You wish to stay here?" he asked slowly.

  "No. But there is a ritual….called sesshi."

  "She did not get that from my subliminals," Guardian hurriedly interjected.

  "How do you know about something that is not even written about?" MaaSa asked it softly but Harriet could feel a great pressure on her forehead.

  She used her hand to
flick the energy away as if it were a fly. "I heard a story of a far off land and the disaster that befell it, and what saved the inhabitants. It occurred to me that the story may well have been about the Enuits or a relative of yours."

  "It is a very good guess." Guardian laughed again. "MaaSa, you must admit, she is very good."

  "Who did you hear the story from?" MaaSa asked not giving in.

  "From an ancient story teller on San Standard. She would not use the correct names to any one in the tale, believing that it would open the door to the evil that once resided in this long lost planet," Harriet recalled.

  "So...the teacher is correct," MaaSa sighed. "It was a terrible evil that turned the water people against the land people. Both peoples had listened to the whispers of this evil that spoke ill of the other."

  There was silence for a long moment.

  "But, it was a long time ago. So you wish to become part of a sesshi?" he asked slowly.

  "Not I." Harriet turned to Carol.

  Carol's eyes became wide at suddenly understanding what mistress was suggesting.

  "I? I do not know what this is, Mistress!"

  "I think somewhere in your lost memories you do. Only you called it something else. What it is is a psychic link to another. In different cultures it has different names and different ways of practicing it but basically, it is sharing another's consciousness."

  "Why?" three voices echoed.

  "Because if Alan does invade this part of the city, he will either wipe out everyone that is still here or he will do something that would do irreparable damage to your spirit. Alan thrives on the terror of others. That is how Alan is. If he is casting his sticks, there is no telling what he is seeing. His soldiers were delivering explosives to Century City," she reminded them. "And with the moBots he would be able to send them down the travel tubes to the other cities."

  "What does sesshi have to do with this?"

  "Alan would have studied your group though the use of his sticks, or channelers, and would know who to use to infiltrate. If Carol were here, MaaSa would not be overwhelmed to the point of not being able to resist. Alan is violent. Carol could absorb the violence. MaaSa could not."

  "Why do you think that?" MaaSa asked curiously.

  "You are not a violent race. That is why the evil one of long ago won. Suspicion was the mortal wounding to your races."

  "Ahh."

  "I do not think that is such a good idea," Carol voiced her own disapproval.

  Harriet noted it was not done with vigor, only hesitation. She wondered if what she called her 'guides' and what other's called uncanny intuition, was right this time. Now, however, was not a time to doubt herself. Alan was a real threat to these people, and her guides told her this was a way to help them and help Carol so the political powers could not abuse her because of her knowledge of Lord Chaney's business dealings.

  "It is something that you would need to think about," Harriet agreed. "Normally it is a three stan day ritual but it has been done in a day. It will mean that I will have to remember that when I talk to you I am talking to MaaSa and his tribe."

  "His tribe?" Carol and Guardian echoed.

  "Yes. I feel there are others here. Not everyone left, Guardian."

  "That is true. We had grown accustomed to the life force of this place and it had graciously merged with our own energy. We have become part of this planet."

  "You can never leave, MaaSa," Guardian rumbled in a sad voice.

  "We don't mind, Guardian. It is beyond your control now. We are pleased you are back with us, though I somehow sense there is a difference."

  "Ha!" Guardian laughed. "I am where our old friend was, while he has moved to a smaller unit. In my new environment, I have found what Charles did not see while he was here, and we have been able to extend my reach beyond this universe! There is so much to share!"

  Guardian was undoubtedly happy that MaaSa and he had reestablished contact, Lt. Montran observed silently. She was looking for a moment to excuse herself and both Carol and her could leave. She was exhausted, for some reason and needed to really think about what she just suggested. .

  "So, the cloning project to recreate his biological adult body has completed…"

  "No, no. His body is still aging to what he feels is a fair age to pick up at. He is in another container. Quite colorful too!"

  The two laughed, sharing a private joke.

  "And you then? Surely you do not need 200 stan years to age for a new biobody."

  "Well, no. But we have had some problems and delays…but…soon…"

  "Some would find it difficult to give up all that ability to collect and extrapolate information without sleep, old friend," the Enuit remarked insightfully. "Especially if that person drove himself to exhaustion before being in such a place."

  "Yes," Guardian admitted, "this expansiveness of being in touch with so many so quickly and absorbing it all and faster than I would in a biobody has it's rewards. It is a difficult thing to give up…however, the time is drawing near when I shall need to and no matter the problem, I will be back to...a biological host." Guardian suddenly laughed. "It is something I have always wondered about, and thought I would be one of those that donated my brain for collaboration in communications between computer and noncomputers. I think not, now. We shall have to speak of this experience."

  "It does sound very interesting! I shall be interested to talk with our esteemed colleague Dr. Charles on his opinion of all this. I miss our disagreements," the voice rumbled. "We in our small pond have greatly missed the shared discussions that the various sentients of this outpost had participated in. ShaDeAt is here and would be happy to share what she has also been experiencing beyond. She reported she had touched an unknown some years back. She has been trying..."

  "NO!" Harriet and Guardian responded in unison.

  "It might be an agent of Alan's! It was about two years ago that the Off-Worlders investigated this planet. She must be very cautious until we can be sure it isn't something Alan is using," Harriet cautioned.

  Harriet had a dreadful feeling that it may be something of Alan's business. He would never lend his ships without wanting to know what they were being used for.

  The shape of MaaSaa disappeared suddenly. Moments later, he was back.

  "ShaDeAt sends her well wishes and will talk to you later MashiMaa. She is taking your warning seriously. How did you know that I remained?" he asked Harriet curiously.

  "Actually it was Carol. What I felt I wasn't sure of…but if Carol was sensitive about something around here and not in other parts of the Lair and city…than she had to be species sensitive to the energy your species generates. Perhaps she has Enuits for relatives."

  "What makes you think Carol is related to the Enuits?" Guardian asked curiously.

  "I don't know any Enuits," Carol stated flatly, then added as an afterthought, "What is an Enuit, Mistress?"

  Harriet smiled. "Enuits are a name given to the unknown inhabitants of Halemas on a planet just three months from Gela. Stories of them are better known than knowledge of the actual inhabitants. It was said they had closed their planet off to any visitors and they also did not wish to interact with outsiders due to the influence of the 'Evil One,' which is the lost planet we were speaking of earlier. The Evil One was an Off Worlder. I cannot see the data cards but you not only saw them but you were able to discern where to lay them. You laid them on the recorder, turning the recorder on. That must have been what woke the sleeping guardian. I also noticed that the family protector did not engulf you as it did me. It simply crowded you into a corner."

  "Halemas was our sister colony. Many young Land and Water Enuits traveled there to see if it was habitable for all of us. We never heard from them again."

  "The Evil One spread so much distrust amongst the survivors the first year that when it came time to send the return droid back with news, no one could locate it and fights broke out among those remaining. The Monks of Hela intervened and to insure tha
t the Evil One did not return until the Enuits had more faith in each other they asked to be isolated," Guardian added. "There is a book of Lor'dep'a on one of the planets another Guardian resides on. It speaks of this story under the guise of a child's tale."

  "In our culture, to fight amongst each other is the worse offense that an Enuit can commit. We are all linked to each other and to the planet we inhabit. So, for there to be a schism amongst ourselves is to make everyone, including the planet, ill."

  "How did you hear about them?" Harriet asked MaaSa.

  "It was felt by all."

  "Carol, does any of this sound familiar to you?" Guardian asked.