Borne On Wings of Steel

by Tony Chandler

  “Maybe I should think about what I have—we have—more.” He raised his forefinger. “And I have been giving Rok's words some thought since he said it back there.” Kyle stood up and stretched slowly. “You know, most of the time I am happy. And I like being with Mother and all of you.” He clenched his eyes shut, almost as if he were in pain.

  Jaric looked at him with concern.

  “But sometimes I get so bummed—just like that.” Kyle snapped his fingers. “And Rok just set me off that day—bad timing. I was so happy, so excited. And then he just set me off."

  “But he was right. And our search failed once again. He was just trying to get us to think,” Jaric said.

  “I know.” Kyle sighed. “I know."

  “And, now we need to keep a watch out for the Paum,” Jaric added.

  “And I didn't like those other aliens either, those Harg. I didn't like the looks of them the minute I set eyes on them."

  “Why the Harg?” Jaric asked.

  “I remember one of them grunting during the fight that they wanted to take us to their ship,” Kyle said.

  “Kidnap us?” Jaric said with a puzzled expression.

  “I don't know.” Kyle's eyes lit up with humor. “Hey, maybe they'll grab Elise and take her off our hands.” Kyle chuckled.

  Jaric laughed a moment with him, but then his face grew serious. “Maybe we need to re-think the cl ... re-think our view on Elise too. After all, she is human."

  “Yeah, there seem to be precious few of us left in this universe. Maybe we should.” Kyle nodded.

  “Anyway, we'll be at this ocean world paradise in a few days,” Jaric said enthusiastically. “Islands and oceans and food and aliens everywhere all having a good time! That ought to be some fun!"

  Kyle nodded. “Well, if we can't have fun there, we might as well give it all up."

  Jaric stood up, laughing heartily. “Yeah, let's have some fun on this planet, Big K. No searching, no trouble. Let's just have ourselves a great time."

  “Sure,” Kyle agreed. “Let's just have fun—what a concept."

  [Back to Table of Contents]

  * * *

  Chapter Twelve

  THE BLUE AND green beauty of Meramee filled their eyes.

  Elise, Jysar and Krinia looked in awe at the planet that floated on the main view-screen.

  Mother herself was impressed. Within seconds, she ran through every image of every world she had either visited or which was stored within her long-term memories, and few indeed compared with the natural beauty of the island-planet Meramee.

  The sentient starship reveled in the fact that the mere image of a planet could elicit such emotions in biological beings. And no other word described their careful scrutiny except pleasure—or perhaps sheer joy.

  It seemed certain visual stimuli—works of art, well-kept gardens and beautiful flowers, pristine natural settings as well as wild animal life—stimulated this emotion. Mother analyzed Meramee in detail, scanning every aspect of the visual spectrum. She discerned the color combinations of cloud and blue-green ocean mixed with the tiny dots of islands created pleasant symmetries and patterns which intrigued her. But it seemed odd that this same image of Meramee elicited such emotional responses in the others.

  She observed a similar effect with music, an aural stimuli, on the children in her own early years of life. She came to realize that music could produce a wide variety of emotional responses depending on the rhythm, melody, or lyrics in varying combinations. It made for a fascinating study that she enjoyed to this day.

  It appeared humans and biological beings in general gained not only factual knowledge from their senses, but also gained emotional stimulus as well—and one seemed as important as the other.

  The planet, laced by wisps of mauve clouds overshadowing several shades of blue and green ocean depending on its depth, grew beyond the boundary of the main view-screen as Mother entered the atmosphere. As Mother flew lower, the sunlight from the large red star which Meramee orbited glistened off the waters below, and individual islands took shapes. Krinia, Jysar and Elise pointed from one island to another with expressions of delight.

  Mother searched and discovered that Meramee possessed over one hundred thousand islands. And while it was a planet covered entirely by a single ocean, there were vast stretches of water that were quite shallow. In fact, the famous Emerald Sea averaged only ten meters deep over its entire expanse. And this beautiful sea alone covered most of the western hemisphere.

  Several other smaller areas of water that dotted the vast, turquoise ocean were even more shallow. And it was in these shallow sections of ocean, which covered almost half the planet, where the densest population of islands existed.

  Although by the strictest definition of most planets there were no individual seas on Meramee, the Mejadic designated various bodies of water bordered by island groups as seas: the Emerald Sea, the Majestic Sea, the Sea of Lights, the Marble Ocean and the spectacular Sea of Showers.

  Because of the planet's irregular orbit—it tilted both its poles towards the red star several times each circuit—polar ice caps existed at neither pole. And yet, the tops of the mountainous islands at each pole remained snow-capped most of the year and the ocean water remained warm enough for swimming only a few short weeks.

  For long seconds, everyone took in the beauty of Meramee as it beckoned them closer. Mother refrained from vocal communication so as not to spoil the mood. As Elise and the others stood entranced, Mother received final landing instructions.

  “I love to walk on a secluded beach at night,” Jysar said with a sigh, surprising both Krinia and Elise. “Hearing the waves in the darkness, feeling the sand between my toes—breathing the clean, salty air.” He breathed deeply and held it, as if he were already there and savoring the moment.

  “I can't wait.” He sighed again.

  “I thought Hronosium was a single planet-city which covered every centimeter of the natural planet in your youth?” Krinia asked in surprise. “When did you ever walk on an open beach?"

  “I was born on Jorrdannd, far away from the homeworld of the Hrono. That world has large oceans embracing temperate continents. It is the newest and least developed planet of the Hrono kingdom. I lived among its natural, untamed beauty during my childhood. I only lived on Hronosium the last seven years of my life,” Jysar said. He suddenly smiled. “And remember, the first parts of the planet-city have been opened up to allow nature a place in which to grow on that world once again."

  Meramee grew continually larger on the view-screen. Now only a small section of the planet was visible—in the center hundreds of small islands created a whimsical arc nestled in a bright green sea. Details such as beaches and mountains grew visible on individual islands.

  “Are we landing?” Elise said as she became aware of her surroundings.

  “I-I believe we are,” Jysar stammered as he rubbed his eyes.

  “What is our destination?” Krinia's head-tail swished with interest. “I'm suddenly in the mood to get out and walk on a beach somewhere ... but I'd like to know where exactly we're landing on Meramee."

  “Me too!” Elise said, her voice bubbling with youthful exuberance. “It looks so good from up above, I can't imagine what it'll be like actually being there!"

  “We will land on Leyloi—Queen Island of the Maiden Isles. Geographically speaking, this string of islands is located on the western border of the Emerald Sea. Their origin is volcanic, which explains their mountainous structure. But their secluded and pristine beaches are famous throughout this quadrant.” Mother's words sent a chill of excitement into the room.

  “Oh, Meramee.” Jysar sighed again. “I think I may never want to leave you."

  Elise and Krinia began to laugh as they watched the expression on Jysar's face—an expression of profound joy that seemed more appropriate for two young lovers about to profess their undying love to each other.

  “Have any of you noticed something missing on Meramee?” Mot
her asked out of the blue.

  Three sets of eyes studied Meramee.

  “The cities are very small.” Jysar looked at the others with a questioning look.

  “Actually, the only dwellings on the surface of the islands are for the tourists. All of them hotels, shops or other entertainment centers."

  “Where is their industry? Or where are the original inhabitants?” Jysar asked.

  “The Mejadic are an aquatic race. Their cities and industry all reside under the shallow oceans. That is another reason why the surface is still so pristine, and why there are such small centers of habitation on the islands."

  “Are the Mejadic a space-faring race?” Elise asked.

  “Yes, for many years now. You will be greeted by them when I land. It is a quaint Meramee custom."

  “Cool,” Elise said with growing excitement.

  “I think we'll just make our way to the beach, mingle with the aliens, soak in a little sun, and then maybe take a swim in the Emerald Sea. Not necessarily in that order,” Krinia said with a business-like tone, as if she were reading off a daily to-do list.

  “Sounds terrible.” Jysar laughed. “I think I'll join you.

  “Maybe we'll meet some nice alien boys, too!” Krinia smiled at Elise.

  “Not like Lama Kama von Dama, right?” Elise laughed, remembering the alien Romeo back on RahajMr.

  “For sure!"

  Mother landed between two large hotel complexes within walking distance of a crowded beach. Several starships rested beside her in their own clearly marked landing spots on the flat tarmac. All around the resting ships throngs of brightly clad aliens laughed and conversed as they walked among the pockets of lush tropical plants that graced the manicured grounds. In fact, the bright pastels of tropical shirts, knee-length shorts for males, and short skorts for females created a moving, living rainbow.

  Krinia and Jysar and Elise quickly wended their way through the masses of aliens dressed in brightly colored outfits perfect for a tropical climate. They walked only a short distance when they came to a dead halt.

  Standing right before them was a group of aliens unlike any they had ever seen.

  “What are they?” Elise whispered to Krinia. But Krinia was staring open-mouthed as well. Elise found she couldn't keep her eyes off them as she admired their fascinating beauty.

  There were three of them, all humanoid in shape—two eyes, two arms, two of every obvious body part—like most normal aliens.

  The males wore a red cloth around their loins while the lone female wore a simple, bright blue sarong wrapped tightly around her feminine figure.

  But it was the colors of their scaly skin that kept them mesmerized with each alien's natural beauty.

  The skin of the male on the right was a brilliant orange interspersed with alternating green and yellow stripes that ran from his head down his torso, and arms and legs. Likewise, the alien male on the left was overall an iridescent green with fiery red spots over his body, while the upper part of his face, from his eyes over his head, glowed a shimmering royal blue.

  And the female was even more colorful.

  From her chest up, from above the top of her blue sarong dress, her smooth skin was a bright golden color. Around her cheeks and eyes thousands of tiny circles of alternating royal blue and deep purple stood out against the gold background of her skin and emphasized her dazzling blue eyes. Down each shapely leg, her golden skin was accentuated with bold, jagged stripes of eye-popping ruby red.

  But what they wore around their necks kept drawing Elise's glances again and again—each alien wore an identical band of glistening silver metal. The upper and lower edges were solid while the center was of a meticulous filigree design. And yet this attractive neck-ware—it couldn't be called a true necklace because it completely covered their necks from the base up to the bottom of their chin—seemed to have some kind of practical function.

  Elise shook her head in amazement, wondering what that function could be. She suddenly glanced down and noticed that in stark contrast to their overall beauty, the colorful aliens each had comically over-sized feet.

  And then it struck her why the aliens wore the exotic neck-ware. For barely noticeable until she really looked, Elise made out the almost translucent webbed skin between each of their extra-long toes. She surmised that these beings must be at home in the ocean and the neck-ware enabled the hidden gills on their necks to take in the oxygen directly from the air.

  “They must be Mejadic,” Elise whispered to Krinia.

  “They're beautiful,” Krinia whispered back.

  “Welcome to Meramee and to Leyloi, the Queen Island.” The three colorful Mejadic approached, each holding a small ring of white flowers, which they gently placed on the head of Elise, Krinia and Jysar like a crown.

  They bowed deeply and stepped back with their smiling faces still to the ground.

  “Thank you!” Jysar finally managed to blurt out. “I must say, I've never seen any race quite so beautiful as you are."

  The Mejadic female glanced up and quickly approached Jysar. With a smile, she gently kissed his cheek. “You honor our people,” she said with a melodic voice. She quickly stepped back to join her two companions.

  “What are the flowers for?” Krinia asked.

  “It is the traditional greeting of my people. A crown of flowers—beauty on beauty—to make the heart rejoice.” The iridescent green male bowed once more. “I am Stazal. This is Olana,” he pointed to the female as he rose. “And he is Relan."

  Krinia introduced Jysar and Elise.

  “I think I'm going to like Meramee a lot!” Elise laughed as she adjusted her flower crown. And then she realized she had forgotten something. “Oh, I didn't wear my Hair Lighter."

  “But your golden hair is lovely just as it is,” Stazal crooned.

  Elise blushed brightly.

  “We greet each new ship that arrives,” Olana explained. “Just beyond the throngs you will enter our island's part of the great festival of food and beer—Taste of the Quadrant."

  “And beyond that the famed Emerald Sea,” Relan added. “It's crystal clear waters will caress your bodies with its refreshing power."

  “Cool!” Elise said.

  “Are you of different clans?” Jysar asked. “I mean, each of you are completely different colors."

  The three Mejadic laughed.

  “The Mejadic are like the islands of Meramee—no two of us are exactly the same. Each of us is unique in color and patterns,” Stazal explained with a smile.

  “Super-cool,” Elise said with awe and appreciation. “None of us has ever been to Meramee before, and I for one wish we'd come here long ago!"

  “Ah, your very first visit to our world.” Olana said, looking from Jysar to Krinia and back to Elise. “Perhaps we can share dinner tonight with you under the stars at our private beach? We will tell stories about our wonderful planet while we dine."

  “We accept!” they said simultaneously.

  They made arrangements to meet later that evening. As the Mejadic trio left, Elise, Krinia and Jysar made their way to the nearest section of the Festival. From booth after booth wonderful smells wafted on the gentle breezes as they walked among the crowds of aliens. Before long the delicious aromas worked their magic, and the trio found themselves sampling one exotic dish after another. The flavors danced on their palette as wonderfully as the aromas, and they quickly came to a new appreciation for alien cuisine.

  Finally, after a few more detours toward enticing smells and delicious treats, they found themselves on the beach.

  Elise felt her heart quiver with excitement.

  She had never seen the ocean before—not on any world. And to see one of the most beautiful beaches in the universe framed against the glistening waters of the Emerald Sea as that astonishing first experience took her breath away.

  “Look,” Krinia said as she danced onto the violet and white sand. “I see why they call them the Maiden Isles!"

  Elise
laughed as she danced with her.

  Even Jysar tried it, with fairly comical results. But everyone enjoyed themselves to the extreme.

  “See, the sand is a pure, pure white with violet streaks of sand through it. The waves and wind have shaped the beach into a vast flowing veil,” Krinia pointed out.

  “Yes!” Elise said. “Just like a bridal veil."

  “Hence the name.” Jysar laughed. “The Maiden Isles."

  “We'll have to ask Olana how the beaches get this wonderful mixture of color here,” Elise said.

  “And the other beaches too,” Krinia added. “I think we'll really enjoy getting to know both them and their world better."

  They removed their outer clothes to reveal their bathing suits then took a quick swim among the waves. After they enjoyed the warm waters a while, they continued their journey down the crowded beach toward a tree-clad jungle mountain that rose in the distance. The trio laughed and talked among themselves, oblivious to everyone else.

  But unknown to them, two secretive Harg followed.

  They had shadowed them since the trio first met the Mejadic. The short, stout aliens were clad with bright tropical shirts in order to blend in with all the others.

  “The one with the yellow mane is the human ... hmmm. Shall we take her now?"

  The other, who carried himself with a sense of command, smiled knowingly. “No. The Paum has instructed me carefully. There is a way we can get the female human to separate herself willingly. The Paum has studied them carefully, individually and as a group—all of our reports and sensor scans. The Paum knows—the Paum always knows."

  The Harg looked at his fellow with a vicious smile. “Tell me."

  “Just a few more moments and you will hear. The red sun of Meramee is beginning to set, and they told the Mejadic they would dine with them this evening. They will turn around soon. Keep walking—faster."

  The two Harg continued their pursuit and closed the distance.

  Krinia admired the pale aqua green waters of the lagoon that stretched outward until it met the emerald waters of the deeper sea—the boundary a clearly defined line where one color ended and the other began. Her gaze drifted to the endless horizon and the red circle of the setting sun just above the mauve cloud tops that rested over the sea like distant, billowing islands.