The Awakener stood motionless as Utar gently folded his golden limbs around him, pressing his mandibles against the Awakener’s lips in one last chaste kiss.
“Sleep, my friend. Sleep. And awake reborn.”
The Awakener fell to the ground. His skin was already flecked with the thick, green mucus of the Change.
Mara and Andrai, helpless spectators throughout the confrontation, now came to stand with Karic.
Karic felt the familiar touch of Utar’s mind.
“I am responsible for the damage to your ship and killing your comrades,” said Utar. “This I regret deeply. Yet now I know my actions were part of a deeper destiny. We owe you much, human. Without you and the violence your arrival brought, the Changes banished for so long by our Elixir would never have been given a chance to emerge. The Fintil would have been lost to the universe as the Imbirri faded into death and stagnation.”
Karic looked at the body of the Awakener, now consumed by the Changes, then at the Fountain. The ancient Fintil was in a deep swoon. The Fintil, once so powerful, now seemed broken and small.
“Will he survive?” asked Karic.
Utar walked over to the Fountain and prized the scepter gently from his grasp. “Do not concern yourself for the old Fountain. The Fintil Old Ones have the ability to shed their broken exoskeleton, growing another. Within a few sleep cycles he will emerge once more, whole.”
Karic took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. “And the rest of the Imbirri?”
Utar turned his elegant golden head and swept the valley with his gaze, his mandibles moving to give the illusion of a smile. The jeweled eyes fixed on Karic’s. “Those of the Imbirri who fled at my rebirth will soon succumb to the Changes. The physical drive to transformation has been building in the Imbirri for some time. The pheromones released here — and the use of Fintil telepathy — will now trigger an unstoppable cascade.”
Utar and Karic shared a silent moment. A burgeoning joy grew from the newly born Fintil, encompassing them both like the breath of a god.
“Soon, this valley will be filled with new life. The new birth of our race.”
Karic looked back toward Mara and Andrai. Mara’s forehead was creased with concern and confusion. So much of this must have been frightening and strange to her. Andrai was stunned.
Utar broke contact with Karic and walked away.
With relief, Karic snapped out of the fugue state.
“What is happening?” said Mara, her voice tight with tension.
“The Fountain has been badly wounded, but he will survive. Utar has been reborn — and he has his Imbirri memories.”
Karic looked over at the still form of Janzen and felt a rush of anger. Yet again, Janzen had almost destroyed them all. He walked toward him and stood over him. He felt like kicking the bastard. His face, arms, and chest were covered with blood. At first it looked bad, but most were small cuts except for a wound on his temple where a big rock had broken the skin, knocking him unconscious.
Mara pushed her fingers under his chin, feeling for the carotid pulse. “There’s a strong beat. We should get him back inside the enclosure.”
Carefully, the three maneuvered his inert form into the lander.
When they had him laid out, Karic took Janzen’s odin from his shiny pocket sheath and put it on the floor.
“What are you doing, Karic?”
“What I should have done months ago.” He brought the heel of his boot down on the data-glasses with a satisfying crunch. “Bind him and gag him.”
“But he’s wounded!” protested Mara.
“I don’t care if he is dying. I will not give him the chance to activate any more hidden codes or programs. We will bind and gag him, Mara. And he will stay that way until we are on our way back to Earth.”
“We should at least dress his wounds,” said Mara.
“Agreed,” said Karic.
Karic stared at Janzen, struggling against his fury. He watched in silence as Andrai and Mara cleaned and bandaged the cuts.
“Let me know the moment he regains consciousness. He has a transmission to make back to Earth.”
Karic stalked out the cabin, burning off some of the anger and frustration as he paced outside. The defeat of the Awakener was not the end of the threat to their success here on Cru, and now more than ever they had to be cautious. Mara was both wary and frightened by his new powers. Andrai had not passed judgment — yet. He knew enough of leadership to realize that any deep division between them now could threaten their survival. He would need to reestablish the trust between them.
He had undergone a drastic change, his mind opening in a frightening way with new abilities. Yet he felt no fear of these new ways. Mara could have no conception of what had taken place. To her, it must seem bewildering, the silent conversations like the talk of ghostly statues. Yet the possibilities … Could what the Fountain said be true? Would it be possible to mind-bond with Mara and Andrai? To not only share these abilities but to stimulate them, to give them to others? To begin this transformation the Fountain talked of? The use of the powers was exhausting, but also addictive in its intensity. Part of him ached to be able to share this remarkable gift.
Besides, there was only one way to truly make them understand.
Karic had to mind-bond with them.
CHAPTER 20
Karic watched Mara as she balanced her plate on her knees. She looked up at the dark sky and sighed. After Utar’s rebirth, they had taken a rest period and emerged for “breakfast” in the bright light of the transmission node. They had moved their campsite back inside the barrier. It was cramped. The shield itself reduced the air exchange, making it even hotter than the parched valley outside. But it was safe. Surrounded by these inexplicable, unpredictable aliens, they all felt the need for some security. Now, privy to the knowledge of the Imbirri-Fintil lifecycle, they were more aware than ever of the Fintil technology that surrounded them — soon to be reclaimed by a new generation of Fintil adults. If not for the vast terraforming of the dark side, and the radiant energy from the ubiquitous transmission nodes, it would have been a frigid, frozen wasteland here.
Janzen had never regained consciousness. Despite Mara’s protests, Karic had put him into stasis. This time he had completely isolated the suspension gear from the ship’s computer. There was no way he would be surprised by Janzen’s tricks again.
Karic put down his plate, unsatisfied as usual with the protein-enhanced meal pack. Noting that both Andrai and Mara were also finished, he stood up. He watched them carefully as they sipped on their precious ration of reconstituted coffee. After a long moment, he cleared his throat, struggling for words, suddenly unsure. No. There was no other way. He plunged straight into it.
“By now you have probably both seen me using my mind to communicate with the Fintil.”
“Telepathy,” said Andrai.
“Yes, it is a form of telepathy. I … well let’s just say I never realized it, but I have a gift for it. It has been building up since the deaths on the Starburst.”
Karic thought of the descent in the pod, the strange new way that the fugue state fused with the reality of the here-and-now — but there was no easy way to explain that.
“I guess it really snapped into place when I was taken by the Imbirri. That was the first time I used it consciously, to communicate with Utar. The Fintil also have this gift. According to them, it makes them what they call ‘transformed sentients’.”
“What do you mean by that?” asked Mara.
“Enhanced mental powers for a start. Beyond that, I’m not sure,” said Karic. “But there’s one thing the Fountain has said: if a species is on the point of transformation, once they experience the mental bond, their own minds will transform.”
“And they will also be able to use this gift?” asked Andrai.
Karic nodded. “Yes.”
“Why are you telling us this?” Mara paled.
Karic was silent for a long moment, then smiled. “Be
cause I want to mind-bond with each of you.”
Andrai nodded slowly, his eyes speculative as he considered the idea.
Mara edged away from Karic, then stopped, looking straight into his eyes. “God, Karic! I can’t believe you are persisting with this!”
“You cannot possibly deny what you have seen,” said Karic, gesticulating passionately with his hands, as though he could convince her with his conviction alone. “I do have this ability, Mara. I want to share it.”
He stepped toward her eagerly, his mind — so alive with the recent contact with the Fintil — unconsciously reached out toward her. Her mouth opened slightly, and her eyes began to glaze over. A fraction of a second later, the contact was broken and her eyes darted around, as though looking for escape. Karic took another step toward her, and she leapt to her feet so suddenly her plate shot into the barrier, where it was deflected in a shower of sparks.
“No!” Mara ran to the lander and disappeared inside the hatch.
Andrai watched her go, his expression resigned. “If you think we should do this, boss, I’m willing to try,” he said. “But I have to warn you — I am about as psychic as a rock.”
Karic sat down in front of Andrai. The tech relaxed and closed his eyes. Karic reached for Andrai’s mind. The surging rhythm that Karic knew so well rose from the unconscious depths of the tech’s mind like a snake from the basket of a snake-charmer. Soon, their two minds rippled in sympathy. After all the mind-bonding with the aliens, it felt so right to Karic, like slipping on a glove. Humans were meant to communicate this way. Andrai’s mind was uncluttered, as neatly organized as his tool bench on the Starburst. Karic felt a deep sense of peace within the man.
“Andrai, can you hear my thoughts?” sent Karic.
Karic felt surprise, then humor.
Yes. It seems you weren’t crazy after all.
Andrai tried to send another thought. It was lost in a confused swirl of other competing cognition. Was this how the Fintil saw Karic’s mind? He was lost in a storm of images and random thoughts that slowly cleared. He had the sense that with practice he could delve deeper, but that was not his intent.
Karic’s temples pulsed with the effort of concentration. The strain of keeping the bond open was starting to tell. Although Andrai’s mind was capable of the bond, all the energy that stimulated those crucial areas of Andrai’s brain was coming from Karic himself. In effect, Karic’s nervous system was powering two brains, each working at ten times their normal output. Once he realized this, Karic concentrated on stemming the flow of energy, to see if Andrai could sustain it on his own. As soon as the flow of energy ceased, the beautiful surging and flowing patterns that Andrai’s mind had been radiating faded away. Within seconds, Karic could sense Andrai’s mind as nothing more than a dull center of sentience, similar to the simpler Imbirri.
Karic broke the bond. He rubbed at his temples, which throbbed with pain. “Talking is easier.”
“Wow! What a high.” Andrai’s eyes were alert, and he looked about him as though he had never seen the campsite before. “Everything is so clear. My mind. My mind is … is singing, Karic. Why did you stop?”
There clearly had been a transfer of energy. But would this be enough to nudge Andrai’s mind into the transformation the Fountain had spoken of?
Karic stood up and looked across to the lander. “Andrai.”
“Yeah, boss,” said Andrai, sipping his coffee once more and watching the light from the transmission node with simple, innocent delight. “It’s like a kaleidoscope!”
Karic fought down a sudden tension, and stuck to his plan. “I am going to try and bond with Mara. Can you wait here for me?”
Andrai gave Karic a frankly assessing look, and Karic realized that things had progressed further between Andrai and Mara than he had thought. “OK. I’ll be waiting,” he said eventually.
Andrai turned back to the transmission node and Karic started walking toward the lander. It had to be done. Besides, if there was ever going to be a chance to restore what was between him and Mara, this was it. His heart raced, and his eyes searched her out eagerly.
***
Mara watched Karic as he made his way toward the core section. From a distance, he looked like the same man she had always known. How she wanted to believe he was. She had at last acknowledged what she had tried to ignore: Karic was no longer just human, he was now something more. She had not wanted to believe it, but she had seen him talk with the aliens mind-to-mind and been witness to those strange moments when his eyes seemed to glow. Now Karic had begun to infect Andrai with this same change.
And he wanted to mind-bond with her? Of all the things she wanted to do since they ended their affair it was to put distance between them, not let him closer.
When he had reached for her moments ago, a pressure started to build in her mind, a surging rhythm like the swirling patterns of light that preceded sleep. As his eyes bored into her, he seemed close, as though he were standing only inches away, though he had not moved from the other side of the fire. The pressure had grown until there was a high-pitched ringing. It had been a sickening feeling, like her mind wanted to escape the boundaries of her vision, her reason.
Karic entered the lander.
She forced herself to begin some work at her station. Her hands shook too much to hit the keys. Behind her, she could feel him drawing closer and desperately strove to quiet her fear. Her instant reaction was to fight, to hurt him with a sharp remark, but she was tired of fighting. For months she had lashed out at Karic rather than deal with the complex knot of feelings he evoked.
She turned to face him.
For the first time since he left on that publicity tour with Evelle, she looked Karic in the eye and let herself feel the pain inside her. He had crushed her, destroying the delicate flower of their passion. She had never loved anyone before. After a life dedicated to science and ambition, driven by her domineering, yet distant parents, she didn’t think she was capable of it. It had been such a joy. An incredible gift. She had not had the faintest idea how to deal with the desperate heartache she experienced when Karic left with Evelle on the publicity tour. The pain of it still nestled inside her, like a cancer.
All she wanted now was distance. Isolation. To reconnect with the foundations of her life and the only certainty she had known.
“Mara.” Karic’s eyes were at first hopeful, filled with the fire of determination. Then they became strange, expanding into the space around her.
“What’s happened to you, Karic? What have these aliens done to you?”
His eyes resumed their normal focus.
“It began long before I came to Cru,” he said, looking out the lander’s viewport at the surface of the planet. “Being here in this world, and in the presence of beings such as the Fountain and Utar …” Karic turned away from the sparse vista outside the lander and looked directly at her. The intensity was back in his eyes: a fierce hunger that frightened her. “It triggered some abilities in me. Things I would never have guessed were possible. Incredible things.”
“Karic, listen to me. They have brainwashed you. You can’t even see the changes in yourself. What have they told you? What have they turned you into?”
Karic took her hands and she let him guide her up out of the padded console chair to face him. Mara was conscious of Janzen’s immobile form stretched out on the suspension couch — even though he would be incapable of perceiving them in any way. The cabin, strewn with boxes and supplies, seemed suddenly cramped. The bright, white lights reflected from the squared edges of the console’s silvered surfaces like blades, stabbing into her vision.
His closeness was unbearable. But she had to endure it. If she truly wanted to take control of her life, she had to face him. Rejecting him had not ended it. It had only fuelled his continued pursuit. She had to face down the past and see it finished. How far would she go to convince him it was over?
“Mara, these aliens have not made me do anything. They themselv
es have been reluctant to communicate with us. But, Mara,” said Karic, unable to keep the passion out of his voice, “they are going to return us to the Starburst! Don’t forget they are helping us back to Earth. They don’t want us on this planet any more than we want to stay here.”
“But we can’t trust them!”
“Yes, Mara. I believe we can.”
“Damn you, Karic! Why should they care about Earth, or the human race? This transformation you are talking about. It will destroy us. They know it. We are not ready for it. That’s why they are letting you go.”
That hit the mark. She could see the doubt in his eyes and felt a savage satisfaction, closely followed by guilt. She hated herself for being like this. That’s why she just wanted him gone from her life.
She studied his face. A face that had always been honest and open, now gaunt with exhaustion, the cheekbones sharper than ever, his wavy brown hair wild and unkempt. She saw the lines of tension, the pain he had undergone. Karic pulled her closer. Their faces were inches away. She knew how much he wanted her. But as much as she cared for him, the passionate love she had felt was gone. It had died in the midst of her desperate heartache.
“I can’t love you anymore,” she whispered. “I’m sorry, Karic. But I can’t. Not now. Not ever.”
Karic bowed his head, touching the top of her head with his temple and breathing in the scent of her hair. “I should never have left you alone. You know I never betrayed you with Evelle.”
“It’s all in the past now. You deserve someone stronger than me, Karic. I reacted badly. I just couldn’t help it.
“Just let me go.” She was desperate to pull away, but she let him embrace her.
He pushed her to arm’s length and looked into her eyes. “So I have lost you anyway.” His eyes filled with pain and resignation.
Mara felt tears on her cheek and let them flow. She had to see this out. “Yes,” she whispered.
His hands still held hers, his rough fingers softly playing over her own. His eyes flowed over her face, her hair, her neck. His desperation filled the space between them.
The Tau Ceti Diversion Page 31