She stood taller. “Actually, yes, many of them. Certainly not all of them.”
“And your servants. Do you know their names?”
“Every single one. And my courtiers and my guards and my advisors.”
He blinked, frowning. “Hmm. Maybe I’m the one at fault here. I haven’t even noticed most of them.”
“As a guest, you weren’t supposed to. Will you let me introduce you to them when we get back?”
He took her in his arms again. “I’d like that, M’Lady.”
* * * * *
George welcomed Atiana into the net each day. He spent a little more time on space and light-years with her, but not a lot of time, and in truth she didn’t really comprehend much beyond the fact that great distances separated worlds. Instead of belaboring the point, George brought her into the world of small. He started with Resolve, leading her through the different levels of molecular and atomic structure that formed himself. When she got over her amazement enough to form a basic comprehension, George wanted to move on to biology, but she stopped him.
Looking directly at Havlock, she asked, “George, how does a blaster work?”
“Do you have ten years to devote to study?”
“No.”
Havlock interjected. “George, how about a class on elementary electronics. You know, how a light bulb works, nothing more.”
George transitioned her from the atoms in his hull to the basics of electrons and their flow through wires. She didn’t get it until Hawke chimed in.
“You’ve seen lightning, Atiana. It’s electricity, but it’s not confined and not particularly useful. When we confine lightning inside metal, it follows the path of that metal and we can use it to do things like light up or become blaster bolts.”
“Well! Of course! Why didn’t you tell me that, George? It makes complete sense.”
“I guess there’s a reason I’m a ship and he’s a Teacher,” George grumbled. “Can we move on to biology now?”
Organs, cells, blood, germs, bacteria and viruses, toxins, antibiotics, each of these things opened her eyes to a world she had never suspected. DNA and heredity were beyond her grasp, though the concept made sense and stayed with her. With George’s ability to let her see and touch each organism within the net, she actually came away with a reasonably clear picture of the basics, basics that would have been centuries beyond Tranxte’s present level of development had the Empire not intervened.
Two days out from Aldebaran, Tarn joined them in their lesson. A little while later a short, rotund teenager joined them. Tarn introduced him as a friend, and all of them participated in the class. The teenager was sharp, usually one step ahead of everyone else, and he had a sense of humor, pulling several pranks on Havlock and Atiana.
“Please, tell me your name,” Atiana asked eventually. “I don’t recall seeing you on the ship.”
“You haven’t met everyone on the ship yet. Why get entangled in names? Isn’t George giving you enough to remember?”
“That he is!” she exclaimed, laughing. “I’ll never remember all this.”
“But you’ll remember the concepts. You won’t have to worry about the details, not right away, but I suspect you’ll learn them eventually.”
“Why don’t I need to know the details?”
“Because your Rider will know them. Whatever she knows will be available to you with just a thought.”
Her eyes narrowed. “I would know your name, sir.”
“Tarn calls me Murty, Your Majesty. Everyone on the ship knows me. Outside the ship, everyone just refers to me as his Rider.”
She leaned away from him, but she collected herself and stopped, then she moved closer. “I thought you were water.”
“Physically I’m similar to water, but as you can see, there’s a bit more to me.”
“You’re a person.”
“I am, but only in the dream. Except for Krys, I’m Tarn’s best friend.”
“You know that for certain? There are no secrets between you?”
“There could be, but we haven’t felt the need.”
“But surely there are things he doesn’t want you to know about himself.”
“Why? Do you feel the need to keep secrets from Gar?”
“Well! Yes, of course!”
“Your Majesty, it’s clear to everyone how you two feel about each other. Within the net, it’s even clear to him despite his being a thick-headed marine. Can you imagine what your relationship would be like without all the artificial barriers you put in place, barriers you don’t even think about?”
She glanced at Havlock, then lowered her eyes. “I could only dream of such a thing.” She lifted her eyes and straightened up. “Barriers serve a purpose.”
“Agreed. They’re probably necessary between people, but not between Riders and their hosts. Tarn and I have no artificial barriers.”
“But what about privacy?” Because of the net, her intended meaning was clear to all of them and she blushed furiously, but she pressed ahead despite her embarrassment. “What about when Tarn and Krys are together?”
Murty shook his head. “I’m not right there in Tarn’s mind all the time. We take breaks from each other. And don’t forget, Riders do not reproduce in the manner of humans, Atiana. We fission, reproducing the same way as some of the cells George showed you. That’s why I’m frequently referred to as an it. But . . . I can and do share in their love for one another, a feeling that would, without a host, be denied me forever.”
Her eyes grew large as a hand came to her mouth. “In truth, I hadn’t thought about it from your perspective. It’s sad.”
“No, it’s not sad. I am what I am, and I like myself. That said, I’m a lot richer because of the relationship I have with Tarn. A Rider would have a huge impact on your relationship with Gar should you be willing to accept one into your body. As a matter of fact, I’m volunteering my offspring. She’ll be me, and in a very short time she’ll be you.”
“But you’re male.”
“No, I’m an it, remember? My offspring will appear to you as a female, unless of course you prefer a male. It’s entirely up to the two of you.”
Atiana blinked several times, hard. She looked to Havlock and blushed furiously, "I need some privacy, Gar.”
He winked out of existence. She turned to Tarn with a questioning look.
“I can’t leave the net, Atiana. Not without taking Murty with me,” he said. “I can go elsewhere, however. You’ll have your privacy.”
She didn’t have to ask—he just disappeared. She blinked again, then turned back to Murty, this thing that was an it but was really a person. She wasn’t sure where to start.
Because of the net, he knew what she was thinking. A person more experienced with the net could have buried some thoughts a little deeper, but she was like an open book to him. “You want to know how I can speak with authority about relationships when I can never have a relationship with anyone besides Tarn, right?”
Her nod was enough.
“What do you call what you and I have? Isn’t it a relationship? Because of the net, I have relationships with everyone on the ship. I’m one of the lucky Riders in that respect.”
“But you can’t be intimate with anyone. You can’t have the ultimate relationship.”
“You’ve lived your whole life without the relationship you’re hoping for with Gar. Is your life so poor?”
“Compared to what I envision with him—yes.”
“Can you envision never being away from his side?”
She shook her head. “You’re describing something wonderful, but people don’t work that way. We need our space.”
“Ah! There you have it. Riders and their hosts don’t need space, at least not very much and not very often.” Murty’s form thinned and became transparent, then solidified again. Only now he was a woman. Atiana stared at the figure before her with wide eyes.
“I can’t predict what your Rider will look like to you,” the
woman said, “but it can be anyone, most likely a female of your species. You can’t talk to a bowl of water, your mind just doesn’t work that way, so we tend to take on whatever physical aspects you define in your thoughts.”
“You said a Rider would have a huge impact on my relationship with Gar. What do you mean?”
The woman smiled a sad smile. “You’ve given up on the idea of having a child.”
“I’m too old. No one says it to my face, but I’m considered an old maid on Tranxte.”
The woman came to her and put an arm around her shoulder. “What if that wasn’t true?”
Atiana’s virtual image burned hotly for a moment, so hot that she glowed. It didn’t last long. “I’m okay with it,” she said.
“Lies don’t work in the net, my dear. Tarn told you about the life saving capabilities of Riders. He didn’t tell you that we like our homes to be as perfect as they can be. Within a few months your body, your Rider’s home, will be in perfect health.”
“That would be nice.”
“Atiana, accepting a Rider into your body means you’ll never be alone again, not as long as you live. You’ll never be without a friend, a close friend. You’ll never be sick again, you’ll be full of energy, and your time for motherhood will be extended considerably.”
“How considerably?”
“I suggest you don’t ask.”
“How considerably?”
“Well . . . you mentioned a few days ago that Tranxte would take generations to emerge. With Riders, you, Gar, and the others might be able to lead them through the whole process.”
Her virtual image paled. “We’d be immortal?”
The woman shook her head. “No, not even close. Maybe four hundred years.”
“Four hundred . . .” Atiana sputtered, then her image evaporated. She left the net and pulled the helmet from her head to find Havlock kneeling before her with a frightened look in his eyes. She felt slightly hysterical, a rare feeling for her. She stared into his eyes for a long time, the feeling gradually fading but not disappearing entirely.
“You knew?” she asked.
He nodded. “I’ve thought of little else since the possibility arose. Aside from the fact that I’ll die in a tank without a Rider and so will you, living longer has not been the issue for me. Sharing those years with you in any capacity colors my every thought.”
She reached out and cradled his head in her hands. “Any capacity?”
“Well . . . I can want more and settle for less as long as you’re a part of it. Think what it would be like to have our tight group shepherding Tranxte through its emergence.”
She placed a finger against his lips. “Don’t say another word. Not yet. It’s too soon.”
He stood up, and she stood with him, their eyes inches apart. Tarn came out of the net, took one look at them, and left her quarters.
Havlock kissed her gently on the lips and pulled away. “I won’t leave it like this,” he said. “You have decisions to make, and you need to take one more fact into consideration. I love you. I’ll spend as many of our years together with you as you’ll let me. I’ll settle for a friend, but I’m hoping for more, a lot more.”
Her arms went around him and tightened as she lay her head on his chest. Her eyes looked into the far distance, her imagination running rampant, but not for long. She closed her eyes to savor the feel of him, hearing over and over again in her mind the words she had thought she would never hear from a man, any man. After a time, she leaned back slightly and lifted her lips to him. His lips touched hers softly, not with the urgency she wanted. She pressed closer and harder, but he pulled back.
“Not yet,” he whispered.
She touched her lips to his again, then released him. She took a few steps away and stopped, looking around at her surroundings. They were alone in her quarters. Could her life be any more confusing, any more amazing?
She turned back to him, wiping tears from drying eyes. “As usual, you’re right, Sky Lord. The day is not far off when you will hear the words you hope to hear from me, but not today. Too much has happened. Will you stay with me, sit with me in silence? I need company, but I need to think this out on my own.”
He smiled his understanding. “I will, M’Lady.”
He led her to a couch and sat with her on his lap, his arms comfortably around her. She snuggled in and before long was fast asleep. He stretched the two of them out and settled in for a long wait, savoring every moment.
She woke up during the night still in his arms. The lights had been dimmed and a light blanket covered them. Galborae, she wondered? She opened her eyes to study Havlock for a time, then closed them and snuggled closer.
The next time she awoke, she opened her eyes to his eyes. She studied him, then closed her eyes again, saying, "Mmm. Is it morning?"
"I think so. George?"
"Good morning, Sky Lord, Your Majesty."
"Is it morning?"
"It's mid-morning, yes."
He kissed the top of her head. “We should get up."
She reached a hand out and pulled his head to herself and kissed him on the lips tenderly. "Just another minute." She snuggled back into his shoulder with a smile on her face.
"This is our last day of peace. What would you like to do?"
"More of this," she mumbled.
"Breakfast in bed?"
Her brow furrowed. "That's possible?"
"We each have a food dispenser in our rooms. George can fix us pretty much anything. I guess I forgot to mention that during your tour. Sorry."
She lifted herself away from him, then kissed him again lightly on the lips and stared into his eyes. "I'd like that very much. First I want to clean up and put on fresh clothes. Would it be asking too much to have a whole day alone with you?"
"Probably. We can try, but I expect Galborae to come through that door any moment."
"I'll settle for just the three of us, or even the six of us.”
Chapter Twenty-three
Not long after George settled Resolve into the assigned parking position at the port on Aldebaran I, Borg called for him to open the ramp. Borg and two other Great Cats leaped down the ramp and fanned out. Washburn and Sergeant Jacobs followed a little more sedately, and two other Protectors stayed out of sight at the top of the ramp with long-barreled blasters.
Otis approached Borg and gave the all-clear. Borg kept his men in place until the Queen and her First Knight passed, then they spread out farther. As long as the Queen remained with Resolve, the primary responsibility for her safety fell to him, a duty which all Protectors relished.
As always, reunions between Krys and her adopted mother Ellie, the Queen, were special. Stven joined them a little later for the discussion about Resolve’s month’s long mission, a mission which had shed dark light on the K’tiri, the ruling class of Chessori.
Michael Carver, the Empire’s First Knight, said to Krys, “Our efforts to defeat the K’tiri are still in the early stages. I haven’t heard from Reba for a few months, but her mission is critical, possibly now more than ever. What you learned just reinforces what we knew: they're horrible creatures guided by little more than selfishness and greed. We have to pursue them to the very end of their existence if Earth is to survive."
A puff escaped from Stven’s nostrils, a major faux pas in the Queen’s presence. He was mortified but there was nothing he could do about it.
Krys ignored the smell she had become accustomed to during their years together. Her blind gaze settled on Mike. “A month ago I would have agreed. Now, I must tell you that we’re on the wrong track. Tarn and Stven are in agreement with me.”
Startled, Ellie stood up and went to Krys, kneeling down in front of her with a hand on each of Krys’ knees. “Daughter, you and Tarn have given direction to generals, admirals, governors, sector commanders, your fellow Knights, your First Knight, and me. I listen carefully when you speak, but this! You’re telling me you want to redirect our efforts to deal with the Ch
essori? We’re going down the wrong path? We’ve made an enormous investment in Reba’s project, both in time and materiel. As Michael said, Earth’s survival rests in the balance.”
“I know, Mother. Actually, I don’t want to redirect Reba’s efforts, I just want to redirect the outcome, an outcome for which I cannot see a solution despite the fine education the Rress gave me. Governor Seeton should be here for this meeting.”
Ellie’s brow furrowed, but so much did she respect Krys that she did not hesitate. “George?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. The message has been delivered. Welcome aboard by the way.”
She smiled as she stood up. “It’s good to hear your voice, old friend. Krys tells me she just received a summons to return to the Leaf People on Lianli, a summons which includes all of us. I had hoped your presence here would be a time of reflection and relaxation among family and friends. It looks like I’m wrong.”
“I can’t speak to the Leaf People, Your Majesty. I’ve never touched the ground in their presence, and I don’t expect to this time either. As for reflection, there will not be a better time for that, both coming and going. I hope you can make the most of it. The Leaf People, though they do not know me and probably never will, have inspired me to be more than I am.”
“That could be said of all of us. You’ve grown.”
“Daily, Your Majesty.”
“I knighted you. Isn’t it time you called me Ellie?”
“I beg forgiveness, Your Majesty. Since you first came aboard all those years ago, you've been like a queen to me, and now you are my Queen. I consider it a privilege to call you Your Majesty.”
“You have my forgiveness, but I still call you friend, George.” She turned to Mike. “Things are getting back to normal within our Empire. Is it time I became more formal?”
He stood up and went to her, smiling as he put both of his hands around her waist. “Remember how when we met you told me you had no real friends, just people who were friendly to you because of your position?”
“I do, my love.”
Spirit of Empire 4: Sky Knights Page 34