After the time she’d spent in the spacecraft, the constant hum of the ion engines as her companion, Utuquq seemed too large, too overwhelming. Too quiet. She looked back at the craft. Even if she wanted to climb back in and head for home, she couldn’t. The ion engines would only take her so far. She needed at least twelve months of sunlight to store the energy she needed for the return trip.
God, I hope I made the right decision when I signed up for this.
For reassurance, she touched her pocket and felt the outline of her Saint Christopher medal. Even though she hadn’t been a very devout Catholic in more than a decade, the pendant made her feel close to her mother. Closer to home.
I’ve traveled twenty-five trillion miles to get here. I’m not leaving until I accomplish my mission.
Determination back in place, she checked the other zippered pocket of her coat. In it, she carried the gift she’d brought The Siku. It was a small statue of a Polar bear, a species that had gone nearly three hundred years ago, carved from bone by the Inuit people in the late nineteenth century. After talking to Colonel Richards, she’d decided that if The Siku were really the ancestors of the Inuit, they might have some Polar bear mythology in their culture. She hoped it would help to establish a bridge of trust and open communication.
After clipping her Talkback, a portable communication device with a twenty-four month battery, to the tab on the leg of her pants, she checked her Direct-Or, a compass that worked even if the magnetic field wasn’t similar to Earth’s, and headed east.
***
Pukak watched as someone climbed out of the shiny disk and closed the door of the craft. It was clearly a female, judging by the shape of her body. He couldn’t see much underneath the white clothing she wore, but she moved like The Siku.
He wondered what she looked like underneath the tight clothes. Would she be brown like his people or was her skin bright and colorful like the drawings in some of the ancient books he’d read at the Academy.
He was too curious to be afraid. More than anything, he wanted to touch her, run the tips of his fingers along the side of the round thing that had brought her to this snow field, but instead, he kept to his hiding spot and slowed his breathing so that she wouldn’t notice him.
He’d left his qTablet at home. If only he’d packed it, he might be able to use it to get more information about the being who’d just climbed out of The Disk but without it, his only choice was to observe her.
Can she be real? Am I dreaming all of this?
It was certainly possible. On this journey, he’d had nothing more than dried jerky and melted snow. He was hungry and tired and he might be hallucinating. After blinking his eyes, several times, he watched the powdery snow float upward with each of her steps and he knew the woman was real.
He’d read all the stories, listened to all the elders speak of the people they’d left behind. The Siku claimed they’d traveled to another place, many cycles away and created a settlement where there had never been one before. They’d called the place Long Ago and claimed it had blue heavens. For a long time, generations, the settlement thrived until the priests saw a great disaster looming for The Siku and ordered them to return to Utuquq. Most obeyed but some refused and stayed behind.
And the The Age of Change came and The Siku stopped flying. For good.
But until he saw her, he didn’t believe any of it. He’d simply written it off as legend, myth. Nothing more.
The wind picked up and a little wisp of hair escaped her cap and it was the color of the White Star. He wondered if its texture would be coarse, like his own, or soft like a pelt. In her hand she held some sort of device. Round and flat, it was the color of a river stone. She stared at it for several seconds and then headed toward Egakik.
***
Her Talkback wasn’t working. It was probably something small, a loose connection or a battery that wasn’t syncing. As soon as she got inside, she’d figure out how to fix it. She wasn’t particularly worried. After spending the first ten years of her career in space travel, she knew that machines rarely worked as planned the first time.
For the time being, she had to concentrate on getting to Egakik. According to the information she had, it was the central village of The Siku, the place where large tribal meetings took place.
By the time Lauren spotted the lights of the village in the distance, she was bone-tired. At least, she thought they were lights. Instead of glowing orange and yellow and white, like the lights on Earth, these were a cool green that reminded her of sea-glass. She knew, from all the logs she’d read, that The Siku had their own version of electricity and it was one of the technologies she was most interested in learning more about. At home, with the population of the planet barreling toward forty billion people, the demand for electricity was one of the main contributors to climate change.
If Lauren could figure out a new way to meet the electric energy needs of human-kind, the planet might have a chance at survival.
Although she’d done her daily calisthenics aboard the Kalevala, four years was a long time to be cooped up in a tiny environment. It felt good to walk freely but the snow, the shadows of the trees, and the greenish tint of the sky was overwhelming.
Shivers, more intense with each step, shook her body. She was beginning to wonder if she should have accepted General Worthington’s offer of an antique wool sweater. The clothing designed for this mission wasn’t performing as advertised. Less than ninety minutes into her time on Utuquq, she was sure she’d have to find more suitable clothing. Quickly.
I hope they’re expecting me. And that they have hot cocoa.
The downside to a planet like Utuquq was that there was only one game in town and that game was The Siku. According to all the communication the radio operators had with the inhabitants of the planet, they were the only tribe present on a planet about half the size of Earth. Without their help, Lauren would die.
Harsh? Yes. But in order to participate in the mission, she had to be comfortable with the idea that she might not ever make it home. It came with the territory. The light was fading and according to her watch, it had taken her nearly two hours to walk two miles. The closer she got to the village, the more difficult it was to force herself to take one step after the other. She wasn’t as cold as she’d been earlier but she was so sleepy. Every snow drift looked like a fluffy blanket and she longed to fall into one and take a long nap.
Stay awake. If you go to sleep, you die.
Logically, she knew that she was likely dealing with a case of hypothermia and that she needed to get to civilization as soon as possible but it wasn’t easy to argue with a brain that wanted nothing but sleep.
Just a few more steps. One foot after the other. Get it together, Hascamp. You’re almost there.
Her legs felt like they were filled with lead and her feet got heavier with every step until they were impossible to lift.
I’ll just sit. For just two or three minutes. I’ll time myself.
Lauren collapsed into a snow drift. She was asleep before she remembered to set the alarm on her watch.
***
By the time Pukak reached her, her lips were blue. Beside her, in the snow, was the mask she’d worn to protect her face from the brutally cold air. Clearly, she was suffering from claustrophobia as a symptom of hypothermia. If he could get her to the village in time, the elder medicine woman might be able to save her.
I have to hurry.
But he couldn’t stop staring at her. Her skin wasn’t much darker than the snow; it was nearly translucent and it reminded him of the silvery color of the Twin Orbs that rose in the northern sky each night. Her features were sharp, much more angular than those of The Siku. HIs first impressions had been correct. In so many ways, she was like The Siku. Two legs, two arms, five digits on each hand, but she was lighter, like all the color had been leached out of her, and she was longer. Much longer. On her feet, she’d stand several inches taller than him and he was one of the largest men amon
g his people.
I can look at her later. Now, I have to get her into the village.
He pulled the quiver off his back and tossed it to the ground along with his bow. It was less than a mile into the village and he could come back and pick up his gear before The White Star set. He could probably carry her and the hunting stuff but he wanted her to be as comfortable as possible.
He tied his hair back with a leather strap and bent onto one knee. After sliding both his arms underneath her, he hoisted her over his shoulder and began walking.
The smell of her made it hard to concentrate on the path ahead. While it was unmarked and covered by snow, he knew the way well but he was he having trouble focusing on anything but the fresh scent of her. It was foreign to him, unlike anything else.
By the time he reached Egakik, his legs were burning with the effort but he hated the thought of letting her go, sharing her with the other people. To him, she was like a treasure, something he wanted to keep only for himself.
But he had to let her go. Only Cupun, the wisest woman in the village, could help her.
***
Lauren was deliciously warm.
For the first time in her life, heat was something desirable. Still too sleepy to open her eyes, she inhaled, taking in the scents of smoke and juniper. She snuggled more deeply under the weight of the covers and listened to the muted sounds of voices. It wasn’t until her brain started wrestling with translating what they were saying into English, that she remembered where she was.
Utuquq.
Her eyes opened and she scanned her surroundings by only moving her eyes. She had no real idea of how she got into this shelter. She remembered the snow, the biting cold, being overcome with the need to sleep.
And she remembered something else: a smell, clean and woodsy. Sexy.
Stop it, Hascamp. There’s not time to think about that out here.
Even though the light was dim, she saw that she was in the center of some sort of dwelling. Like a teepee, the shelter was cone-shaped. Made of some sort of leather-like material pulled tight over support beams, it was more akin to the dwellings associated with Plains Tribes, not the Inuit peoples thousands of miles north. On the radio transmissions she’d listened to and the logs she’d read, The Siku had described their residences only as “a place to sleep and warm”, she’d expected igloos or similar structures. The reality was quite different.
But, in the big scheme of things, it was a small surprise and she hoped that meant she was as well-prepared as she’d hoped.
Across the room, a woman sat on a stools. Dressed in animal skins, her black hair glowed in the low light. In her hands, she held a screen, similar to the qTablets used on Earth for communication, research and organization. Instead of a full-color display, everything appeared to be in shades of blue and green.
Lauren pushed herself up into a sitting position and the warm covering fell away. She looked around the dwelling, surprised to see no open flame or anything resembling a hearth, but it was comfortably warm. Lauren cleared her throat and the woman looked up from her screens.
In Inuit, Lauren said, “Hello. Thank you for helping me.”
The woman’s eyes went wide. “You speak our language?”
“I practiced on my long journey.” While the language was complex, the sentence structure was simple and Lauren was thankful for that. “I have brought a gift. May I have my parka?”
The woman rose from the stool and walked toward the pallet where Lauren lay. On her knees, the woman pressed her nose, and then her upper lips against Lauren’s cheeks and inhaled. “Cupun,” she said pointing to her heart.
Lauren repeated the greeting, pressing her upper lips against Cupun’s cheek and taking a deep breath. “Lauren.”
Cupun smiled. “Wait here. I’ll fetch your parka and the others.” She rushed out of the dwelling, the cold rushing in as the flap-like door closed behind her.
Alone, Lauren rose to her feet. She was still dressed in her white uniform. She walked around the perimeter of the dwelling. The furnishings were minimal with only a couple of stools, a small table about the size of a coffee table, and large pelt rug decorated the space. She’d been right: there was no visible fire.
How do they warm these tents?
Before she could explore the question, the flap-like door opened and several people walked inside.
All of them stuck close to the outside wall, making no attempt to hide their curious stares. Being the only tribe on the planet, The Siku were peaceful, handing conflicts and disagreements with words instead of spears. Even though everything she’d read had supported that claim, it was still unnerving to be in the presence of these people.
What if all the reports I’ve read are wrong?
She took a deep breath and reminded herself that she’d heard them on the radio. In a way, she knew them, some of them at least. After all, they were expecting her.
One man stepped forward and he was the most beautiful being she’d ever seen. His skin was a medium brown and his eyes were as black as obsidian. With high cheekbones and a broad, slightly flat nose, his face was perfectly symmetrical. His hair was dark and glossy and hung past his shoulders.
Lauren was drawn to him immediately.
He took several small steps, never breaking eye contact. Even though he’d yet to utter a word, somehow she knew he was trying to show her that he meant her no harm. As he neared, she noticed that his clothes were all made of heavy animal skins decorated with rocks, stones and bones.
When he stood in front of her, she noticed that he was several centimeters shorter than her. It surprised her because the clothing he wore made him look large, powerful and incredibly masculine. He leaned in close and pressed his upper lip to her cheek and inhaled deeply. “Pukak,” he whispered and placed his hand on his heart.
Lauren had been lonely for nearly four years and while she craved company and contact, something more was going on with Pukak. She felt drawn to him, fought the urge to place her hand over his and feel the beating of his heart but she knew that it was vital she adhere to the customs of The Siku.
When she placed her lips on his forehead and inhaled, his smell reminded her of the forests of the Pacific Territories. “Lauren,” she said, placing her hand on her own chest.
Pukak stepped backward and smiled, showing his impossibly white, evenly-spaced teeth. “I brought you to this place. You were cold.”
Behind him, the other members of the tribe had stepped closer and they watched the exchange with wide eyes.
“Thank you,” she said, her gaze still fixed on him. “I am warm now.”
Lauren had never been warmer in her life.
Chapter Three
“WHERE IS YOUR HOME, LAUREN?” PUKAK ASKED. Even though her name sounded strange to his ears, he liked the way it felt on his tongue.
Now that she’d warmed up, her skin was a rosy-pink and the tip of her sharp nose was red. Without the cap, her hair fell loose to her shoulders in loose rings. He resisted the urge to wrap one ring around his index finger. She was light where he was dark, like a negative image. He felt a strong draw toward her, a deep tidal pull.
He had so many questions bouncing through his mind but all he wanted to do was stare at her. It was hard to slow his mind down enough to concentrate on her answer.
“My home is called Earth. It’s in the Solar System about four light years away.”
“Why did you come to Utuquq?”
She raised both of her eyebrows and tilted her head to the side. “I came because The Siku invited me. I wish to learn more about The Siku.”
Her facial expressions were very unlike The Siku and he had trouble reading them. “You spoke to The Siku before coming in The Disc?” It was impossible. After The Age of Change, all the systems used to communicate with other peoples had been dismantled and the rebuilding of them had been forbidden. The manuals had been thrown into the Cold Fire and consumed.
“Yes. For many, many spans.”
&n
bsp; “I’m sorry, Lauren, but you must be mistaken. The Siku are alone on Utuquq and we do not communicate with any other peoples.”
She smiled but her lips were tight and looked like they were stretched too tightly over her teeth. “May I have my parka?”
Cupun, who’d been standing behind him with several others, handed him the white garment and he passed it to Lauren. She unzipped one of the deep pockets and pulled out a small object wrapped in a piece of shiny, red fabric. After unwrapping it, she placed it into Pukak’s hand and closed his fingers around it.
“My gift to The Siku,” she said. She spoke the language as if it were native to her.
When he opened his hand and saw the object, a wave of fear washed over him. “Where did you get this?” His face flushed and he wished he’d asked to see her alone. There was no way he was going to be able to hide it from the others. The feeling, the one that had warned him that change was coming, flared in the pit of his stomach.
“I brought it from Earth.”
He felt a hand on his shoulder and his best friend, Oki, said, “What gift has she brought?”
Pukak’s fist tightened around the small object and even though he knew he’d eventually have to show the others what she’d given him, he wanted to keep it secret for as long as he could. Not only did he fear the tiny, stone object she’d handed him, he feared the reaction of The Siku. “I’d rather wait until she can present it to the Highest Priest. It is only right and proper.”
His gaze never leaving Lauren’s, he hoped she could read his mind.
“But we want to see it for ourselves,” Oki said.
Baby, it's Cold in Space: Eight Science Fiction Romances Page 43