“Creet, what planet am I on?"
“You are on Arnasi,” Creet’s voice came loudly over his shoulder. "Do you know anything about Arnasi, Neutrino?"
Neutrino shook his head. Then he remembered that Creet couldn't see him and said, "No, you’ve got one of the larger Slipstream Ports though, you must be pretty important."
Neutrino could see Creet’s head bobbing as he nodded in agreement. “What we mine certainly is; The Commonwealth likes to keep tabs on its supply of Almatium. Occasionally they even send Messengers to pick up small loads of it when they can’t wait for the regular supply ships. Without Almatium, we would never have come here, what with the weather and the ylmax, even if we are strategically placed between several of the border systems.” Neutrino was racking his brain trying to remember what Almatium was used for. He thought it had something to do with engine fuel, or maybe it was for armored ship plating, or maybe both.
I guess I should have paid better attention in class, he silently snickered. Slipstream Messengers were not expected to study very hard. They didn’t really have to, so why bother? All you needed was good enough scores to get into the Academy, and then the rest didn’t matter much afterwards. If he had been a dedicated student he would have just stuck out more and the last thing he needed was to draw more attention to himself. Of course, given his current inclination to quit the Academy, he wasn’t sure what he would be prepared for at this point.
As if Creet were reading Neutrino's mind, he stopped and with great effort managed to turn his body around in the stairwell. He held his torch closer to the wall and said, "Look, do you see it?” Though his eyes were still sad and drawn, Creet’s expression was that of an excited child. Neutrino stared a moment at the wall but he didn’t know what he was supposed to see. He looked dumbly back at Creet.
“Throughout the dirt are tiny crystals, almost too small to be seen, but when they are gathered together and refined you can add them to almost any other material and it will become many times stronger, dependin’ on the concentration. It's difficult to see them, but if you look closely with the torchlight you’ll notice the little twinklin’ blue crystals in the dirt.” Neutrino looked again and he could just barely detect a bit of a sparkle in the walls of the steps. “It’s even used for your Slipstream suit,” Creet continued, waving the torch at Neutrino’s torso, “Notice the bit of shine in the material?” Neutrino had, in fact, noted on many occasions at the faint shimmer that could sometimes be seen in the material of his suit.
“It must be very difficult to mine," he said.
“We’ve invented new ways that make the process easier,” Creet turned and began walking down the steps again. “We were able to build the Stair and the Under City in a few short years, and we were able to mine the crystal as we did it."
“But why would you want to build a city underground when you have a very nice city above, besides the ylmax of course?” Why would anyone actually want to live below ground?
“We don't have much choice. Durin’ the summer months, the twin suns make the surface so hot it could burn you alive. We once forgot one of my daughter's dolls in the house and when we came back at the end of the summer there was nothing left but a pile of ashes.” Creet was carrying on as though he were reminiscing with an old friend. Neutrino smiled a little. It was nice to be talked to like that, even if he had only known Creet for a few hours, and he did threaten to kill him at first. Neutrino hadn’t really had any friends the last few years, except for a few other outcasts who mostly pitied him. As soon as the other cadets realized how hopeless he was they kept their distance.
“I remember the first few years when we had to evacuate during the summer. What a pain! We spent two months on Oolia 6 with nothing to do but count our nose hairs.” Neutrino couldn't resist a giggle, even if it was disgusting. "Have you ever been to Oolia 6?"
“No, I’ve never been anywhere but the Central Worlds. Once I graduate from the Academy I'm supposed to go all over the place.” If I graduate.
“A cadet, huh? You are lost,” he laughed softly again, “Anyway, don’t bother with Oolia 6 if you can help it. The Oolians are about the most borin’ creatures anywhere. They spend half their time meditatin’ and the other half thinkin’ about meditatin’. For fun, they watch other Oolians meditate. They say the meanin’ of life is to ‘stretch one’s mind beyond its limit’. Dirt-talk if you ask me."
Creet paused as they came through a threshold with an actual wooden door and into a larger circular landing. Unlike before, this landing had seven other entrances, all of which had an actual door except for one. Neutrino noticed that all of the entrances again had markings on them, probably a list of addresses that could be reached through each particular door. Creet closed and bolted the one they exited through, and then he led Neutrino through the entrance with no door which, of course, led to more descending stairs. He continued the conversation as though he hadn't been interrupted at all.
“Not only are the Oolians extremely borin’ but they're irritatin’ly slow as well. Start a conversation with one of them and you'll have gray hair by the time you’re done. Oh, and don’t try to get anywhere if you’re stuck behind one of them in a crowd or doorway. You might as well sit down and take a nap first." Creet paused to chuckle sadly at his own jokes. It seemed to be more of a habit than out of actual mirth.
“It can’t be that bad, can it?”
“Yes, and worse. But at least their planet is a pretty one. It’s all bright and colorful. It's hard to be in a bad mood about it all when you’re surrounded by such beauty. My wife loved it there…” he paused, then cleared his throat and continued solemnly, “but I would rather be here minin’. So when someone suggested we build a city from the caves that we had mined and live there in the summer I was all for it. I think Telia was a little sad though, not bein’ able to go to Oolia 6 and get away from the usual nonsense for a time.” He stopped in his tracks and Neutrino, who didn’t realize he was stopping, nearly burned Creet’s hair off with his torch.
“It’s all my fault you know,” Creet half-turned to look over his shoulder at Neutrino and spoke quietly, “She didn’t want to come here. She wanted to stay on Venthall with her family but I talked her into it, There’s no work for me here, I told her. Let’s go to Arnasi and make a new life. We’ll come back in a few years and visit. But we never did go back.”
Creet looked away and Neutrino heard him begin to weep quietly again. He felt genuinely sorry for the man. He couldn’t imagine what it would be like to lose a wife, and then to feel responsible for it. Neutrino patted him on the shoulder. He didn’t have much experience giving comfort, but it seemed like the right thing to do.
“I’m sorry,” Creet lifted his head and wiped his nose on his sleeve again, “I’m just a bit of a mess about the whole thing. Come on, we’re almost to the Under City. Do you see how the Almatium is glowin’ brighter?" Neutrino noticed that the walls of the Stair were slowly getting lighter.
“Why is that?” he asked.
“The crystals get bigger the further down you go. Most of the Under City is hardly lit because of ‘em; light gets magnified by the crystals. You'll see, a few more meters and we'll be there."
Neutrino breathed a sigh of relief. Finally he would be out of this awful staircase. He hoped the Under City was as large and as well lit as Creet said. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad.
“Welcome to the Under City, my friend,” Creet said as they stepped through the threshold and into an open area that was larger and more beautiful than any of the halls in the Senate building. Neutrino briefly noticed the few remaining steps leading down into the main part of the hall, and he scarcely saw all of the people that were going about their business through highly decorated doors amidst brightly adorned walls. It was all truly amazing, but none of it could compare to the incredible ceiling. Neutrino’s mouth hung open in astonishment as he gazed upwards. He had never seen anything like it. It looked like the night sky itself, only here, the stars shone b
lue instead of white. For a moment Neutrino forgot that he was hundreds of meters below ground, or that he was light years away from home with no way to get back. Neutrino forgot about Commander Trask and the broken Slipstream and his mother; he just stared up in amazement. So transfixed was he by the glittering ceiling, he didn't realize that hundreds of eyes were now staring up at him.
7. Desperate People
“Papa! Papa!” The little girl’s voice brought Neutrino back to the situation at hand. He finally looked down from the ceiling to see a head of curly red hair come bouncing through the crowd and up the steps into Creet’s arms.
“Hello my beautiful girl!” Creet said as he hugged his daughter.
“You were gone a long time Papa,” the girl moved her head from his shoulder to look him directly in the eye. “You said you would be back before the suns set.” Neutrino made a mental note to ask her how she knew the suns had set from way down here.
“I’m sorry my dear, I was delayed.”
“You should not make promises you can’t keep,” the little girl scolded him. Even Neutrino, who rarely had much to do with children, had to admit she was almost sickeningly cute.
“Of course, you’re right,” Creet indulged his daughter; this was obviously a routine performance for them, “I’ll try not to do it again, but I just couldn’t come back without Meela.” He pulled the doll with the green dress out of his shirt and handed it her. The little girl smiled and hugged him tightly around the neck. The crowd, which was completely captivated, waiting to find out who this stranger was, parted unwillingly to let two boys through. Completely out of breath and red-faced, they came bounding up the steps.
“Where have you two been? You were supposed to be watchin’ her while I was gone,” Creet said.
“She’s too fast Papa,” said the older one between breaths.
“She doesn’t do as she’s told,” said the other.
“Of course she doesn’t listen, she’s only seven. It’s was your responsibility to make her, no excuses,” Creet scolded his sons, but Neutrino was pretty sure he wasn’t really all that mad, or that his sons actually took him all that seriously.
“Yes, Papa.” they said and rolled their eyes at each other, an action which Creet either didn’t notice or ignored as he led the whole group down the last few steps. The crowd parted slightly and then closed in behind them.
“Neutrino, these are my sons, Temur, the eldest, and Marusit,” he looked down proudly at his boys who nodded in acknowledgement. Then he turned a softer eye to his daughter, “and this is my little girl, Selia.”
Neutrino opened his mouth to say hello, but he was interrupted before he even got one word out. The people in the crowd had finally had enough and were done waiting. A tall, thin, balding man called out, “Oy, Creet,” he tried to seem as casual about it as he could, but it was obvious he was about ready to jump out of his skin, “Did you find out anything?”
Creet turned to address the crowd as though he saw them for the first time, “The same as the others I expect. Although I doubt any of them found a Slipstream Messenger sittin’ at his kitchen table, eatin’ his food.”
A wave of chatter passed back through the crowd at the words Slipstream Messenger. One woman even cried out, “Oh thank the stars, we’re saved!” At which point the chatter grew more intense and Neutrino’s stomach took a dive. The crowd pushed in around him and he felt even more claustrophobic than he had on the Dark Stair. He could only pick out bits and pieces of what they were all saying. He got the impression they thought he was there to rescue them.
They obviously don’t know me very well. If they could see my scores, they wouldn’t be so relieved to see me.
Creet’s sense of humor about the whole thing dwindled in the face of his frightened neighbors.
“Now quiet all of you,” he commanded. Most people stopped talking just to hear what he would say next. “He hasn’t come to rescue us, he’s here by accident.” Creet realized immediately that he had made a mistake with this comment. The crowd became hysteric. They started to chatter loudly. Everyone pushed and shoved to get in closer as they yelled to Neutrino and Creet. There was so much noise and confusion, before he knew it, Neutrino was being squished by the angry mob, all of them shouting at him that he had to do something. Thankfully, Creet, having passed Selia to his sons for protection, stepped in.
“Back off, all of you!” Creet yelled as he pushed some of the people back. “Just leave him alone! I’m takin’ him to the Council and they will decide what to do!”
“He’s a Messenger, surely he can help us!” a man about three people away yelled. The crowd, which had momentarily been subdued, stirred back up again.
One woman, who had been working her way up to the front of the crowd with a small boy leaned in and said to him, “Couldn’t you please just take my son with you? He’s only three and we’ve lost his father.” Her face was tear-stained and her eyes were swollen.
Neutrino didn’t know what to say to her, but, fortunately for him, he didn’t have to say anything because the man next to her shouted, “We’ve all lost loved ones. Why should your boy be first? I’ve got two kids with no mother.”
“What about the children with no parents?” an older woman added. The crowd began shouting and pleading their cases for why each of them deserved to be rescued first.
Neutrino didn’t quite know what to do. It was the first time anyone had argued over him. The only time he was the center of attention was when people were making fun of him. He felt a similar fear of this group, but instead of hating him, they all wanted him desperately. And wanted him to be something he knew he couldn’t.
“Listen all of you! Be quiet!” Creet used his impressive physique and commanding voice to take control. Most of the people quieted down and a few people in the front took a step back. Even Neutrino jumped a little.
“Back off! I’m takin’ him to the Council and that is that! Any of you lot get in the way and you’ll regret it!” The crowd, as desperate as it was, reluctantly stepped out of the way and made a path. The woman with the little boy scooped him up and ran off crying.
Creet led Neutrino from the main hall into one of the smaller hallways. His children followed right behind, and the crowd came just after, waiting to find out what would happen when Neutrino addressed the Council. Considering the number of people, it was weirdly quiet through the corridors to the Council chamber; the loudest noise being the shuffling of feet and the hissing of hurried whispers. Creet obviously held some authority with these people. Neutrino silently thanked his stars that he had had the good fortune to meet Creet and befriend him before coming into contact with these others.
“I’m sorry about them,” Creet told Neutrino in a hushed tone. “We’ve all lost people today, and mostly we’re all just scared about what’s goin’ to happen.” Then he moved in closer and said even more quietly, “Not everyone knows this, although I’m sure they probably suspect it, but we’ve only got enough rations for about two weeks. It’s the middle of winter here, and hardly any food has been stored for the summer.”
“Can’t you retrieve some food from above?”
“Maybe we could have, but seein’ as how the ylmax have survived the attack and entered the city, I don’t know that there’ll be much left by mornin’.”
No wonder they’re so desperate, thought Neutrino. They’re literally about to starve to death down here and he was still stuffed from his over-indulgence at Creet’s house.
Neutrino wished, not for the first time, that he were someone else. He wished he were a competent Slipstream Messenger who could save them from this awful predicament. Not that he could actually ferry them all back to Venthall, but if he were a full Messenger he could at least return home and ensure that help was sent immediately from the Commonwealth. Considering his dubious skills, he thought it unlikely he would even be able to get himself back, let alone deliver such a crucial communiqué.
It’s not important. I just can’t help th
em and that is that. I’m not going back out there again with the Slipstream like it is. Someone else will have to come and rescue us.
And still, all the way down the long corridors and through several ornate doors, Neutrino continued to dwell on one thing: how pathetically useless he felt. He looked over at Creet, then back at his children and his heart ached.
Creet, who had mostly left Neutrino to his owns thoughts, suddenly began talking again just as they walked into a much larger hallway and stopped outside two beautifully decorated doors.
“Listen, Neutrino, there are eight members on the Council right now. Naruk, the Council leader, seems like a wise enough woman, although I don’t really have much to do with politics,” Creet rolled his eyes much in the same way his sons had and Neutrino laughed inwardly thinking about what Creet would be like as a politician. “I don’t know what to expect from them. You saw how the people reacted to you. Hopefully the Council is more collected. I’ll try to look after you as much as I can.”
“Okay,” Neutrino agreed and inwardly wondered what Creet thought he needed to protect him from. Or was Neutrino just so obviously pathetic that he would want to protect him no matter what? Like a lost kitten perhaps? That thought had Neutrino’s mood descending further into self-pity, which he tried desperately to shake off.
Creet stepped up to the enormous doors, (he looked like a dwarf by comparison), and knocked very lightly, but the sound reverberated quite loudly in a metallic sort of way. A rather short, finely dressed man opened the door slightly and peered out.
“Creet,” he whispered and smiled slightly, “You’ve returned! You’re here to make your report I assume?”
“Yes, Farus, and I’ve brought someone back with me that I would like to present to the Council.” Farus looked over at Neutrino. He must have been more familiar with a Messenger’s uniform than the others, because he recognized him for what he was immediately and his eyes grew wide.
Slipstream Messenger (Neutrino Book 1) Page 4