by Bill Nolan
“Of course I am. You taught me, didn’t you? Besides, I’ve calculated this trip a few thousand times. I knew you would want to visit Meyoba. He’ll be glad to see you.”
Robert took a deep breath. “I hope so. Stars are funny beings sometimes. They live so long that they see things in a different perspective, and he’s so lonely now. But he is special. I hope he and Jane get along. What’s our total travel time, Shanna?”
“We will arrive at the home system in 11 days,” Shanna replied.
“Good,” Robert answered, “Because I want to go see the healer. I need to go into the tank for a few days. I want to take off a few years and stabilize my body’s age. You and Ky can handle the trip, can’t you Shanna? I haven’t talked to Jane about it yet, but she needs it, too. I’ll set it up with Crylth, and we’ll probably go in tomorrow. That will give me a few days afterward to work out with Kysandra.”
“No problem, Robert,” Shanna said. “I’ll tell Crylth that you’ll be by to see her about two hours from now. That will give you time to talk to Jane.”
Jane was apprehensive when Robert told her what he had planned. The idea of being immersed in some sort of fluid for several days didn’t appeal to her at all. What finally convinced her to do it was thinking about Robert in the body of a 30 year old, and herself still near 50. It didn’t hurt any when Robert mentioned they could permanently fix her vision and change her hair color at the same time. She’d been dying her hair ever since she was a teenager, and couldn’t remember exactly, but she thought it had been an especially dull brown. Crylth said she could fix it so it would grow out in its current shade of light brown with reddish highlights, and add some thickness and wave at the same time.
It turned out to be no big deal. She had wanted to go into the same tank as Robert, but Crylth said that was impossible. Jane settled for one right next to his. She thought she would have to wear some sort of breath apparatus or suit or something, but Crylth had her go into the tank wearing nothing but a smile. The fluid was thicker than water, and a bit iridescent. It was slightly buoyant, and pleasantly warm, so Jane just lay back and let it support her. “It is very relaxing,” Jane thought. Then Crylth took her arm to help her out.
It took all the effort she could muster to ask, “What’s the matter, Crylth? Did something go wrong?”
“Don’t worry, Jane. You’re all done. Everything went beautifully. You’re going to love your hair when it grows out. The tank only had time to grow a few inches. You’ve been in the tank seven days.”
Jane reached for her head. Her hair, which had been down to the middle of her back when she entered the tank, was now only four or five inches long. Crylth was holding a mirror, and Jane suddenly realized she was seeing her reflection clearly, and without the contact lenses she had worn for so many years. She took the mirror and held it out so she could see more of herself. She did look 25 again. That was the age she had picked.
She felt a little weak, which they had told her ahead of time to expect, but otherwise felt great. In fact, she couldn’t ever remember feeling this good. She had a sudden urge to get Robert alone, and looked over at the tank where he had been. It was empty.
“Where’s Robert? I need him. Shanna! Where’s Robert?”
Shanna answered before Crylth could. “He’s on his way. I told him you were coming out, and he broke off his workout. Three minutes, and he’ll be here. I promise.”
Crylth added, “He was done earlier today, and wanted to get in some exercise before you were done. You’ll need to do that, too. Your body is still transitioning, and exercise you do for the next few days will do you about 10 times as much good as normal. By the way, don’t be concerned about how you feel. It’s a normal side effect. Everybody comes out of the tank wanting sex, and it doesn’t wear off for weeks. Have fun.”
This caught Jane by surprise. “Why does it have that effect?”
Crylth decided an explanation was in order. “Well, you know how the tanks work. The fluid is filled with billions of tiny machines, many just a few molecules in diameter. They go through your body and fix everything that’s not perfect, no matter how small.”
“In addition, they repair the DNA in every single cell in your body. Much of the DNA is actually virus DNA, put there by viruses that are the perfect parasites, causing no obvious symptoms. However, they do cause your body to age, so the tank removes them. That’s also when we can fix any genetic problems, like your eyesight, and change your hair color.”
“When you come out of the tank, your body is in absolutely perfect condition. There are no scars, no microscopic injuries, no chemical imbalances, or anything else causing problems. The virus load is gone, as well. Every nerve is firing perfectly, your senses are sharper than they have ever been, and there are no distracting little aches and pains in the background. The wonder is that you aren’t even more aroused.”
Robert came in a few moments later. “Hi, Jane. How are you feeling? You look good.”
“So do you,” Jane answered. “I am a little weak. I want to go home. Please take me home. Now.” She was weak, and Robert had to carry her part way, but she felt fine once she got Robert into the bedroom. “Robert is right,” she thought. “Low gravity beds really are better, and not just for sleeping.” She drifted off to sleep wondering why she always called him Robert now. She had always called him Bob.
The next morning Jane and Robert started a very intense exercise program. They worked out together, and then Jane practiced her dancing while Robert practiced martial arts with Kysandra. Robert had already told her that once she was recovered from the tank, she would also have to begin martial arts training, and Jane was really beginning to look forward to it.
One morning at breakfast he had mentioned that as soon as things settled down a bit, she would have to start her education. Jane was a bit surprised by this, and said, “Robert, I have a master’s degree. What do you mean ‘start my education’?”
“The problem, Jane, is that you learned the wrong stuff, and a lot of what you did learn is useless. How much do you know about Galactic history, or even the history of our own people? You don’t know how to defend yourself, and even though you now live in a spaceship, you have no idea how to find your way around or pilot a ship. Most of the science you learned is wrong, and you have almost no math at all.”
“OK,” Jane laughed. “Don’t beat around the bush. Tell me what you really think. I get the picture. You’re saying my English degrees aren’t too useful out here, and I can accept that, so when do I start school? Is there a school?”
Not a school like you’re used to,” Robert replied. “We use kind of a tutor system. It’s instruction by an expert conducted either one-on-one or with at most two or three pupils. We don’t have any people who only teach. Once everybody is on board, in a week or so, we’ll set up schedules, etc. There will probably be some children among those joining the ship. Also, you’ll need to teach some classes about Earth.”
As Robert had said, the jumps did get a bit easier. Jane was busier now, with the constant workouts, and the time flew by. Before she knew it, Robert told her they had made the last jump and were entering the home system. He said, “Let’s go find a skipper, honey. Meyoba is expecting us.”
* * * * * * *
Jeth had managed to plant about three acres in tomatoes and cukes, but the weather wasn’t helping. There hadn’t been enough rain, and without electricity they couldn’t pump water for irrigation. Jeth did as much as he could, pumping water with the hand pump and carrying it in pails, but three acres is a lot of plants. Cathy was helping a little, but Jethro wouldn’t let her do much. She had miscarried their first baby at three months, and he didn’t want to lose this one.
Jeth and Cathy had been talking in the evenings, and they had decided they couldn’t keep on like they were. They just weren’t making it, and when the baby arrived, it would be worse. The trouble was, Jeth didn’t know how to do anything but grow plants. Oh sure, he knew he could work on en
gines and such, but he wasn’t really more than a fair shade-tree mechanic. They just didn’t know what else to try. In the meantime, Jeth just kept carrying the water, trying to keep the plants alive until the rain showed up. At least the weeds weren’t growing much.
* * * * * * *
Fred and Betty finally closed on their new house, and they were thrilled. Since it was in the same school districts, neither daughter had to change schools, and now each had her own room. The master suite was on the opposite end of the house from the girls, so Fred and Betty felt like they had some real privacy for the first time in years.
There were a pool and a spa in the large backyard, and everyone was really enjoying that. The new house had been empty, so they were able to take possession at closing, and they were nearly moved. Their own house had sold, but still had about 60 days until closing, so they would be making two payments for a couple of months, and money would be a bit tight until then.
Old Friends
As she and Robert were walking into the skipper, Jane realized that she was afraid. She had noticed that Robert and Kysandra both seemed a bit nervous over the past couple of days, and, thinking back, she couldn’t remember ever seeing Robert like that. She thought of him as her anchor, never afraid of anything.
As they headed in toward the sun, he gave her a quick tour of the system. There were 11 planets, and two were ringed. Neither was as spectacular as Saturn, but both were beautiful. Occupying the orbit where the home planet had been was a dense asteroid belt. Robert continued past it, down until the sun was so big it covered half the sky. She could see the turbulent surface, with sunspots and prominences. The view screens dimmed it so it could be looked upon, but it was still a sight that filled her with awe.
The voice, when it came, seemed to have no point of origin. It came from everywhere.
“Hello, Robert Allen. It has been long since you have visited me. Some others have come, and I have read the tale of your exile in their minds, though they did not wish to speak of it. I have pondered it. You did well. Now I see many threads coming toward you, and it is unclear what sort of fabric they will weave. Do you have a seeing on this matter?”
“Thank you for receiving me, Meyoba. You honor me. I have come in part hoping you could clear these streams for me. I see the thread of Shotana winding through my future, and that thread almost seems doubled. It troubles me. My other reason for coming to see you was to introduce you to my chosen, Jane Kjersti. She is of our people.”
Jane felt a Presence in her mind, and nearly panicked, but Robert squeezed her hand hard, and she was able to recover herself. She could feel someone searching through her most private thoughts, and opening doors she hadn’t known were even there. She had sudden, vivid remembrances of events in her life. They were so real that it was like living them all over again. Then, as quickly as it had entered, the Presence was gone from her mind, and she heard the voice again.
“You have chosen well, Robert Allen, as have you, Jane Kjersti. The two of you together are much more than the sum of your individual selves, as it should be. Jane, yours is one of the threads I did not recognize, and now that we have met, perhaps the patterns will begin to clear. You have several talents, Jane Kjersti. I have released them, but they will take time to grow. Nurture them.”
“As for you, Robert Allen, your thread is woven tightly into those patterns I can see. Be smart, my friend. Much will unravel if your thread is lost. I know you will not be cautious. It isn’t your way, and you must be who you are. Thank you for visiting me. Live with honor.”
“Or die for it,” Robert answered. Then his hands hovered over the controls, and they shot back toward Shanna.
As they traveled back, Robert said, “What he said about you having talents, don’t worry about it. You’ll know them when they appear. Just don’t shut them out. All of our people have at least one talent. Some can sometimes see the past or future, and some can see the thoughts of others. Some can heal another’s mind. Everyone is different, and there are so many different talents.”
But Jane wasn’t worried about that. She was worried about what Meyoba had said directly to her as they were leaving. She was sure Robert hadn’t heard it. Meyoba had said, “Guard him well, Jane Kjersti. Robert Allen may be the one who has been foretold. His thread is critical to the weave, and I have foreseen that only your talents can save him. When the time comes, you will need help, and I will do my best to arrange that help, but in the end, it will be up to you. There will come a time when you must act. You will know it when it comes. Prepare for it. Hone yourself, that your edge will not be too dull.”
Jane had no idea what he meant.
Their trip to the planet where their people were waiting was uneventful. Jane found she no longer got sick at all when they translated, not even the minor amount that affected Robert. She had continued her exploration of the ship, and Robert was surprised about how well she was learning her way around. Shanna told him that she could find anyplace she had been before without help.
The first real surprise came while they were working out. Robert had told her she had to learn to be more independent of gravity’s effects, so they were running and playing with a ball while Shanna constantly varied the gravity. At first, Jane was falling and stumbling constantly, but after an hour or so, she began to get the knack of it.
They stopped to rest, and Robert said, “Well, are you missing Earth? If you like, we can ask Shanna where it is. She could show you a map of the Galaxy, and you could see where we are now in relation to Earth.”
“I know where it is.” Jane said. “It’s there,” and she pointed. I know how far, too, but I don’t know how to say it. That’s weird, but I’m sure it’s there.”
Robert said, “Shanna, is she right?”
“Give me a second,” Shanna answered. “Point again, Jane.” Jane pointed. “She’s right, Robert. How did you know where Earth is located, Jane?”
“I don’t know,” Jane answered. “I just knew, and I was sure, too. There wasn’t any doubt. The home system is over there, and about ¼ as far as Earth.” Jane pointed again.
“She’s right again, Robert,” Shanna said. “I don’t know how she could know that. I haven’t even shown her a map. Do you know where anything else is located?”
“Yes, I can see where all the places we jumped are located, and I know how far they are from here. I need to learn new units of measure. I know how far, but I don’t know how to tell you.”
Robert thought for a few moments. “Well, we know what one of the talents Meyoba mentioned must be. I’ve never heard of this one. I guess it’s going to be hard to get you lost.”
Jane said, “You know I’ve never gotten lost in my life. You always had me navigate on trips, because I never got lost. I guess this is like that, but on a bigger scale.”
Shanna said, “No wonder she has no trouble finding her way around inside me. I always know where I am, but it’s because I’m calculating it as we go along.”
“Great,” Jane spat. “I have a talent. I know where the ship is located, but so does Shanna. I have a useless talent. How will I hone myself with that?” Jane looked like she was about to cry.
“Don’t worry, honey. All talents are useful,” Robert said. “Wait! What did you say? Hone yourself? What do you mean by that?”
Jane didn’t think she should tell him what Meyoba had said. “I meant it’s like I was a sword. I have to hone myself, that’s all.” She looked over at Robert, and he was staring at her. “What’s the matter, Robert?”
Robert shook his head, as if to clear his thoughts. “There’s a poem all To’Ach’an children are taught, almost before they can walk. Shanna, has it been in the language stuff you’ve been feeding her at night?”
“No, Robert,” Shanna said. “I thought the same thing, so I just did a scan. I didn’t tell it to her, and neither did anybody else.”
Jane said, “What are you talking about? What poem.”
Robert said, “Let me try t
o translate. Poetry doesn’t translate very well, and I’m no poet.”
I am the sword of my own freedom.
I have been tempered in the fire of tragedy.
I am honed by constant practice.
I am always ready.
Ready to fight.
Ready to die.
I may break, but I will never bend.
I may die, but I will always be free.
“Something like that. Have you heard it before, Jane?
“Not all of it,” Jane answered, “but I think I heard part of it once. If I am To’Ach’an, and all To’Ach’an are warriors, shouldn’t I be learning how to fight?”
“Of course,” Robert said. “Since we came out of the tank we’ve been working out constantly, and many of the exercises you’ve been learning are part of our martial arts. Also, Shanna has been feeding you languages at night, and when they’re all in place, she’ll activate them. When we bring our people on board, we’ll start a regular schedule of training, and for everybody, not just for you. It won’t be just combat skills, either. In your case it’ll be math, Galactic history, ethics, ship skills, and several kinds of combat skills. Don’t worry, you’ll be a warrior soon enough.”
“I hope so,” Jane thought. “I have to be ready, even if I don’t know for what. Robert’s always told me I was ready for anything. Now I’ll find out if he’s right.”
They arrived at Caimerce three days after the visit to the home system. Shanna told them it looked like a big event. There were nine other To’Ach’an warships already there, and two others expected the next day. Caimerce was a planet owned by Tocal Tomastan, who was bonded with the ship Tyrees. The only permanent occupants of the planet were farmers, who were all Tovena. Tomastan gave the farmers land to work in exchange for a 10% share of the crop, which was partly how she supplied her ship.
With only a few thousand farmers on the world, most areas were empty, and since it was in a pretty central location, it was a popular place for the To’Ach’an to gather. Shanna explained to Jane that it had been at an earlier gathering on this planet when Robert got into the dispute that resulted in his exile.