by Anna Zaires
Their ship was moving with incredible speed, and soon the planet was visible in greater detail. “We’re coming from the Tinara – the supercontinent – side,” Korum explained. “That’s why you don’t see a lot of water, the way you do on Earth.”
And it was true. The sight before them was quite different from NASA images of Earth from space. Mia could see only a thin ring of blue; instead, everything was dominated by a giant brown landmass in the center – the supercontinent. As they got closer, she realized that what she had mistaken for a brown hue was actually a combination of green, red, and yellow colors.
Soon, they entered the atmosphere, and Mia noticed a faint reddish glow around the ship. “That’s our force shields protecting us from heat and friction,” Korum explained. “We’re still moving fast, so if it weren’t for our shields, we’d burn to a crisp.”
Gradually, the glow faded, and the ship slowed. As they broke through the cloud cover, Mia saw a large forest spread out below them, strikingly colorful . . . and unusually untouched. Where one might’ve expected to see cities and skyscrapers, there were only trees and more trees.
“We’re going to a special landing area for intergalactic ships,” Korum said, apparently anticipating their questions. “It’s a good distance from any of our Centers.”
“Why aren’t we taking a transport pod down, the way we took it to get to the ship?” Mia’s dad asked. “Why land this whole ship?”
“Good question, Dan,” Korum said. “When we were on Earth, we took the transport pod up because there are no good landing areas for ships like this. That might change in the future, but for now, it’s easiest to keep these types of ships in orbit around Earth. Here on Krina, we’re equipped for this, so there is no reason for us not to land.”
Now Mia could see a large clearing ahead, with some structures that resembled giant mushrooms. It had to be the landing field. Sure enough, their ship headed directly there and a few minutes later, they touched the ground.
They were officially on Krina.
As they exited the ship, Mia felt a blast of heat reminiscent of Florida weather at its hottest. It was also difficult to breathe, and she felt light-headed as she tried to draw in more air. Grabbing Korum’s hand, she waited for a wave of dizziness to pass.
“Are you okay?” he asked, wrapping his arm around her back to support her.
“Yes,” Mia said. “The air is just thinner here, I think.” It was also unusually and pleasantly scented, like blooming flowers and sweet fruits.
“It is thinner,” Korum confirmed. “Our atmosphere in general contains a little less oxygen than you’re used to, and this particular region happens to be at a higher elevation. You should adjust soon, though, with your nanocytes.”
Mia was already starting to feel better, but now she had a new worry. “What about my parents? And Marisa and Connor? How will they adjust?” Her family was just now coming out of the ship, about ten yards behind them.
“Most humans tolerate our atmosphere well, after an initial acclimation period,” Korum said. “But don’t worry; I know your parents aren’t in the best of health, so I made sure our medicine experts were on hand.” He pointed toward a small pod that had just landed next to the ship. “They will help your family with any kind of issues.”
At that moment, two Krinar women exited the pod. Tall, dark-haired, and graceful, they came up to Korum and smiled. “I’m Rialit, and this is my colleague Mita,” said the shorter woman to the right. “Welcome to Krina.”
Korum inclined his head. “Thank you, Rialit. And Mita. I would like you to help my human companions. My charl is fine, but her relatives may require your assistance.”
“Of course,” Rialit said, turning toward Ella and Dan. They and Marisa seemed a little pale, and Connor looked like he was trying to gulp as much air as possible.
The medicine experts hurried over, holding some small devices, and, a minute later, everyone appeared to be back to normal. Korum thanked the two women and they left, their pod taking off a few minutes later.
“Wow,” Mia’s mom said, staring at the departing aircraft, “I can’t believe they run those little things over us, and we can breathe again. What did they do to us?”
“I think they created a small oxygen field around you,” Korum said. “This way, you will have a more gradual adjustment. The field will dissipate over the next couple of days, but it’ll do it slowly, so your bodies will get used to breathing our air.”
“Amazing,” Dan said. “Simply amazing.”
Mia smiled. “Isn’t it, though?”
While they were talking, Korum had started the process of creating a transport pod to take them to their final destination: his house. Mia’s sister gasped as the ship began to take shape, and Connor and her parents simply stared in shock. Mia grinned at their reactions; it wasn’t that long ago that everything Korum showed her seemed like a miracle. Now she could do a lot of the same things, even if she didn’t understand the technology behind it. Then again, most people didn’t understand how phones and televisions worked, but they could still use them – just as Mia could use her fabricator.
Once the pod was done, everybody climbed inside and got comfortable on the floating seats. “Love these things,” Marisa said, a blissful look on her face as the seat conformed to her shape. Mia guessed that her sister was already starting to feel some pregnancy-related aches and pains, and she determined to talk to the medicine experts about that. Marisa was likely too shy to say anything herself.
As their pod took off, Mia looked down at the transparent floor, her breath catching in her throat at the realization that she was actually here. On Krina.
On the planet that was the origin of all life on Earth.
Chapter 25
The flight to Korum’s house took a mere two minutes, the aircraft flying too fast for Mia to see anything more than a blur of exotic vegetation below. As soon as they landed, she jumped up, eager to see Krina up close.
“Hold on, honey,” her dad said, catching her arm as she was about to run out of the ship. “That’s an alien planet. You don’t know what’s out there in the woods.”
“He’s right, my sweet,” Korum said. “I need to show all of you a few things first, to avoid any potential issues. Stick close to me for now, and don’t touch anything.”
Exiting the pod, he led them toward an ivory-colored structure that was visible through the trees.
As they walked, Mia marveled at the beautiful vegetation that surrounded them. While green colors predominated, there were a lot more red and yellow plants than one would find on Earth. In places she could even see bright purple leaves peeking through the wide rounded stalks of grass-like growth that covered the forest floor. Here and there, flowers of every shade of the rainbow added a festive touch to everything. These flowers seemed to be responsible for the pleasant smell Mia had noticed upon their arrival.
The tree trunks were of varying colors as well. Brown was common, but so was black and white. One tree that Mia particularly liked had white branches and bright red leaves with yellow centers. “That’s gorgeous!” she exclaimed, and Korum laughed, shaking his head.
“That particular beauty is poisonous,” he said. “Whatever you do, don’t let any of the tree sap get on your skin – it acts like acid.”
“Really?” Mia stared at her surroundings with newfound caution. Her parents looked frightened, and Connor put a protective arm around Marisa, pulling her closer to him.
“There’s no need to be scared,” Korum said. “You just need to know that you can’t touch the alfabra tree. Same thing for that plant over there –” He pointed toward a pretty-looking green bush that was covered with white and pink blooms. “It likes to eat anything that lands on it, and has been known to consume larger animals.”
Something flew by Mia’s ear and she reflexively swatted at it, gasping when she felt a sudden light pinch. Lowering her hand, she stared at it in disbelief. “Oh my God, Korum, what is that?”
<
br /> A blue-green creature was sitting in the middle of her palm, its huge eyes almost half the size of its three-inch body. It had only four legs, but there seemed to be hundreds of tiny fingers on each one, all of them digging into Mia’s skin. There were also tiny wings that didn’t seem big enough to propel it through the air.
“That’s a virta,” Korum said, gently lifting the creature off Mia’s palm and throwing it away. “It’s harmless – you just shocked it and it grabbed on to you. They eat some leaves and an occasional mirat.”
“Mirat?” Connor asked.
“Yes, mirat,” Korum said, pointing toward one of the brown tree trunks.
When Mia looked closer, she could see that what she had mistaken for solid wood was actually some type of a jelly-like substance – and that it quivered and moved, expanding and contracting in a creepy way.
“Mirat are similar to your bees, although they don’t sting,” Korum explained. “They’re social insects, and they build these complex structures around trees. Our scientists love studying them. There’s a lot of debate as to whether the collective mind of a mirat hive displays signs of higher intelligence. We never bother them, and they generally know to avoid us and our dwellings. If you touch their hive, you’ll get dizzy from the fumes they emit, so it’s best to stay away from them.”
“That’s crazy,” Marisa said, looking worried. “Is there anything else like that we should know about?” She was holding her stomach in a protective gesture.
“Yes,” Korum said. “That, right there –” he pointed at a small red insect-like thing on the floor, “– is also something you have to be careful of. It bites and likes to burrow inside the skin. They’re not poisonous or anything, but extracting them is very unpleasant. There are also some large predatory animals, but you’re unlikely to encounter them in this vicinity. They’re afraid of the Krinar and generally avoid our territories.”
Connor was frowning. “Korum, no offense, but that’s a lot of shit we need to worry about here. I don’t think we realized we’d be living in the middle of an alien jungle.”
Korum didn’t seem offended in the least. “Our jungle is far less dangerous than your cities, as long as you don’t stumble around blindly,” he said calmly. “And my house is completely safe and critter-free. In a few days, you’ll know exactly what to watch out for, and you’ll be able to go outside without me. Until then, I’ll accompany you everywhere and you won’t run into any problems.”
Connor opened his mouth to say something, but Mia’s mom interrupted him, exclaiming, “Oh, wow, Korum, is that your house?”
While they were talking, they had reached the ivory-colored, oblong-shaped dwelling. To Mia’s eyes, it looked very similar to Korum’s house in Lenkarda – a place she now thought of as her home. To the others, though, it had to look strange and foreign.
“Yes,” Korum said, smiling at them. “It is indeed.”
“You don’t have any doors or windows?” her dad asked, examining the structure with visible curiosity.
“No, dad,” Mia said. “It has intelligent walls, just like the ship that brought us here. They’re probably see-through from the inside. Right, Korum?”
“That’s right,” her lover confirmed, and Mia grinned, feeling like she would burst from excitement. She was actually on Krina!
Korum did a quick tour of the house, showing her family how to use everything. Mia’s parents seemed a bit overwhelmed, so he created a separate ‘humanized’ suite of rooms for them, just as he had on the ship. Her sister and brother-in-law, however, decided to stay in the main portion of the house, preferring the comfort of K technology to the more familiar human-style furniture.
“I love this thing.” Marisa was sprawled out on the intelligent bed in her room, a blissful expression on her face at the massage she was receiving. “I never want to leave it.”
“I know, right?” Mia sat down next to her sister. “All their stuff is unbelievably awesome like that. The first time I fell asleep on a bed like this I thought I’d died and gone to Heaven.”
“No kidding.” Marisa closed her eyes, moaning in pleasure. “So freaking good . . .”
“I’ll leave you to it,” Mia said, grinning. “Get some rest, okay?”
Marisa didn’t reply, and Mia realized that her sister was already drifting off to sleep, her pregnant body requiring more rest than usual.
Connor was taking a shower, and her parents were relaxing too, so Mia went to find Korum. “I’m ready,” she told him. “Now is as good a time as any.”
He got up from the float in the living room where he had been sitting, his tall, muscular body as graceful as a panther’s. “Are you sure?” he asked, and she could see the concern written on his beautiful face.
“Yes,” Mia said, lifting her hand to stroke his thick dark hair. “I’m sure.”
He caught her hand and brought it to his lips, tenderly kissing each knuckle. “Then let’s do it,” he said softly. “Let’s get your memory and your old self back.”
* * *
A slender brown-haired Krinar woman walked around Mia, attaching little white dots to her forehead, temples, and the back of her neck. Mia had fully expected to be knocked out for the reversal of Saret’s procedure, but the mind apprentice – Laira – said Mia had to be conscious.
“There you are,” Laira said with satisfaction. “All done. Now please have a seat. It can be on Korum’s lap if you want.” She winked, and Mia laughed, liking this K woman. According to Korum, Laira was young, less than two hundred years of age, and already considered a rising star in the field of mind studies.
Korum smiled and pulled Mia onto his lap. “Sure, I’m happy to hold her.”
“I bet you are.” Laira grinned. “That’s a cute charl you’ve got there.”
“Excuse me,” Mia said, putting a possessive arm around Korum’s neck. “That’s a gorgeous cheren I’ve got.”
“True, true,” Laira said, laughing. Then her expression turned more serious. “All right, Mia, this is what you can expect now: it will feel like your mind is going blank. Then you’ll feel a rush of images and impressions as your memory returns and the procedure is reversed. As the memories come, I want you to focus on them one at a time, so you absorb them slowly. That’s why you have to be awake for this, even though I know it’s going to be uncomfortable for you.”
“Is she going to be in pain?” Korum asked, his arms tightening around Mia.
“No, just discomfort, like I said,” Laira replied. “Are you ready, Mia?”
“Yes.” Mia braced herself.
“Here we go then.”
At first, Mia felt a pleasant lassitude stealing over her and she closed her eyes. Her mind felt like it was drifting, as though she was about to fall asleep. There was a strange sensation of nothingness, of blankness.
Suddenly, it was like a bomb going off in her brain, an explosion of colors, feelings, and shapes, all appearing at once. Mia gasped, her fingers digging into Korum’s arm as she tried to cope with the onslaught. It was too much, like a 3D IMAX movie with too many special effects, only streamed directly into her brain.
Somewhere far away, she could hear Korum’s voice. It was furious, demanding. “Stop it! Stop it right now! Can’t you see she’s in pain?”
“She’ll get through this . . .” It was Laira’s voice, calm and soothing. Mia latched onto it, needing something steady in the maelstrom that was engulfing her mind.
At first it was unbearable, and she screamed silently, too overwhelmed to emit any actual sound. Laira hadn’t lied. There was no pain; there was just agony. It felt like Mia’s brain was being filled to the brim, her skull stretching and straining to contain it all.
And just when she thought her head would literally explode, the agony started to ease, colors and shapes separating into images, those images and emotions turning into specific events. Memories began to coalesce, taking shape one by one until she could grasp them, integrate them into what she already knew and rememb
ered.
There was the party at the end of March, shortly before she met Korum. Jessie had dragged her to it, and Mia had ended up having a good time after a few drinks. She’d danced with a few guys, even exchanged phone numbers with one of them, but nothing ever came of it. If only she’d known then the strange turn her life would take . . .
The memory of her first meeting with Korum flashed through her mind, and Mia relived the sharp feeling of fear, mixed with the first stirrings of desire. The man who held her so lovingly now had terrified her in the beginning, his arrogance and casual disregard for her wishes leading her to assume the worst about his species.
More memories . . . Her first time in Korum’s bed, John explaining to her about charl, the incident at the club where Korum had nearly killed Peter . . . Korum holding her while she cried, Mia bringing him to meet her parents for the first time . . . The good, the bad, the ugly – she remembered it all, and it was like a void inside her was disappearing, the before and after colliding, making her feel whole for the first time since Saret’s attack.
Saret! Mia remembered him too. She’d liked him, regarded him as her boss and mentor. He had been the one to give her the language implant, to let her intern in his lab at Korum’s request. Mia relived the excitement she’d felt when Korum had told her of the opportunity, the thrill of learning what thousands of human scientists could only dream of.
And then her last memory from before: Saret cornering her in the lab. Mia remembered her terror, her shock at learning of his intentions for the human race . . . Her disgust when he admitted to wanting her, the sick feeling in her stomach when he told her of his plans for the Krinar . . . And that awful darkness taking over when he wiped out a major chunk of her life and altered her brain.
Now the present and the past were one again. Mia became aware of Korum stroking her hair, raining gentle kisses on her face. Still keeping her eyes closed, Mia relived the more recent events, from her awakening in Korum’s bed to the trip to Krina. She tried to compare her emotions then to the way she felt now – and to the way she had always been.