Laura nodded, and was not surprised to be asked whether 'Devlin' was her own family name. Muina, Tare and Kolar were all matrilineal, and she could see where Allidi might be confused. Laura was only glad Gidds had explained a little about his own family's situation, allowing Laura to avoid awkward return questions.
"Devlin is Cass' father's family name. I kept it in part because having the same family name is less confusing for schools." Laura grinned. "And because Cass objected strongly when I suggested she and Julian could swap to my family name."
"Why?" Lira asked, very interested. "What is it?"
"Jiglea." She pronounced it Jeg-lee-ah, as her father had. "Originally from a country called Romania. The problem being that English speakers, reading it, would pronounce it 'jiggly', which is, ah, duni, in Muinan."
Three pairs of eyes widened. Gidds kept his response to a barely audible: "Ah."
"They used to call us the Jiggly Sisters, when we were at school," Laura said. Which had been far more apposite for Sue and Bet, but Laura had hated it just as much.
"Cassandra Duni," Lira said reverently.
"Lira Duni," Haelin offered, and produced a flicker-smile the very image of her father's.
"No."
Lira's response held more than a hint of thunderstorm, so Laura reached for a quick diversion.
"Did Cass ever mention what 'selkie' means on Earth?"
Sudden, fixed attention was answer enough, but before Laura could go on there was a shout from above.
A half-dozen golden birds swooped low, and a cluster of people leapt to the ground. None of these were Julian's 'Space Ninja', but one was 'Corezzy', whom Laura was particularly interested in meeting. The avatar, at least, was that of a young man in a blue Adonis mould.
"Thanks for waiting!" said another player, an equally muscular young woman called 'Tzatch'. "I'm leader of the Sky Wing." She nodded generally to Laura's group, then went on directly to 'Dakal'. "It'll be a few joden before enough of us are here. I can talk you through some strategies, but chances are high you'll get caught by the emergence whatever we do."
"It seems pretty harsh to have something like this lying around the new player areas," Laura commented.
"It's a lucky find, really it is," Corezzy put in. "The person who triggers the Star Claw—well, there's only been two before in the game, but each time the trigger got a powerful teszen out of it. And it made the teszen who fought the corruption node stronger, which explains why we all came scrambling here."
"What would happen if I just threw it as far as I could?" Haelin asked.
"No-one's tried that, yet. You can if you want, but I don't think it will help."
Laura was not surprised to receive a channel request from Gidds, and when she accepted she found all three Selkies in channel.
"We will be extremely distracted without an explanation," Gidds said.
"What happens if the need-to-know aspect of Sight Sight triggers and you can't get an answer?" Laura asked, curious.
"Nightmares," Haelin said. "And feeling cross, and not being able to settle. And seeing things that remind you of it everywhere. Sometimes the answer puts itself together. Sometimes it itches for years."
"Sounds frustrating," Laura said, bringing Lira into the channel because she could see 'Rose' frowning at her. She mightn't have Sights, but Lira was very socially intuitive.
"This is a seal," Laura continued, showing them an underwater sequence from one of the documentaries Cass had spent the last few years translating.
"Tedan," Lira said. "They sometimes come out onto rocks near Kalasa."
Another animal that could be found on both worlds? But the Kalasan tedan would be in a freshwater habitat. And now was not time for further distraction.
"Selkies are mythological beings that are seals in the ocean, and shed their skin on land to assume a human form," Laura said briskly. "I can look to see if I have a selkie tale among the books I brought with me, and translate it for you. There are quite a few different traditions, but they tend to be quietly tragic stories."
And quite a lot of them involved some seriously problematic consent issues, which Laura wished she'd thought about before using the name as a diversion. She'd talk to Gidds about that first.
Fortunately Sight Sight seemed to be satisfied for the moment, as Allidi politely thanked her, and Haelin went back to asking Tzatch questions about surviving the Star Claw.
In short order nearly four dozen members of the Sky Wing band gathered—Julian's 'Space Ninja' arriving and offering a wave and a second glance at 'Rose'. Tzatch, clearly an experienced guild leader, briskly divided her band members into groups with designated tasks and alternate roles for 'when the plan inevitably falls into the sea'.
This settled, she turned back to Laura's small group, but only to shrug. "Every little bit of damage counts, but your defences are all at baby levels. It's up to you how much you want to mix in, but—well, we'll revive you once it's over."
At least it wasn't a permadeath game. Laura glanced at Gidds to see how he was taking relegation to the sidelines, but found 'Ruvord' surveying arrangements with a clinical air. He noticed her gaze and produced his flicker-smile before turning to Haelin.
"It will be very boring if I am caught for the whole time, Dzo," Haelin said.
"We will observe from a safe distance, and then focus on assisting you."
"When you throw the Star Claw, run in the other direction," Allidi advised.
Gidds nodded his agreement, then led Laura, Allidi and Lira along the neat rows of trees so that they could watch without their view being blocked.
Sky Wing had arranged themselves similarly, leaving Haelin-Dakal standing alone, looking very small but entirely self-possessed. At nine, she could only have been training as a Kalrani for a few years, but the Setari program was extremely intensive and disciplined, and Sight Sight talents definitely tended toward confidence.
Did being Gidds' daughter help, or simply add pressure?
Haelin certainly maintained her cool when Tzatch gave the signal. She swung her arm, hurled the Star Claw in the direction of the main cluster of Sky Wing, and then dashed directly toward her father.
The whorled glass horn spun end to end and—Laura was watching closely—stretched and changed shape as it did so. Haelin, although she moved at the maximum speed the game would allow, had no chance to escape the expanding twists and whorls.
Purple and shimmering, the Star Claw bloomed and grew, opening into something similar to a sea anemone or a cactus dahlia: hundreds of narrow 'petal' tentacles curving up and around a protected centre. That, no doubt, would be where Haelin's Dakal would be.
"I can't even see," Haelin said, still in the channel where they'd been discussing names.
"Trying to fight your way out might earn you upgrades for your teszen, though," Laura pointed out. "You certainly can't miss from the inside."
"Wouldn't miss anyway," Haelin grumped, but without real annoyance.
"Move further back," Gidds said, and they retreated as the 'petals' grew ever-larger, the ground sinking beneath them, and the nearest trees tumbling sideways.
Members of Sky Wing were already attacking the bruised starburst of a flower, but Laura was not surprised to see their initial efforts have no visible impact. An encounter designed to be a game-wide event would likely require enormous numbers of players. Tzatch clearly knew this, and was merely testing possible strategies.
Veteran of more than a few large, imaginary battles, Laura guessed the Star Claw would likely phase through vulnerabilities—most likely connected to the elemental wheels—but there was no obvious signal such as a colour change to indicate the shift. She asked Gidds if he could see anything.
"It's definitely changing vulnerabilities," he said. "There doesn't appear to be a visual signal."
"Nimenny can tell," Lira said, shifting her weight from foot to foot, then added over the interface channel. "It doesn't hurt to be stuck in there, does it?"
"No."
Haelin's response was brief, dismissive. But then, in a slightly altered tone, she added: "I'm in a jelly bubble. I think it works like a shield. I guess I'd just exit the game if it hurt."
Laura glanced at Gidds, and he gave her the faintest nod. That had been a deliberate choice to reassure, then. Only nine, Haelin had still recognised and effortlessly responded to the anxiety that lay behind the question of a girl who had once been cruelly trapped.
Sight Sight. So helpful, so disconcerting.
And so very much a factor in her future. She sent Gidds a direct message.
Laura: You look like you're enjoying yourself. I was worried that things like this would feel too much like the massive ionoth attacks to you.
His flicker-smile made an appearance.
Gidds: In part it's because there are so many excited players. Even though they're not physically here, it's impacting Place and Sight Sight. The combat doesn't bother me—simulations without injuries are merely challenges.
Laura: I'm glad.
Gidds: Would you like to come with us next week? A two-family outing?
Laura hesitated, glancing at Allidi.
Gidds: They will enjoy a larger group.
Laura wondered, but expected it was worth trying. Cass would be off on a visit to her in-laws, but mixing Julian and Sue with Allidi and Haelin would be a significant step, while being less awkwardly 'Sight Sight Duo faces off with potential Wicked Step-mum'.
But first, a rescue.
Chapter Fifteen
"Lira's so taken with this game you played that I think I'll put off trying it out," Cass said, studying the helmet of her Exclusion Suit.
"That makes sense?" Laura lowered her own helmet over her head, and twisted to lock it into position.
Cass grinned. "It does, really! She was hugging it a bit to herself, you see. Her game with Unna Laura. I don't want to stick my big nose in and take some of the shine off her new toy."
"How would you do that?" Laura asked, startled. "She likes you, Cass—really, she does."
"Oh, yeah. But in a 'naggy older sister' way, at least when I've been telling her to behave. You're the first person that I've seen her really take—oh, I don't know how to put it—'ownership of', maybe. At school she talks about 'my Unna Laura' very matter-of-factly."
"This indulgent grandma gig is paying off."
"I guess so!" Cass sealed her Exclusion Suit, and her voice came out strangely echoing through the clear panels of the helmet. "But it's really been a big step forward. Lira has such a complicated relationship with the idea of parents, and belonging, and who has authority over her. Not because she's some snobbish Lantaren princess, or whatever, but because she's realised that even the people who raised her—the ones she was stolen from—were simply controlling and making use of a Touchstone."
"And she applies that to you and Kaoren?"
"On and off. I might be in the same situation as her in a lot of ways, but Kaoren and I choose to work for KOTIS. And KOTIS is…well, there's a lot of factions, and plenty of people pushing to have her spend days on end telling them everything about Muina in the past. But she was kept so sheltered and controlled that she can't answer most of their questions—not good, since she hates feeling ignorant—and there are a lot of bad associations, so even the mildest session gives her days of nightmares."
Cass walked to the window of the room in the KOTIS building where they were preparing for their aether excursion, and looked out over the ruins of the ancient town that lay outside.
"They're fairly sure Lira made all this, you know. Not the buildings, but getting the teleport network to work, and maybe even the system that causes moonfall and refines aether. She doesn't know for certain—her whole life before being kidnapped involved being periodically plugged into psionic amplification machines without any explanation. Used to shape reality without any input of her own. Until finally someone put her in a machine with no intention of her getting out again."
Cass' voice was angry and sad—and perhaps shadowed with the awareness that KOTIS was exploring the possibility of eventually plugging Cass into a few machines. Laura gripped her daughter's shoulder through the strange, slippery material of the suit.
"At least, with your collection of monitors and oversight committees, you can be sure there'll be plenty of warning, and probably a year or two of public debate and dispute, if they do go that route. Interested as they are in creating more teleportation platforms, no-one here wants to risk setting off the disasters and instabilities that cost them Muina in the first place—and the delays will give you lots of opportunity to leave the Triplanetary in your dust."
"I guess. I get caught up in worry sometimes—I need to stop that." Cass rapped lightly on her own helmet. "We totally look like we're wearing spacesuits."
"We do! I feel very classic sci-fi in this."
"I wonder if they'd work in vacuum?"
"Doesn't seem likely they'd be designed for the pressure difference," Laura said, admiring herself in the mirror. Streamlined, but undeniably spacesuit-like, the Exclusion Suit would generate a shield field to prevent the moonfall aether from reaching them.
She started to go on, but noticed Cass was looking down and to her left, which Laura had learned many people did when they were talking over the interface, so she waited until Cass looked back at her with an apologetic grimace.
"Sorry, Kaoren's Mum wanted to make a change to our schedule. Visiting the Ruuels always ends up being hectic."
"Do the kids get along with Teor?"
"Most of the time. She and Paran are really pretty cool—super-smart and creative. Sen likes them a lot, which is always a good sign, and they're fantastic with Rye. I was worried about Ys for a while, but I eventually figured that she and Teor positively enjoy trying to get the best of each other. Teor's still trying to convince Kaoren to stop being a Setari, though, and she finds the way Lira chops and changes hobbies frustrating. She doesn't push, but she wants to, and Lira picks up on that. It's not really a problem except when Lira's stressed out like she has been lately."
Laura, testing out the impact of the suit's weight on her walking, paused.
"Why not let her come with me and Sue this weekend?"
"On this exploration trip you've wangled? Mum, they wouldn't let her go without extra guards."
"We get security either way, don't we? Shall I ask if it's possible, and see what they say?"
"Mm. Well, it's worth thinking about—Rye has managed to make Lira appreciate country walks more than she used to, and Areziath in spring would definitely be worth it. We've only been once, and that was in summer. I wonder if I can manage to rearrange things without offending Teor?"
They headed out to check the kids' progress, and found a fully-suited Ruuel Devlin complement, with Kaoren checking that everyone's helmets were fully locked and active.
"Is this the line for the auditions for Lost in Space?" Sue asked, joining them with Julian, Alyssa, Nick and Maddy in tow.
"That would imply we don't know the way home," Laura said. "How about The Jetsons?"
"Mm, possible I suppose, though a bit iffy on the gender roles. There's not too many family-in-space stories are there?"
"The Jetsons weren't in space, were they?" Cass asked, then added to Kaoren: "We're talking about Earth vid-shows."
Descriptions of Lost in Space and The Jetsons kept everyone occupied as they trooped out of the building, meeting up with their security escort, and a trio of KOTIS scientists who were researching various aspects of moonfall. The lead scientist, Isten Sydel, introduced his team, and then led the way from the KOTIS building back into the small town due to witness moonfall.
Called Dulesza, the town sat on an isthmus in Muina's tropical zone. It had been designated for research rather than housing, and so the single KOTIS building, along with occasional scanners and excavation sites, were the only visible impact of Muina's resettlement. The rest was vines and vivid flowery bushes and stone buildings with empty doors and windows.
True. Dulesza rose in tiers above a broad lake, the water currently transitioning through vivid shades of blue as the afternoon progressed toward evening. Above, a handful of enormous gulls drifted almost motionless, while a cloud of smaller seabirds dipped and swooped among the rocks scattered just beyond the shore.
"Give it a few blue domes and it could be Santorini," Sue said, lifting her favourite scanner to a better angle.
"Santorini with sea monsters," Laura said, for she had glimpsed something scaly and looping and large moving where the birds dived and darted.
She and Sue shared a glance, bright and marvelling, for the sheer wonder of being on a whole new planet. A comfortable paradise with constant reminders that this was not Earth: from the strange creatures mixed among familiar animals, to the moon slowly cresting the horizon.
Named Esune, it appeared a touch larger, and had a bluer tint compared to Earth's Luna, but these faint differences receded behind a dark 'bullet hole' with a trailing tear that made the moon look like it had been shot with a comma.
Laura couldn't look at Muina's moon without being overwhelmed by enormities. Not merely by the loud statement that this was Definitely Not Earth, but because part of that comma in the sky was due to Cass. The hole had appeared at the same time as the disaster that had made Muina uninhabitable. The trailing tear during the close call that Cass had barely escaped two years ago.
In Arcadia (Touchstone Book 5) Page 16