Tacenda

by Christine Jayne Vann

  He’d been in despair when Kerris came in, the last for the day. A dark female, tall and large as he’d thought then. His species was shorter but more slender. She was average he’d seen now, a good shape for a human - fit and strong.

  She’d greeted him whilst holding much of herself back. But he’d seen how she reacted to the doctors and her own kind, the barriers were there for everyone.

  Kerris.

  Ryla’s eyes caught his, and she shook her head. She continued her compressions, but there was no answering breath.

  The gap around them widened. In increased distress but not knowing why, the children began hitting themselves, or running off. One girl placed her hands over her eyes and began screaming. He saw parents rushing around, but no sign of Lily. Shouting and repeated phrases gave an odd synchronicity as Ryla pressed down on Kerris’ chest, again and again.

  Arucken sent Kerris their first memory. The start of a life not alone. The beginnings of their team and potential. For the first time, he held nothing of himself back.

  Kerris gasped, her limbs banging against the floor. Her feet drummed and her throat fought to breathe, eyelids flicking back and forth. Ryla leapt off her, hands raised. She looked at Arucken in complete confusion.

  And Kerris came back to her body. She sat up, tears springing to her eyes. Her mouth moved to verbalise, but no words came out.

  Arucken she said instead. You called me back!

  Always! He said forcefully. It’s not your time yet!

  Kerris wrapped her arms around herself and shivered. He could see her trying again to speak outwardly but she seemed unable. She shook her head.

  You don’t get to choose! But I don’t care, I wasn’t ready!

  Not for many years! He insisted, and finally he saw she could stand his touch. He encircled her with his arms as she sobbed and shook.

  Night arrived before they untangled. Glasses of water stood beside them, a glimmer of moonlight caught in each one. A small bowl of food was further out, next to an abandoned picture, messy and full of colours.

  People lay in exhausted sleeps, barely moving. A single small figure remained awake, moving her fingers around the edges of the room.

  He passed the water to his partner in silence, she gulped it down, wincing a little in pain. Her hands had steadied. He passed her food and they ate quietly, without thought.

  Her hand rested on his leg. She breathed with ease again.

  They were afraid. They can only speak like this. Kerris said.

  They tried to change the children to do this?

  She nodded. They altered them but made a mistake, it’s unnatural in the children and they can’t cope. Shouldn’t have to - but Lily…

  Lily is different. They couldn’t change her. Arucken answered. But she’s right. What she is, is right for her.

  What do they want? Kerris asked but he sensed she didn’t expect an answer. It was too dark to see her face but he felt the unease she held tight inside her, uncoiling like a spring. They both knew what came next.

  ***

  “You can’t be that stupid!” Jiang said to them, the next morning as they explained their plan. He ran his hand over his head as if he expected to find more hair underneath it. “You’ll be killed this time; they won’t go easy on you again!”

  “Easy?” Kerris answered, with a growl. Her words were stuttered this morning and sometimes they failed completely. Her anger was a bright sheet of lightning inside them both.

  Arucken said. “We are stranded here as much as you are now.”

  Jiang towered over them both, but the fear in his eyes was heartfelt. He closed them briefly, rubbing his eyelids.

  “You don’t have to do this.”

  “We are the only ones here that can.” Kerris replied. Her voice softened as she looked round at the children. She did not comment on the odd repetitive behaviours, the violence, or the weary adults. It was plain that if this continued, the food and other supplies would soon run low.

  A woman in the corner, medium height and slim, glared across at Kerris. She held herself in a defensive position, sitting to one side in a group of three adults guided by Ryla. The hatred in her eyes hadn’t faded.

  What’s this? Kerris prodded, to his dismay.

  He pointed the small woman out to her with reluctance. The human from last night. He said. Nia. One of the people killed was her partner.

  Unaccustomed to the pauses where they spoke to each other privately, Jiang’s frown increased as he watched them. “What do you even hope to do?”

  “Talk.” Arucken said.

  “Talk?” Jiang repeated, incredulous. “They stole our children. They shot at us!”

  “A miscommunication.” Kerris said. Her fingers curled into a fist at her side and Arucken moved next to her. “They communicate differently.”

  “They kidnapped our children!” Jiang said, his voice hoarse. He did not look round at his son.

  “Haven’t you seen the animals? Heard how they’ve changed?”

  Jiang sighed and shook his head. He didn’t point out the lack of time available, or how strained their resources were. The evidence lay all around them.

  For all of her skills, Kerris was curiously blind to some things.

  Confusion from Kerris filled his head, and a small sense of outrage. She picked up far more than he intended.

  “I’ll go with you.” Jiang said after a moment. “Wait here.”

  He walked away before they could respond. Kerris swore under her breath. “How will having him there help?”

  Despite this, they waited for his return. It was awkward, although the hall was large and the people plenty, the sounds of Morgan and Jiang arguing rang out. After a moment Ryla walked to join the pair, together with their son. The boy clung to her legs like a child much younger, as Ryla delivered sharp words.

  The couple drew back from Ryla and knelt down beside their son. They gathered him up in their arms, bowing heads together.

  Ryla left them, the people around parted a way in their stream of movement without daring to look at her. Her face was thunderous, allowing no room for disagreement.

  “I’ll be coming with you.” She announced. “When are we leaving?”

  Arucken frowned, and she added. “I’m one of the few here without children. If you must risk this, you need one of us there. And the children have been through enough.”

  Arucken nodded, and they made no comment. A stale scent of unwashed bodies was second only to a disturbing scent he couldn’t identify. A pair of adults hoisted a large child between them, their faces showing dual emotions; he saw shame paired with a despair they would not let overcome them.

  The other adults moved in a hurry to gather Ryla the supplies she needed. An odd palette in their skin shades, faces and builds. The mixture was so diverse it looked artificial. He couldn’t remember if that was typical for a new colony. It had been some time since they visited a start-up colony.

  The sun lay close to the horizon, the air still and heavy when they ventured outside. Ryla spoke of the projects around them as they walked, and to his surprise she held up their pace not at all. She explained she was colony-shifter, born into a nomadic lifestyle and added to share her knowledge.

  As they headed towards the shore Ryla stiffened. Arucken turned to her, expecting to have to encourage her onwards when he felt a similar shock from his partner. In his head there was a primal fear, an instinctive urge to flee. Then his weakest sense also took it up, filling his nose with the smell of burning wood.

  “The storehouse!” Ryla exclaimed. “It’s the only building it could be. Wasn’t it enough just to raid it?”

  The anger in her voice was shocking, her words trembled with it. Worn fingers clenched at her sides, and Kerris and Arucken exchanged a glance. If they were to run, the older woman would not be able to keep up. But would the creatures still be there?

  “Go!” Ryla said bitterly, making the decision for them. “But take care!”

  There w
as no fuel. Kerris said in his mind as they raced away. They set an easy rhythm, fast but one they could sustain. Years of travelling together had refined their speed together. Anything else that could be a danger?

  Anything that could explode you mean? Arucken answered. Her voice echoed with stress. He hoped she’d know not to push herself too hard. He could not lose her.

  I’m not looking to lose myself either! Kerris managed an acerbic tone even in his head and he almost laughed aloud. Since she had been shot, he could feel she held less of herself back. The new intimacy was strange, but welcome. Now answer me, if you know it!

  Not that I know.

  Well, there’s one positive.

  They slowed as they saw the great plumes of smoke, rising fast into the sky. The smell of burning wood tainted the crisp air.

  But the sight of the three figures standing beside the storehouse drew them to a halt, hidden by some foliage to the side of the trail. They crouched behind the bushes, peering outwards. The trio were dressed for water travel, vehicles bobbing behind them in the harbour. They stood watching the flames, arguing and gesticulating with arms raised wide. Human.

  There were no visible weapons, but his instincts, and hers, were shouting inside. Too organised. Too confusing. They could only be from Arroyo. It gave him a sick feeling to his stomach.

  One figure was trying to be the peacemaker, forcing his two companions to shake their hands together. It was impossible to hear their voices, but the handshake looked brief and business-like. They did not look at each other after, walking towards their vehicles their backs to the flames.

  The peacemaker lagged behind for a moment, staring at the burning storehouse.

  The fire burnt with a contained fury, the tongues of flame barely spreading. Already some of the energy was fading. It had been set in several places, small blazes feeding on timber. It was not the bonfire he had expected; it was all too controlled.

  The firelight lit up the largest figure, revealing a pale-skinned male. He frowned at the fire, his eyes flickering over each point of flame and judging. He nodded to himself, releasing his breath in a long sigh. His mouth fell open in shock, arms spread wide as sparks fizzled and crackled across his body. He crashed forward in front of the fire, facedown.

  The two remaining humans lowered their weapons in tandem, behind their fallen companion. They exchanged a brief look, before holstering their weapons. Arucken would have given much to know the thoughts behind those blank faces.

  With unhurried movements the pair turned to the vehicles, leaving the body fallen behind them. The shorter man tied the third vehicle tight to the second with a coil of thick rope, securing it within moments.

  They mounted up, engines turning on with a roar that bit into the sound of burning wood. Their skin cast in ripples of red and brown shadows from the flames, embers flying around them. The sight of them became lost in the blue ocean, leaving only the ripples of their passage.

  Arucken watched them go with regret. He wondered if the counsellors of Arroyo had noticed their late return. Except, he realised in dismay, some of the counsellors had known there was more to this routine mission. And which of those in the know had set them on this route? Were they meant to report back about the storehouse, as if the sea dwellers had done it? How? It made no sense.

  Kerris leapt forward the moment the dolphins were out of sight, and even before the ripples from their boats ebbed away. She got ahead of Arucken too fast, and she reached the body long before him. Her dark hands reached the person, turning him back over and placing her hands to his chest.

  Flames had crept across the roof, a slow burn but steady. The smoke in the air was thick, the fire slow but hungry. The smoke felt heavy in Arucken’s lungs, clouds of it weighing him down.

  When he reached her, he could see from in her eyes there had been no need for haste.

  “With emotions running high, how much proof do you think people need?” she said, her voice grim. “There are children involved, and that part isn't fake. Ryla said a spark is all it would take, and that is far more than a spark!”

  Without comment she took the arms of the body and waited whilst Arucken picked up his legs. The body hung limp between them, the eyes still wide open and staring. They carried the body further up the dock and away from the spreading flames.

  Kerris’ hands trembled as she laid the man down. The man was younger than Arucken had expected, though he was often off in his estimations. Older than Kerris. He recognised the features, sharp and fine boned. This had been one of the counsellors that greeted them. The eyes were a deep brown, blank and staring.

  “I’ll fetch Ryla.” she said, and left. A tight weave concealed her emotions, but a few pieces fell out. Arucken left them alone in his head. He could guess what they were, without intruding.

  He twisted his hands together, until his fingers completely entwined. Knuckles turned white. He looked at the sky for some moments, where smoke painted over the colours. He wondered when the energy weapons had first been stolen and how long Arroyo had known about the creatures.

  He sat with the body for what seemed a long time, but when the two women approached he could see the sun had barely moved. Without the wind to fan them, the flames had almost faded.

  Ryla took a look at the body, and then glanced away. Her eyes closed. She breathed in for a few moments, shallow and pained.

  “Yes, I know him.” She said, redundantly. Why did humans feel the need to pronounce what their faces and actions had already spoke of?

  “Who is he?” Kerris prompted. Her gentle voice was very controlled. There was no outward sign of the feelings Arucken could feel inside her. She could come unravelled, at any moment.

  “Some of the people on Arroyo were against a new colony from the start. They especially didn’t like that they brought us in from outside. They thought if this was to be done, it needed natives.” Ryla said.

  “Natives!” she spat out the word like a poison. “That word has little meaning anymore, with everyone scattered all ways. “

  “He - Malik - wasn’t that vocal, but he watched everything. I learnt after we left that he’d started to talk to our suppliers, about how we couldn’t be trusted. He never wanted us here. “

  “He greeted us when we landed.” Kerris said, staring at the empty eyes. She reached over to close them. “But he never gave his name.”

  Ryla gave no indication she heard, staring instead at the flames. Their roar was gentling and would die soon but the storehouse lay in ruins. The fire had eaten away pieces of the dock, the building a broken shell resting atop. Arucken saw that Ryla was weeping although she made no sound he could hear. The lines of moisture ran down her lined face as she spoke in a pained voice, not far above a whisper.

  “The creatures killed him?”

  “No.” Kerris answered. She explained what they had seen. She wrapped both arms around her body, and Arucken saw the struggle it took her to speak. His mind tormented him with those electrical sparks spreading across his partner, stopping her heart from beating.

  Kerris smiled at him. What he could feel from her was a little disjointed, shards of confusion. She flicked her fingers at him in a defiant gesture, I’m fine!

  “But the same weapon?” Ryla asked. “I don’t understand. How did they even get them? I didn’t know it mattered so much to him. I don’t understand why you could sabotage something that was working, just because you’d insisted that it wouldn’t. Or was he stopping them? Why would they turn on each other?”