“Looks like everything is in order here!” Gahneo told her telepathically. “What about the other rooms? What does it look like in there?”
Mahhzee was still puzzling over Serm and the strange package. Realizing Gahneo was still waiting for an answer, she finally responded, “I haven't checked the storage yet, but the bedroom seems fine. The hovers look very comfortable by the way. At least, they didn't forget about comfort when they built this place.”
“Well, that's a relief! I'm just about ready for bed. You must be exhausted too! How are you holding up after all this madness?”
“I'm OK.” It was all she could say. Like most of them lately, she was trying to focus on the task at hand, and not think of the destruction of their home planet and the tragic loss of thousands of lives they had witnessed only a few days earlier. Mahhzee was a level-headed person. Her work was her life. It was even surprising she could find time to be in a relationship with Gahneo. The two had become lovers in the last four years of their involvement with the Zarfha Gravitation Engine. Both had been attracted to each other since their first year working together, but it was only after that night in Klomag-Vaha, that they had finally crossed the line that separates friendship and romance. Jorh had been sick that day, and the team had elected to postpone work until the next morning. They were about to test a new gravitation Zarfha, and Jorh’s presence was indispensable. It was Mahhzee who had asked Gahneo if he would care to join her on a short trip to Klomag-Vaha. She wanted to visit a girlfriend who had moved there the previous year with her new companion. She did not want to go by herself. She would feel safer if he came with her. Gahneo had not realized it was simply an excuse to be with him alone and go to a place she had thought about for a long time. After a long conversation with her mother the week before, she had made the decision to wait no longer on Gahneo to make the first move, and to seize the first opportunity to tell him how she felt. This was it.
The spring nights on Klomag-Vaha were often spectacular. Klomag-Vaha was on the outskirts of the Varrish Valley and offered one the best unobstructed views of the vast Kahnu Ocean, and its sparkling purple waters. She had even timed their little excursion so to cross the Kah bridge when the sun was starting to set in the west; the most romantic moment of the day. The warm orange-yellows at that time of day had always been Mahhzee’s favorite.
“So, what’s your friend’s name again?” asked Gahneo mentally, while keeping an eye on their flyer’s trajectory.
They were aboard a Vok, a flying vehicle about eight meters in length, with just enough room for the two of them and a few of their belongings. It was an indispensable form of personal transportation on Kahnu. The vast distances that separated some Klomags could stretch several dozen kilometers; too far to manage on foot regularly. Everyone had a Vok and most used it anywhere they went.
“Savhina. I told you already,” she replied. “You never listen.”
“Oh yeah, that’s right. Sorry, I forgot. I was thinking about Jorh. I hope he is OK. He’s always at the lab. It’s strange to hear he is sick, you know? But you know that, you’re his sister after all. You know him better than anyone. He is so dedicated to the project… He must be frustrated right now. He knows we can't afford to lose any time. Talking about time, aren't we gonna get to your friend's too late? I mean, most people are having dinner right now, you know? Are you sure that's what she said?”
Mahhzee wasn't listening anymore. She had blocked out his brain waves. In fact, had he been less absorbed by his current blabbering, he would have been able to sense it. But he was still mentally talking when she spotted an open landing bay on one of the view decks below.
“There!” she said pointing at it. “Take that one. It looks perfect.”
“What? What do you wanna stop there for? Is this where we're meeting her? That's a sunset bay!”
The puzzled look on his face betrayed his naivety. He was still clueless after landing the vehicle and lowering the roof, when Mahhzee started talking about the mountains of Varrish and the beautiful colors the sun created over them, as it slowly came down towards the horizon, displaying its warm shades of reds, oranges, greens, and of course, its breathtaking purples, the color most couples waited for when they docked on a sunset pad.
“Most first dates happen on bridges such as this one, on nights like this one, all over the region, you know?” she said.
Gahneo finally realized they were not meeting Mahhzee's friend when she leaned her head on his shoulder and, looking in the distance, asked, “So, what do you see, Gahneo?”
Looking down at the top of her head, he replied, “I see you, Mahhzee...I see you.”
She looked back at him, smiling, her purple eyes sparkling in the low sunlight, and as they slowly came closer, without a word, they felt each other’s body, passionately, savoring the strong attraction they had felt toward each other for years, but had never acted on. Then, sitting in a lotus position in the middle of their semi-translucent Vok and facing each other, they stared into each other's eyes, their fingers interlocking. They were now making love. For the Kahnu, intercourse was a mental experience, first and mostly. The telepathic stimulation they were both engaged in, was complemented by a physical flow of pulses that ran through their bodies, using the sensory channels of the fingers, passing through the arms, and moving all the way to the brains. Like two giant vibrating light bulbs in the night, pulsating irregularly through different shades and intensity of brightness and colors, the two were at times in complete sync, when the light waves going through both bodies would pulse in complete rhythm with one another. The only sound that could be heard was a soft buzzing hum, not unlike the sound bees make when they fly. Sometimes, both humming sounds would sync in exact unison as well. That was when the humming would get the loudest. But Gahneo and Mahhzee were not the only ones indulging in the pleasures of making love in the dim light of Ogg, the largest of Kahnu's three moons, now shinning above them. Nearby, similar displays of passion could be seen and heard all around. And so, like thousands of bees hovering over a field of flowers, the sounds of young Kahnus in love resonated over the vast Mohgvar ocean below. It was common for a couple to perform their love making in plain view of others. Everyone did so. Rare were the love making rituals performed indoors. Being outside and feeling the general euphoria of pleasures they could all telepathically sense, gave the experience a higher level of excitement. Everyone practiced public intimacy. Anything else would have seemed strange to a Kahnu. On Earth, the contrary was true, but on Kahnu, this intellectual sharing of pleasures between different individuals was considered the ultimate experience and was even advocated by the Elders of the great council. When they finally fell asleep inside the Vok's cabin in the early hours of the morning, Mahhzee's skin was still vibrating softly. She slowly fell asleep smiling, Gahneo lying behind with one arm around her.
#
Jorh was the first one in the lab the next morning. He was still upset for having missed the previous day, but also glad he was feeling better. Trying to make up for the lost time, he quickly busied himself setting up the gravity control experiment they had scheduled the day before. Serm walked into the room while he was finishing entering the test parameters in the Zarfha.
“Good morning Jorh! Glad you're back. Feeling better?”
“Hello, Serm. Yes, much better, thank you. I'm almost done with the setup. We should be ready to start in a few minutes. Where are the others?”
“Are they not here yet?”
“They know we're working today, right?” asked Jorh, surprised.
“I thought they were here already,” replied Serm. “I woke up late myself. I expected I'd be the last one in. It's not like Gahneo to be late.”
“No, and it's not like Mahhzee either. When did you last see them?”
“Yesterday, when we all left after you got sick. I went home. I assumed they did the same... Hold on, let me check on Gahneo... mmmmh... I can't connect with him. He must still be sleeping... Did you try Mahhzee?”
&nbs
p; “Nothing from her either,” replied her brother. Both of them oversleeping on the same day didn't please him at all, he thought to himself.
Jorh knew Mahhzee liked Gahneo and it was reciprocal, but the two had never done anything about it in the three years they had been working together. He doubted anything was going on now. He always liked Gahneo. After all, Jorh was the one who had insisted with Garnak on having him on the team. But no matter how fond he was of his colleague, Jorh was too protective of his little sister to imagine any male Kahnu touching her.
Finally, Jorh spoke again. “I can't hear either one! What is going on? We need to find them. I'll go to Mahhzee's. Go check on Gahneo at his place. Drag him out of his hover if you have to. We need to finish this today. We have lost too much time already.”
While Jorh was talking, both were already walking toward the passage leading back up the twenty-two levels they had just passed on the way down earlier.
Mahhzee lived below their mother, on level six of Klomag-Darh, close to the top. It took Jorh a good thirty minutes to reach his mother's doorsteps. He was already mentally connected with her when he entered through the front door.
“No, I'm telling you, she is not here. I haven't seen her since yesterday afternoon. She left right after lunch. She was talking about going to visit her friend Savhina in Klomag-Vaha. She mentioned Gahneo might be going with her. I thought that was a good idea. I don't like your sister going there by herself.”
“Why didn't you tell me?” said a frustrated Jorh.
“Since when do I need to tell you what your sister does? She's an adult, isn't she? And I was told you were sick yesterday anyway. You can't keep telling her what to do. She won't listen anyway. She's like your father, stubborn as a Klomag. I'm sure they're fine. They probably slept at Savhina's.”
“What do you mean, slept? Are you saying...? Are they...?”
Suddenly Jorh realized his mother was right. Mahhzee wasn't a little girl anymore, she was a Kahnu woman, her body showed that clearly, and she was at an age when young Kahnus longed for a companion. She was attractive, he knew it. And her social position was a big plus for any potential suitor. Mahhzee was a pilot, as good as many of the males at the school of flights, and a great scientist. And she did not just pilot Voks. She was trained to fly commercial Vakkehs, dark pyramid-shaped carriers a hundred meters high, used for public and cargo transportation between coastal colonies. Mahhzee was also one of only six on a team trying to save their civilization, a task that required a maturity beyond that of the average Kahnu. She was an accomplished individual in her own right and didn't need his permission to love who she pleased.
“Still...” thought Jorh, “maybe it's just a coincidence. Serm? Serm?”
“Yes, Jorh I'm almost there. I still can't connect with him. Did you find Mahhzee?”
“No, she's not home. Looks like she slept at a friend's house in Klomag-Vaha. Let me know the moment you get to Gahneo.”
“I will.”
#
“Mahhzee! Mahhzee! Wake up!” Gahneo was shaking her, trying to get her to respond.
“Mmmh? What?... Leave me alone. I'm sleeping...”
“Mahhzee, we're late. We overslept!”
“What? What time is it?” she said. “Gahneo? The sun... Oh no, we're late! Come on, we've gotta go!”
She was already grabbing her things and getting in the driver's seat.
Gahneo was still moving around the Vok, looking for his clothes, when Mahhzee started lifting off the ground and quickly made a sharp turn that sent Gahneo flying to the back of the aircraft. Landing on a large container, he didn't hear Mahhzee say, “Oops, sorry!” with a giggle.
No one was at the lab when the two of them got there. They had both disconnected from receiving any telepathic communication, to avoid any possible distraction on the way, until they got inside. Hoping they would not have to explain themselves, they came in separately, Gahneo first, followed by Mahhzee, a minute or so later. But even before she had joined him, Gahneo could clearly see that a grueling interrogation would be unavoidable. He released his mental block first. Within seconds, Serm was asking him questions.
“I overslept, that's all. I stayed up late last night, catching up on some work, and I guess I slept too late. Sorry.”
“Where are you?” said Serm. “I went to your house. You weren't there.”
“You probably just missed me. I'm at the lab.”
“Well, Jorh is going crazy trying to find Mahhzee, now. Let me tell him I found you at least. Maybe he's found her by now.”
“I'm here, Serm. I'm at the lab with Gahneo,” said Mahhzee.
“Hey Mahhzee! Well, that's lucky. Did you oversleep too?” he said with a laugh.
“Hem... Yeah... I did... I just arrived soon after Gahneo. We're both here.”
“You better tell Jorh, then. He went looking for you at your mom's”
“Crap!” thought Mahhzee to herself.
“Mahhzee? Mahhzee, where are you?” she heard Jorh’s voice in her head.
“I'm at the lab, Jorh. Gahneo is with me. We're ready to work. I'm sorry for being late. How are you feeling? Better?”
“Yes, I'm fine, I'm fine. Never mind me. What about you? Where were you last night?”
“I went to see my friend Savhina in Klomag-Vaha.”
“Really? And how is your friend?” said Jorh with a suspicious undertone.
“She's... fine,” she replied, not wanting to say any more than she had to, in case he had talked to her mother.
“I went to mom's house looking for you. She said you went with Gahneo?”
“Hem... Yes, I didn't want to fly all the way there by myself. I thought it would be safer if someone came with me...” she replied, as Jorh stormed into the lab, looking frustrated and upset. He was staring at her and Gahneo intensely.
“Hi Jorh,” said the young lab assistant a bit uncomfortable. “It's all my fault. I—”
Jorh, still staring at his sister, lifted his hand for Gahneo to stop talking. After a few awkward moments, Mahhzee broke the mental silence.
“OK, fine! Gahneo and I went to the Kah-bridge. We—”
“I don't want to know about it!” interjected Jorh. “Don't need to know.”
“But, I just want you to underst—”
“No! I'm not interested. Don't want to know. Let's get to work. We've wasted enough time.” And with that, Jorh walked right up to the Zarfha and initialized the Mahkiar matrix.
The human group was briefly informed by their guide, Jorh, that the Mahkiar was a three-dimensional access point matrix, used by his people to tap into specific universal energies. Something quite advanced that he would attempt to explain some other time.
Meanwhile, disappointed by her brother’s reprimanding attitude, Mahhzee turned to Gahneo.
“Why can't he be happy that I am happy?”
“Are you happy, Mahhzee?” asked Gahneo.
“Yes, very!” she replied, looking at him with love in her eyes.
The first portion of the day was just as rough as it had started. The team had kept their thoughts to the task at hand, staying off the Mahhzee-Gahneo subject, but the tension between the four was obvious. Although managing to produce some promising results, the experiments had so far yielded negative results. But no one was willing to give up, especially so close to the goal. Jorh and Gahneo had conferred several times, as each experiment was being reset and readjusted. By the early evening, Jorh was feeling quite optimistic. The preview test had given him a false moment of excitement, when the Zarfha in the containment chamber had begun to show some reaction.
“Here is the last chart, Jorh. I have increased the seventh elemental to thirty-eight cubic parts. Two more than the last test, just as you asked.”
“Good. Energize the Zarfha and make sure to keep an eye on the plasma fluctuations. Don't let the rotation fall under two hundred revolutions per cycle. Serm, Mahhzee, are we ready to initiate the countdown?” he asked, without looking
at either.
“Yes, all systems are a go,” replied Serm.
Mahhzee was watching the flux oscillator on the oval screen above the fusion chamber. In the small window, a bright blue light could now be seen, shining in the middle of the empty chamber.
“Ready when you are, Jorh,” she said.
“OK, Serm, ready? Now!”
Immediately engaging the counter, Serm started relaying the numbers telepathically to the rest of the team. “Twenty, nineteen, eighteen…”
They knew they were on the verge of a breakthrough, but none of them could really concentrate on the task at hand. Gahneo, looking at Jorh inconspicuously, was still trying to gauge how upset he was. The Zarfha in the corner of the isolation chamber began to rise, its spin rate increasing.
“Fourteen, thirteen, twelve...”
Jorh, unaware of the eyes on him, couldn't stop thinking about his sister in the arms of Gahneo, an unpleasant thought he was trying very hard to get rid of. Small bursts of multi-colored lights were now starting to emerge out of the sphere.
“Nine, eight, seven...”
Mahhzee, staring at the small window, kept thinking about the previous night, and Gahneo's pulsing waves of passion flowing through her entire body. Serm seemed to be the only one actually paying close attention to the experiment, for once. The Zarfha sphere was now just below the ceiling of the sealed room, and bright flashes were reflecting all over the chamber.
“Five, four, three…”
“Get ready to drop the plasma sphere, Gahneo!” said Jorh.
“Two, one, zero,” finished Serm.
“Now!”
Gahneo immediately engaged the glowing blue ball of plasma in the tubular receiver of the pod, by a simple wave of the hand. The bright sphere dropped straight down inside the egg-shaped chamber. Its molecules mixing with the Zarfha rays, it progressively turned from blue to red, to purple and then blue again for another few seconds, before exploding all across the room in a bright display of blinding sparks, like thousands of mini fireworks. Quickly spinning a few meters above it, the Zarfha expanded, then retracted, and finally contracted back onto itself until it had become a small ball of fire, floating silently in the center of the containment field. A few more bursts of plasma continued to escape from its surface, before vanishing into a cloud of purple gas that quickly dissipated. After some adjustments by Gahneo and Jorh, the plasma flux was soon stabilized in the chamber.
Kahnu (The Guardians of Tomorrow Book 1) Page 31