For a moment, they all forgot what had transpired earlier. They were now completely absorbed by the object in front of them. Mahhzee, finally prying her eyes off the colorful scene, turned her attention back on the readings in front of her, and conveyed the new numbers back to Jorh. Gahneo was now checking the Mahkiar matrix. After double checking everything, he gave Jorh the anticipated confirmation.
“It's sustaining itself. Amplitude at eighty-four percent, ray-loads engaged and stable.”
“We did it!” announced Jorh with a feeling of victory.” My friends, we have finally created a stable, self-sustainable, multi-level gravitation engine; the first Flexor Zarfha capable of displacing twenty-eight Kahs! This is fantastic. Now, all we have to do is get it inside the Ehoran.” That last part, he knew would be easy.
The rest of the evening had been spent running tests and checking lists of analysis, trying to account for every contingency. Like all gravitation flexors, the new Zarfha had to maintain a constant gravity aboard the ship, but also be able to compensate for the size, mass, and composition of Varih-Aru. This new success was a major breakthrough for the success of the mission. Equipped with it, the Ehoran, the grand ship the Elders had ordered to be built, would be able to divert Varih-Aru from its destructive path, using the ship’s enormous artificial gravity to pull the rogue planet off course. For the moment being, Jorh was only thinking about the success of the day. He felt proud of the team's progress. Regardless of the situation they were all in, he had true respect and fondness for his team. He just wished they could have all worked under more comfortable circumstances. The utter destruction of their home planet looming above them was getting heavier every day and taking its toll on everyone’s morale. All they could do now was to stay focused on the work at hand. They were almost there.
After a few signs of congratulations between colleagues, Jorh wished them all goodnight and spent a few more minutes cataloging the experiment’s results. He would have to give a complete report to Garnak the next morning. He had already put his sister’s romantic outing with Gahneo behind him and didn’t appear the least concerned at the moment. The two could not have been more pleased, not having to explain themselves after all.
After shutting down the lab, Jorh resealed the entrance behind him with a hand gesture and began the trek back home up the tunnel. Serm was already half way up Klomag-Darh when Jorh reached the Main Hall. He watched Gahneo and his sister climb in their Vok and disappear. He was not really upset anymore. He was just glad the day had ended on such a good note and could not wait to get in his hovering bed. Truthfully, they were all exhausted and glad to go home. In particular, two of them, whose previous night had been all but restful.
Chapter X
Varih-Aru
Mahhzee was jolted back to reality, when Gahneo entered the room to see why she wasn't answering him.
“Mahhzee?” He touched her shoulder when she still did not respond.
“Hmmm? Hey...” she said looking at him with melancholy in her eyes and a loving smile.
“Everything OK?” asked Gahneo, a bit at a loss.
“Yes, Gahneo, everything is fine.” The feeble smile stayed on her face for several more seconds. Most of the other passengers had already moved their belongings to the new living area in the big towering edifice, each one hurrying to pick a desirable location, preferably high above ground. The good news was there were more choices than there were travelers, so everyone was fairly satisfied with their living arrangements, when all was said and done.
The Kahnu were used to living thousands of meters above ground. Back on their home planet, they lived in well-designed dwellings of comfortably arranged coves and shell-shaped habitats, interconnected by a maze of tunnels and shafts carved in all directions, right into the giant Klomags. The corridors and hallways connecting the different dwellings could at times protrude on the outside of the gigantic structures and form outdoor towers that usually reconnected further up. Those outside also housed more luxurious private living quarters, with breathtaking views, while the ones inside Klomags were more common or reserved for public structures such as libraries, city halls, recreational areas, and other functional facilities. The lack of natural light in some of the indoor dwellings was in no way a problem for Kahnus, whose purple eyes were able to adjust to the dimmest of luminosity. Like major highways connecting cities on Earth, the branches of the giant looking trees allowed Kahnus to travel from Klomag to Klomag easily. A Klomag's outer bark was covered entirely by a smooth layer of vertical vines, hanging straight down along the body of the structure. Several dozen meters in length, and colored in dark browns and deep reds, they swung like giant hair strands along a furry mammoth leg, slowly changing colors in giant waves of wind orchestrated dances. At its top, thousands of pockets, hanging under the massive flower-like head of the Klomag, released thin strings of bright lights that made their long journey straight down to the far ground below. When the time of day was right, light flakes slowly sprinkled the entire length of the structure, as they fell from above, offering a dazzling spectacle. From a great distance, even a small group of Klomags offered an impressive sight. Taller than anything on the planet, they could reach high into the upper atmosphere of Kahnu, where they collected more sunlight. Gigantic in circumference as well, Klomags grew close to waters of the planet’s single ocean and had enormous blue roots that allow them to move along coastal regions, just not very fast of course. A Klomag could take the best part of a year to move a few hundred meters, but through its life span of ten thousand years or so, it could travel substantial distances. As it did, the ice around the roots of the massive tree helped its progress, replenishing the ground below, keeping the integrity of the coast intact. Since Klomags usually lived in groups, they rarely ever traveled the entire perimeter of their single icy continent. Even as old as they could live, their slow zig-zagging progression meant they almost never came back to their original birth place.
The two species, Kahnu and Klomag, lived in total symbiosis. The Klomags provided Kahnus with shelter and support for their complex, multi-leveled cities, and in return, Kahnus gave the giants something they could no longer provide for themselves; Fioo. An algae-like life form, found in the deep coastal regions of Mohgvar, the great Kahnu ocean. Over the millenniums, the Klomags roots had gradually lost their ability to reach for their food, after the Kahnus had started mining it for themselves. The aliens, harvesting huge quantities of the purple plant, had eventually rendered the giants completely dependent on their own supply.
The alien colonies were an intricate maze of passages, hallways, and tunnels bored right through Klomags. Like termites in a wood post, Kahnus drilled passages, chambers, tunnels, ramps, hallways, and bridges in every direction. They carved shelters and habitats, caves and towers, chimneys and pools. On Earth, as perforated and drilled as the Klomags were, trees would have never been able to survive such a treatment, but the peculiar nature of the symbiotic living arrangement between the aliens and the Klomags had long be part of both species' evolution, thus resulting in their perfectly harmonious, and beneficial, joint venture. Overtime, the air passages in their trunks had allowed the gigantic structures to grow even taller and healthier. And as generations of both species learned to live together in a peaceful and harmonious cohabitation, they also eventually learned to communicate with each other, when the Klomags had begun developing a simple form of telepathic ability of their own. Of course, the council of Elders was partially responsible for that, having spent countless years and ceremonies trying to manifest the giants’ aptitude. And so, when diving deep in the great Mohgvar ocean to collect needed supplies and minerals, the Kahnus would also harvest Fioo algae for their gigantic friends.
For Jorh and the small group of castaways, the unfamiliar surroundings of the immense Martian cave were making the survivors feel sadly homesick.
Back in the cave dwelling, Jorh, who couldn’t really fall asleep after the difficult past few weeks, was starting to wond
er where Serm had gone. He was just about to search for him telepathically when he spotted his colleague talking with Donjeh near the back of the ship. Serm, sensing eyes on him, immediately walked away from his uncle. The older Kahnu lingered a few seconds before heading back to the towering dwelling.
Jorh pondered a moment, founding it odd, but not enough to dwell on it. He was too busy to linger on the thought, anyway. Getting off his hovering bed, he called, “Gahneo?”
“Yes, Jorh. I see you’ve chosen a space. How are your quarters?”
“Not bad. Definitely more spacious than the ones on the Aruk. What about you?”
“Good. I've checked all the systems in our rooms. Everything seems to be in perfect working condition. Mahhzee is checking on everyone else right now. By the way, I think you'll like the hover beds. They are really comfortable. Such a nice change from those crappy ones we had to sleep on those past ten days.”
“I Come on, they were not that bad. But I must admit, the ones in here look definitely inviting. Almost as comfortable as mine back home...” The thought gave Jorh a knot in his stomach. His home was no more. His entire world was forever gone. Once again, he made a conscientious effort to focus on the present task.
“I know, but you must admit, the ship was everything but comfortable. Anyway, we're only waiting on you guys now. How are the atmospheric generators coming along?”
“Almost online. I'm waiting on the fusion Zarfhas to finish charging. Serm should be back any moment to give me a hand with the alignment of the matrix.”
“Actually, where is he?” Jorh thought to himself again. He and Donjeh had disappeared, again...
This time, he didn't hesitate to telepathically call him.
“Serm? SERM? Where are you? I need you to finish the matrix alignment.”
But no response came. Jorh couldn't sense Serm anywhere in the cave. That, in itself, was very strange. The recent conversation he had just witnessed between him and his uncle seemed odd, the more he thought about it. What were the two up to? It was true, Donjeh was a strange character after all, and Serm had his moments as well. Maybe the two were planning a surprise for Ldohar's birthday. Gahneo's dad would be 321 next month. A middle-aged Kahnu, and a well-loved researcher himself, he had been one of the first to work on the new Time-Frost technology. It was he and Donjeh who, almost twenty-eight years earlier, had theorized that the containment chamber of hibernating capsules could be subdivided into multi-level Zarfha zones, and cumulatively inter-connect, using the Mahkiar mapping system. By coating the walls of the containers with Coval salt and Gohhan extract, the Zarfha could increase the plasma’s efficiency, multiplying their hibernating time capacity to unknown limits. Unfortunately, it was also thanks to the improved Time-Frost properties of the new hibernating pods that the Ehoran was now on its way to another star. Because of it, Jorh’s group had come to Kesra to collect more Gohhan, the “Dark Light”. Once Silargh and his crew had found the “White Light” on Kahjuna, the two vessels would regroup, and attempt to race after the Elder’s ship to reclaim Kahalla, the Pool of Life.
Lost in thoughts, Jorh had left his room, heading down to the atmospheric Zarfhas. He walked past one of the towers filled with Gohhan. The impenetrable blackness had been collected decades ago, in the depth of Kesra’s polar ice cap. The substance’s origin was a mystery, even to the Kahnus. They had found it while exploring the red world, and quickly discovered its potent energy, almost by pure luck. Its extreme mass and unbearably cold temperature made it very impractical to carry or move, except in very small quantity, but its capacity to increase the power of a Zarfha engine was worth the years it took to collect. Able to quarry no more than a few kilos at the time, the Kahnus had collected it gradually and stocked great quantities in the towers of the Martian cave. From time to time, small quantities were brought to Kahnu, but the extreme characteristics of the dangerous energy it contained, had made the Kahnus very selective in their need for it. Jorh stared a few seconds at the absolute darkness beyond the tower’s entrance. As soon as the cave’s atmospheric conditioning was complete, they would transfer the needed amount of Gohhan, no more than a few kilograms, to the ship. That thought reminded him the Zarfhas were probably charged by now.
He was almost back at the atmospheric machine, when a voice jolted him out of his reveries.
“Jorh, the Zarfhas are at full charge, and I have engaged the orbs on the launching ramp. Ready to align the matrix when you are.”
Serm was only a few meters behind him. Surprised by his sudden presence, Jorh turned around to face him. He had not felt him approach, and he could sense a general discomfort and nervousness when he looked at Serm's elusive eyes. He wanted to ask him what he was up to but refrained. After a short awkward moment, Jorh turned without a word to the Zarfha behind him and started creating intricate patterns with his hands. Serm moved next to him and began to do the same thing. Within a few seconds, all eleven Zarfhas were hovering a few meters off the ground, arcs of colored light occasionally flashing between them. Above the two aliens, a pipe about two meters in diameter slowly emerged out of the cave's wall, progressively extending horizontally until it had reached a good fifty meters out toward the center of the cavern, hanging far above the ground. A small white orb of churning plasma slowly appeared out from the large pipe and hovered its way down to the two Kahnus. Without paying much attention to it, they kept waving directives at the larger spheres below.
“Ready?” said Jorh.
“Ready!” replied Serm.
With perfect timing, the two placed their hands over the plasma orb hovering between them. The gaseous ball, spinning faster and faster, while quickly changing from blue to purple, to fire red, to burning yellow, became so white and bright that it was almost unbearable to look at directly. Finally, it suddenly turned completely black and came to a rest. The two, commanding the final step of the procedure, watched eight more orbs fly out of the overhanging pipe, and move to the middle of the cave, where they started hovering in a circle, evenly spaced, just below the ceiling of the cavern. Jorh and Serm let their arms down, and the orbs started spewing a dark looking gas that engulfed most of the cave's higher portion.
The atmosphere was now being slowly transformed in the cavern. The resulting effects of the chemical morphing would soon allow them to breathe without their suits. Now, they just had to wait another two hours or so for the cave to completely be conditioned. The temporary visitors would soon have the essential necessities to survive their staying on Kesra. They all hoped it wouldn’t be a long one.
François and his human companions, still watching with fascination events that had taken place so long ago, were momentarily distracted by a strange fog that began to engulf them. The surprised observers also noticed the surroundings wrapping around them. The three aliens knew immediately what was happening. Their human friends were beginning to feel the strain of the experience. Passing through each one like a sleeping spell cast by an invisible magic wand, a strong sensation of fatigue quickly enveloped them. They needed a break. So did Jorh and his two companions, still weak from their long hibernating sleep. Realizing the time had come for everyone to recharge their own batteries, so to speak, Jorh began to bring them all back to present reality.
A moment later, the group was waking up, the Zarfha sphere in front of them quietly coming to a rest on its platform. They were back in the big white cloud, on their Mars.
#
The odd viewing experience had been quite exhausting for all, but not so much to deter any of them from going back the very next day. And as the sessions succeeded one another, the humans had begun to learn how to interact telepathically with the three aliens and had a better understanding of the Kahnu world and its lost civilization.
The alien population had counted just over 49,700 individuals when the planet had been destroyed; a number that had seemed quite small to the colonists for such an advanced people. As Sabrina had pointed out, back when Earth’s human population had count
ed only that many, man still had a long way to go before he would venture out into space. The main reason for their small population, had explained Mahhzee, was that the birth of a Kahnu was a rare event. Unlike humans, Kahnus were not the direct result of intercourse between male and female individuals. Procreation was only possible during Kahalla, the birth ceremony, and required the council’s approval and guidance. Once every twenty-six Kahnu years, large groups gathered for the great circle of birth, where the council of Elders chose twenty-six lucky couples out of hundreds. During a long and elaborate ceremony that took several days, the chosen individuals were bathed in the “Pool of Life,” where they coupled for an entire day, while others, spread out across the plains of Kahalla, joined the celebration in their own way. The next day, the exhausted couples were pulled out of the birth pool and brought back to their home, where they usually spent the next few days recuperating.
The colonists had also learned that the infant’s gestation period was four Kahnu years, spent in a Sharfoo, a cocoon-like egg, and left in the Elders’ care. The child was then formed by the council until he turned twenty-six, when he was finally released to the care of his biological parents. By then, the young Kahnu was a full fledge adult. Kahnus did not change much physically during their adulthood. Unlike for humans, getting old was a foreign concept to the aliens. Signs that a Kahnu’s life was coming to an end were rarely witnessed. When an individual reached the age of knowledge, four hundred years old, he was expected to choose the time of his parting. Some individuals had been known to take as many as fifty years to make that final decision. But when he did, a Kahnu did so willingly and proudly. All Kahnus eventually walked the path of Nott to the cliffs of Garhnoj, where they released themselves from the physical bonds of their own body. and plunged into the depths of Mohgvar, the grand Kahnu ocean, never to be seen again. Once below the cold purple waters, it was said they journeyed to the Grand Hallis, the entrance to the first world, where all living things came from. Only the Elders of the council, who counted twelve members, did not. For them, time was on a different scale. In fact, no one truly knew how old they were. Some had said that Gihhez, the patriarch, was born before the time of Harzo, the great librarian. If that was true, he was at least 3000 years old; Kahnu years, that is.
Kahnu (The Guardians of Tomorrow Book 1) Page 32