by Mitch Benn
A sudden pinging noise was heard over the Lyceum’s announcement system, then a familiar voice:
- Right, so what do I – oh, it’s on, is it, erm . . . Attention please, would Terra . . . is that all? Just Terra? Doesn’t she have a full name? No, no, I don’t suppose she would, now I come to – Ahem. Would Terra please report – no, not report, this isn’t the army, what’s the word? Would Terra please . . . proceed? Proceed, is that it? Oh forget it. Terra, it’s me, Vstj, I’m in the Leisure Hub, could you come here please. Useless device, I don’t know why I didn’t just . . .
After a moment’s pause, Terra said – I, er . . . I think I’d better go to the Leisure Hub.
- Yes, I think you better had, smiled Pshkf.
- Hello?
The Leisure Hub appeared to be deserted.
- Hello . . .? said Terra again.
- You know, young Terra . . .
Terra jumped. Vstj had been sitting in the back row of seats. She’d expected to find him on the stage. Vstj went on, - . . . we have quite a lot in common, you and I . . .
- We do?
- Hmm. Everybody thinks I’m stupid too.
Terra had genuinely no idea how to respond to this; fortunately Vstj wasn’t finished.
- I know what they all say about me, you know. Oh, Vstj, only got the job because his family bought the Preceptorate a new holographic library, owes it all to his family, be nothing without his family . . . Well, you know what, little Terra?
- What?
- Frankly, if my family had bought me the Chancellorship of the whole country, it would barely make up for the orbits I spent growing up with the miserable fzfts. Still, he went on, striding towards the stage, at least my lot didn’t dump me in a burning vehicle and leave me to be carted off by aliens. One mustn’t complain.
- I don’t think . . . the vehicle wasn’t actually on fire, I . . . Compositor Vstj, are you feeling all right?
- Yes, said Vstj, hopping up onto the stage with a strange glint in his eye, I’m feeling absolutely DANDY. Now, young Terra, he said, pacing up and down the stage, tomorrow night, you and I will stand on the steps of the Forum in front of the whole population of Hrrng, and address envoys from the wisest and oldest race in the universe. I will be there as the culmination of a lifetime of study and preparation, you will be there because of your freakishly massive larynx. It is funny how things turn out, isn’t it. Slate, please . . .
Terra, struggling to follow Vstj’s line of discourse, handed her slate over. Vstj tapped on it and handed it back.
- There. That is the text of the greeting you will read out. DON’T practise it here, do it when you get home. Give that father of yours something else to beam with pride about.
Terra glanced at the slate. There was a block of text consisting of phonetically transcribed FaZoon words, and then the same text translated into Mlmln.
- Just the usual diplomatic guff about honoured guests, mutual understanding, peaceful co-operation, blah blah blah, said Vstj, sitting down on the stage with his legs dangling off the front. That is what it says, by the way. Feel free to have it checked. I wouldn’t be so mean as to trick you into saying, ‘FaZoon are ugly and they smell. Please vaporise me,’ or anything like that. That wouldn’t be funny at all . . . said Vstj, gazing into the middle distance.
- I’m . . . going now, said Terra.
- Yes, yes, off you go, said Vstj without looking at her. Terra turned and headed for the exit. Vstj spoke again before she got there.
- Of course, you know what I’m supposed to be doing at the moment . . .? End of financial orbit budget reports, said Vstj mournfully. Can’t imagine why the Preceptor would want to divert my attention from that, can you? Still, nice to be kept busy, I suppose . . .
- Yes, yes, it is, said Terra and hurried back to the Practical Science lab, where there were things she understood.
2.11
The night was unusually warm for the time of orbit. The climate control office had made sure of that.
In front of the Hrrng Forum – the seat of Mlml’s civilian government – there was a great open square, paved with gleaming white stone and surrounded by cobalt alloy statues of previous chancellors and eminent senators from eras gone by. A visitor to Hrrng might be impressed by these statues, until they visited the Preceptorate a short distance away, saw the considerably bigger (and noticeably rather less attached to the ground) statue of Tnk, and drew their own conclusions about Mlml’s cultural hierarchy. The government was in office, but rarely gave the impression of being in power.
On this occasion, although it was way past more or less everybody’s sleep-time, the Forum Square was packed. Fnrrns of all ages, from all corners of Mlml and beyond, stood and waited. Some held little glowing lanterns, in the six-pointed snowflake-like shape of the FaZoon’s starships (around the outside of the square, lantern vendors were doing a roaring trade).
There hadn’t been a FaZoon visitation for over twelve orbits, and since one never knew when – or indeed, if – the FaZoon would return, nobody wanted to miss this. Excited discussions had gone on among Terra’s friends about what possible gifts the FaZoon might bring this time. Some said it would be the secret of time travel (- It better not be, said Fthfth crossly, that’d be my life’s ambition ruined); others thought that the FaZoon might bless them with the power to see the future (- That’d be the Extrapolator out of business then, said Lbbp); some thought that this time the FaZoon would tell the Fnrrns the secret. Just, you know, The Secret.
At the edge of the square where the Forum building itself stood, there was a wide set of stone steps leading up from the square to the building’s grand front portal. At the top of these steps stood an odd-looking group: the Chancellor, in her black robes, two of her senior advisers, in red robes, Preceptor Shm, in his purple robes, Vstj, in his green robes, Lbbp, in his usual blue garment (feeling horribly self-consciously robeless), and, wearing a little purple robe made just for the occasion, Terra.
At the front of the crowd stood Fthfth, between her parents, the eminent scientist and the even more eminent surgeon, and Pktk, between his parents, who seemed to wear permanent expressions of worry and concern. It was hard to tell, pondered Terra, whether Pktk’s parents worried about him so much because he was, well, how he was, or whether he was how he was because they worried so much.
The moment had nearly arrived. The Preceptorate’s astronomers had calculated the exact point at which the FaZoon ship would enter the atmosphere. Shm really hoped they’d got it right.
- Look! someone shouted. All eyes turned skyward. What appeared to be a new star was growing in size and brightness. It became more distinct, it had a discernible shape, like a six-pointed snowflake.
Hissed cheers and cries of – FaZoon! FaZoon! rang out across the square as the glowing shape descended silently.
- Nervous? whispered Lbbp to Terra.
- What do you think? Terra replied. Lbbp gave her hand a comforting squeeze.
The FaZoon vessel completed its descent and hung over the square, filling everyone’s field of vision with dazzling light. It was now too bright to look at directly. Some of the crowd shielded their eyes with their hands, others donned tinted goggles (around the outside of the square, goggle vendors had been doing a roaring trade).
- Here we go, said Vstj to Terra. Stand beside me.
Casting a nervous glance back at Lbbp, Terra stepped forward and stood alongside Vstj. The FaZoon ship, bright as it was, suddenly glowed brighter still. Everyone in the square, begoggled or otherwise, had to shut their eyes for a moment. When they opened their eyes again, six new figures stood on the steps in front of the Mlml delegation.
They were tall, thin and bright. That was as much as anyone could tell. Taller than the Fnrrns, the figures glowed almost as brightly as the starship. If they had such a thing as a ‘shape’, it was impossible to make it out.
The cheers and FaZoon!s subsided and a hush descended.
- Go on, hissed Vstj.
- Now? whispered Terra.
- YES! hissed Vstj.
Terra produced her slate from under her robe, gave a little cough and began to read.
- Kaa sem lo maa FaZoon. Maa sem ko jay saya Fnrr mo FaZoon.
The figure nearest to Terra bent down as if to scrutinise her. Terra did her best not to be put off and continued.
- Fo sem kaa mee FaZoon-shaa, ra-sa mo soom-kaa . . .
The figure’s face – or where the figure’s face would be – was now level with Terra’s own. The light it emitted made it hard for her to read, but feeling all the eyes upon her, she carried on.
- Jaya fo maa, jaya fo soo, jaya sem ko-na-sem . . .
The figure raised its . . . hand? Arm? Finger? and reached out towards Terra’s face. Trembling now, she raced to finish the reading.
- Mo sem ja doo kaa FaZoon-shaa! Gaa sem . . .
The finger touched Terra’s forehead.
Terra stood on the rainbow sand, gazing out over the pink sea.
Where is this?
A PLACE OF THE MIND.
I thought you didn’t do this sort of thing.
Terra stood on snowy wastes. Icy winds whipped past. It wasn’t cold.
WE ARE FAZOON.
I’m Terra.
Terra stood on a high mountain peak, looking down over forests and rivers. She wasn’t afraid.
YOU ARE NOT OF THIS WORLD.
No, I just live here. I’m from Rrth.
Terra floated in space. Before her hung a familiar blue-green planet and its solitary moon.
That’s the place.
THEY DO NOT KNOW US. THEY MUST NOT KNOW US.
Well, I’m not going to tell them.
Terra was in a place that was not a place, whiteness and silence.
THIS IS UNFORESEEN. YOU ARE UNFORESEEN.
I’m sorry . . .
Terra sat on the stone steps, her slate in her hand. It was dark.
She could hear cries and gasps of alarm from all around her. Someone grabbed her shoulders.
- What happened? What did you do?
It was Vstj. Lbbp appeared behind him and pulled him away from Terra.
Terra began to stand up. - They’ve gone?
Lbbp helped her up. - One of them bent down and touched you and then they all disappeared. FaZoon, ship, everything.
Vstj was still shouting - What did you say to them? What did you say?
Terra was confused. - I just read out what was . . .
- The Ymn child scared them away! said a voice from the crowd.
- Whose stupid idea was it to let the Ymn talk to them? said another. Shm and the Chancellor exchanged awkward glances.
With angry murmurs and disappointed groans, the crowd began to disperse.
Terra looked tearfully up at Lbbp. - I didn’t do anything . . . They spoke to me inside my head . . . I don’t really remember what they . . . I didn’t tell them anything I wasn’t supposed to . . . did I?
Lbbp put his arm around her. - Come on home. It doesn’t matter. Nobody blames you.
- Are you sure? asked Terra. She gestured to the retreating crowd. I think some of them do.
- Well, nobody who matters blames you, said Lbbp.
-Look! Fthfth shouted. They did leave us a message!
The movement of the crowd had revealed strange symbols, freshly carved into the white paving stones. The FaZoon had given the Mlmlns a gift of knowledge after all.
Vstj, who had been slumped despairingly on the steps, leapt to his feet.
- Where is it? Where? Out of the way, let me see . . .
Vstj stared at the symbols. He produced his slate from under his robe and began translating.
- Two whole pt-ssh . . . one fnj, chopped . . . one ch-fsh leaf, one pinch vshk . . .
Vstj sat down on the steps.
- It’s soup. They’ve given us a recipe for soup.
Lbbp smiled. - So it hasn’t been a complete waste of an evening. He took Terra home.
The next morning, the square was deserted. The FaZoon symbols remained carved into the stones.
Later that day, Pktk came back to the square. He diligently copied the symbols onto his slate, and carefully translated the whole inscription. He went to the fresh produce market, bought the ingredients, went home and followed the recipe to the letter.
It was really good soup.
2.12
The next few days passed smoothly enough, although Terra couldn’t help but feel that a cloud of suspicion still hung over her with regard to the FaZoon incident. For all of Pktk’s protestations that no, seriously, you should try it, it’s really good soup the general feeling was that the Fnrrns had been collectively cheated out of something, and while no one was foolish or nasty enough to suggest that it was in some way Terra’s fault while in her presence . . .
The matter of the Interface was also unresolved. Given that there didn’t appear to be a way for Terra to use the device safely, she’d been excused from Interface sessions and given the time to do extra reading. But, much as Terra had feared, she couldn’t keep up with the sheer volume of information that her classmates were absorbing. For every text or article she read, her friends would simply programme a hundred or more directly into their heads.
Lbbp would do his best to cheer her up, but Terra was consumed with worry that she’d be held back an orbit, or worse, banished back to the Pre-Ac.
Sometimes, of an evening, Lbbp would pass Terra’s room. He would peek inside and see the child peering furiously at her slate, scanning through screens and screens of information. He wondered if she could possibly take anything in at that speed. On other occasions he would pass outside her door and hear her crying quietly. The first time this happened, he hurried in to her, offering consolation and hugs, but her obvious embarrassment at having been caught in tears made him feel guilty at having added to her distress. After this incident he would stand outside the door, listening to her sobs and feeling wretched at his failure to help her.
This couldn’t go on. Lbbp resolved to demand an audience with the Preceptor. He owed them a favour.
2.13
Terra ached all over as she floated towards home. Gshkth was not really her sort of game at all, she decided.
Fthfth’s skill and enthusiasm in the gshkth pit were a sight to behold, but while her enthusiasm was infectious, her skill wasn’t. She would wield her gfrg with strength and dexterity, and while Terra could swing a gfrg like the best of them, she always seemed to be half a blip too slow to receive Fthfth’s passing zmms. The bdkt would ricochet maddeningly off the hddgs, sometimes coming to rest among the frkts, sometimes getting stuck fast in a nshp. Fthfth would call out - Yk yk! That was definitely a yk yk! and try to persuade the arbiter to play a jrf-jtt, but the arbiter would blow his pff, call ANOTHER tsh-tsh and play would recommence until Terra, inevitably, would ch-gss when she was supposed to ch-grr and they’d concede another mgmk.
Terra was beginning to suspect that Fthfth wished she’d chosen another gshkth partner. She approached the main room window of the apartment, felt in her pocket for the little metal tube, squeezed it and watched the crystal slide open. She deactivated her bubble, stepped into the room and flopped onto the padded bench. Just a moment, she told herself. Just a moment to get her breath back, then she would go to her room and start reading. And reading. And reading.
The door swished open and Lbbp appeared, smiling.
- You’re home! Excellent.
- Is it?
- It certainly is. Wait right there. Lbbp disappeared again. Terra was too tired to be confused or even particularly interested.
After a few moments – or possibly longer – Lbbp reappeared. He trotted into the room, followed by another Fnrrn Terra didn’t recognise, younger than Lbbp but still much older than herself. He wore a silver garment and carried a slate. She sat up and peered at them blearily.
- This, said Lbbp, is Gftg. He works for the Brain Science
Directorate. I think you may be familiar with some of his work.
Gftg held up his hand and splayed his fingers. - It’s a real honour to meet you, Terra, he said with what seemed like . . . nervousness?
- I-I’m sorry, stammered Gftg. I’ve been following your story with great interest ever since . . . since you were . . . since you . . .
- Arrived? ventured Terra.
- Yes, arrived, said Gftg. I was so pleased when your – erm, when Lbbp (Lbbp had asked Gftg not to refer to him as Terra’s ‘father’; he’d just remembered in time) contacted me. I do hope I’ll be able to help you.
Terra had absolutely no idea what was going on.
- Come into the servery, said Lbbp, registering her confusion.
Terra followed Lbbp and Gftg through the corridor and into the small room where food was prepared.
- Oh no, she groaned.
There on the work surface, just next to the protein manipulator, stood an Interface.
Lbbp smiled. - I thought you might say that, he said, but let Gftg explain.
Terra sat down grumpily on one of the servery’s stools, folded her arms and glowered at the Interface, her memory full of headaches and the smell of burnt hair.
- I worked on the design of the Interface, explained Gftg, and between you and me, not only was it never intended for use by Ymns, it wasn’t even supposed to be used by children at all.
I know, thought Terra, but couldn’t be bothered to explain how.
- We’d already made some adjustments to the model we supplied to the Lyceum, but it wasn’t until we heard about your . . . incident that we realised it was going to be used by anyone . . . erm . . .