On the Edge of Now: Book III - Redemption, page 23
He nodded his thanks to his diminutive friend, and set out in that direction, the thought occurring to him if she were in a foul mood over a perceived shortcoming of his, facing the Volrum all over again may be a less damaging prospect.
****
Seelo was right—Pa’la sat next to the large rock formation. Normally, she was on high alert, but she didn’t show outward signs of noticing his approach until he was beside her.
“Some trooper you are! I sneaked up on you . . .”
She turned to face him. “Since I marked your progress for the last hundred paces, I would hardly call that sneaking.”
Of course, he knew that—she would have easily registered his approach, and he only made the comment to ramp up the conversation.
Ranj settled into a more comfortable position on a sizable rock with a naturally scooped out bench-like seat. “You seem down . . .” On the way over from his fishing hole, Ranj debated about how to initiate a conversation regarding what was bothering her. Finally, he decided the best approach was to be direct—it was more true to his nature.
Her eyes never left his face while she pondered the question. “Do you care for me?”
“Well—yes. Of course, I do—I thought you understood that.” He was a little taken aback by her underlying inference.
“How would I know that? You never said anything . . .” Her eyes didn’t leave his face.
“My actions should have shown I have strong feelings for you.”
Her voice hardened. “Really? That could be due to your hormones controlling your brain.”
Realizing he was undoubtedly in a no win situation, Ranj reacted in his usual way. He leaned toward Pa’la and pulled her to him—he expected her to resist, but welcomed her compliance.
“If you suddenly left me, I’m not sure what I’d do— and, I don’t want to find out. There’s a bond between us that’s stronger than anything I’ve ever felt before—I’ll do whatever it takes to not lose that . . .”
She pulled back to get a clear view. “If you mean that, I expect you to pull your weight when it comes to changing diapers . . .”
Ranj was stunned! What did she just say? He struggled to fully understand her comment, and remained speechless. Suddenly, he wrapped his massive arms around her in a crushing hug until he realized he must take more care. Then Pa’la responded by doing something she rarely did.
She began to cry.
****
It was finally the day when Claire busted out of medical confinement in the Soric cave community. Yet, despite her eagerness to leave, she took considerable time thanking her benefactors, especially the Healers who were outstanding. Her human companions were equally effusive in their appreciation and, after the last congratulations, the Soric watched the backs of their new friends disappear into the forest.
Although she was thrilled to head to her own camp, the pace was slow due to considerable pain. But, in usual Claire style, she sucked it up, refusing to mention her mounting difficulties for fear her companions would turn around, and march directly back to the Soric Healers.
Too bad it didn’t work.
Without drawing specific attention to her problems, Tag called a halt to rest the group. Despite wanting to return to their camp, no one complained about letting their friend rest. Appreciating the break, Claire wasn’t insensitive to the fact her buddies were fully aware of her challenges.
Once they found a suitable spot to relax, Rose broached a touchy subject. “So—Devin. Tag tells me you have a hankerin’ to stay here to try out the pioneer life . . . maybe plant some seeds . . .”
Devin turned a lovely shade of crimson.
“He’s just tossing around a few ideas—you know— choices we can make . . .” Claire looked directly at Rose.
“Well, what do you have in mind?”
Devin glanced up at Rose who was perched on a higher rock. “I’m simply saying making another jump into the portal may take us to a worse place than this—and, the only real problem here is the lack of a civilized society.” He paused to think about life in their current world. “Society as we know it, I mean—if we hop into another portal, it’s even odds we improve, stay the same, or go downhill. Do we want to roll the dice and see?”
“Well, thinking in those terms,” Tag commented, “it’s a two thirds chance it won’t get worse. Maybe, those aren’t bad odds . . .”
Devin nodded. “True—but at least here, we know what we face unless some other wonderful surprise pops up . . .” Devin looked at all of them as he made his point.
“So—is that what you want to do? Stay and colonize?” Rose’s questions were point blank.
He paused, then shrugged. “I’m not joyful about it—but we know what we have . . .”
“Good point. But, if we stay, you’ll always be playing ‘what if’—what if we chose to leave? What if we got home, or to a better place? What if we found a stepping stone toward home?”
“Up until now,” Claire added, “our travels have been during the summer and fall. What happens here when winter hits and your butt is freezing? We don’t have cold weather survival experience , especially without a developed civilization to back us up.”
“That’s an issue,” Tag agreed, “but not insurmountable. The Soric and the Volrum managed to survive for thousands of years in this place—we have good brain power between us, and the four of us could manage. The real question is do we want to stay? Or, do we want to give it a shot to see where we end up?”
“Or—we could move further south before the cold weather hits.”
Tag glanced at Claire. Her idea wasn’t bad . . . “Yeah, we could try that, but you’re not breaking any speed limits in your near future. Even if you were fully recovered, we can’t travel far enough to make a substantial difference. Especially on foot . . .”
“It’s possible there may be milder zones not too far away for the winter months . . . the Soric would know . . .” Rose wasn’t sure about the idea, but she didn’t want to be negative.
Tag nodded. “That might work—but, what if we run into another Volrum group. It’s my understanding the one we defeated wasn’t the only group in this region—if we encountered them on our own, it’s a good bet the result would be disastrous . . .”
“What if Goran and his people join us?” Devin suggested. “Any enemy group not too large would take one look at Ranj, and head the other direction!”
It was a visual that brought a smile to everyone.
“There’s that—however, wouldn’t it be harder to survive while on the move versus having a stable home location?” Claire decided to present the opposite view from her earlier comments.
The group fell silent, pondering using the portal again, staying in their current location, or remaining in their current world, moving to a better winter location.
Tag broke the silence. “If we stay in this world, we need to find a better protected camp. The overhang we currently use is fine for warmer weather, but, when it’s cold and snowy, it offers little protection . . .”
“That’s true only if it gets cold and snowy—for all we know, maybe it doesn’t.” Everyone looked at Rose, none previously considering the climate might not change. “We assume,” she continued, “from the weather patterns in our worlds, the winters will be repeated here . . .”
“Well, that’s easy to find out—all we have to do is talk to Seelo and his people. Their answers will define our options for us . . .” As usual, Claire was the voice of reason.
****
They finally made it home, Claire barely able to reach their destination under her own power. Leaving the Soric Healers seemed like a desirable goal at the time, but a part of her wished she were back in the cave under their ministrations to ease her pain and fatigue. However, she chose to rally in front of her friends so she didn’t look too pathetic.
Devin was quietly attentive on the trek back to their camp, always hovering to assist should she falter. But, she never did—although Claire found his efforts endearing and entertaining.
As she settled on the bow-covered shelf serving as a bed, she let out a sigh of relief. “I’m glad to see the back part of that trip!”
“What can I do for you?” Devin appeared mildly concerned she hadn’t fared well.
“Well, let’s see . . . I think I’ll have a double latte with extra milk served very hot . . .”
Devin eyed her with a surprised look. “What?”
It appeared he didn’t have a clue—Claire kept forgetting they came from different versions of the same world. “Nevermind. I’m a bit chilled—do we have a covering of some kind?”
Immediately, he jumped up, searching for something that would work. It wasn’t that she actually felt cold—Claire just wanted to give him a job to do so he would feel useful.
“You know—you could lie down beside me,” she suggested.
Devin shot her a look of concern.
“I’m not going to break . . .”
“But you just got out of the hospital . . .”
“Some hospital!”
“You know what I mean—you have to be careful . . .”
“Party-pooper . . .”
However, no matter what she said, Claire really wanted to have a good night’s sleep. The mock invitation was simply to keep him motivated . . .
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
During the week, Claire showed remarkable progress— wound sites were still tender to the touch, and avoiding collisions was a worthwhile endeavor. Even so, her energy level as well as a feeling of well-being was almost back to normal—an impressive recovery.
Claire relished the time spent with Ranj, and the news of his and Pa’la’s child was exciting for everyone—especially since they were still considering staying or leaving.
As an expectant father, Ranj abandoned his reserve for a more boisterous nature, and Claire was truly pleased for him. It must have been catching, for Pa’la seemed warmer than usual, as well. Rose and Claire spent considerable time with her, and their interest in children bridged any gap of shyness and inter-species views of family. In fact, it was at a communal dinner with the two groups that the idea of colonizing their world became a lively issue.
Goran wanted to explore more of the surrounding region before attempting to find another portal—and, hopefully, find their way home. Ranj and Pa’la were torn between staying and raising the child their own way, separate from negative influences of the Nurma world. Or, giving their offspring an opportunity to fully develop within a familiar culture.
“While preparing for this mission,” Ranj pointed out, “our team received extra training in survival techniques— considerably more than the basics. Not knowing where we would end up, or its current climate and environment, made for some interesting testing and preparations. Other than an extreme situation, we should be able to handle a bit of winter conditions without too much difficulty . . .”
Pa’la glanced at her partner. “If any of you choose to stay, we will eagerly pass on our knowledge of survival techniques.”
Everyone was silent until Rose asked the appropriate question. “So—you decided to stay?”
“It’s a matter still up for discussion—weighing pros and cons is one thing. However, it all comes down to what the gut tells us—mine hasn’t quite sorted that out yet. But, I’m working on it . . .” Ranj looked at Pa’la who nodded her agreement.
“We’re pretty much the same,” Tag added. “We lean one way, and then the other—it’s a constant flip-flop.”
“Flip-flop—I like that! It says it all . . .”
“Ditto, for us,” Claire commented, glancing around the table. “Did anyone consider—to be neighborly—should we ask the Soric if they want us to stick around? It was fine for us to help when the shit hit the fan—but, now that things are back to normal for them—maybe they wouldn’t relish extra terrestrial transplants . . .”
Again, the two groups fell silent, thinking about the possibilities. Then, a familiar voice. “Stay is okay—go is up to you . . .” All eyes swiveled to the Soric Scout standing within a few paces from the end of their table.
Goran lurched in his chair at the sound of Seelo’s voice. “I told you not to do that! You startled me! Creeping up when I’m not looking . . .”
“Maybe you should be looking better?” A neutral expression on Seelo’s face didn’t indicate if he were serious or pulling the Nurma leader’s leg. Ranj laughed out loud at his Commander’s discomfort, and the normally stoic Pa’la smiled.
“What would Kreen think of our staying in the area—to live here, and not go back to our own world?”
Seelo studied Rose for a few moments before answering her question. “Can ask. Seelo does, sometimes . . .” There was a shadowed grin on the Little One’s face as he admitted he didn’t always follow his culture’s protocols.
Everyone thought it was funny, except Goran. “I sympathize with Kreen—having individuals doing whatever they want to isn’t the way to run a mission . . .”
He studied the much larger alien. “Seelo has no mission—only do what needs to be done. To survive and protect . . .” He gestured toward the surrounding forest as Goran nodded, conceding his point.
“Seelo—would your people welcome us? Or, would it be better if we left? This is your world, and we are the intruders—either answer will not offend us.”
“Not sure. Seelo interested in each one of you—very interested in fierce red-haired one, and how friends with the four-legged hunters.” Of course, he knew the names of all the aliens, but he couldn’t resist the opportunity to tease Rose. It worked—she threw him a mock frown as everyone laughed.
“Careful with the comments! I never know when my canine protectors may come to the rescue—I’m pretty sure you don’t want to mess with them . . .”
The Scout’s eyes grew larger. “No! Seelo and hunters not friends. Just leave each other alone . . .”
Claire figured it was time to change the subject. “Seelo, if we decide to leave—to find our way home—do your people know where the portals are?”
“Not know the name ‘portals’—if you mean dancing light that disappears things, then we know . . .” His comment drew stares from each Newcomer—then he wondered if Kreen would be angry or happy he revealed the secret.
****
Well, they were finally set up.
Even since the weeks of Tag’s disappearance, evidence of the portal event was still obvious in the immediate area. Disturbed soil, dead plants, and dark marks delineated the exact spot where the portal rested.
Kyle and Jackie hauled each necessary part for communicating with Tag from the parking lot to the backcountry, finally cresting the ridgeline, then dropping down into the valley. Breaking everything down into its smallest component possible for transport helped, but it was still a big job for the two of them. Make that three—Kyle rigged a harness gizmo on Lego. Smart move, too—the beast hauled his fair share of equipment and supplies.
Kyle chose to make it a two-day project so hiking under severe weight conditions didn’t result in injury. Sore muscles were okay—broken or damaged body parts were not.
Everything finally assembled, he congratulated himself for not having leftover parts, and initial testing indicated his plan was ready for action.
“Well, are you finished setting up?” Jackie plopped down on a rock, watching Kyle fiddle with buttons and knobs.
“Yep—it’s done. Now, all we need is a visit from our friendly, neighborhood portal, and we’re ready to rock and roll.”
“What about my cleverly-designed message?”
“Loaded and primed to send on ‘Portal Airtime’ whenever the show starts . . .”
She considered the setup. “Will anyone hear this? Will it make a difference?”
Kyle shrugged. “Hey—it worked before, although I can’t target anyone. In fact, I don’t even have a clue about what or who is out there—or, if they want to listen. All we can do is wait for a portal event to occur, and broadcast it.” He glanced at Jackie. “Then, we cross our fingers . . .”
“Okay—but why would whoever created this system want to listen to us? We could be bacteria to them . . .”
“True—however, we’re intelligent bacteria trying to communicate a point to them. Maybe it will be enough to trigger their interest . . .”
“Why would they help us?”
“Look—you don’t get something unless you work for it. Who knows? Maybe they consider us amusing . . .”
Jackie sighed. “Alright—let’s hope they’re bored. I’m hungry, so I’ll start the fire and get going on dinner. You’re cleaning up . . .”
He barely heard that last comment. The truth was Jackie pegged the problem exactly—if the portal system were manufactured, and they could reach the creators of the thing . . . why would they care about Tag and his friends?
Lego must have sensed his concern. As he studied his master, his large tail beat the ground.
****
The alien group asked Seelo to approach Kreen regarding whether they could talk to him about the portals. Several days later, a small procession of Little Ones emerged from the forest, approaching the joint group at their dinner table. Tag figured it was their preferred time to suddenly appear due to the fact it was when everyone was together. As soon as they noticed Kreen led the emerging group, the diners rose to meet their guests.
“Would you like to join us for our meal?” Rosed asked.
The struggle was obvious as Kreen attempted to understand her question. The leader tried to learn English, but he always had a Soric translator handy if he stumbled in understanding.
Finally, it dawned on him. “Yes—eat will.”
Rose conducted Kreen to the table along with the translator. The rest of his party found places to sit on logs and stumps, or on the ground, the Newcomers playing perfect hosts.
“Where is Seelo?” Goran looked for their little friend, but didn’t see him anywhere.
Kreen frowned. “He need to go—next valley.”
“Is Seelo being punished?” Tag wondered if the Scout got in trouble for revealing knowledge of the portal.
