Aurora Saga Books 1-3, page 88
Seth realized that the others were all listening politely to their conversation, so he said, ‘We’d better not let your food get cold. Where would you like us to sit?’
Rakeal’s cheeks turned a subtle shade of red, when she realized they had been ignoring everyone else. ‘I’m sorry, Cherip, we shouldn’t be talking about things like that.’
‘Oh, it sounded fascinating. So is my energy bill about to go through the roof?’ she said in jest.
They all laughed.
‘Ferin, can you go and get your sister, please?’ Cherip said.
Kalri came back into the room at that moment. ‘I’m here!’ she said, hearing her mother. ‘They’re both back in their cage.’
‘Good!’ Cherip said, still looking none too pleased with her.
‘Rakeal and Seth, if you two wouldn’t mind sitting on that side, please, then Trinol and I can stay this side, nearer to the preparation room. Children you can sit on the ends tonight, and don’t fight over who’s up which end.’
As soon as Seth and Rakeal had taken their seats, Kalri rushed to get the one nearest Seth, before Ferin could beat her to it. On the table in front of him was an octagonal plate, alongside which was a long pair of metal tweezers and a curved knife.
‘Help yourselves,’ Cherip said. ‘Tuck in!’
Seth dished up some of the vegetables and two slices of Sogth onto his plate. Then, not knowing how to use the cutlery, waited a moment for Cherip and Trinol to start eating, to understand how they were used.
‘Try some of this,’ Trinol said, pouring a luminous green liquid from a tall jug into an ornate metal tankard with a funnel-like top. ‘It’ll give you goose bumps.’
Extending from the base of the tankard upwards at a forty-five degree angle was a twisted glass tube. The level of the green liquid inside the tankard showed up by the amount filling the glass tube.
Seth watched Trinol as he poured the drink from the tube into his mouth. He followed suit.
‘Wow!’ Seth said, but his voice was very horse. ‘That definitely has a kick to it.’ He could feel a cold tingle run up his spine. ‘You should try this Rakeal.’
Trinol poured some into Rakeal’s tankard, and she tried it.
‘Not bad,’ Rakeal remarked, without any difference to her voice.
‘Did you feel the sensation run up your spine?’ Seth asked her with expectation.
‘No. It was more an irritation to my taste receptors,’ Rakeal replied.
Seth smiled. ‘I supposed you never get intoxicated.’
‘Never,’ Rakeal replied. ‘But going on the level of toxins I detect within this liquid, I’ll most likely be picking you up off the floor later,’ she said in jest.
‘If I drink all this, I think you may be right,’ Seth said.
As they all ate, Rakeal glanced over at Cherip, and asked, ‘What’s it like to live here on Kalzor?’
‘Oh! Er... No one’s ever asked me that before,’ Cherip replied shyly.
‘We feel very privileged,’ Trinol replied, seeing his wife was finding it hard to answer. ‘The whole planet has little over sixty-thousand inhabitants, and if we go twenty kilometers in any direction from the town there’s no one, just peaceful unspoilt countryside.’
‘That sounds like heaven,’ Seth said. ‘On Onliv, you have to go three times that distance to find a bit of countryside. And even then, you have the wealthy mansions dominating the landscape.’
‘And I get to go there every day,’ Trinol added proudly.
‘Trinol looks after six fields of Popinol throughout the year,’ Cherip said.
‘Yep, but the downside is, I have to be up at sunrise this time of year. It’s cooler first thing, so we try to get most of the work done by nine. After that the sun soon raises the temperature, and I would not want to work in that heat.’
‘What do you do?’ Rakeal asked Cherip.
‘I look after the children,’ she said hesitantly. She seemed embarrassed by what Rakeal might think, but then added quickly, ‘But I’m also part of the planning team that’s responsible for getting the Alora completed on time. Of course you wouldn’t know what the Alora is.’
‘It’s a starship,’ Seth said and smiled. ‘We saw it on the way into the city.’
‘Yes, it is,’ Cherip replied, but she seemed disappointed that they knew already, as if she had wanted to impress them with an explanation.
Ow! Seth thought, feeling Rakeal’s finger dig him in the ribs. He glanced at Rakeal, who raised her eyebrows at him and moved her eyes casually towards Cherip, who was now looking like she did not want to be there.
Seth realized why Rakeal had done that and said shakily, ‘That... That must be a very rewarding job. You must be very proud to be part of something so momentous.’
Rakeal added. ‘But I imagine looking after the children must be even more demanding than getting the Alora finished.’
‘It is,’ Cherip replied cheerfully. ‘Kalri is starting to turn into a right little teenager. Aren’t you?’ she said, gazing at her.
Kalri was staring at Seth and instead of answering her, asked, ‘What’s that dark stuff on your chin?’
‘Oh, this is called stubble,’ Seth replied. ‘If left to grow, then it would become a beard.’
‘A beard?’ Kalri repeated. ‘What’s that?’
‘It’s hair.’
‘What? Like you have on the top of your head?’Kalri said.
‘Yes, but it’s not-’
‘So why doesn’t Rakeal have any?’ she asked, interrupting him.
‘That’s because only males generally have hair that grows on their chin, upper lip, cheeks and neck, except for a race know as Finols. Their females have the beards not the males.’
‘Can I feel your hair and stubble?’ Kalri asked Seth.
But Cherip told her off.
‘I just wanted to touch his hair,’ Kalri replied. ‘Why can’t I ask him?’
‘It’s all right, Cherip,’ Seth said, and then addressing Kalri said, ‘Go on then.’
Kalri stood up and then ran her hand over the top of his head a few times. She looked pleased. ‘It feels damp,’ she said.
‘Oh, that’s because of the cap I’ve been wearing.’
She then ran two of her fingers over the left side of his face. ‘It’s all rough! I thought it was going to be smooth like your hair,’ she said with surprise.
Seth laughed. ‘That’s because it’s very short. If I let it grow into a beard, then it would feel more like my hair.’
Kalri sat down once more, and continued to eat.
Cherip shook her head. ‘Say thank you!’
Kalri looked at her and blew out her cheeks. ‘Thanks,’ she said to Seth with an unconvincing voice.
She’s definitely going to be a handful as a teenager.
To break the tension between Kalri and her mother, Trinol asked Seth, ‘So, what do you do for a living.’
‘Ah... Well. I don’t actually have a job,’ Seth said. ‘And I’m embarrassed to say what I really do for a living.’
‘That sounds a bit mysterious,’ Trinol said.
‘There’s nothing mysterious about it,’ Seth said, ‘It’s just not what you would normally expect someone to do.’
‘Go on, tell them,’ Rakeal said. ‘It’s nothing to be ashamed about.’
‘All right then, I’m... I’m a thief.’
‘A thief!’ Cherip repeated, stunned.
‘Yep, disappointing, isn’t it?’ Seth said.
‘Well, I... I never expected that one,’ Trinol said, but he appeared to be totally thrown off-guard by the revelation.
‘Have you taken anything from our house?’ Kalri asked Seth.
Everyone stared at Kalri, and there was an uneasy moment of silence.
Seth was completely shocked by Kalri’s accusing question, and did not know how to respond to her.
‘He was a thief,’ Rakeal added quickly. ‘He’s given that all up for me.’
‘I have?’ Seth said.
‘Yes you have!’ Rakeal replied. ‘I don’t want you ending up in the correction camp, on Ralepith 6, again. It would break my heart.’
Wow! I hadn’t even given it a thought. It looks like my days of stealing are over then and it’s probably for the better if the reaction of Kalri is anything to go by.
‘I hope you won’t mind us asking, but we were wondering why you two came to Kalzor,’ Cherip asked, deliberately changing the subject away from Seth.
Rakeal was not expecting that question, and answered, ‘Oh... Er... Well, Kalrea told all the galactic news channels that she was dying... So...’ Rakeal paused before continuing, ‘Let me start again. After Kalrea disappeared, people assumed she was dead and a number of powerful people began to be interested in locating the Aurora, to use it for their own gain. I couldn’t allow its technology to be used by others, so I made sure that one of those powerful people, a man named Asoray, would enlist my services to find it. Once located, I was going to make sure it was destroyed.’
‘Oh! Well it was always safe here. Your mother made sure of that,’ Cherip said.
‘Yes, Kalzor is very well protected,’ Trinol added.
‘Are you still going to destroy the Aurora?’ Cherip asked Rakeal.
‘No, not any more. It would seem to be our only way of leaving here, unless we wait a year for the Alora to be completed.’
Trinol said, ‘We always wondered why Kalrea didn’t activate the ship’s self-destruct before she died, but now you’ve turned up, it makes perfect sense. She knew one day you would come to find it.’
‘But I’m not my mother. I’ve no idea if I can fly it,’ Rakeal said.
‘I’m sure Kalrea would have left something to help you,’ Trinol replied.
Seth glanced to Ferin, who had not said a word since they arrived.
‘So what have you been up to today?’ he asked Ferin, to try to get him involved in the conversations.
Ferin appeared sheepish and replied. ‘Not much.’
‘He’s going through a shy phase,’ Trinol said. ‘He’s normally louder than Kalri. In fact, it’s nice to have some peace and quiet.’
‘Can I go over to Pieri’s next door, now?’ Ferin asked Cherip. ‘You promised me I could have a sleep-over there tonight.’
‘Have you had enough to eat?’ Cherip replied.
Ferin nodded.
‘Off you go, then,’ Cherip said.
Ferin left the table and rushed from the room.
‘And don’t stay up too late playing Huklow!’ Cherip shouted out after him.
‘The food is excellent,’ Rakeal commented.
‘I agree,’ Seth added. ‘The Sogth... That is right isn’t it?’ Trinol nodded. ‘The Sogth melted in my mouth, and the drink really enhanced the flavor.’
‘I’m glad you both liked it,’ Trinol said.
‘We were both wondering,’ Cherip said hesitantly,’ if you and Seth would like to stay the night, we have two spare rooms.’
Rakeal turned to Seth to get his opinion.
‘It’s up to you,’ he replied.
‘Well. Er... If it’s not too much trouble-’ Rakeal said.
‘Trouble! Absolutely not. We would love to have you here.’
Rakeal said, ‘Fiorina had arranged a room for us in the center of town, but I’d rather be here, if you’re ok with that, Seth.’
‘Of course I am,’ Seth replied. ‘I wasn’t looking forward to being in the center of town anyway. Wearing those caps in the streets at night was always going to attract attention.’
‘We only need the one room,’ Rakeal said.
Cherip was taken-aback. ‘I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you two were-’
‘Are you married then?’ Kalri asked.
‘No,’ Rakeal replied. ‘Seth is my boyfriend.’
‘You have a boyfriend as well, don’t you Kalri? You see Stuie a lot.’
‘He’s not my boyfriend!’ Kalri said with infuriation.
‘Excuse me!’ Cherip replied.
Kalri got up, and in a huff, left the room.
‘I have to apologize for Kalri’s behavior,’ Cherip said.
‘Oh, she’s growing up,’ Rakeal said. ‘I think you’re going to have to get used to that for a while yet.’
After dinner the adults went into an adjoining living room, where there were three comfortable two-seater armchairs positioned around a small octagonal table. Seth sat down beside Rakeal in one, while Cherip and Trinol sat in another.
The room had a curved-glass single-pane window that went from wall-to-wall and floor-to-ceiling. It overlooked the garden, which was barely visible now in the darkness.
Trinol got the jug of drink and topped up everyone’s tankards.
‘What happened to your head, Rakeal?’ Cherip asked. ‘I noticed you had a skin-tensioner on your forehead when we met you back at the temple.’
‘Oh, we had a bit of a bumpy landing and I managed to get a small cut on my head. It’s nothing; it will be repaired by the morning.’
‘Bit of a bumpy landing,’ Seth repeated. ‘We’re both lucky to be alive. As for you hitting your head; you flew past me into that window like an express trans-shuttle. Unless you were an immortal Xangol, you would have had no chance of surviving.’
‘Luck had nothing to do with it,’ Rakeal said, grinning at him. ‘I was always going to be all right, and fortunately you put on the telementor, so I was able to protect you.’
‘Is that the original telementor?’ Cherip asked, pointing to Seth’s wrist.
Seth showed it to her. ‘Doesn’t look much, I know, but it projected an energy barrier around my body when we crashed.’
‘You have a lovely home,’ Rakeal remarked, but she seemed to be wanting to say something else that was important. With a slight embarrassment in her voice, she said, ‘I... I wanted to thank you for letting my mother stay here in those last weeks of her life. I’m sure she really appreciated it.’
‘Well it’s not often you get to patronize a God,’ Cherip replied cheerfully.
‘She must have been more open with you, so did she tell you what was killing her?’
‘No. I did try to ask her though, but she didn’t want to talk about it. I could sense it made her very sad, whatever it was.’
‘Perhaps she was afraid of dying,’ Seth said.
‘Absolutely not, but she did have a lot on her conscious,’ Cherip said. ‘Trinol and I spent hours listening to her talking about all the choices she had to make in her life. I think she sought forgiveness for all those she killed, yet there were many, like us, she saved.’
‘She was ruthless to her enemies,’ Trinol said.
‘I know,’ Seth replied. ‘I saw what she did to the Uath fleet-’
‘She saved the Raskian people from annihilation at the hands of the Uaths,’ Cherip said, interrupting him to defend Kalrea’s actions.
‘But Kalrea killed everyone. There were women and children on those ships,’ Seth added.
‘That was something she always regretted doing,’ Cherip said, ‘But she had to send a clear message, if not the Uaths would have come back.’
‘I have to admit my first impressions of Kalrea were of a nasty person,’ Seth said, and then glancing to Rakeal added, ‘Sorry love, but that’s what I saw and read from the data you gave me. The data may have shown the good things she did, but I didn’t look at that.’
‘No one’s ever interested in the good, just the bad,’ Rakeal said, sounding depressed. ‘That’s what always makes the news, isn’t it.’
I should have read more about Kalrea. I think I’ve upset her.
Cherip said. ‘Some of the things she had to do did make her look a monster, but that’s not what she was. In fact, she was completely the opposite.’
‘I never got to meet her you know,’ Rakeal said dejectedly, while staring out the window into the darkness.
‘Oh! That’s very sad,’ Cherip said. ‘I know Kalrea was a very kind and caring person, so I’m surprised she didn’t spend time with the one person who must have meant so much to her.’
‘What makes you think I meant anything to her?’
‘She was your mother,’ Cherip replied. ‘I’m a mother, and I know how much Kalri and Ferin mean to me, so of course she loved you. She must have had her reasons.’
‘I hope so.’
‘I remember Kalrea telling us that she had found it difficult to be accepted as a being,’ Trinol said. ‘She was the only one of her kind, or at least that’s what we thought. You being here kind of makes nonsense of that statement now. Anyway, what I’m trying to say is she wanted to be treated like anyone else, but because she was an AI, people had prejudices. Maybe she didn’t want that to happen to you.’
‘She did love you,’ Kalri said from behind them. She was standing in the doorway listening to them. ‘She told me.’
‘Kalri, how long have you been there?’ Cherip asked her.
‘Since you started talking.’
‘Come here and sit down then,’ Cherip said. ‘It’s not polite to eavesdrop.’
Kalri came over and sat down between Cherip and Trinol.
Staring at Rakeal, she said, ‘Kalrea told me all about you. She said she watched you grow up. That’s because a God knows everything.’
‘So that’s what you and Kalrea were talking about at one o’clock in the morning,’ Cherip said.
Kalri glanced to Cherip and nodded. Then, turning once more to Rakeal, she said, ‘You don’t have the piercings Kalrea said you had. I was hoping to see them.’
Wow! Kalrea did really know what Rakeal was doing.
‘Piercings!’ Cherip said. ‘Kalri, don’t you get any smart ideas about having those things.’
‘I wasn’t!’ Kalri replied sharply.
‘Sorry, I took them all out a few days ago,’ Rakeal said. ‘Seth didn’t like them.’
Kalri gave Seth a disapproving stare, so he said, ‘It was Rakeal’s choice, nothing to do with me.’ But when Rakeal raised her eyebrows to him, he added, ‘Although, I did make it clear I didn’t exactly like them. Anyway, I think she looks far prettier without them.’
