Chapter Thirty-four
Tholml’s Ship, En Route to Ararandaari Emmi sat staring out the starscreen. She hadn’t touched the meal she’d prepared and brought to the flight deck. Her head fell to her palm. Moments later, light footsteps filled the cabin. Without raising her head or opening her eyes, Emmi asked, “Why would the board turn down the chance for profit?” “There are those who still fear technology like Oreif. They fear they will become obsolete.” “I see where Syrane gets her wisdom. You should be proud.” “I am. I am proud of all my children. I may not have raised you, but I am proud of you, as well. Even when life has been taken from you, you have a great fight within you. A desire.” “Perhaps it’s just a human instinct to live.” “No, I think it goes beyond that. Something hidden. It has shape, but the imag--.” Emmi snapped up from her seat, nearly toppling her food tray. She pulled the case from the cargo netting at the aft section of the flight deck, unlocked the latches, and flipped the lid open. The lattice that held Oreif’s symmetrical field gate remained. She lifted it from the case and turned it over. Within was not the original component, but the one Rigbah’s team had designed. “Rigbah, you sly devil.” The Sorator met them upon landing. Emmi and Tholml connected power cables to Oreif’s junctions. Once inside, she settled before the pedestal. Several thousand cells of the Sorator infiltrated Oreif’s system. Emmi placed the lattice, laden with the component, into the pedestal. The Sorator surveyed the connections and designed an adaptor. The cells returned to the colony. They took to a cabinet where spare components were placed. Then set to work constructing the adaptor. As Emmi watched, the adaptor took shape. Once complete, she took the component and placed it in the pedestal. Sorator made the connections. Emmi stood before the console, paused for a breath, and initiated the core. Impatiently, she watched the screen to the left. “Come on, come on.” A few moments passed and the screen produced an error. Her implant translated the text. ‘File Compilation Error. Auto-correction Attempt In Progress.’ The screen went blank and remained so for several blinks of Emmi’s eyes before text filled the screen and climbed upward. Again, the screen blanked. “Auto-defense system engaged.” The motors of the overhead rail weapon activated, pushed downward, and aimed. Emmi backed away from the console. “Oreif, it’s me, Emmi. I’m a friend. We’re friends. Tholml is your friend, too.” A slow voice filled the cabin. “Emmi.” “Yes.” Emmi smiled with reserved relief. “Disengage the Auto-defence system, please. Do it now.” “Emmi is a friend.” “Yes,” Emmi replied. The rail weapon retracted into the overhead. Emmi and Tholml breathed a sigh of relief. “What do you remember? It’s alright if you don’t remember anything, you’ve been hurt badly.” “I remember the nebula within the undulating filament. Calling. Calling for the Sorator.” The Sorator appeared and spoke. “You have succeeded in your mission, Oreif. We have returned you to Ararandaari, to your friends. The signal has been passed to the Sorator throughout the Home Spiral, as per your request.” “Have you received Syrane’s location?” “No. I must commune with the other Sorator.” They phased out of the visual spectrum. Once out of the atmosphere, the Sorator dispersed and ported in millions of directions simultaneously. A few moments passed and the Sorator reappeared. “A communication was detected. It was sent from a ship registered to Syrane Avvel.” “What ship? Where?” “The Irenic Relict. It was an automated departure clearance request in the Pordaat system,” the Sorator replied. “Pordaat. They have a reputation for being meticulous about arrivals and departures. They may have the port termination point,” Tholml said. “Do you think they’d give that information freely?” Emmi asked. “I don’t know.” “‘I don’t know’ is the beginning of the answer. Let’s ask and see.” Tholml deplaned and went into the house to access the network. The Sorator departed without a word. Emmi stayed and continued to repair Oreif’s primary systems. Emmi realized she had fallen asleep when she heard an unexpected slapping thud come from the forward section of the ship. The cabin was dark save for some life support indicators on the bulkhead. “Oreif, can you turn on the lights?” There was no response from the ship. Disconcerted, Emmi moved her hand over to a manual light switch next to the bunk. The lights engaged. Another sound emanated from the forward section. The shape of the sound suggested it was a gelatinous substance being pressed by hands. She moved forward and a being in distress came into view. The being appeared to be covered in a substance similar to a petroleum-based corrosion inhibitor used to pack old World War Two weapons and equipment. Emmi scooped away the waxy substance from the eyes, nose, and mouth. It smelled oddly like peppermint candy. The being lay there looking up at her while gasping for air. Emmi looked up at the opened sarcophagus. “Oreif?” She immediately looked down at the pearlescent blue-gray-skinned female before her. Large black orbs locked to her. “I got you.” Oreif’s movements were jerky, akin to a newborn. At first, Emmi thought it was a seizure, but the randomness fell into a rhythm. A shoulder rotated forward, lifting the arm and hand slowly toward Emmi’s face. As the hand approached, the fingers spread. Between the digits, thick translucent webbing retracted toward the palm as she released a series of sighs. Soon, Oreif’s facial movements were now purposeful. Emmi assumed the muscles required for speaking were seen as a priority. A voice now accompanied the mouth movements, but she only babbled incoherently. Emmi realized what Oreif was going through. She remained patient and dozed off. The newborn heard the sound of boots on the deck. A sound she was accustomed to. She knew from the gait who it was that came aboard. Her eyes opened and angled toward the familiar, onymous being. She shifted her mouth into the open, “Tholml is here.” Her voice did as intended and awakened Emmi. The professor looked down at Oreif and up at Tholml with a smile, “Look who I found.” “Welcome to the world,” Tholml said warmly. “Let’s get you to the hideaway and get you cleaned up.” “That would be desirable,” Oreif replied.
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