CalltheMoon (3 page)

She sat and breathed deeply to keep herself calm. This time, the ship that would take them wasn’t dark. It was a bright beacon of metal and light against the swirl of stars on deep blue.

The shuttle they were in was approaching at a moderated glide. The eerie silence of the engines as well as lack of any external noise unsettled Naka.

Viiko returned, handing her the kit. It was a small box that contained a mask, canister and a finger-clip monitor.

She fastened the monitor clip on her middle finger, slipped the mask over her mouth and nose and waited.

Viiko gave her the occasional worried look, but they docked with the huge glittering ship without any further issue.

“They will sound an alarm before the jump engines trigger, and the unit will gas you when it senses the sound.”

She nodded and sat with her hands tightly on the arms of the chair. Tension rippled through her, culminating with panic as lights and sound indicated the jump was imminent. She inhaled violently, and in three breaths, everything went a soft and gentle grey.

Hands were touching her face, and as a stranger pulled open her lid, she yelped and slapped out.

“Oh, thank the stars, Ms. Gwyn. You would not wake and Assessment Specialist Carolian was worried. I am Medic Laroik of the warship Neran Thak.”

Naka croaked, “Pleased to meet you.”

They were in the shuttle, but she was lying on a bunk instead of in the navigator seat.

“You took in too much gas, and your heart stopped. By the time I got here, it had started again, but I am still wondering how.”

Naka blinked at the other woman and her strange lavender skin. “It is just what happens when I pass out. It should be in my medical records. It can stop for up to twenty minutes, like it did when I was in an accident as a teen. I went under the water, but when they managed to lift me out, I started breathing again like nothing had happened.”

The medic looked over her shoulder at Viiko. He frowned and shook his head.

Naka sighed, “Apparently, it was another surprise that the Resicor did not want to share with the Alliance. Wonderful. If I didn’t think you knew, I would have warned you, but you have been telling me what is in my file this whole time, so I thought you had seen it.”

Viiko scowled, “You should have mentioned it regardless.”

“It isn’t something that one works into conversations like the ones we have had. It was a little out of bounds, and I was so panicked at the thought of the jump, a reminder slipped my mind.”

He was going to speak but then he asked, “Did it happen the first time?”

“No. I was awake for that. I am guessing that my heart only stops when my life is in danger. It hasn’t happened that often.” She sat up, and her suit sealed itself. Naka guessed that the medic had opened her suit to try to find the source of the difficulty.

“Your breathing was too fast. You poisoned yourself.” The medic nodded as she checked the recordings from the finger clip and the small monitor device.

“I didn’t intend to. What are the ramifications of this event?” She tried to put on her most adult mannerisms, but her embarrassment from being exposed while unconscious was very much with her.

Medic Laroik shrugged, “Nothing. If this is not something new, then it is part of your biology, and we do not mess with natural biology.”

Viiko smiled, “We are good to land then?”

“Medically, she is now cleared. I will file the authorization, and you can be on your way. Happy journey and enjoy yourself.” Medic Laroik picked up her kit and nodded to them both before taking in a deep breath and entering the small airlock of the shuttle.

The exterior door opened, and the medic disappeared.

Curious, Naka got to her feet and ran to the lock, watching the exterior door close and the small figure of the medic disappear into a doorway far below.

“Did she just jet out of here?”

“Her kind can hold their breath for hours as well as maintain their body heat. They are recommended for treating folks when pressurizing the area or putting on an EVA suit would take too long.” Viiko was behind her, hovering with concern. “Are you sure you are all right?”

“A little shaken but less disoriented than from the first jump. I will be fine when I get some ground under me. This flying in space feels weird.”

“As you will. Please strap in, we will get clearance and resume our journey.”

Not wanting to delay getting to a solid surface, she connected her harness and waited patiently while he called the traffic controller on the ship and got clearance for release.

Viiko rapidly clicked his own harness, and seconds after the all clear, they were literally dropped from the ship, their release carrying them through the minimal artificial gravity and through the doorway beneath them. They dropped, she gasped, but the moment they were out of the warship, he turned them toward their destination and her breathing evened out.

Home. She was looking at her home even though he hadn’t said a word. That world was calling to her, and she wanted desperately to answer.

Chapter Five

She sent her senses to the surface as they approached. There was definite imbalance in action on Piq, but it had nothing to do with the planet. Her senses turned to the orbital body and the power it was putting out. The large moon was only slightly smaller than the planet itself, but it was sending off twice the energy.

“That is Piq, what do you think?”

She didn’t look at him but kept her eyes on the approaching world. “I believe that I have my work cut out for me.”

Naka saw him give her a look out of the corner of his eye, but she kept her attention fixed, looking without seeing and sensing with her mind instead of her body.

Her mind analyzed the ripples of disorientation in the layers of the atmosphere.

“What do you think?”

She looked at his curious face, his horns tilted with his head and his dark eyes serious. “I think that it is time to walk on Piq and ask it what it needs.”

“Good answer. Our base is on the other side of this river. The landing is tight, so keep your harness on.”

“I wasn’t even reaching for it.” Naka felt stronger just getting close to a planet again. She had kept herself apart from Teklan. It was not to be hers, after all. Piq was a different matter entirely. She could and would make it her home as quickly as she was able.

He wasn’t kidding about the sudden stop. One moment they were skimming over dark blue water, the next the shuttle was almost standing on its nose as they came to a sudden stop.

The harness bit into her shoulders and hips while the shuttle rocked to a stop. She gasped in pain but quickly silenced herself as he settled them on the landing pad.

“Can I release myself now?” She smiled.

“Yes. I will power the systems down and put them on standby.” He worked at the console, and she didn’t need to be told twice.

The clicks of the belts were the sounds of freedom. She got to her feet, stretched and made a beeline for the exit.

Watching Viiko at Teklan had given her the sequence of movements to get the door to open for her.

As she stepped into the lock, she waited until the atmosphere cycled and the light turned green before tapping the release to the outer door.

Her breath left her in a rush. Once, on Resicor, she had stood outside during a lightning storm and a strike had danced across the ocean just beyond her. The first few steps on Piq sent the same power surge through her, and she loved it.

The base was larger than she thought it would be, but it wasn’t what she was interested in. She wanted to know more about this world and how its energies flowed, and when she looked into the sky, Naka gauged whether or not her mind would reach.

The base was situated in a valley, but there was a rocky pillar jutting from the ground next to the entry doors. With a fixed destination in mind, Naka walked to the pillar and started to climb.

* * * *

Viiko grabbed the kit bags and rations, stepping out into the light of Piq. At first, he couldn’t see his companion, but to his astonishment, she was running for the outcropping and climbing like a small forest creature.

Naka was a surprise. Her file said she was a self-centred monster, but the reality was that she was simply a woman with no purpose.

As she balanced precariously on the tower of stone, she exhibited a grace that he had never imagined. Her head was tilted toward the nearest moon, her flame-red hair rippling in tight curls down her back.

The new design of the suit was far more modest than the original, and he had to admit that while he missed the exposure, the new covering was far more suited to his sensibilities.

For generations, Dhemons learned to control themselves with social strictures, manners and etiquette. Their past was bloody, but their present was one of self-control and well thought-out actions.

As Viiko watched her look to the moon, her eyes closed and her lips flushed and moved slightly. He could finally understand his ancestors and their obsession with taking any woman who stirred them. He was fighting those same reactions right then.

Shaking his head, he stomped back toward his home, the base that held all the botanical samples from Piq as well as the test samples from dozens of other worlds.

First, he needed to determine if they could grow on Piq, and then, he would see if they would contaminate the environment. It was research that would take years. Years with Naka at his side.

Viiko wiped the smile off his face and started tucking away the food. It was not a good thing that his first thought was a lengthy seduction and his second thought was a short one.

* * * *

There was a mind in the moon. Naka swayed when she first felt it and tried to pull back, but it gripped her and held her tight.

Don’t be afraid. I have been waiting for someone who could bring me home.

What?

I am Piquaro, the mind of the planet you stand on.

Uh, I hate to tell you this, but you are in the moon.

I am aware. I have been trying to get back to myself for a thousand years.

How did you get up there?

I was pulled from my home by one like you, a planet carrier.

That was news to her.
I am a what now?

A planet carrier. You can take the mind of a sentient world into you and carry it to a new location. I have only heard of three in the last ten thousand years. You are the third.

Naka could feel her body swaying.
I need to get back to myself. I think I am going to fall.

Speak to me as soon as you are able. I want to go home.

Naka snapped back into her own mind and immediately crouched, climbing down with shaking limbs. At the base, she leaned her back against it and braced her hands on her thighs while breathing in deeply.

The shock overwhelmed her, and she wretched but nothing came up. Naka felt like smacking herself. Of course she was weak. She hadn’t eaten in over a day.

With her legs trembling and her stomach spinning, she made her way to the entry of the base where she assumed Viiko was. First, she needed food, and then, they needed to talk.

Chapter Six

He helped her to a chair and fetched her a ration pack that was marked with the icon of Resicor.

“This has been approved for your people. I will get you some water.”

Naka’s hands shook as she tried to open the packet. She dropped it three times before she managed to tear the wrap open. It was a cake with flecks in it.

He brought some glasses and a carafe of water that had condensation forming on the glass. With formality, he poured her a glass and placed it in front of her.

She sipped slowly at the water before she ate any of the ration bar. Putting that much dry food in her stomach wouldn’t be a good idea if there were no water to hydrate it.

After sipping and nibbling her way through a third of the bar, she sighed and pushed it aside.

“You don’t like it?” Viiko was concerned.

“I don’t have room for it. I wasn’t eating much at the dome, and I haven’t eaten since.”

He winced. “Of course. I apologize. I have been an inattentive host.”

“Please don’t feel bad. I could have expressed hunger if I realized I
was
hungry. There was too much happening for it to make itself known.”

He nodded. “When you are finished, I will show you to your room. I have placed you near the greenhouse so that you can enjoy the light coming through the glass.”

She perked up, “Greenhouse?”

“Of course. It is why I am here. Perhaps I should tell you what the plan is for Piq.”

She sat back and sipped at her water. “That might be a good idea.”

“We are in the middle of one of the most populated transport lanes in the Alliance. Ships pass us on a weekly basis and many are looking for supplies and fresh water. The Citadel accepted the commission to stabilize Piq for a small spaceport and trade center.”

Realizing what he was saying, she raised her hand to stop him. “I believe I need to tell you what I just learned so that you can talk to someone and re-evaluate the plan.”

“I am listening.”

As he turned his head, she noted the clash of the metal bands on his hair. It was a peculiar music, but she liked it.

“Piq is sentient.”

His eyes widened in surprise before he shook his head. “We have had explorers and seekers all over this planet. There is no mind within.”

She shook her head. “It isn’t within. I am guessing that they never looked up.”

“What?”

“The mind of the world is lodged in the moon. The big moon is tearing at the planet in an effort to get its mind home. It has been for a thousand years.”

He leaned back in his chair and frowned. “You are serious.”

“I am. Apparently, it recognizes me as a planet mover and wants me to help it get home. Before I even try and return to contact it, could you do some research into this planet-mover thing? I have never heard of such a thing. I am barely aware that there are planets who think and speak through their Avatars, but the Resicor could not keep all transmissions out.”