Vale of Stars (41 page)

No answer.

Sirra quickly set her buoyancy to full and pumped her legs vigorously, rising quickly away from the spear-helmeted vix.

“Foz! Come in!” She could not see the upper lip of the ocean floor above her yet. Her sonar indicated that the vix were pursuing and would overtake her.

Sirra pumped even faster, but it was no use. She was outmatched here. One of the vix swam above her and prodded her menacingly with his spear. Sirra did not know if the vix could puncture the suit, but she suspected that with enough strength and speed, any vix could skewer neatly through it. And at this depth, a breach in her suit would be instantly fatal.

Sirra readjusted her buoyancy to slow sink and let the vix lead her back down to the ledge. She noted that her life support indicator had just passed the two hours remaining mark.

*   *   *

Iede had wanted to reach on foot the location given to her by Those Above, but as the rendezvous point lay some fifty kilometers away from the farthest outskirts of Arborurba, practicality dictated a vehicle of some kind. She had chosen a bicycle as a compromise between ascetic pride and pragmatic rationality.

Iede was comfortably tired as she surveyed the countryside. She could not see any sign of human habitation from where she was—even the Domes, large as they were, had faded to gentle green mist kilometers ago. The point Those Above had chosen was significantly higher than Arborurba’s almost sea-level elevation, and Iede could feel the scarcity of chlorine in the air at this height. She scanned the sky for any sign of the “vehicle” Those Above had spoken of. She did not know what to expect exactly, but she knew she would recognize it when she saw it.

The fifty-kilometer journey had not dulled her sense of pride at being chosen to ascend to the gods. Iede held no delusion as to what her gods were. She had studied the history of her ancestors’ journey; she knew about Ship and its mission, knew about the Flight Crew and the role they had played with her great-great-grandmother, both during the journey and after the establishment of the Family. She knew that those she called gods had started out as men and women long ago, or at least their ancestors had been so. What manner of creatures dwelt in the heavens now? What they had done for her mother thirty-seven years ago was nothing short of miraculous. And the miracle they had chosen to grant Yallia also resulted in Iede’s own birth. What better way to repay the debt than to worship those who had saved her newly-conceived life?

Iede had written the Articles of Faith twenty years before, when she had been a scant fifteen years old. She had taken as her inspiration the Book of Verse that Eduard Costellan had passed on to Jene Halfner—Iede had used the thirty-nine poems as epigraphs for each separate Article. Her writings had attracted a following, and her congregation now numbered in the thousands, not including those who considered themselves “casual worshippers.” Iede could not quite suppress the forlorn wish, immodest as it was, that the men and women of her congregation could see her imminent Assumption.

Iede saw the vehicle before she heard it. A speck had appeared in the air and had grown rapidly larger as she watched. She had to force herself to breathe. The vehicle was shaped like a native bird—large wings tapering from a central, ovoid shape—and was the purest white Iede had ever seen. There were no windows anywhere on the surface of the craft. Such a holy vessel could only have come from Above.

The vehicle stopped almost immediately above her, hovering perhaps twenty meters distant. It was then Iede heard the rush of the machine’s engines change from a gentle hum to a deafening roar. A violent gust of hot air almost knocked her to the ground. Iede squinted into the gale to see the vehicle slide sideways a few meters and start to gently descend. The hurricane wind subsided when the craft moved from above her, though Iede still felt the hot air and could see its effects on the ground below. She refrained from shielding her eyes from the grit kicked up at the vehicle’s descent—she wanted to see the landing. To her knowledge, it was the only such landing Those Above had ever made.

The craft settled to the ground and its engines quieted to an idle. Iede stared at it, wondering if she dared step towards it. She began the Lords’ Prayer to calm herself.

“Iede.” A flat, emotionless voice boomed out from the vehicle. Iede jumped and swallowed with a suddenly dry throat.

“Here, my Lords.”

“You may enter,” the voice said, and an iris valve opened in the side of the vehicle. Iede had not even seen the seams. She gathered her courage and walked towards the opening. She could not see inside—the interior of the craft was dark. She ducked her head slightly and stepped through the threshold, prepared to meet her gods.

The door closed behind her and the cabin lit up. It was empty. There was a cream-colored couch in the cabin with straps that hung limply down to the gleaming metallic floor. In front of the couch was a flat, dark panel.

“Sit down on the couch, Iede. The monitor will demonstrate how to secure your straps.” The voice seemed to come from the entire cabin simultaneously. Iede was used to the ambivalent gender of the voice—all her contacts with the gods had been the same. She thought she recognized the god who spoke, but that was immaterial. She obeyed and sat down on the couch. The panel lit up, and a stylized image of a person, somewhat elongated but otherwise recognizable, appeared. As Iede watched, the image sat down on its own couch and adjusted the straps. Iede duplicated the movements carefully and found herself securely fastened in when she was done.

“Good. We will now ascend to Ship. Prepare yourself for acceleration.”

Iede wasn’t quite sure how she was to prepare herself, but the vehicle rose swiftly and rocketed upwards towards its destination.

Iede knew about multiple g’s, even if she herself had never experienced them. The craft was not beyond mortal technology, though it did have a polish and sheen to it that was otherwise lacking in Newurth construction. Iede concentrated on breathing—she felt as if she had three people sitting on her chest. She would have to remember this sensation for her congregation, she thought. It could be seen as symbolic of the effort one must put forth in order to truly commune with the gods.

The acceleration lasted perhaps twenty minutes, then suddenly cut out entirely. Iede felt euphoria for a few seconds before she became acutely aware of a growing nausea. Her stomach, denied the gravity it had become accustomed to, threatened to rise and dislodge its contents.

Iede swallowed in a moist mouth and closed her eyes. She would not be sick. The gods would not deem her worthy. Iede repeated the thought until it was a litany. Presently, she was able to open her eyes.

The panel in front of her had lit up again and was flashing the message “DO NOT UNSTRAP” in bold letters. “Iede.” Again, the flat voice. “You must remain secured to the acceleration couch. We will bring you in shortly. Remain where you are.”

Iede nodded, then wondered why she’d bothered. The gods could not see her here. Or could they? She thought indignantly that surely They could, if They so wished. Iede decided to risk a question.

“My Lords?”

“Yes, Iede?” The voice did not sound angry.

“Where are You?”

“I am in Ship. So are we all, and so shall you be soon.”

Iede considered this. “This vessel is but an avatar?”

“It is controlled by an onboard computer.” Iede thought she heard a wry smile in the answer. She felt chagrin—she should know better than to speak to her gods in the language of a priestess.

“My Lord, may I know Your name so I might thank You in my prayers?”

“I’ll tell you, but not for that reason. I am called Groundseer Aywon.” The voice placed the emphasis on the last syllable in the last name.

“Thank you, my Lord.” Iede smiled, pleased she had not heard the name before. This was a new God, possibly a higher order of God. Soon, she would be with Them.

She felt a slight sensation of movement and guessed that the craft was maneuvering in orbit. Her pulse quickened as she felt the vessel shudder gently. The panel still flashed the message “DO NOT UNSTRAP,” but as she watched, the words disappeared to be replaced by “UNSTRAP AT WILL.” The panel demonstrated how she was to remove her acceleration straps.

“You are now docked with Ship,” Groundseer said. “Unstrap yourself, but be careful. You are not used to microgravity. Wait inside the craft and disrobe entirely. Then place the mask securely over your mouth and nose. I will collect you.” Before Iede could ask what mask Groundseer meant, the craft’s data panel slid aside to reveal a small compartment. A clear face mask lay inside.

Iede unstrapped carefully and took off her clothes, placing them neatly on the acceleration couch. She did not hesitate—she felt a vague sense of pride that her gods would choose to see her naked and alone. Iede took the mask and attached it firmly to her face. Again, she did not hesitate, though she could see no obvious breathing holes. The mask had some kind of adhesive around its edges—Iede did not need to hold it in place once attached. She found without surprise that she could breathe through the mask. The gods would not have placed her in danger. She had no choice in the matter in any case. She was sure the iris valve would not have opened for her until she had complied with Groundseer’s orders. She faced where she remembered the valve to be and floated blissfully, waiting for the arrival of her gods.

The lighting in the craft changed slightly, taking on a vaguely violet hue, and Iede felt the prickly sensation of heat on her bare skin. The sensation was over before she could grow uncomfortable, and then the light changed back again. The iris valve cycled open and a tall, slender humanoid floated through. Iede could not immediately identify the humanoid’s gender from facial features, and his/her body was so slight as to be almost a mockery of the human form. The humanoid was nude, but a quick, almost involuntary glance at his/her genital region did not help: Iede did not recognize the structure she saw there. She closed her eyes tightly and said with shame, “I beg forgiveness, my Lord.”

“Call me Groundseer. And you’ll need your eyes to get through the hatch, Iede,” Groundseer said.

Iede forced here eyes open but kept them pointedly averted. She made an arbitrary decision to think of the humanoid as male until she was presented with facts to the contrary.

“Through here,” Groundseer said, and launched himself back through the iris valve. Iede followed.

He led her through a short, immaculately silver-white tunnel that terminated at another iris valve. As in the shuttle, light seemed to simply
exist
in the tunnel—Iede could not determine its source. Groundseer pressed his slender fingers against a spot on the gleaming wall and the valve spiraled open. He swam effortlessly through, Iede in tow. When she cleared the valve, she gasped at what she saw.

A vast chamber, so large she could only with difficulty make out the other side, opened up in front of her. The chamber was spherical and must have been at least one hundred meters in diameter. Thin, birdlike Gods swooped through the air, using small wings that Iede had half-glimpsed on Groundseer. Iede did not know if the wings were part of the gods’ bodies or mechanical contrivances of some kind. All the gods were nude, and Iede guiltily stole glances at their genitals in a sort of morbid curiosity. The nearest god was at least thirty meters distant and moving quickly, so her eyes could not quite make out what she saw. She looked away, lest the god see her and grow angry with her. She looked instead at the chamber itself.

The interior of the sphere was largely empty, save for the occasional god moving from one end of the sphere to another. As she watched, Iede saw a pair of small gods playing what appeared to be tag. She gave a short, shocked laugh when she realized these were children.

“What do you think?” Groundseer asked, his tone neutral.

“It is glorious!” The mask muffled her voice slightly.

Groundseer snorted and said, “Come on. There are some others I want you to meet.” He pushed off the threshold of the iris valve and flew gracefully toward the far wall. Iede pushed off as well and saw immediately that she would miss her target.

Groundseer looked back at her and said, “When you hit the wall, crawl along it until to get to me. I don’t want to have to bring you in myself.”

Iede did as she was told, feeling foolish. She had wanted to show her gods that they had chosen well in preserving her life those thirty-five years ago. She was not off to a good start.

Groundseer was waiting for her at the opening. He dove down the tunnel opening before she was done maneuvering into it. She saw him disappear into a side tunnel that branched off the main one and followed him. He continued in this fashion, staying ahead of her and choosing tunnels without hesitation, until they arrived at another tunnel terminus. Groundseer paused before the blank wall and turned to look at Iede.

“We’re going to the Groundseer’s hub. There may be many of us in there. It is vital you do not touch any of us. When we enter, find a station near the wall immediately and stay there.” He did not wait for a response but opened the valve and entered.

The room was another sphere, although one considerably less spacious than the last one she had seen. The first features that caught her eye were multicolored holograms floating in various places in the sphere. She recognized some of them as locations from around Newurth: the Assembly Building, the old Valhalla Dome, and a patch of ocean that had to be the location of the Vix Observation Lab. She also saw individuals: governmental figures, scientists, even one of her cardinals. At every holo, a god watched dispassionately.

“I said to find the wall, Iede,” Groundseer’s voice snapped her away from the scene. She blushed and grabbed hold of a stanchion. Groundseer moved off into the room and hovered near another god to converse. The two gods were oriented oddly to one another—Groundseer was upside down and above the god to which he spoke—but neither of them seemed to care. None of the other gods were looking at Iede or had acknowledged her presence. Iede took the opportunity to take her first good look at the bodies of her gods.