Arguing the Basics Read online

  Koara rubbed the hand that had touched him. She had lived fifteen years in that moment of contact, and she had no idea what she was supposed to do about it.

  * * * *

  Ioko ran his hand across his forehead. The soft pink cloud of hair refused to leave his mind. Koara had bewitched him, and it had only been by a single touch and a wobbly walk.

  He glanced back into the ship and focused forward. With quick motions, he placed the call to Citadel Lowel.

  “Iara, I am glad I caught you.”

  “Hiya, Ioko. Is everything going well?” Iara rocked her baby on her shoulder.

  “Yes. I have picked up your talent from Thoola.”

  “Excellent. Maybe this little man will be satisfied by the news and get some sleep.” Iara stroked her son’s head.

  “Is that why you were up?”

  “I was chatting with Rion. He is off on assignment, and I wanted to hear his voice. The baby just added to the insomnia.”

  Ioko sighed. “I feel stupid contacting you about this.”

  “What?”

  “What species is Koara Ulings?”

  Iara smirked. “Trimelic. Why do you want to know?”

  “I am drawn to her. If she was Kozue, I would be calling her family, not you.” Ioko grimaced.

  “Wow. Well, whether you are drawn to her or not, she is a member of the Citadel and will never be Kozue.”

  Ioko blinked at his sister’s blunt tone. “That is harsh.”

  “Realistic. There would be no place for her with your family. Our family. You know what I mean. She has one chance at life and that is via the Citadel, not the warships.”

  Iara let loose a jaw-cracking yawn. “I apologise. I am not normally this blunt.”

  “You have made some good points. I have just met her, but I am drawn to her. Does that make sense?”

  “It does. See how long the clan will let you remain on Lowel. For now, get to Udell and zip over here. I want to see this woman.”

  “She is coming to work for you. You will see her anytime you like.”

  His sister yawned again.

  “Go to bed, Iara. We will arrive in a standard day.”

  “Good night, brother. See you soon. Fly carefully.” Iara waved at him and disconnected the link.

  Ioko looked at the console, verified that everything was in order and picked up his data tablet, playing back the last lecture he attended at Citadel Lowel on emergency medical treatment of unknown aliens.

  It was gory enough to keep him up for hours.

  * * * *

  Koara woke after a few hours of sleep and headed out to the galley. She heated some rations, ate what she could and prepared some tea.

  With a mug in each hand, she headed up to the control deck.

  “Ioko, I have made you some tea.”

  He jerked his head up, and he gave her a dazed smile. “Thank you. Medical research isn’t stimulating for the appetite, but it does do wonders for keeping your attention.”

  She snorted. “It is definitely something that I know very little about. I am better at analysing the illness of a society than of the population.”

  “What is your species classification?”

  Koara blew on her tea before sipping. “Class Rec.”

  “Charming. I presume that you know the Kozue class.”

  “Class Nem.”

  “Correct and well done.”

  She smiled. “I am impressed with knowing that myself.”

  He closed his eyes. “Class Rec, you have three lungs, a large heart and exceptionally efficient muscle mass.”

  “So I have been told. I have the same physiology as everybody I grew up with. We were bred for labour generations ago, and the breeding remains true to this day. Even the upper classes can lift their body weight if they choose to. They will be sore the next day, but they can still do it.” She grinned. “All of those vids with women dangling off cliffs make me laugh. No Tremil woman would be stuck; we would haul ourselves up and get on with our day.”

  He chuckled. “Fair enough. Thanks for the tea. I am going to crash for a bit. Did you want the data pad? I have several lectures from Citadel Lowel on it. They are very informative, if a little gory. The medical ones are especially vivid. Enjoy.”

  He handed her the data pad, patted her on the shoulder and took his tea back to the rear of the ship.

  Alone with the stars, she took to education in an effort at distraction. She was really hoping it would work. That small touch on her shoulder had spun her mind through all possible futures, and the possibilities were endless.

  Chapter Three

  Gory was an accurate description of the vids. She took in three of the medical lectures before changing to etiquette and the subtleties of body language.

  Ioko returned when she was watching a display of hand-to-hand combat in a primitive weapons lecture. Apparently, a fist was sometimes the best means of attack.

  She smiled at him as he settled in the command chair. “Interesting stuff.”

  “It really is. My family has sent me to three dozen of those lectures, and each one has taught me something.”

  She extended his data pad to him. “Thank you for the distraction.”

  “Keep it for the trip. The Citadel will issue you another one.” He smiled.

  “Did you get enough rest?”

  “I did. Thank you. When you live in space, you learn to adapt your sleep patterns. I sleep when it is safe to do so and can stay up for thirty-six hours.”

  Koara listened to her mind translate the measure of time and nodded. Kozue measured time in heartbeats. Her mind translated the unit of measure he was using into hours. His culture defined his measure of time.

  She didn’t mention that her own sleep pattern wasn’t all that different from his. With the Tremil being raised to work and little else, sleep was sudden, heavy and taken whenever it was feasible.

  “How did you come to be at Thoola?”

  Koara smiled. “I was ordered to go by the Avatar of Trimel. He simply told me I was going, so I went.”

  “Why did he order you to leave?”

  She rubbed the back of her neck. “Some of the changes that I suggested in our societal structure resulted in some unhappy people who had begun to threaten my life. I learned of this after I was on Thoola. My parents were relocated and their names changed, and I had to be taken off world. My face was too recognizable.”

  “What did you recommend?”

  She wrinkled her nose. “Breaking apart the high class and going to a merit-based social elevation system with equal opportunity for education.”

  He winced and checked the navigation computer. “I can understand the hostility. That is quite a change. How long has the shift been going on?”

  “A decade. I wrote a report on how to make the change when I was in my last week of school, and it took me to the high council and got me into a debate with the master councillor. He managed to deride my point by harping on my class, but the Avatar was listening and he wanted change. We came up with a plan and change started happening.”

  “You helped reshape your world.”

  She grimaced. “And a vocal minority thought that killing me would stop it from happening. They couldn’t go after the Avatar, so they went after me.”

  “You had attempts on your life?”

  “Over the years? Sure. About seven. I even have the scars to prove it. Folks don’t like change, and they really hate it coming from within.”

  Ioko stared at her. “They tried to kill you?”

  “Yeah, but the attacks were growing more violent. It was time for me to leave. The last attack was planned at one of the primary schools where I was supposed to speak. It didn’t just focus on me; it was going to be aimed at the entire school. That was when Trimel hauled me out and mailed me to Thoola.”

  “Your family?”

  “They were taken away that same night, and I still have
no idea where they are; I just know they are still on Trimel. We are not allowed to discuss their location when I call them.”

  “How long have you been away from them?”

  “Less than a year and more than I wanted.” She chuckled. “When Trimel sent me away, I was sure that I was supposed to come home as soon as things calmed down. Now, I realise that things will never calm down, and to some of my people, I am a monster.”

  Knowing that her parents could not even have an image of her in their home was a little hard to take, but their lives were improving rapidly, and she had to accept that it was better that things went on without her than having her back home with unrest following her around. It was just safer for all of them.

  “I cannot imagine being away from my family or clan for that long.”

  “I wish I could not imagine it.” She shrugged. “Ah well. There are so many more worlds who want me to tamper with them.”

  He blinked slowly. “Seriously?”

  “Yes, social analysis is my talent. Devising plans to execute and implement change is what I am paid for. I see approximately one generation into the future, and I design the plan to the benefit of that generation.”

  “Why?”

  She chuckled. “Because most species want their children to have a more stable economic and social base than that which they had growing up in. I make the plans to make it happen. At this point, only my own world has proved my theories, and there is a price to pay for it.”

  He asked her about the price, and they continued to discuss it for hours. All of the reactions from the various social layers were examined, and by the time they landed on Udell, Ioko had a working knowledge of Trimel social structure.

  He settled the shuttle next to a tunnel that fastened to the hull of the ship over the door. Koara unbuckled her harness and got to her feet, colliding with Ioko as they tried to leave the command area.

  “Oh, excuse me.” She backed up against her seat, and he stepped clear before he extended his hand to her.

  “Come along. We need to grab your bag and take the zip to Lowel.”

  “The zip?”

  “It is a transport method that will take us through space in a pod from Udell to Lowel. Lowel is a domed settlement. There is no atmosphere to land in. The zip was created as a tetherless connection that uses two beacons and an energy line for secure transport. It is being used in at least three other sites for planet-to-orbital body transport.”

  She put her hand in his and followed him through the ship, retrieving their bags before leaving via the attached door, entering an intermediate chamber that pressurised before they stepped through once again.

  Once they cleared the entry tunnel, a medical team greeted them.

  “Ah. Right. I forgot that you were coming from a world with agricultural interests. You will need to go through decontamination procedures.”

  She sighed. “Of course. I was warned about this; I just didn’t think about it.”

  “I will wait for you.”

  Koara smiled shyly. “Thank you, Ioko.”

  The medical team bustled her into a decontamination unit, she peeled off her clothing at their direction, and the scans went over her from head to toe over and over until they were satisfied that they had expunged the foreign bodies.

  The suit that they handed her was a new design, sleeveless with a slick skin. It set off her loose tumble of pink hair quite nicely.

  “This suit is wonderful.”

  The medic nearest to her grinned. “We have a designer on staff. She does wonderful work.”

  The medic completed the reports and smiled. “We will send the rest of your clothing along when it has been certified decontaminated. We try to be a little gentler with items that can’t heal.”

  Koara nodded. “So, can I go now?”

  “You can. Battle Master Hanikada has been waiting for you. He will take you to the zip and, from there, to Lowel.”

  Koara followed the direction the medic was pointing and left the chamber opposite the door she had entered.

  Ioko smiled and closed down the data pad. “Are you ready?”

  “Apparently.”

  “Let’s go then.” He offered her his arm, and she took it, listening to his short tour of the hallways of the Sector Guard Base Udell.

  The zip terminal was a little bit odd. A small, clear plexi pod was sitting in the centre of the room, pointed at a flat panel on the wall. The low railing that it rested on was the only indicator that it was designed to move.

  The pod opened as they approached, and she noted the two seats.

  “What if there are more than two people?”

  “They have to take turns.” He grinned.

  She took a seat in the pod, and he settled in the seat behind her. The top of the pod sealed; it pressurised and started forward.

  “Do I have to do anything?”

  “No. The zip will just take us through space at a rapid pace that no ship could match. Hold on and remember to breathe.”

  The door opened, and the rails elevated toward the heavens; the pod followed the path. Speed increased, and soon, they were ejected toward the stars.

  Koara forced herself to breathe as they hurtled faster and faster toward the other end of the line.

  It could have been ten minutes or ten hours. All she knew was that by the time they arrived, her head was spinning from the overstimulation and she wanted to feel ground under her feet.

  The dome had opened and closed in the instant the pod passed through it; they were finally at Citadel Lowel.

  When the pod opened up, she filled her lungs with desperation. There had been plenty of air in the pod, but she still felt confined and suffocated.

  Ioko got out and reached in to help her out. “It takes some getting used to.”

  She shuddered and exited the vehicle. “I cannot see getting used to that kind of thing.”

  “Next time, you can put on a breather and tank if it helps.”

  Koara gave him a narrow-eyed look. “I just might.”

  A woman with a baby in a sling against her chest and a white creature on her shoulder came forward with a smile. “Koara Ulings of Trimel?”

  “I am.”

  “I am Iara Hanikada, Citadel Master of Lowel.”

  Koara smiled. “And who is this?”

  “The Yaluthu on my shoulder is Harmony, and this is my son, Agren.”

  Iara pulled the fabric away from her son, and his little, feline-tilted eyes blinked slowly while he studiously sucked his thumb.

  “I am very pleased to meet you, Agren of Lowel. I am pleased to meet you as well, Harmony.” She inclined her head toward the baby and then the bird.

  The baby smiled behind his tiny hand, and the bird chirped proudly, fluffing her small wings.

  A shriek of attention-getting demand came from the doorway behind Iara.

  Everyone turned to look at the irate, pink fluff ball that was hopping toward them at full tilt. Koara was going to step aside, but as she shifted, the creature changed her trajectory until she was at Koara’s feet.

  Iara snickered. “I think she has been waiting for you.”

  “What does it want?”

  Ioko grinned. “The Yaluthu are symbiotic. She wants to bond with you.”

  “How do I stop her?” Koara stepped back, and the pink bundle of fluff followed.

  Iara chuckled. “I don’t know. There isn’t really a choice. She will bond to you and engage in psychic healing.”

  “I don’t need healing. I am fine.”

  “Well, we have you slated for physical training, so you might be glad she is there. You can pick her up or ignore her, but she is not going away.”

  Five pairs of eyes were focused on her, and Koara had no idea what do to next.

  Chapter Four

  The moment that she came into contact with the silky-soft feathers and fur, she knew one thing without doubt, aside from the soft pin
k colouration and the bright blue eyes, the creature in her arms thought of himself as male.

  “Sookar. His name is Sookar.” The bright mind touched hers and chortled silently. He had wanted his name spoken, and she had done it.

  Iara shook her head. “Smudge will be happy that he found someone.”

  “Who is Smudge?”

  They began the journey into the base itself, and Koara waited for the answer.

  Ioko sighed. “Smudge is Harmony’s parent. The Yaluthu are self-propagating. They go through a life cycle until they are ready to evolve, and as they prepare to go into their final form, they have their children then use their fully formed predator bodies to feed their young.”

  Iara chuckled. “Nice to know you were paying attention, brother.”

  “As if I had a choice. Between Harmony and Watch, my first niece and nephew from you and Rion had fur and feathers.”

  Iara laughed out loud, and her baby snuffled. She soothed him and began the tour. “These are the gardens. Several horticultural talents are working on developing new and sustainable plant species, but others are just fooling around with shapes.”

  Koara held Sookar carefully as he shifted to take a position with his back against her chest and himself facing outward. She cradled him carefully and swayed as she realised that the first foresight she had experienced on the shuttle was coming to fruition. She was both terrified and cheerful.

  To her surprise, she looked down to see Sookar looking up at her with happiness in his gaze. She now knew where the cheer was coming from. He was just happy to be with her.

  “You are so lucky that you match my hair, Sookar. If you didn’t look like you belonged to me, you would be walking.”

  He chirped softly and sent her a calming wave.

  “Knock it off or you are walking.”

  He withdrew the mental influence. Well, he reduced it to a low simmer. She could still feel him; she just wasn’t overwhelmed by his influence.