Tacenda Read online

  “Can I help you? I’m Lilith.” she said, her voice a pleasant lilt not at all like the soft purr Kerris had half-expected. The brilliant white uniform she wore was so impractical that Kerris knew she was not one of those who worked in cultivation. As she turned to face them both, Kerris could see a pale strip of metal gracing the side of her neck. That marked her as an official guide, granting her access to Shamibala’s interface.

  After Arucken relayed their entry code, Lilith led them towards the central hallway. Ranks of tables and containers showed the various prepared manifests. Maylith Tara’s new colony was not a large one, and the pile Lilith led them to was quite small.

  People of various species, gathered around the hall sorting out their own deliveries. Other uniformed workers moved amongst them, moving trolleys and helping to load each manifest.

  Arucken stiffened beside her, and she spotted his first-sibling, Talibeth. The other nestling hadn’t yet spotted Arucken. Her large pearl coloured eyes, a genetic abnormality for their species, fixated on the Ereader she held in long pale arms. She did not look happy, and the tall, dusky male in front of her was beginning to look rather harassed. Another nestling stood to one side of them both, a shorter creature that flinched each time Talibeth spoke.

  As Lilith moved off to get them a trolley to load up, Talibeth made an exasperated hissing sound through her wide mouth. Her pale eyes looked around and locked onto Arucken. She smiled, but it wasn’t friendly.

  “Ah, the human imitation!” she said, the bite in her voice plain. She transferred her glance to Kerris. “And the thing to imitate.”

  Kerris met the gaze unblinking. She said nothing, as she felt Arucken struggle to keep calm beside her. Then she turned her back on the cold eyes and picked up the closest container. In a low voice she began asking Arucken questions on storage.

  Arucken answered, clearly unsettled but his voice steady enough. Talibeth gave a derisive laugh behind them, and then her voice grew louder as she began berating the poor worker helping her load the trolley.

  “Of course I am helping my own people, as a priority.” She said, loudly enough for many of the closer tables to hear her. A group of humans nearby frowned across at the acerbic tone. Feelings between nestlings and humans were smoother in the years since the pairings, but there was still a long way to go.

  “Morals can allow no other option.” Talibeth continued. Her long fingers caressing a pod encased in silver metal and with two strong teal lines encircling it. A rarity, then. Talibeth looked across at Arucken and the rows of simple items before him. Simple items, for an easy colony and one that was human-orientated. She sighed, a teacher disappointed in a student too slow to understand. “Ah but we can only hope others follow our example.”

  The nestling beside her glanced across at Arucken and flushed. The silver shine ran along its exposed hands and neck before it faded back inside. Talibeth appeared not to notice. The dusky human interjected, his calm voice explaining some storage details of the rare item. Talibeth turned her attention back, hands still cradling the item. Despite her personality, she was an excellent scientist. Arucken had cited plenty of her papers, and she his in turn. It was only in person that their enmity was clear.

  Arucken trembled, tinges of a pearl colour not unlike Talibeth’s eyes spilling out his fingers. Kerris moved to block out the sight of his first-sibling completely as they continued checking off the item list.

  The trolley came back then, guided by a harassed looking Lilith.

  “I was lucky to get this.” She said to them in a low voice. The trolley rested to one side of their table with a low hum. It hovered several inches above the floor. “Most are booked out already.” Lilith's eyes flicked across to follow a small group of humans to the rear of the hall.

  Kerris knew they’d best be quick about loading, Talibeth would be here for hours yet.

  They piled up their items in silence, ignoring the attempts from Talibeth to get a rise out of either of them. Once loaded, they began to guide the trolley back towards the hallway.

  Talibeth took swift, graceful steps to block their route, as soon as they began moving. The nestling spread out long webbed fingers, obscuring the controls.

  “Tell me.” she said, and her voice was now a low hiss. She made no move to look at Kerris, her attention completely focused on Arucken. “Does it help to know that we are doing all we can without you? Is that the thought that calms you, as you conduct your little human experiment? Or do you not care at all?”

  Lilith was quiet to one side, her eyes flicking back and forth as she watched the two nestlings. One hand hovered above her left hip, where Kerris was pretty sure a button lay hidden. No Seedport could sustain itself without some kind of security and Shamibala had a lot to protect.

  Arucken’s voice was a low rumble, a boulder crashing into the sea. “I made my choice Talibeth, leave me to it. One route or another, our species will move forward.”

  The disgust in Talibeth’s voice was palpable. “With no thanks to you!”

  She shoved the trolley forward, striding off without looking back. The trolley sped forward, giving off a high whine as Lilith leapt after it, grappling to bring it to a halt. A few silver boxed items spilt to one side.

  Arucken and Kerris helped to settle the trolley, placing items back upon the pile. Lilith stared after the nestling and turned to Arucken. “Please, keep your politics out of this. She will be spoken to also.”

  Arucken nodded, although the look he shared with Kerris was sceptical. They both knew Talibeth would hear nothing from this. Her friends were too powerful, the same council members that held their contract. It was an unsettling thought.

  It was a relief they’d met her in a Seedport, where security was always tight. If feelings were bubbling over so quickly, Kerris knew they’d need to plan their routes with more care in the future. Arucken’s assent in her mind was like the crest of a wave, a small surge of agreement.

  She was unable to tell which of them felt the chilling unease. Kerris was glad to find herself in the corridor and on their way back. The sparkling lights of it sent an odd shimmer to the floor, so she felt like she was stepping through swarms of insects. She shepherded the trolley along from the side, with Arucken to the other. It glided along between the three of them, smooth and silent.

  Lilith steered from the rear, hers the large range of controls that monitored the Biosigns.

  Happiness held is the seed; Happiness shared is the flower said the wall to one side of her. She wondered what nestling ones there were, what ones spoke to Arucken as they passed them. She knew there was plenty in his species that he felt he could not agree with.

  The chill in the air was less here, although still plenty cold enough to keep their cargo content. Kerris wished she’d brought her jacket, as the chill prickled her dark, bare arms. Lilith, in her long robes, noticed it not at all.

  As they walked, they began to hear a demanding sequence of chimes.

  Octavia!

  They ran together, abandoning Lilith to the trolley. She shouted after them, shocked, but Kerris did not hear the words. She could hear the alarm from Octavia, and she would not call out unless necessary. Not here.

  As they ran to the landing bay, scanning their pass more swiftly than before, they came into the open site. A new ship rested beside Octavia, it was a similar nestling-made design but rather larger. Two nestlings and a human stood in front, taking photos and recordings of Octavia.

  Kerris marched up to them, gathering her breath. “And why are you disturbing my ship?”

  They turned to her, laughing. The two nestlings were the same height as Arucken, but somewhat stockier.

  The middle-aged woman gave them a thin smile. Her hair lay in auburn waves around her shoulders and her eyes hid behind half-moon spectacles. It was she who spoke. “Your ship?”

  “Our ship!” Arucken said, coming to a halt beside Kerris.

  “I don’t think so.” The larger of the two nestlings said, with a
smirk on his lips. His voice was a soft monotone, eyes remained steady and unblinking. “This is a council owned vehicle.”

  “Irrelevant.” Arucken said quietly. He stood eerily still, looking at each of the three figures in turn. “Recordings of other vehicles here is not permitted. You should know that.”

  He turned round, beckoning to a rather cross-looking Lilith who had followed them in and was only now approaching. She steered the trolley somewhat awkwardly. As they explained her expression grew rather fierce, as she demanded they hand over the material they had recorded.

  The woman made a polite apology. Her fake laugh was grating to Kerris’ ears, but Lilith accepted it without comment. The worker scrutinised the devices they passed over to her, returning them with a curt nod.

  “Remember for next time.” She said, as she returned the scanning devices. Her glance then took in the both of them as well when she added. “Keep your politics away from Shamibala please!”

  The nestlings moved across to the main entrance, presenting their passes to the automated scan. The woman paused, sending them across a brilliant smile. “Our mistake!” she said, but her eyes said rather different.

  She followed after the nestlings, and the three figures were lost to view. The much larger ship dwarfing Octavia lie silent on the landing pad. Kerris glanced at it, and she could see the similarities. It was like an older uncle to their niece, a looming hulk of metal that hinted at a grace that had been fully realised in their girl.

  What did they get, before we returned?

  Whatever they needed. I bet it got transmitted instantly. Arucken said. We’d best keep an eye out. I didn’t realise Talibeth’s feelings ran quite this deep.

  You believe they were Talibeth’s? One of them was human.

  Arucken looked at her for a few moments, and she could tell he found it difficult to answer. Humans are fine, as long as they meet our needs.

  He turned away from her, and Lilith helped them unload the trolley in silence. Arucken was careful to take the items from Lilith and not allow her entry inside. She seemed a little offended by this, and she wove them off with less than the usual courtesy. They were both relieved to be back in the air.

  The blue haze of the planet Shamibala, and its attached Seedport, faded behind them. The skies were full of stars, leading them on a trail onwards whilst they planned for the coming journey. These were the points of stillness, the time to consider and prepare. Kerris loved these moments.

  Until Octavia, some hours later, began dipping in the stars. Her sensors flashed and spasmed. Alarms went off, harsh and insistent. Kerris abandoned the documents she’d been studying. Her body filled with adrenaline, lending speed to her racing legs.

  They both hurried towards the helm, Arucken’s hands still dark with dirt from where he’d been sorting the new seedlings. He reached the controls moments before her. Octavia flung them both forward with a harsh, shuddering wail of protesting engines.

  Then she came to a halt, and the alarms cut off completely. There was a horrible silence, a lack of something they had only recently begun to notice. The stars slowed in their viewscreen, distant points of light glittering. All was silent and dead. The helm was still under Kerris’ smooth palms, with not even the slightest hint of vibration.

  Fear surged in Arucken and Kerris choked down the echoes of it that passed through her. She knew their minds had leapt to the same worry, but the oxygen levels stayed steady, the lights and main power at least remained.

  And then Octavia restarted herself, came alive again, leaping forward with a thrust and hum of her engine. The hasty movement smoothed, star trails gaining speed across the viewscreen. Kerris remembered again to breathe.

  Arucken turned to face Kerris, his dirty prints across the console where he’d been accessing their messages. His eyes were afraid, his skin dull with controlled feelings.

  “That was a warning.” He said simply. “I think you can guess who it was from.”

  Maylith Tara

  The night before landing eventually arrived. As Kerris retired to her room she realised she was longing to feel the wind skimming against her face again. She felt trapped. Talibeth’s control of their ship had terrified her.

  Octavia herself was oddly subdued.

  The both of them had torn the helm apart after Talibeth’s invasion, searching for where Octavia had been compromised. Although they had shored up a few possibilities, they were both on edge. It felt like at any time control could be wrested away from them.

  And although Octavia held a small room for various exercises and activities, as well as other areas, she still felt like a cage. Kerris was sick of always seeing the same walls and breathing the same recycled air. This far into their journey, the air was heavy and dull.

  She took herself to her bunk, and let her mind drift as she waited for morning to arrive.

  When she awoke, Arucken was already in the shower but had left out their morning breakfast. She swigged it down quickly and moved to the computer to check their route, an hour’s travel remained.

  She reviewed the mission as Arucken checked the seedlings and other supplies. They had flourished in the time away, and she could tell he was keen to see them established. They’d been ordered to deliver them to the mainland and then transfer a data cube to an island too young to be connected to the grid just yet, or even have a safe enough place for landing.

  Arucken returned, towel draped across his shoulder like a toga. He did not have parts his species considered private to shelter, but he did like to poke fun at what he called her ‘human modesty levels’. She was alarmed to see how faded he looked, like the shower had washed out his colours together with the dirt. The long elegance of him was like a pale shadow, a ghost topped with huge blank eyes.

  Food first. She said to him, passing the container across.

  How kind my friend! He answered after a pause. A grin split across his wide face. His large, oval eyes glistened with amusement. How odd! I remember preparing this!

  Kerris just shrugged. She had grabbed a couple of containers out of the fridge, and she suspected he was right about who had prepared them. She didn’t have the same interest in how their cultures differed, food was just food to her, no matter who cooked it. When they had first got together he had teased her by claiming they had married each other at a local planet, because they had drunk from the same water container. This had panicked her until some quick research had proven that quite wrong.

  A promise is not a marriage she had told herself firmly and put that matter out of her mind.

  Maylith Tara was a large planet, its heavy cloud cover making it a dim orb in front of them. It was a young planet, the mainland established but the island colonies only newly begun.

  After an enquiring glance at her, Arucken moved across to the console and began guiding Octavia to make her landing planetside. An automated voice directed them to the largest of the landmasses, an elongated shape that resembled an outstretched arm. Arroyo.

  Kerris dressed swiftly, making sure her weapons were concealed but easy to access. She strapped them tightly underneath and gathered their essential items into a rucksack each. Although they tried to avoid being parted, each kit would allow them to survive alone if needed. She packed with a rapid, painful energy that she tried and failed to control. She was desperate to explore.

  She returned to the helm as Octavia broke through the patchy cloud cover. White stone buildings lay in rigid square lines, broken by larger rectangle or oval shapes that suggested a more central purpose. The uniform lines spread across a lush green area, with the beginnings of cobbled streets linking them together.

  One building towered over all the rest, blindingly white and topped with an ornate spire. Further out, a large grey warehouse looked drab in comparison, and it was to that dull building that Octavia sped. It was set back from the main buildings like a forgotten relative, the roof left open to the sky.