Authors: Jaine Fenn
Nual smiled. ‘He found me on the mothership. He got me out.’
‘Observation: why would he do that? Humans hate Sidhe.’
‘I called him to me.’
‘Observation: most fascinating.’
Nual refused to let the Arbiter goad her. ‘Initially I exerted some control, but I am not like my sisters. I did
not
impose my will on him. He
chose
to rescue me.’
‘Observation: how very noble of him.’
‘You may believe me or not as you choose. Nonetheless, he and I share the same cause.’
‘Addendum: along with your human lover.’
‘Yes.’
‘Observation: the lover who initially appeared to be sleeping with Captain Reen.’
Nual hesitated. The Arbiter had not said it was a question.
Eventually the Arbiter said drily, ‘We await your next statement with interest.’
‘My next statement on what subject?’ she said with all the innocence she could muster.
‘Observation,’ said the Arbiter slowly. ‘Do not make the mistake of forgetting how many sentiences observing and listening to this exchange wish you dead. Fortunately, theirs are not the only voices here and our –
my
– wish is to take the least disruptive course. However, I cannot stop you if you choose to condemn yourself.’
Nual swallowed. ‘You are asking why Taro and I pretended not to be lovers? For the reason the lingua told you: I had a premonition.’
‘Observation: that is a very rare ability.’
‘It is. In my limited experience it is also unreliable.’
‘Observation: and yet you acted on it.’
‘I did. I decided I had nothing to lose.’ Even if it had annoyed Taro . . . Nual experienced a sudden pang, remembering how hurt he had been.
Some of the lights had gone out; others lit up. Nual guessed there were thousands of simultaneous conversations going on around her. She wished there was a railing, or some other support to hold on to, but all she had to keep her upright was her willpower.
Finally the Arbiter said, ‘Query: tell us of your relationship with Khesh.’
Nual was a little taken aback at the abrupt change of direction, but she determined not to let it show. She said calmly, ‘Khesh discovered I was Sidhe soon after I arrived in his City. He decided to offer me shelter to spite my sisters.’
‘Query: do you trust him?’
‘Yes,’ she said, adding, ‘to an extent.’
‘Request clarification.’
‘I doubt Khesh is entirely honest with me, but I also believe he would not sell me out.’ She had meant specifically to the females, but she was beginning to wonder if they were not the only ones she should be worrying about. Just what bargain had the Minister struck with the Aleph males in return for a beacon? Not her life, surely – without her, Jarek’s ship could not return to human-space.
There was another pause, then the Arbiter said, ‘Ruling: your testimony so far is deemed acceptable.’
Nual tried not to let her relief show.
‘I will now allow more detailed questions on the matters you have touched upon.’
Nual was not sure if she was supposed to respond. After a moment she nodded her assent.
‘First, recognise Ipsis, rep:No Strange Delight.’ The corresponding light was on the edge of the halo, almost directly below her pseudo-stellar viewpoint.
‘Request for information: we would know more of the shiftspace incident. You must have seen its effects. If a human was able to board the mothership and remove you from it, one presumes these effects had disabled the other Sidhe.’
‘They had,’ Nual said succinctly, though she realised she would not be able to get away without a fuller answer. Naturally they would be interested in anything that might damage the female Sidhe.
‘Query: how, precisely?’
‘It drove them mad. They turned on each other.’
‘Query: how did they react to the human?’
‘They ignored Captain Reen. He defended me.’
‘Query: when you left, were some of these insane females still alive?’
‘Some – not many, I think.’
‘Query: what happened to the mothership after you left?’
‘Its transit-kernel was dead, so I would assume it is still in the realspace location where I last saw it.’
‘You say this madness descended on the unity in shiftspace. Query: have you any idea of its nature?’
‘I had been excluded. I was outside the unity,’ she repeated.
The Arbiter said, ‘That is not what was asked.’
Nual decided to share more of what she knew with the males – they were her people, after all, despite the millennia of estrangement, and if the threat was as serious as she believed, then she – no,
everyone
– would need their help. Not to mention not wanting to give them an excuse to kill her for failing to cooperate. ‘I do not know what the presence was,’ she said, ‘but I believe it was not native to our reality. I think it came from a different universe and it used shiftspace as a connecting medium.’
The original questioner said, ‘Query: why do you believe this, if it did not touch you?’
‘It— it did touch me, briefly. But it passed through, and left no trace.’
‘Query: why were you unaffected when everyone else was driven mad?’
‘I am not sure.’ Again, not strictly a lie. She hurried on, trying to steer them onto a course of her choosing, ‘I did not witness the process directly. I had barricaded myself in my cell and withdrawn my mind behind my shields. I heard screams, and even through my shields I could sense this otherverse entity, spreading madness and destruction. It went on for some days; the effect was just beginning to abate when the entity forced the ship back into the shift. That broke the transit-kernel, and also gave me a chance to contact Captain Reen.’
‘Request for clarification: you called to him from shiftspace?’
‘Yes.’
There was another, longer, pause, then the Arbiter said, ‘Observation: that is another highly unusual talent. Query: do you know what makes you so special, Nual?’
‘No,’ she said, ‘I do not – and given the fate of those who might know, and my opposition to the rest of my race, I can see no easy way to find out.’
‘Query: do you believe everyone on the mothership where you were spawned is dead?’ said the Arbiter.
‘I hope they are, given what happened to them.’
‘We have many requests for further information on your encounter with this – what did you call it? An “otherverse entity”? – so let us go over your experiences on the mothership in more detail . . .’
Given the choice between a pitched battle with the locals and a ride with an unknown rescuer, Taro decided Option Two was the way to go. ‘Why didn’t you say?’ he said to the woman. ‘I’ll be right over.’
He flew across the gap to the boxy shuttle, glancing back once to see a hairy head poking out from the airlock of Device’s ship. Big Hair looked understandably pissed off.
‘So long, sucker,’ muttered Taro as the woman stepped back to let him into the shuttle. Close up he realised she was actually wearing a black hi-tech v-suit.
On the far side of the shuttle’s small cabin was a youth, also suited up, lying back in a comfy seat which reminded Taro of Jarek’s command couch on the
Heart of Glass.
Taro guessed he was the pilot, and given the lack of visible controls and the fact that the boy’s eyes were closed, he guessed he was flying the shuttle on neurolink. Unless it was another fucking avatar. Out of the corner of his eye Taro saw the opening he’d come through disappear, to be replaced by a featureless wall.
‘Nice suits,’ said Taro a little nervously. ‘Do I get one?’
‘Negative.’
‘Er, why not?’
‘Clarification: there is a high risk you picked up an infection on CN-361.’
Great, just what he needed! ‘So that’s what it’s called? Catchy name, that: CN-361 – beats “Dingy Shithole”, I suppose.’ He knew he was prattling; the woman was watching him like he was a specimen, and he’d had enough of that recently. ‘Er, who did you say you were again?’
‘Answer: I am Six-Zhian-Silver. My companion is Nine-Etrinak-Mercury.’
‘Prime names you coves’ve got.’
‘Request: please clarify your last statement.’
‘Your names, they’re a bit longer than I’m used to.’
‘Suggestion: feel free to use the familial versions: Zhian and Trin.’
The pilot raised a hand in greeting, though he kept his eyes shut.
Taro relaxed a bit at the casual gesture. ‘I’m Taro sanMalia.’
‘Statement: we know this.’
‘Yeah, ’course you do. Sorry, I’m a bit fried.’ There must be shitloads of questions he should be asking right now, if only he could think of them. He settled for the most obvious one: ‘I’m guessing there’s more of you – not just two people in a shuttle, I mean.’
‘Query: was that a question?’
‘Er, yeah.’
‘Answer: a total of fifty-three free humans inhabit the vessel we are returning to.’
‘Oh, right – free humans: so that means you ain’t got a patron?’ He wondered if he’d been picked up by some sort of rebels.
‘Negative. Clarification: we have a patron.’
‘But he don’t mind you wandering around rescuing waifs and strays?’
‘Answer: our patron allows us to travel the system and act with considerable autonomy.’ She sounded proud of this.
‘Good for him,’ muttered Taro. He wondered about asking the patron’s name, but just keeping up a conversation with these people was a serious fucking effort right now. Besides, he doubted the name’d mean anything to him.
‘Statement for visitor: we are here,’ announced Trin.
‘Here?’ echoed Taro.
Zhian turned, so Taro did too. The doorway was back, only now it opened directly into an airlock. ‘That was quick,’ he said, to cover his confusion. Round here they obviously didn’t go in for ships that made any noise.
‘Is chill,’ said the pilot. He wasn’t much older than Taro.
Zhian said brusquely, ‘Request: kindly follow me,’ and Taro did as he was asked. He noticed that Trin stayed where he was. The airlock led into an ordinary-looking corridor. They passed one door, which didn’t open, and another, which did, to reveal a room-sized medbay. Zhian gestured for Taro to go in first, and after a moment’s hesitation he obeyed. It wasn’t like he had much choice.
She said, ‘Request: kindly remove your soiled garments and lie down on this couch.’
‘On a first date? What makes you think I’m that sorta boy?’ Taro joked, nervously.
‘Clarification: you may keep your undergarments on.’
A strip-search would be inconvenient, but Taro didn’t mind losing the filthy tunic and leggings. He undressed and lay down. Zhian waved a handheld doodad over him, checked some readouts, and then said, ‘Warning: you will now experience slight pain.’
‘What the—? Hey!’ he cried as something stung his arm, but it faded almost at once and a pleasant, heavy feeling began to spread through his body. He should probably be trying to fight it, ’cos he didn’t know shit about this Zhian and her ship, and everyone around here had some sort of fucking agenda . . . but it felt good just being somewhere where no one was trying to kill, kidnap or shout at him. He realised his eyes were closing and twitched, trying to stay awake.
A hand touched his arm gently. ‘Clarification of current situation: your body requires medical attention, fluids and rest. These we will provide.’
He tried to think of a smart comeback, but sleeping was a lot easier than speaking.
Taro felt much better when he awakened – and he even knew where he was, sort of: on a ship, having just been rescued by humans. There was something about the rescue, the way Zhian had reacted . . .
No, it was gone.
He opened his eyes: he was in the same medbay, but this time he was by himself. He flexed his arms experimentally—
—and stopped. The med-tat on the inside of his wrist was livid purple.
‘Er, Zhian?’ he called. ‘You there?’
He sat up without too much difficulty. He didn’t
feel
ill, just a bit lightheaded, and, now he thought about it, distinctly hollow-bellied. He was swinging his legs off the couch when the door opened and Zhian came in. She was wearing a shapeless shipboard one-piece in a forgettable shade of beige.
Taro held up his wrist and pointed to the tattoo with his other hand, ‘You might wanna put your sexy suit back on, and I don’t just mean ’cos it looks better.’
Zhian frowned. She had a chunky face, not really pretty, but trustworthy-looking. ‘Query: does that mark indicate pathogens in your system?’
‘Pather—? Yeah, says if I’m ill.’
‘Clarification: you are not ill any more,’ she said carefully.
‘Then why’s my tat showing?’
‘Supposition: your medical implant is still reacting to the infection you picked up on CN-361. However, be assured that your bodily systems, with our help, will shortly be experiencing flawless functionality.’