“My mind was open when she came up. I learned a lot of things that I shouldn’t know. A lot that I wish I didn’t.”
“What was your original talent?”
Wimsah sighed. “I can project any psychic talent through any suitable vessel.”
“Can you give me an example?”
“If I saw someone drowning, I could use the nearest person on the beach, give them telekinesis and lift the drowning person out of the ocean. The talent would not remain in them and I would replace the burned-out energy of the body I snagged.”
“Were they questioned by the authorities?”
“They were but were always turned loose. If anyone had been detained, I would have turned myself in a lot sooner than I did.”
“Is that what happened?”
“Yes, I used a series of folk to help out at a bridge collapse. Several were holding the bridge up from a distance, and the others were controlling the crowds into evacuation. With so many people involved, I accidentally selected a talent who already had their own issues. They were collected and taken to an assessment centre, so I went in and broke them out while turning myself in. They simply forgot all about her.”
“You deleted her files?”
“I had one of the techs do it, and when they held me, I had someone in the main archives do the same.”
He blinked. “You are a puppet master.”
“What?”
“You are a puppet master. I have never met one. As far as I know, your kind are only theoretical.”
She scratched her head. “I don’t feel like a theory.”
Benliar sighed, “I suppose not.”
“What is a puppet master?”
“It is said that with enough power, you can enslave a world. You already have the power, so what do you plan to do with it?”
“I plan to take up baking and learn to sew. I want to master the physical skills that I don’t currently have. I want to go to school and continue my education. I want to have a life.” She fought a tear. “I want to have what I couldn’t at home.”
He put his hand on her shoulder and rubbed her back. “We will work it out when we land. It won’t be long now.”
A ping got his attention, and he smiled. “In fact, we are home.”
She held Spot carefully and watched as a tiny speck in the distance grew rapidly as they approached. Benliar moved with practiced gestures as he checked their speed and made corrections to their trajectory.
They aimed for a space station, but before they reached it, they turned toward the planet itself.
“Wimsah, welcome to Roden.”
The green and blue jewel grew larger in the screen. She whispered, “Hello, Roden.”
She swore that she felt something in the ground below respond to her sentiment.
“My ship is the only one that is allowed to pass directly to the surface. Everyone else uses magnetically propelled shuttles to get from here to the station.” Benliar settled his ship on a tarmac.
“Because you are the Avatar and the assumption is that you are in control of anything onboard your craft.”
“Pretty much. The global council opens in two days, and I am just relieved that we made it back in time.”
That explained his hurry. She kept the packs with rations for herself and Spot over her shoulder as she followed him out of the ship.
“As the first one of your species to land on Roden, I would ask that you agree to a full medical workup.”
Wimsah shrugged. “Why not?”
He sighed in relief. “The primary tenant of Roden is pursuit of knowledge. The medical department jumps on the chance to develop their scanners.”
“As long as they don’t really jump on me, things will be fine.”
Benliar smiled and took her packs. “No, that will not be necessary or allowed. You are to be treated with the utmost respect.”
“Wonderful. Where are you putting me?”
To her surprise, he wrapped his arms around her and he simply lifted off the surface. “You will be coming with me, Wimsah.”
She squeaked and Spot wiggled to a point where he could see what was going on but remain snugly between their bodies.
Wimsah pressed her face against his shoulder and tried not to look. The tunic and loose trousers that she was wearing were no barrier to the cut of the wind that sliced through them.
She held perfectly still as he flew with her for twenty minutes before he settled on the ground.
“You can open your eyes now, Wimsah. We are at the home of the Avatar.”
She blinked and shivered as she stepped away from him. “G-g-good.”
He stared at her and touched her cheek. The heat of his palm made her flinch.
“Why didn’t you mention you were cold?”
She shivered and glared at him. “I was busy not screaming.”
To her surprise, Benliar leaned in and tugged on her chin to open her mouth. He pressed his mouth over hers and heat flowed into her from that kiss.
Shivering with cold took a back seat to shivering with something else. He lifted his head from hers and smiled hopefully. “Better?”
She pulled Spot up in front of her chest. “Yes.”
His expression was bright but his eyes glowed. “This way. I ordered a few changes of clothing for you before I left. Let’s see if they followed my orders.”
He put his arm around her and turned her to the huge glass and stone building where he made his home.
Benliar’s home opened its doors as they approached, and she looked around quickly as she tried to take it all in.
Two metal towers rolled toward them. They spoke in harmony. “Avatar, welcome home.”
“Thank you. Did the clothing arrive?”
“It did, Avatar. Her quarters have been readied. Please identify the creature she is holding.”
He made a face. “Ah, right. That is Spot, a Yaluthu. He is a healing bond pet that Wimsah is attached to. Treat him with the utmost respect.”
“Acknowledged. Dinner will be prepared and ready in two hours.”
“Excellent. Take all food preferences into account, please.”
“Acknowledged.” They turned and whirred away into what appeared to be a kitchen area.
Benliar smiled. “This way. Living quarters are upstairs. Yours are across the hall from mine.”
“What were those things?”
“Ah, they are household servants. They were designed three Avatars ago and have been here since.”
“They are robots?” Technology on Resicor was only scratching the surface of that sort of tech.
“Of course. Most of the manual labour is done by bots for jobs that are too tedious or too dangerous for Roden.”
They climbed up the stairs, and he continued the press of his hand on her back. She was getting used to the contact.
“These are your quarters. They are normally reserved as the Avatar’s study, but it is easy enough for me to move my study down the hall.”
“Why not move me down the hall?”
“Your talent has not been stabilized. If you need assistance, I need to be close. You will be the most dangerous while you sleep. Your mind is stronger there.”
She stepped into the room designed in shades of cream and all colours of the rainbow melded into their fabrics. Wimsah looked around and Spot squirmed to get down. She put him down on the floor and he immediately went exploring.
Wimsah ran her hands over her arms. “Where is the wardrobe?”
“Through those doors. You can walk in and select something warmer. I had not counted on it being so much colder than Resicor.”
“I haven’t been active for a few seasons. My biology is probably a little scrambled.”
She went looking for clothing, and she came up with underwear, a long-sleeved dress in soft grey and some knee-high boots. She was finally a little warmer. A shawl completed her insulation.
She opened the door and Spot was at her feet, chirping to be picked up.
She lifted him and blinked at the rearrangement of the furniture to create a stair to the bed. “What happened?”
Benliar was standing and staring at Spot. “He moved the furniture to give him a step up to the bed.”
“He lifted it?”
“He didn’t touch anything.”
She looked down at the content little beast in her arms. “Oh, damn.”
Apparently, the moment that Benliar arrived, a signal was sent around the world. As they ate in the dining room, the bots kept coming in with displays and messages from a variety of councillors congratulating him on his safe return.
He made her an appointment for a full workup at the exobiology research lab and blocked off that segment of time for himself so that he could accompany her.
“You also need to call the Avatar of Resicor. Veera pressed me into promising.”
“How do I do that?” She held a handful of seeds to Spot, and he nibbled and pecked away, making a soothing, chortling sound.
“I have asked the bots to download the information from the ship. The codes were sent in a bundled file.” He put a portion of what appeared to be a slab of meat down on his plate and continued eating.
One of the bots rolled up to her and the screen presented. “Calling Resicor.”
She blinked and tidied the front of her shawl when the screen came online. Trala was sitting at a desk, and she looked up. “Hello?”
There was a glow about Wimsah’s childhood friend that hadn’t been there before. There was more than just Trala looking out through her eyes.
“Hello, Trala. I am awake and on Roden. It is Wimsah, by the way.” She waved.
Tears formed in Trala’s eyes. “Oh, Wim. I am so glad to see you. Sorry, it took me a moment to see the holographic display.”
“You are looking well. How is Resicor? How are the people?”
“They are stabilizing, which is excellent. Things are returning to normal and talents are beginning to integrate themselves into daily activities, out in the open. There are still pockets of discrimination, but we hit those areas with lectures and demonstrations, and it usually turns things in our favour.”
“Nothing more from the Raiders?”
Spot hopped onto her lap, and he looked at the image in the screen.
“Uh, no. The Raiders were shattered to bits. What is that?”
“A Yaluthu. He kept me together while I waited for the Citadel to find me someone to graft my mind to. If not for Spot, my consciousness would have scattered to the winds.”
“I thought Yaluthu were taller, more aggressive.”
Wim scratched his chin. “He will be, when he is grown up. He is just a little fella right now.”
“Where is your partner?”
“Partner? Oh, Benliar, Avatar of Roden. He is the one who is holding my brain together.”
She turned the bot, and Benliar’s eyes changed and he stopped eating.
“Sister Resicor, it is good to see you have woken.”
“Brother Roden, it is nice to see another Avatar caring for one of my people. Is she safe?”
“She is safer here with me than with anyone else in the universe. I will guard your daughter.”
“Thank you.”
The bot turned back, and Trala’s eyes were back in control. “Sorry about that but it is part of the deal. I get the lifespan, and she gets the body when she needs it.”
“So, what is the pendant for?”
“For when you need it. When you figure it out, let me know, because Resicor is being silent on the matter.”
Wim laughed. “That could be annoying when you are sharing a body with someone.”
“You have no idea. Call anytime. I miss you.” There was a lonely echo that had never been in Trala’s voice before.
“I know. Noma is fine. Trust in that.”
Trala narrowed her eyes. “I know that. How do you know that?”
Wim gasped and squeaked, “Ask Resicor. Disconnect the call.”
The screen went dark, and she sat back, vibrating with tension.
Benliar smiled, “Another thing you were not supposed to know?”
“Yes.” She turned toward her meal and tried to figure out what was meat, what was bread and what was something else.
The water was all she was sure of.
The food wasn’t bad and it was easy for her to digest.
“The bots have worked to make sure that you ease into the food of Roden. While I have begun the transformation process in your system to allow you to adapt to our foods, it won’t be complete for another few days. I won’t take any chances traumatizing your system.”
She nibbled her way through the soft food and she nodded. “Probably wise.”
With a sudden flip of her stomach, she dropped Spot, got to her feet and ran to the lav, throwing up everything that she had eaten.
Shaking, she scrubbed her face and dried her hands before leaving the lav.
Benliar was waiting outside, with Spot. “What is wrong?”
She smiled weakly. “You can’t be asleep as long as I was and then assume you can eat a solid dinner. Broth for me, I think.”
“And a doctor. I should have taken you there immediately.” He lifted her and carried her up the steps with Spot chirping in irritation right behind them.
“I will be fine if I just work my way up to solids. You can put me down.” She was hopeful.
“I will tuck you into bed and summon the bots then call a physician.”
“It is nothing.”
“I don’t believe you.” Benliar looked down at her. His eyes darkened to black.
“I promised Resicor that you would be safe here. Do not make me break that promise.”
“Roden, I will be fine. I am sure you can see that my body is still in recovery.”
“Benliar is worried. Exceedingly worried. You are the first true companion he has had in decades.”
He paused and gave the bots their orders. When he turned back to her, he was still in possession of the body.
“I am very glad you are here.”
“Why? I mean, I am grateful for the chance to get myself together, but I am sure you could have taken in any number of those who no longer had a place on Resicor.”
“True, but few, if any, of those would have appealed to my Avatar. He watches you closely, and there is a wistfulness in his mind. You have made an impression on him.”
“How is that possible? He barely speaks.”
“You need to stop listening with your ears, Wimsah. You have many other senses to avail yourself of.”
“Resicor was asking those who took her people in to make them as their own. Why isn’t that happening here?”