Sacred Trust (3 page)

“That sounds like fun. I will slant my discussion towards science, though, as that is my main interest. Let me think for a moment about where to start.”

Sometimes Ruen sounded like a teenager and sometimes like a professor—an interesting young person, I thought.

“Let us stop here,” Ruen said, pointing at stools beside an open area, before she started what I would assume would be a lecture. I had only just met Ruen but I felt I already had a good grasp of her nature.

“What is this place?” I asked. We stood on the sidewalk beside an empty lot between two buildings, right in downtown Basik.

“It's a historical site. It is here to remind us that our planet was once covered with flowing water. Before you are the remains of a river bed.” Ruen gestured towards the area in front of us.

I sat down on a stool, lowered my bag, and looked around. There were pebbles and stones, along with stools, for sitting, dispersed throughout the entire lot. The actual outline of a river bed proved harder to discern.

“Where do you get your water now, if the flowing water is gone? Is it all gone?” I asked. I hadn't noticed any shortage of water so far during our stay on Basili. Although, being involved with a diplomatic entourage may have clouded my perception.

“We have lots of water underground. It is not a problem. Although, there are some in the scientific community who would like to transform Basili to reflect its past.”

“Is that possible?” I asked. I hadn't ever studied terraforming.

“Probably, but it is an area outside my expertise.”

Again Ruen sounded like a professor. Perhaps she would be one, someday, precocious and intelligent as she was.

“What do people do at this park?” An aura of solitude permeated the area—park was the perfect word. A couple of Basilians were within our sight, but not many—which seemed strange for such a busy city.

“They seek peace and contentment by Merily, a method of attaining relaxation of the body,” said Ruen. She picked up a stone with her six-toed foot and put it in her hand, so I grabbed one too.

“This is beautiful,” I said. The stone had a flattened bottom, and the top shone brightly, even though the sun had started to set. Taking a closer look, I noticed a clear coating with flecks in the interior.

“How you do Merily?” asked Tata.

“There are many ways of accomplishing relaxation but Merily, if done properly, allows you to relax your mind, and therefore your body follows,” said Ruen.

A familiar concept
, I thought, as I wracked my brain.

“This is like meditation,” I said. “Not something I've tried, though.”

“Merily is usually for older people,” said Ruen.

I picked up a few more rocks. “These are all different,” I said to Ruen.

“There is great variety, I agree. Some people collect them for a Merily bowl to use in their home.”

“Deplete area?” asked Tata, always the practical one.

“City workers replace the stones periodically,” said Ruen. “We have lots of dry river beds to choose from.”

So the park gives a sense of continuity with the past
, I thought. I marveled again on the differences between Arandi and Basilian speech patterns. From a common root—much like twins—their evolution however had produced significant differences.

“May I collect some?” I asked. The twinkling stones beckoned to me, for some reason.

“Of course. Basik is your home now.”

Ruen was such a sweet kid, and so mature. She stood up and turned towards me. She stood still, quite unlike her usual nature. “Nara, why were you and Tata at police headquarters today?”

That's right; she'd followed us from there. “We were visiting The Temple of Enlightenment after school and discovered a dead Basilian. So a detective, Officer Kikess, wanted to interview us.”

Ruen got the strangest look on her face. Perhaps not strange, but one I couldn't interpret.

“A sad day,” said Ruen.

“Yes, it is a sad day.”

“Do you know who died?” she asked.

“Not a clue,” I replied. I thought for a moment. “Tata, why did you decide the dead Basilian was an older person?”

“Hair darker.”

Obviously I looked confused, even to Ruen, because she said, “Basilian hair darkens with age.”

Her words explained a lot, but not everything. “But why did I see a white-haired Basilian talking to the main priest at The Temple of Enlightenment?”

“Not possible,” said Ruen.

“Never saw,” said Tata.

So were they both calling me a liar?
I collected stones for a while and put them in my day pack. Perhaps I'd need a meditation bowl—
no one believes what I saw
. “I need to get going. I told my father I wouldn't be late for dinner. Perhaps we'll see you tomorrow, Ruen.”

She walked with us to our building, and then set off for her own home.

In the lobby of our building, I spoke with Tata. “A very tiring day. Hopefully, tomorrow will be less stressful.”

“Yes. Homework tonight.”

“Oh, that's right. I have quite a bit too. See you tomorrow morning then.”

We took the elevator to our apartments, getting off at different floors. I found my father in our kitchen putting some dinner together. He wasn't a bad cook, but not really creative.

“How was your walk? Feeling a little more relaxed?” he asked.

“Actually, I am. We met a young Basilian girl who goes to our school. She's a little younger than we are, about three cycles, but she got to go to BSU because she's bright. She took us to a park and explained a bit of Basilian history.”

“Good. New friends are a great idea.”

“We just met her, Dad. What's for dinner?” Parents could be so pushy.

“One of your favorites. Pasta.” He continued to work on his preparations.

I noticed he had a serious look on his face. “What's wrong?” I asked.

He hesitated. “I'll tell you after dinner.”

“No, tell me now. I won't be able to eat if I don't know what's bothering you.”

He put his knife on the counter. “I had a call from Officer Kikess. He wants to see you and Tata tomorrow morning.”

“Why?” This didn't sound like something to look forward to.

“Apparently, they had machines recording your interviews. These machines are supposed to be able to tell if a suspect is telling the truth. However, they don't seem to work on humans or Arandi.”

“Okay. So we'll talk to him again tomorrow.” Another nuisance time-waster.

“Yes, we need to go to police headquarters for an interview, but he wants to give you a truth serum first.”

“Truth serum? I know the police machines didn't work, but isn't a truth serum a little extreme?” I asked. “Doesn't he believe me? When he took us to the entrance, Kikess told us we'd done well.” Weariness infused my bones. “I can't believe this!” I thought the unfortunate crisis was over. I didn't need the wound reopened.

“I think Kikess is just doing his job,” said Dad. He put his knife down on the counter and studied me.

How can I get out of this examination tomorrow? I made a wild guess. “Maybe the truth serum is poisonous?”

“I've asked Kevin to look into this issue. He should get back to us shortly.” Kevin and his wife, Sylvia, were Dad's assistants, but they were also doctors and surgeons. They'd been selected to accompany us to look after our physical health, in addition to their regular duties with Dad. They were excited to be experiencing this culture, and talked to me about it whenever they had a chance.

“I don't like this one bit.” I stomped around the kitchen. “I need a glass of wine.”

Before I had a chance to get one, Dad poured a glass and handed it to me without a word. I slumped onto a stool.

After a moment, he said, “How are you getting along in school? What are your professors like? Did you get the classes you wanted?”

Another father-daughter moment
. I knew he still missed Mom, but she'd passed away ten years ago. I had to give Dad credit though; he tried to be responsive to my needs. Generally, I welcomed his interest in my affairs, but he needed to loosen the strings a little.

“The university is a bit strange. The Basilians look at things so differently—at least that was my first impression. But now I'm beginning to see their perspectives and relate it to ours. It's a bit of a challenge, but rewarding when I figure something out.”

“How are you and Tata getting along?”

“Oh fine. We know each other fairly well. He's just not very chatty, you know.”

Dad smiled. I was sure he felt the same way about Tata's mother, Ilandus.

Over dinner, I offered details about my classes and the structure of Basilian higher education. “Like most universities, or higher education, the first couple of years—cycles, I mean—include courses from outside your main focus,” I said.

“So, although I want to major in chemistry, I'm taking courses this cycle in history and gardening. It's too bad we don't have a house with some land; I really would like to try my hand at growing some of the strange foods and flowers they have on Basili. My professor says we might be able to tolerate a few of the vegetables.”

“Your mother liked to grow vegetables and flowers,” he said, with a sigh. “I'll have Kevin look into the possibility of us eating local foods. Maybe we can add a little variety to our diet.”

A little change would be nice. We were living on the frozen and dried foods we'd brought with us from Earth.

I retired early to do some homework, but I didn't accomplish much. In reality, I had a restless night.

* * * *

In the morning, Dad, Ilandus, Tata, and I had a quiet walk to police headquarters. Kevin's research the previous evening had revealed that the truth serum didn't contain poison. I might feel a little dopey, but nothing serious.

We were ushered into Officer Kikess' office. I didn't recognize some of the equipment and objects, but an office was an office no matter what planet you were on.

“I want to discuss a couple of things,” he said, “before we start with the injections, Ambassadors.” Again, he proved differential towards Dad and Ilandus.

I interrupted. “I don't want an injection. I'm very susceptible to chemicals; they usually make me sick. I'm willing to be interviewed again, but I'm not an Arandi or Basilian so the serum may be irritating.” I crossed my arms and glared.

Dad opened his mouth, but I stared him down. It was my body and I should make my own decisions about it.

Officer Kikess studied me and then said, “You may be correct. Let's start with Tata then.” He took the Tatas away and left Dad and me in his office. We didn't talk—we both had our own topics to reflect upon.

After twenty minutes, they returned. Tata looked like his normal self, and his mother smiled. It must have gone well.

“Nara, Tata's answers were quite satisfactory, so I think your interview would be redundant. You both may go. I should not need to talk with you again.”

What a relief!
Now, we can get on with our lives.

I thanked Officer Kikess, and we gladly left the police terminal. Since BSU was only a short walk away, the four of us set out in that direction. I walked with Ambassador Tata a few steps behind Dad and Tata.

“Nara, settling into school?” she asked. She wore the loveliest embroidered blue gown today.

“Pretty much. Strange things happen, but I eventually figure out why. It's nice to be with people close to my own age.”

The ambassador smiled. “You and Eonus?”

Not sure exactly what she was asking, I said, “We have our disagreements but, mostly, we understand each other. We have enjoyed our cultural visits around Basik, except for the dead body, of course.”

“Good. Previously knowing helps.”

I could only assume she means previously knowing Tata, not the murdered Basilian. And being a nice person, she was probably saying adjustment was easier when someone you know is along for the ride.

Ilandus patted me on the head. Arandi females were also tall.

Tata and I soon peeled off to enter BSU, and Dad and Ambassador Tata continued on to resume their duties—whatever they were today. I really must quiz Dad on his day-to-day activities. Any tidbit would help with my understanding of Basilian culture and history.

In most of my classes I usually sat on the outer edge of the middle stools. It was a comfortable distance for me to see and hear clearly, and I could escape in a timely manner to get to my next class, especially since there was a door midway along the side of the large room.

Interestingly enough, the notes projected by the instructor were linked to our coms, so it wasn't necessary to write his notes down, although we all made additional ones.

In my case, I could hear the instructor's words clearly, but I couldn't understand what was being written. When I got home, I transcribed the Basilian writing with some software on my com.

Today a young Basilian male sat down beside me before the class started. “Hello,” he said. “My name is Daro Est, and you are Nara Scotia.”

It bothered me a bit that everyone knew my name but, I had to acknowledge, it was perfectly reasonable, given the circumstances. “Yes, I am. How are you?” I asked.

“I am fine. It is strange that you ask,” he said.

“Not for humans. It's what we do on Earth. It's a greeting.” Come to think of it, I hadn't heard a Basilian offer a similar greeting.

“I see. How do you like this class?” asked Daro.

“Not bad. Some things I don't understand right away, but after some research they become clear. How about you?”

“Pretty easy class. If you need help, let me know.”

Just then the professor started, so I just nodded. I would have to think about his offer. It wouldn't hurt to have closer contact with some Basilians. Who knows what I might learn?