Companionship - beyond flesh

Changes

I don't know how I got here, but I'm here. Where is here? Well, I don't know how I could answer that; It's not dark or light, but more like every colour, every sound, every thought or idea I ever had. There's a strange pulling sensation towards a window -- a window of time is the best way I can describe it. I'm looking through the window now and will let you know what I see...

Max and One stood side by side, two small figures on the precipice looking to the-the distant, strange golden globe as it that cast a warm yellow glow across the garden that was Emma's Paradise. Below the glowing orb, the offspring tree stood strong in the centre -- its living branches reaching out in all directions. A ring of conventional green trees surrounded the great tree  and a small circular stream of water that was fed by and also terminated at the pool at the base of a waterfall that sprouted happily from out of thin air.

Max noticed a faint acetic scent in the air, like the smell on Earth in the moments before the first drops of rain. All around the quality of light was a strange but pleasing grey mix of orange and blue. It was similar, Max recalled, to the light of the binary stars that filled his cabin when he had entered the Antares system.

Familiar also for Max was the shimmering red, yellow and orange of the heavy metal gas cloud that enveloped what remained of the outpost. The material shell of the orr refinery had been shed away, and it was more than slightly unnerving for Max to consider that there was nothing between him and the edge of the giant sphere to hold the hostile environment at bay. But he guessed that Emma had devised some magical way to hold the angry atmosphere outside. Nothing much could surprise him these days.

He asked the large spider-like figure beside him, "Do you think it's gass that's holding the outside-- um, outside?" Beyond being the creature's apparent parent, One had become his new companion over the past weeks. Max had dedicated his time to the tutelage of the newborn entity -- a nurturing role not far removed from the support he had provided Churchman while nursing the physically ruined man back to health. It was not however as if Max could teach the alien much as the construct was made with a kind of complete knowledge, but he could, at least, help it to refine its understanding and practice in the mundane.

"Yes. It is gass." One replied as spots of rainbow light twinkled across its headless body, its gem-like nodes that sat on fine stalks swayed in unison, "Mother maintains the wield herself." The offspring's voice had developed significantly thanks to the coaching that Max had provided and had even taken on some of Max's expressive qualities. "The garden is larger than I recall. It has grown."

Max nodded, "And there's not much of the original outpost left, the refinery itself is gone." He looked back to an overhang of levels behind them,"Just these apartment levels and those lab levels by the looks of it."

"Yes Father. You would see me nodding in agreement if I had a head."

"How many times to I have to ask you, please don't call me that."

"Okay, Father. I shall not can you 'that'."

"Was all of this like this--," Max gestured to the garden and beyond, "When you came from the garden to find me?"

"No, not like this. Mother has changed much. I find it beautiful. Do you?"

Max agreed, "Well yes. It certainly is something. When she summoned us, she said we should go to the garden, but I can't see any way down."

"I can help you there Father. If you don't mind sitting on my back."

"Huh? Don't tell me you can fly!"

"If by 'fly' you mean the generation of a local paired particle wield to counter gravity forces? I've never had to do that before, but I'm certain that it's part of my capability. Let me show you."