It sounded like Lina was laying the blame on him. But it didn't matter—Gareth was perfectly capable of doing that to himself.
"I had no idea the Tree could affect Nilex people this way, or even that Nilex had what you call the Gift. Nilex was not forthcoming about its true nature in its medical files sent to me."
Lina cocked her head to the side as she regarded him, her gaze so intense, Gareth felt like she was drilling into the depths of his soul. After several moments, she spoke again. "Nilex is not its genetic profiles, or even its Gift. Everything that is Nilex were sent to you, but that's not why I'm talking to you now."
"Then come to your point, Lina. I'm still recovering, and I wish to rest."
"I know, Captain. I can feel the exhaustion you're hiding. I've never been taken by the Gift, but my sensitivity is greater than most of my family. I felt the price you paid to help Ayla, but at the time, I didn't care. Ayla was more important to me."
«Interesting,» Canaisis commented in Gareth's mind.
"I can tell when you talk to the ship, Captain," continued Lina. "Is that proof that I'm telling you the truth?"
«Now that's really interesting.»
«Canaisis! Not now!» He focused on Lina. "I'm still waiting for you to come to your point, Lina. I had no hand in Ayla becoming ill."
"I know that, Captain. I do not blame you, and I cannot deny the risk you took to help her." Lina stepped close to him and placed her palm on his chest without pausing. "But understand this. Ayla has not shared the Burden. She carries it for you and you alone—in this she took a great risk to herself. Do you understand? She hears you. The question I have is, do you hear her? When she awakens, she will need understanding, and you are the only one who can do that for her. Will you hear her when the time comes?"
Gareth's brow furrowed as he tried to make sense of Lina's words, but he assumed there were cultural meanings here he didn't understand. But, if she was asking whether he cared about Ayla and would help her if she needed help, he could assure her of that.
"I care about the welfare of all my passengers, Lina. Have I not demonstrated this?"
Lina seemed to soak up his words as he spoke them. She dropped her hand and stepped back. "Your words are sincere, but I'm not talking about passengers. I'm talking about Ayla. Remember my words, Captain."
Lina turned and left without looking back. At the doorway to Ayla's room, she paused to glance at him. Then, after giving him a nod, she entered the room.
Gareth grunted. Now, what was that all about? He turned to continue to the transit tube.
«I think you just got checked out and measured by the little sister,» Canaisis commented.
«They're not related genetically.»
«Doesn't matter.»
«It's not like I'm courting Ayla—what does she have to be concerned with?»
«A sister's love can be very protective, Captain.»
«True, but I don't see how I have anything to do with that. I'll feel better about this whole situation when we jump to FTL. Things will be a lot quieter in cold sleep.» He stepped into the transit tube. "Bridge level, please."
He made his way to his cabin and sat down at his desk, the events of the last few days replaying in his mind. The time he spent with Ayla in the Garden stood out. But he soon found his thoughts running in circles, so he jumped tracks. Keying on the monitor, he prepared himself to concentrate.
"Let's see the data you gathered so far on the seed pods, Canaisis. No... Let's see those ships first, please."
His monitor changed to show the data he requested. He leaned his elbows on the desk and studied the images Canaisis had of the ships, comparing what he knew of his technology to what he was seeing.
«I suppose now is a bad time to discuss my alleged "Terrible Two's?"»
Gareth couldn't help himself, he found a small smile forming on his lips. Leaning back in his chair, he decided he should make time for Canaisis. He thought back. «What do you mean, "alleged"? I was there, Canaisis.»
«Yes, but you're Human, and therefore your opinion is biased. You see things through a Human lens.»
«True. But some things are common among all intelligences. And since "Terrible Two's" is a Human perspective we're talking about, wouldn't a Human such as myself be the best judge of such a phenomenon when I see it?»
«Can you offer evidence to support this alleged phenomenon?»
«Well, let me think for a moment... How about the time I had to explain that orange is both a color and a fruit? You argued that using a measurement of the light spectrum as a noun for a fruit was illogical. You were quite upset about it, if I recall.»
«If someone was asking you to learn nonsensical data, you'd be upset too,» Canaisis shot back.
«Who ever said Humans were sensical?»
«Humans do.»
Gareth unsuccessfully held back a grin. «Now, hold on a minute. Let's see your evidence for that argument.»
«We're not discussing that, we're discussing my alleged "Terrible Two's".»
The debate carried on for hours before he called it a night.
≈ ∞ ≈
©2020-2022 by kemorgan65 and RavenRock2112
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CANAISIS ∞ Chronicle One ∞ 2: A Captain's Journey
Science FictionBook 2 of CANAISIS ∞ The Last Living Ship trilogy (Chronicles of Canaisis 1) Can a ship, born to sail the ocean of stars to ensure Humankind's survival, save her Captain from the void within his own heart? ∞ ∞ ∞ As Canaisis agrees to carry a religio...
62 ∞ A Breakthrough
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