Kwaide (The Ammonite Galaxy Series, Book 2)

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter 16

GRACE AND DIVA were sitting keeping Six company. Six was just congratulating Grace on her idea to keep the space station in Kwaidian hands, when there was a flash of silver behind her head, and a small chirping noise.

Grace saw that Six was staring past her head with his mouth open.

“What?” she said. “Don’t tell me I have one of those awful spiders on me!” She began to pat frantically at the back of her head and her shoulders. “Eugh! Get it off me! Diva! Do something!”

Diva, though, was shaking her head and pointing behind Grace. Slowly she turned round.

In front of her was a metallic globe about the size of an eye. Set into the silvery orb was a tiny transparent plate, through which she could see what looked like a camera lens. The globe was hovering above the table, at a level with her head.

“EEK!” She gave a jump backwards, crashing into Six’s bed and falling on top of him.

“Do you have to do that, Grace?” Six complained. “I don’t see how I am ever going to get better if you go throwing yourself on top of my wounded shoulder at the first sign of anything out of the ordinary.”

“What in Sacras is that?” Grace extricated herself, still gazing at the mysterious object floating in the centre of the room. She put her head on one side to examine it from another perspective, and the silver orb tipped over, imitating her. She twisted her head to the other side, and the orb again mimicked her.

“H-hello?” She tried.

The object gave another faint chirrup of sound and then spoke, in a whirring, mechanical voice. 

 “Hell-o-o!”

“Don’t do that Six,” said Diva. “It isn’t funny.”

“I didn’t say anything!” 

Diva stood up and approached the sphere like a Tattula cat stalking a prize. She walked right around it, and the sphere turned as she did so, following her with its eye. Then she passed a hand below and above the orb, with no result. It continued to gaze at her.

“What are you?” she demanded.

“I am a long distance video camera equipped with two-way communication,” it whirred. 

“What are you doing here? Did the Elders send you?” Diva unsheathed her ornate dagger and looked threatening. “Did they?”

The thing’s camera lens rested for a moment on the blade, and then it made a chirruping sound that sounded suspiciously like a laugh. “I am made of a metal alloy which can withstand re-entry into any atmosphere,” it said. “Your knife is not going to intimidate me.”

Diva stiffened. “I asked you a question, tin pot,” she said through her teeth, “and you would do well to answer it!”

Grace touched her on the shoulder to stop her from saying anything else. “My name is Grace,” she said. “Pleased to meet you.”

“You don’t look pleased. Your eyes do not crinkle.”

“My eyes only ‘crinkle’ when I am looking full into the sun.”

“That is terrible. How do you find friends?”

Grace stared at the object. She seemed to have lost her way somehow. “Are you alive?” she asked it finally.

“No,” it replied. “And yes.”

“That clarifies everything. Thank you so much,” said Six.