Elquin

Chapter 8

The Orb

"The orb," Taren replied, confusion replacing anger for the moment.

"Yes." "Well, it was designed to respond to my genetic microbes." "Yes," Sariah said encouragingly. "I'm the only one who can remove it from the host while they still live. What's your point, Sariah? We both know what I did with it."

"The orb," she began in a lecturing tone, "is a protein-based data synthesizer. It obtains information through its link to the host's central nervous system. The orb distributes its components throughout the host's body until it reaches the most powerful nerve endings. It then releases the components its design requires. The host responds by providing the answers from collected memories or the input of outside influences, like the information your assignment provided for the council."

"I understand the mechanics, Sariah—what's your point?" "My point," Sariah said with a hint of irritation at the interruption, "is to remind you of its flaw." "Flaw?" "Yes. The orb was designed shortly after diplomatic relations began on Oororah-9. After its successful trials were conducted on Ratier,

informants were sent to Oororah-9 to search for detritus deposits. The Oororans were confident in our inability to locate the detritus deposits on their world and only agreed to the council's initial terms." "We could look," Taren said, sitting on the edge of the bed and focusing on Sariah's words as she sat down.

"Yes, but if we found any, we were to negotiate terms of extraction. It was difficult in the beginning because traditional methods yielded very little, if anything. After six months, the council approved the orb's use. Bathmantu was assigned to one of the local villages. He befriended many Oororans within the surrounding villages and developed a close bond with one of the young females there, Naubo of the Dracora tribe.

"She was beautiful, even for Oororan standards. She was Persian orange and had large, brown locks that hung down her shoulders. The top of her head was decorated with shorter brown locks and the leaves and branches of the nearby forest. Her eyes were shaped like a large cat, the color of almonds. The tops of her ears were pointed, and they curled toward her flowing brown locks. On either side of her neck were several rows of almost fishlike gills that she often kept hidden under her long hair.

"She had a thin line of eyebrows and a row of dark-brown dots under each eye that arched to the tip of her eyebrows. From the base of her nose to the tips of her ears was a thick, ropelike patch of skin embedded in her cheeks. Shortly after their relationship began, we found three cerium deposits.

The sites yielded more on the surface alone than Elquin had found in any single mine under her reign. "Oororah-9's panel of officials were shocked, to say the least, and reluctantly agreed to the mining of only two of the three discovered sites.

They then forbade any friendship between our worlds. Naubo was ordered to relinquish her relationship with Bathmantu. The council ordered Bathmantu to retrieve the orb without incident. However, Bathmantu found it impossible to get near her. He had no choice but towait for an opening, lest he risk war between our worlds. He'd tried several times but was forcefully refused a meeting with her.

"After roughly forty-five days, Bathmantu returned to the Dracora and asked to say good-bye to Naubo. He said that he'd been called back to Elquin. He was once again refused but informed that she was ill. The village did not know what was wrong with her, only that her strength decreased by the day and that her eyes let off a strange glow. Everyone was kept away for fear of her illness spreading. He was turned away with weapons when he said that he didn't care if he got sick.