Day 00008 Mission Nilex
The dream vaporized as Captain Gareth Levant snapped his eyes open. He buried the surfacing thoughts of his wife without thought and cast his gaze around.
He was back in his quarters—with one new exception. The chair by the door, next to his bookshelf, held an occupant. Gareth raised himself up on his elbows to look at Ahmid. Still unaware of him, Ahmid sat cross-legged, engrossed in a book.
«Canaisis, report,» Gareth thought.
«All is well, Captain,» Canaisis responded in his mind. «No change in flight. No change in the status of the ships I'm observing. Nothing to report on the seed pods, yet. Ayla is well and recovering strength, but her Gift still holds her. Lina and Nura are with her now. You've been unconscious for eighteen hours. And finally, you have company, Captain.»
«I'm aware of that,» he responded with sarcasm. «Why do I have someone in my cabin?»
«Why don't you ask him yourself, Captain? He was quite insistent on staying.»
«He stayed here the whole time?»
Silence was his only answer.
He sighed to himself. Canaisis could be quite stubborn on some matters, so he decided not to push her. Especially since any answer he wanted was sitting in his room.
Gareth threw his legs over the edge of the bed and sat up, catching Ahmid's attention. Ahmid closed the book he was reading and met his gaze.
"Hello, Captain. Are you feeling better? You gave us quite a scare."
Gareth took stock of himself and found that, although tired and dry-mouthed, he felt generally in good health. In fact, better than expected after staying with Ayla during the process.
He tilted his head. «What did you do, Canaisis?»
«I took the liberty of updating your nanos, Captain. Now answer your guest before he thinks you're mentally deficient.»
«I've no right to feel this good after all that radiation exposure. We'll talk about this later, Canaisis.» He turned his gaze to Ahmid who was watching him, waiting for a response.
"Yes, thank you. I do feel better. Fit enough to resume my duties."
«Humph,» piped Canaisis in his mind.
"That's good." Ahmid's concerned expression relaxed a little. "Canaisis explained to us what you went through helping Ayla. We wanted to know what happened to you after you passed out on the floor. Captain, you weren't forthcoming about what you'd be exposing yourself to. Why didn't you tell me?"
Gareth thought about what Ahmid was asking, but he didn't really have an answer Ahmid would understand. He decided to keep it simple and direct.
"I knew I could survive what needed to be done, Ahmid. It's as simple as that."
"No, Captain, I cannot agree with that. Canaisis told us how Ayla was shielded from the worst of it, the same as you were the first time. But for a man to knowingly stand in the rift between this dimension and another, I have to either admire him or call him crazy."
Gareth couldn't help but laugh. "Insanity is only a matter of perspective."
Ahmid smiled weakly as he leaned back, still looking him in the eye. "You might be correct about that, but we are discussing this from my perspective."
Gareth stood up and found his weight and balance were off. His hand flew to his holster to find it empty, and he looked up to Ahmid.
"It's on your desk, Captain. Your holster isn't designed for you to sleep with a gun."
A glance at his desk confirmed the sidearm resting on top, pointing to the back corner of the room.
"You're right. I suppose it isn't."
He walked over to his desk and picked up his sidearm, inspected it, and drove it into his holster.
"That's an interesting weapon. I've never seen its like before. I take it, you've had it a long time?"
"It was given to me with my commission as Captain. And yes, I've had it a long time."
"I see. Well, I assure you, I treated it with respect after Canaisis threatened to increase my local gravity to forty Gs. She's very protective of you and was graphic about my impending transformation into jelly paste. I assume she trusted me after I insisted on carrying you to your cabin... She let me do that. But, that's not enough, it seems."
Gareth looked back at Ahmid with chagrin on his face. "She's sometimes too protective, but she's seen Humans do stupid things too many times to be totally trusting. Myself included."
Ahmid leaned forward in his chair. "Please explain to her that I absolutely will never argue with her."
Gareth gave a small, straight-lipped smile. "It wouldn't do any good if she thinks she's right, and most times she is."
"You mean she can be wrong?"
"Absolutely. But she also learns extremely fast. Just be sure you got your facts straight before entering into a debate with her."
It was Ahmid's turn to give a tight-lipped smile. "It has always been thus with the women of Nilex, Captain. I shall keep your advice in mind. She's remarkable to talk to, I must say. Earth has tried to produce A.I.s with limited success, and those that were successful were quite foreign in their manner of thinking. Canaisis strikes me as being very Human, and I find that remarkable. Please, Captain, drink some water." He gestured at the G-bulb on Gareth's desk. "You're dehydrated after what you've been through. Canaisis told me where to get it."
Gareth had walked his way around his desk and sat down. As he drew measured sips of the water, his gaze landed on the monitor on the far wall. The image of the clipper ship was at full sail, leaning hard from the wind and making full speed. Behind it, the sun cast a beam of light through the clouds, causing the sails to glow pearl white. Ahead, there seemed to be a break in the storm, and the ship was making a run for it, waves splitting upon its bow in white foam.
He returned to Ahmid. "Canaisis is alive, the same as you and I. We built the program as the foundation, but she grew from that foundation, the same as any child grows into an adult."
Ahmid rested his elbows on his knees and loosely clasped his hands. "Did she experience the 'Terrible Two's' as Human children do?"
Gareth leaned back in his chair as his mind wandered back in time. "In a manner of speaking, I guess one could say yes."
«I did not!» Canaisis blurted in his mind.
"She was very literal and didn't understand the inconsistencies of Humanity. We spent many hours talking things through, especially after she started reading our historical database."
"I see... I would love to explore your database, Captain." Ahmid leaned back and lifted the book from his lap. "Take this book, for example—and I hope you don't mind my taking liberties with your library—I found it's the only one I can read. It's in an ancient form of my language, but I could read it with some effort. These others," he waved at the bookshelf beside him, "are completely unknown to me, and I thought I knew enough to recognize the origin of every language there is."
Gareth paused. Ahmid deserved an honest answer, not a glib one, even if it touched on things he'd rather not think about.
"Many things were lost to the past, Ahmid. Most of these books are written in my language."
Ahmid's eyes lowered to the floor, as if hearing the pain that Gareth had kept out of his voice.
"My heart goes out to you, Captain. I cannot begin to understand what you've seen, but still my heart goes out to you."
Gareth felt his emotional walls rise up, keeping him from feeling the sincerity he heard in Ahmid's voice. "Don't expend your thoughts on me, Ahmid," he responded tonelessly. "You have a very challenging task ahead of you—it's not easy to thrive on a new world. Succeed in that, and I shall be pleased."
Ahmid stood up and bowed to him. "I shall raise my children to look for Canaisis and her Captain. They will know the story of all you have done for Nilex."
Gareth raised a dubious eyebrow and walked around the desk. "There's no need for all that, Ahmid. But... it would be nice to have a friendly greeting upon Our arrival. Come, let's go look in on Ayla. I wish to see with my own eyes how she is."
As he approached the door, Ahmid reached out and placed his hand on Gareth's shoulder, his face serious. "She's getting stronger—we can tell. We cannot express our gratitude for what you've done, for taking that risk."
Gareth looked solemnly at Ahmid. "It wasn't that serious—my trust is in Canaisis."
"Canaisis explained some of the forces you exposed yourself to. I would be dead had I been in your place. So..." Ahmid dropped his arm, a smile growing, "you're right, Captain. Insanity truly does depend on one's perspective."
Gareth responded with a nod before heading out the door. They walked down the hallway when a loud question interrupted his thoughts. «What do you mean I went through the "Terrible Two's"?»
«I'll explain later, Canaisis.»
«Oh, I'm sure this will be good.»
«Not now, please.» He couldn't help but let a small smile form on his lips, but he erased it by the time they reached the transit tube.
∞
Gareth stepped out onto the medical level, and turned to wait for Ahmid who faltered slightly as he stepped from zero-G into the hallway's gravity. Gareth reached out to steady him.
"Thank you, Captain. I'm still getting accustomed to this mode of travel."
"The zero-G? I would think being spacefarers, you'd be used to no gravity."
Ahmid shook his head, smiling. "Oh, we're used to zero gravity. But to have such sharply defined gravity fields as I've experienced on this ship is remarkable, not to mention being shot through a tube. We don't have such technology. Can Canaisis really produce forty gravities?"
Gareth started walking toward the airlock that separated the transit tube from the ship proper, and Ahmid followed.
"In less than a second. So please do not test Canaisis. She doesn't lie."
"I see. That's interesting. Does she understand the concept of deception?"
"Yes, she does. It's a Human flaw, she says."
"I have to agree with her on that, Captain."
«Smart Human,» Canaisis commented in Gareth's mind.
"Canaisis has noted your intelligence, Ahmid."
Ahmid gave him a startled look of amusement. "Really? Could she print that out on a document for me to show Ayla and the rest of the women? It would go a long way towards helping me win my arguments with them."
Gareth broke out in a smile. "I'm afraid you're on your own in those battles, Ahmid. Truly, I'm sorry."
Ahmid chuckled. "Such is the hardship of being a Nilex Leader, Captain. All I can do is persevere." He heaved a great sigh.
"Ayla didn't strike me as being that argumentative," said Gareth. "As for Lina and Nura, I haven't talked with them much."
"Nura doesn't seek arguments, but she won't bend if she decides she shouldn't. And she can have quite an anger. Lina is more emotional and fun-loving. She sometimes gets herself into trouble, but her heart is true. Ayla, she's the calmest and most centered of the three—she's also the most sensible of us all. She gives them an anchor with which they can safely orbit, I sometimes think."
Ahmid's smile widened suddenly at a memory. "Sometime in the future, I'll tell you the story of when Lina decided to turn Tahsin's spacesuit into an aquarium, but Ayla found out and acquired a different suit for Tahsin to use. If it hadn't been for Ayla, I truly think Lina might have met her end that—"
Gareth and Ahmid halted midway along the hallway, for Lina emerged from the Med-bay up ahead. She stood tall for her short stature, then cocked her hips and folded her arms across her chest.
"Ayla is resting, Ahmid, and I could tell you were talking about me from inside the room. Keep it quiet, or you'll have to answer to both of us."
With that announcement, Nura stepped out into the hallway and glared at Ahmid.
Gareth bowed his head. "Forgive us, Ladies. How is Ayla doing?"
Changing her posture to one of respect, Lina met Gareth's gaze. "She's regaining her strength, Captain. We cannot yet reach her. It's as if she chooses to hold the burden close to her heart. But she isn't Lost anymore."
"Lost? I don't understand," said Gareth.
Lina looked baffled at how to answer, so she turned to Nura, who was still glaring at Ahmid. Nura broke the glare to turn to Gareth.
"She was Lost before. The Gift had taken her, and she didn't know who she was. Now, she's regaining her identity, beginning to know herself again."
"This is a good thing," Gareth directed his response to Lina, "is it not?"
Lina smiled at him. "Yes, it's a very good thing."
"There are no records of anyone recovering after becoming Lost, Captain," added Nura and walked the distance toward him. She placed her right hand on his arm and tilted her head as she held his gaze.
"Thank you for what you've done and for the risk you took," she said softly.
Gareth responded equally softly, "I did what needed to be done. Nothing more needs to be said."
She appraised him for a moment, then nodded and stepped back. "You came to see Ayla, not to gossip with us. Come."
With that, Nura turned and walked back toward Lina. The two women entered the doorway and were gone from sight.
Ahmid turned to Gareth. "That was close. Thank you for intervening, Captain."
"Is that what I did? I suspect I merely postponed your conversation with Lina."
Ahmid nodded. "I suspect you're right. She's sensitive about that story. Let's go in before she has time to think about it."
They continued along the hallway. Gareth stepped through the doorway first to find Lina seated on a chair beside Ayla's bed. Nura stood on the opposite side. When he turned his gaze to Ayla, his heart skipped a beat. She lay on the bed as if sleeping.
Stepping forward so Ahmid could enter, Gareth approached the bed on the side with no chair. Nura backed a few steps to give him room.
He looked down at Ayla, noting that color had returned to her face, her breathing even and deep. But he didn't know what more to do or say. Somehow, Ayla had almost died because of him and her Gift. He'd asked her to help with the Oak tree, but it had cost her dearly, and he didn't know why. His mind shied away from remembering that time on Earth, and if he were honest with himself, he wasn't really sure if he'd been sane. But none of that mattered now. Only the Mission mattered.
As he gazed at Ayla's still face, the image of her tasting the Cherimoya for the first time floated across his thoughts. Then her expression of wonder and amazement as she looked around at the swimming pool. Another jump in memory—Ayla looking up at him, saying the words "I hear you" beside the picnic table. Then his mind came to rest on the last thing she'd said to him as he bent over her where she'd fallen, "I know why you did it... She loves you so much." For a moment, he felt her hand on his cheek again, as if her warmth still lingered.
With a start, Gareth became self-conscious—the other Nilex members were watching him. He should be doing more than just stare at Ayla. He wasn't even sure why he'd needed to see her in the first place. Canaisis would keep him appraised of her status.
He picked up Ayla's hand and held it in his. "Get better, Ayla. Come back to us."
He glanced at the hand. Had it moved? For a moment he thought he'd felt Ayla squeeze his hand. But her hand seemed as limp as before. Maybe, along with feeling her touching his cheek, he was imagining things.
«Have faith, Captain.»
His heart jumped at the whisper in his mind. With a slow breath, he calmed himself and gently set her hand back down to her side, hoping no one had noticed his startlement. He looked across the bed at Lina. "Please, let me know of any changes. Canaisis can alert me anywhere I am."
Lina nodded, then lowered her head. "I have not thanked you, Captain. Ayla means much to us—please forgive any disrespect I have done you."
"There is nothing to forgive, or to speak of," responded the Captain. He looked down at Ayla one last time, then made his way past Ahmid, who stepped back respectfully. He did not appear to notice the Nilex members watching him as he left. They remained silent, looking back and forth at each other, as they waited for the sound of the Captain's footfalls to fade down the hallway.
It was Nura who spoke first, looking at Lina. "Am I the only one?"
"No, you weren't. I felt it too. Ayla responded to him."
Ahmid sighed. "This can only mean one thing."
Three pairs of eyes turned to Ayla on the bed.
Nura broke the silence. "Now I understand why she wouldn't share the burden. It will be up to Ayla, then. I hope the best for her, for the Captain is a complex man. If she returns to us, that is."
Ahmid nodded thoughtfully as Lina reached out and took Ayla's hand.
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