Sentients Of Orion: Transformation Space Part 29

'Si. A girl. Nova.

Jo-Jo tried to work it out. How long had they been apart? It seemed longer than it was. She could not have borne a healthy child in that time.

'She was born early, she said, as if guessing his thoughts. 'Tell me, do you know how to get out?

He shook his head. 'Not really, except back through the tunnel. Same way I came in. Where we dont want to be is underneath this stuff were lying on.

'What do you mean? She continued to stare straight into his eyes as he gave her a brief run-down of his time on Medium and his escape.

She didnt interrupt him, her eyes growing darker and more intense as he told his story. When hed finished, they lay in silence for a while.

'And that will happen to us, if we move? she asked.

'It might happen anyway. Seems they can make this stuff as liquid or as brittle as they like. Right now well stay on top if we dont move.

'But you got out, she whispered. 'So what are you doing back here?

He paused before he answered. It seemed the right time for the truth, of sorts. If Medium engulfed him a second time, he might never see her again. There was no point keeping secrets. 'When the Ent.i.ty saved me back near Mintaka, it changed my mind. Youve heard of shafting?

She nodded again, gently. 'The Ent.i.ty alters the minds of its tyros so that it can better communicate with them.

'Yeah. Well, it did the same to me when it resurrected me. See, I was dead out there. When it bought me back, it was able to talk directly into my head. I havent heard it for a long while. But it started talking to me a day ago. Told me to hurry here. Thing is, when its like that I cant do a d.a.m.n thing to fight it. It wanted me to come here and find you.

He watched her absorb what hed said.

'Where were you when it... it intervened? she asked.

'With the survivors, he said.

Her free hand shot out and gripped his shoulder again. Their lips were so close now that he had only to move his head a little, and- 'Who? she whispered.

'Pellegrini and some others. About thirty of them. Maybe less.

Her fingers clenched convulsively, pinching his skin. He didnt notice the discomfort, just that she was touching him. 'Was Ca.s.s Mulravey alive? Did she have a 'bino with her?

'Mulravey? Yes, Randall knew her. Then he hesitated. 'She did have a kid, but it died just as we got there. Killed in an accident. A fight between two of the men.

'A boy? she asked.

He nodded.

Her face went slack with shock, her hand dropping, away from him and her whole body trembling. Though she shed no tears, her distress was like a knife twisting in his gut.

He slipped his arm across her and drew her as close as he could.

She didnt resist, nor did she respond.

They lay together for longer than Jo-Jo knew. As he held her, he found himself caught in an inexplicable web of emotions, fear and sympathy overridden by a swell of protectiveness. His heart felt like it might explode with the volume of emotion pouring from it. He wanted to stay for ever with her in his arms, and yet he wanted to move. Get them out of there. See her happy again.

She stirred, leaning away from him.

Reluctantly he let her go.

'Why do you think the Extros are here? she asked.

She seemed composed, though absent, as if only a part of her mind was with him and the rest was grieving.

'For the quixite, he said. 'The Saqr are loadin it into Medium like its food for a long journey.

'Not food, she said. 'But a material that is versatile. Her eyes lost some of their cloudiness as she visibly forced herself to think. 'I learned some things on the Post-Species world I was taken to. The Extros exist within two main divisions: those with Host bodies and those without. We call those without, 'Non-Corporeals. The Non-Corporeals still need the corporeals to perform certain tasks for them.

'Why?

'Even with their ability to manipulate material at the atomic level, they cannot create everything they need. I think that somehow the quixite will help eliminate their dependency.

Jo-Jo thought about what she said. He lifted his head carefully to inspect the object filling the huge s.p.a.ce. 'Could this... thing... be part of their independence from the corporeals?

She lifted her head as well. 'Si.

'Then what in Crux is it?

'I have an idea.

'Tell me.

'See... how its growing?

Jo-Jo considered the sticky ma.s.s. It did seem closer, but then hed only glanced at it briefly before s.n.a.t.c.hing Mira from the floor. Now he studied its organic contours. It was alive; he was convinced by the way it glistened, the faint sense of movement.

'Look. She pointed to the ceiling where the ma.s.s appeared to touch the curve of the s.h.i.+p. 'See how the light is different up there.

She was right. It was brighter there, but it wasnt direct light-more like the external skin of Medium had opened to the sky, yet the gap remained invisible to them, blocked by the ma.s.s within.

'Maybe thats where theyre loading the quixite?

She lowered her head to the floor gently. 'Si. I think so.

He did the same, and their faces were close again. 'When I landed, I saw the Saqr trail to and from the mine. Knew they must be bringing the mineral on board.

'Do you notice the scent? The sweetness?

He nodded. 'Thats them. The Saqr. Ive smelt it before.

'Its also the scent of ligs.

Jo-Jo frowned, not understanding. 'Whats ligs?

'Ligs are one of the few insect species on Araldis. We use their pollen extract to scent our candles. She ran her tongue over her teeth in a nervous gesture. Hed forgotten how crimson her skin was, and how deep the colour of her lips. 'Ligs are as much a part of Araldis as the dust and the rock. There is something in the ligs that the Post-Species need. The ligs and the quixite. I think it is enabling them to- But she stopped short as the object s.h.i.+fted.

'Josef, she whispered. 'I think... we must get out.

'If the tunnel stays there-there wasnt one before when I was here. All we saw of the s.h.i.+p was a small s.p.a.ce. Then the floor liquefied, and we were trapped undern- A loud crackling noise stopped him. They both looked at the object again. It had split some of its skin, and a wet mound of tissue bulged out towards them. As they watched, the bulge grew, oozing through the fissure like thick liquid until it stopped only a short distance from their feet.

Jo-Jo felt the floor harden to accommodate the new weight.

'Now! He scrambled to his feet, hauling Mira up with him.

They ran through the dim tunnel. Mira lifted the folds of her robe to make it easier, but she was still hampered by them. Jo-Jo caught her twice as she stumbled, but in truth he could barely manage her weight, his own strength diminis.h.i.+ng rapidly.

The tunnel began to buckle and fold, the ceiling collapsing behind them as they moved.

By the time they reached the outer wall, only a short length of tunnel remained. Jo-Jo ran his hands over the blemish.

'What are you doing? she panted.

'The 'zoon ripped its coupling here; its still healing and theres a weakness.

Her reply was a strangled noise, and her fingers tugged at his robe. Over his shoulder, Jo-Jo glimpsed the last of the pa.s.sage disappearing. The object had spread right out to the s.h.i.+ps limits, and in a moment it would crush them.

's.h.i.+t! Jo-Jo gouged at the roughened blemish. 'Scratch it, hit it. Anything!

Mira roused herself and joined him, pinching and pus.h.i.+ng at the skin. She cried a name he didnt recognise. 'Wanton!

Another loud crack. Then the sound of something wet and heavy moving behind them. Jo-Jo felt pressure against his back and neck. This time he couldnt turn his head to see. He was pinned to the wall, his chest struggling to expand enough for him to breathe.

Next to him, Miras eyes were closed, as if she were concentrating on something else. He clawed the wall with his fingers and dug his toes into it with the small room for movement he had left.

'Take my hand, Mira said suddenly.

Her eyes were open, and clear. Strain showed on her face.

He reached down and felt her slim fingers grip his own. She squeezed his palm, giving comfort. Strength and calm flowed from her. His breathing steadied despite the crus.h.i.+ng weight.

'Its going to expand again, she said. 'Be ready.

Jo-Jo had long fantasised about her voluntary touch, and the irony of it coming now angered him. He squeezed her hand and laboured over the words he had to say. 'I wouldve-come-anyway. Sole-didnt need-to-make me.

He saw her brief surprise and something else, something he couldnt quite read.

Then the pressure began to build again, and his ribs felt like they were breaking. He tried to brace, tried to fight the compression, refusing to let go of Miras hand even when her fingers went slack.

No. No!

Then the outer skin split, and he tumbled free.

MIRA.

'Wanton!

Mama? Are you all right?

The pressure against her was so great that Mira could barely breathe. Nova, can you-speak to-Wanton? Im in-trouble.

Si, Mama. I will try. What should I say?

Unable to think in sentences, Mira shared images of her situation: of the object expanding so rapidly that it was pressing on their backs, and the weakness, the blemish that Josef had spoken of, where Insignia had torn away from the side.

Crushed, Nova. Wanton, help us.

Long moments pa.s.sed, and the only things she was aware of were her battle to breathe and Josef holding her hand. With every increase of pressure against her body, his grip tightened as though he would never let go.

JO-JO.

His fall to the dune below should have been soft, but the distance turned soft sand to rock. He lay, winded and paralysed by the agony of impact, unsure whether hed broken anything.

Through sand-blurred eyes, he saw the glow emanating from Medium, and behind it a moonlit sky. Thank Crux it was still night. Then the outer skin of the s.h.i.+p ruptured above him, squirting fluid and a sticky wet ma.s.s into the hot air and spraying him with sweet fluid.

An intense rush of adrenaline got him upright. He searched frantically for Mira, and saw her in front of him, spreadeagled on her stomach. Shed been thrown further from the craft than he had, and he scrambled over to join her.

She moaned at his touch.

'Away! he cried in her ear. 'We need to get further away.

She struggled to her knees and collapsed, her moaning louder.

Jo-Jo swore at himself. He couldnt lift her. Randalls image sawed its way into his head. The d.a.m.n mere would find strength from somewhere; he d.a.m.n well would too. Bending down, he lifted Mira into his arms. She was light, but he was weak and hurting all over. Not just hurting, his body screamed at him. But he ignored it and began to stagger in the direction of the biozoons.

He only vaguely took in the headlights of the TerV that left the edge of the s.h.i.+p, heading towards the dark mouth of the mine. The activity of the Saqr, though, was more worrying. They seemed disorientated, some crawling in circles while others stopped to rear up on their hind legs. Their bodies made a weird shadow play against the still-glowing s.h.i.+p.

Jo-Jo set his jaw.

Can, he told himself.

Mira stirred in his arms. 'Let me walk, she whispered.

He shook his head. 'You cant.

The TerV lights had changed direction. It was labouring over the dunes towards them.

'Whos-in-that? he asked her.

Mira pushed back the hood of her robe to see. 'His name is Jancz. He works for them. He led the invasion here. Brought the Saqr in.

'What sort of 'esque would work for the Extros?

'He told me it was logical that he did.

'Whats that mean?