Earth Flight (41 page)

‘Zeus has a roughly twenty-five hour day,’ said Drago. ‘It’s just past midnight here. The clan would have stayed up to welcome you home, but I thought you’d be tired and prefer some privacy tonight.’

I nodded.

He gestured at the walls. ‘You can tell by the stonework we’re in the original building. Your rooms are in the much newer garden wing, but I thought you’d like a quick glance at the clan hall before going there.’

We followed him out into a corridor, through a wide doorway, and into a staggeringly large hall. I stopped and stared round it, utterly grazzed. When a grateful Beta sector built a clan hall for Tellon Blaze, they’d done it in style.

‘This is genuine stone?’ I asked.

Drago laughed. ‘It’s genuine.’

Once I got over the sheer size of it, and the height of the arched ceiling, I could take in a few details. The flaming torches lighting the room. The portrait of Tellon Blaze, looking much younger and far more human than in the official vid images. The ancient banners. The incongruous sight of a battered flag with an image of Earth. The …

‘Oh nuke! Surely that isn’t real?’ I pointed at the chimera crouching in an alcove.

‘That’s only a flexiplas fake,’ said Drago.

I relaxed and saw Raven take his hand away from his gun.

‘The real one is locked in the cellar,’ Drago added casually. ‘Tellon Blaze had cut it in pieces when he killed it, then it was stuck back together and stuffed, so it was very, very dead, but he still had it imbedded in a solid piece of glass. Partly to avoid any idiot deciding to take cell samples and genetically salvage the chimera to study them.’

Fian gave a shocked laugh. ‘The real chimera’s in the cellar!’

‘You’ll be glad to know we only use this hall for formal occasions,’ said Drago. ‘There’s another, far less intimidating, dining hall.’

He turned and led the way back into the corridor, along it, and through an archway. ‘This is the garden wing. Still stone of course, but slightly paler.’

We walked along another corridor, turned right, and stopped outside a door. ‘Jarra and Fian, this is your room,’ said Drago. ‘Your bags are already in there waiting for you. Goodnight.’

We said goodnight as well, went inside, and Fian closed the door behind us. ‘If Raven insists on sleeping outside our door here, then he’ll be pretty cold on the paving stones.’

I forced out a laugh at his joke, but I was horribly nervous. The two of us were finally alone, and there was something I had to say. ‘Fian, we need to talk.’

‘You only say those words when you think you’re facing total disaster,’ said Fian. ‘You’re alive, Jarra. We’ve shut down the alien defence shield. There is no disaster.’

I shook my head. ‘Leveque told me about your father contacting you. I don’t know exactly what the doctors and the Apprentices did to save me, but it must have cut whole swathes through the protection of humanity laws. I know how strongly you feel about those laws.’

Fian pulled a face. ‘Yes, the protection of humanity laws are important, but with so much at stake for humanity …’

He stopped and ran his fingers through his long blond hair. ‘No, I have to be honest with you. I discovered there’s a chaos big difference between debating ethics in theory and facing harsh reality. Your life was at stake, Jarra. I was perfectly happy to nuke the protection of humanity laws into cinders if it would save you.’

I wanted to hug him, but we were still in our impact suits, and … ‘There’s my artificial web as well. Every time you look at me, you’ll be reminded of it. That’s bound to start worrying you.’

‘It won’t.’

‘How can you be sure?’

‘I can be sure because I’ve been through this already with Raven. After they’d tried and failed to get your artificial immune system working, I was in total despair. The way the doctors dodged answering my questions … When I heard Raven was going to be all right, I had some hope again. If he could make it, there was a chance for you as well.’

Fian paused. ‘Raven should have been brain dead when the rescue team reached him, but he wasn’t because of his implant. That didn’t just send for help, it did some things to delay brain damage. That’s technically against the protection of humanity laws, but those laws were made by civilians living nice safe lives.’

He shook his head. ‘It’s the Military who do all the dangerous jobs. Every Remembrance Day, they list the names of the people who’ve lost their lives giving new worlds to humanity. For the civilians, those are the names of strangers, but for the Military they’re relatives, friends, people they love. The Military are a family, and they aren’t going to just sit around and let members of that family die unnecessarily. Sometimes there’s nothing they can do, your parents were beyond any help, but …’

Fian shrugged. ‘The Military take the view that things aren’t always black and white, there are grey areas too, things that can do good as well as harm. The Military keep it quiet, but they regularly cross the line into the grey areas to save lives. I agree with them doing that. Raven’s implant doesn’t bother me, I’m deeply glad he has it, because it means my friend is alive instead of dead. Don’t you feel like that?’

‘Of course.’

‘And I feel exactly the same way about your web.’ Fian paused. ‘I think it’s time for you to show me your face, Jarra.’

I reached up to unseal my hood, but pulled my hand away at the last minute. ‘I do look very … different now.’

‘I don’t care what you look like, Jarra. I care about the person you are.’

‘Yes, but …’ I indulged myself with a last delaying action. ‘My hair will be a mess. I need to shower and change.’

‘Your hair will be a mess.’ Fian repeated, and startled me by bursting out laughing. ‘Jarra, how many times have I seen you work yourself to death on a dig site, and then happily yank down the hood of your impact suit? You’ve never, ever, worried about your hair being a mess.’

I looked round at our room. It wasn’t ostentatiously grand like the clan hall, just a quietly comfortable bedroom. The only sign this belonged to the Tell clan, was a painting on the wall showing a formation of fighters. ‘Have we got a bathroom?’

‘We’ve got two bathrooms, so we can both shower and change.’ Fian went across to the hover bags in the corner of the room, opened mine, grabbed a sleep suit and tossed it towards me. ‘You’ve got fifteen minutes. If you’re still hiding in there after that, I’ll break down the door.’

I hugged my sleep suit against my chest. ‘You can’t smash up a Tell clan guest room!’

‘Watch me do it,’ said Fian.

The Cassandrian skunk meant it. I retreated into a bathroom, and carefully peeled off my impact suit and skintight. My skin instantly felt a lot less sore, and it felt even better after I’d showered on hot jet and then on dry cycle. Finally, I put on the sleep suit and checked myself in the mirror. The sleep suit seemed very skimpy, showing far too much glimmering skin.

I could hide in here for another five minutes, but it was better to get it over with. I took a deep breath, opened the door, and went out.

Fian was already in the bedroom, wearing a sleep suit himself. He’d been frowning at the painting on the wall, but he span rapidly round to look at me. ‘Nuking hell!’

His words would have scared me if I hadn’t recognized the expression on his face, and known exactly what it meant. He stood there for a moment as his mouth slowly widened into a grin.

‘Jarra, are the … the flickering lights under the sleep suit too?’

My fears and my panic had vanished like a chimera running from sunlight. I grinned back at him and nodded.

‘I really think,’ said Fian in a solemn voice, ‘I should get this terrible experience over with all at once. Show me the rest of you.’

I giggled, and slowly peeled off my sleep suit while he stood there staring at me.

‘You’re completely crazy,’ he said. ‘I’d love you whatever you looked like, but … don’t you realize you’re even more beautiful than before?’

‘All my life, I’ve heard the jokes on the vids about the Handicapped being ugly. Even knowing I was no different from norms, it still had an effect. I really am different now. People will look at me and see …’

‘They’ll see you’re stunningly lovely.’ Fian took my arm and tugged me across to a mirror. ‘Look at yourself, Jarra!’

When Dalmora dressed in her finest clothes, with her face made up and her hair adorned with lights, she looked like a dazzling vid star. I’d had a wistful moment once, watching her and knowing I would never, ever look like that, but the girl in the mirror … Her skin shimmered in a myriad intricate patterns, as mesmerizing as the light sculpture displayed by the alien probe.

I gave a shaky laugh. ‘The doctors of Hospital Earth promised they’d do their best for me, and they did. I may not be normal or ordinary, but …’

‘You never were ordinary, Jarra. If anyone doesn’t like the way you look now, it’s because there’s something wrong with them, not you.’ Fian paused. ‘Can we turn the lights off?’

I nodded.

‘Room command lights off,’ said Fian.

The room went totally dark, except for the flickering lights under my skin.

‘Nuking hell.’ Fian repeated the words in an awed voice.

The shining girl in the mirror looked indescribably lovely now. I saw a shadowy figure step up to her and kiss her, and then I was too occupied with reality to spend time thinking about reflections.

39

It was 14 November 2789, the day of the Planet First vote. Fian, Raven and I had stayed on Zeus for a couple of days. I’d explored the Tell clan hall, and wandered its gardens and surrounding countryside, stunned to see some familiar plants and birds of Earth casually mingling with the native wildlife of Zeus. I’d met a bewildering number of my relatives. I’d spent a disturbingly emotional hour laying flowers at the memorial to Major Rayne Tar Cameron. I’d even visited my mother’s clan hall, and joined in their celebrations of a distant cousin’s triad marriage.

Somewhere in the middle of all that, I’d finally dared to look at the Tell clan family tree, which included Tellon Blaze’s ancestry back to before Exodus century. I’d been startled by the details of my grandmother’s marriage, and even more shocked when I saw the names of some of my ancestors.

Last night I’d hardly slept, worrying about the Planet First vote. Now we’d portalled back to Earth, and I was standing outside the hall door of a Berlin Main Dig Site accommodation dome, being a coward about opening a door and facing my own classmates.

‘It’ll be fine,’ said Fian. ‘The Military statement said your appearance had been significantly affected, and the newzies have been speculating about it for days. The class will probably be expecting something dreadful, but you look amaz.’

Raven nodded. ‘You’re beautiful, Jarra.’

‘She’s literally a glowing girl,’ said Fian, giving a teasing look at Raven.

I took a deep breath and forced myself to open the hall door and go inside. The class were sitting at tables, eating breakfast and talking noisily, but there was a sudden silence as everyone turned to stare at me. I had a mad urge to run and hide, but then a voice spoke.

‘Amaz! Jarra, are the lights everywhere, even your …’ Krath’s words ended in a yelp of protest as Amalie hit him.

I giggled. ‘Mind your own business.’

Playdon came forward, obviously struggling not to stare at me himself. ‘Krath, please remember that intrusive personal questions display a lack of respect that breaches the Gamma sector moral code. Jarra, Fian, and Raven, welcome back to the class.’

‘Jarra,’ said Dalmora, ‘you look totally, totally zan. We’d no idea …’

There was another long silence, with everyone looking at me, and I felt myself grow hot with embarrassment. Fian is an amaz tag support, and stepped in to rescue me.

‘Can we put on the wall vid to watch the final debate before the Planet First vote, sir?’

‘Of course.’

Playdon turned on the wall vid, and set it to show Earth Rolling News. A couple of presenters were pointlessly explaining what their listeners must already know, that today’s vote in Parliament of Planets would decide whether there were new planets for the Handicapped or they would remain confined to Earth.

Suddenly the presenters vanished, replaced by the live link feed from the Parliament of Planets session on Concordia. It was early afternoon there, the vast hall was filled with people, and the symbol of humanity on the wall was glowing amber to show a vote was in progress.

‘They’re already voting?’ I shook my head. ‘They weren’t scheduled to go to the vote for at least another two hours. What’s going on?’

The rest of the class abandoned their breakfasts and came to stand around us, alternating between watching the wall vid and watching me.

Raven checked his lookup. ‘Lucius Augustus Gordianus proposed the amendment. Desper Valden made the speech of opposition. The moderator called for a show of hands in the hall, ruled the final debating period unnecessary, and directed Parliament to move to an immediate formal vote.’

I still didn’t understand. ‘I wish I’d paid more attention to politics. Why would the moderator do that? What does it mean?’

‘It means opinion in the hall seemed decisive, so the moderator felt further debate couldn’t change the result,’ said Raven.

Was that a good or bad sign? I’d soon find out because the symbol of humanity had just turned red to show the voting period was over. As the automated voice of the voting system started speaking, I felt Fian’s arm go round me and leant gratefully against him.

‘Amendment 2789/1 of the Planet First Charter,’ said the voice. ‘4462 of 4490 planetary representatives cast their vote. Votes in favour 3570. Votes against 892. Amendment 2789/1 of the Planet First Charter has been carried.’

The last few words were drowned out by cheers and applause from the rest of the class, while I just stood there like a nardle. The Handicapped would have their planets, and that was … I buried my face in my hands for a second.

Fian guided me to a seat at a table, and Raven, Dalmora, Krath and Amalie came to sit with us.

Dalmora smiled at me. ‘There was no need to worry, Jarra. The vote was bound to pass. The whole of humanity saw the live vid coverage of the missile attack at Adonis, so there’s widespread public anger against both the Isolationist Party and those prejudiced against Novak-Nadal syndrome sufferers.’