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Authors: Melanie Nilles
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fell quiet again, waiting several
minutes until Karik marched back to the command center to isolate
himself once more.
"Can this table access the ship too?"
They had used it to teach her about their world and the Tah'Na
homeworld of Rahmir, and to provide instruction about some of the
larger political issues in the sector. But the question had been
growing with the knowledge that the main functions were in a
section of the ship that could be separated from the main ship.
Surely it couldn't be stranded. There had to be another way to fly
the rest of the ship if Karik decided they had all betrayed
him.
Next to her, Torik shifted on his
seat, a sure sign of his agitation, although he said
nothing.
The other two met each other's gazes
and one gave a slight nod.
She had her answer.
"I get it. You can't tell me because I
might cause trouble."
A soft hand gripped hers. She followed
it to the guilty look on Torik's face.
"Don't worry," she assured him. "I'm
not abandoning you. Your world will be free."
They sat in an uncomfortable silence,
until Torik's hand encountered the bracelet. He lifted it to the
light, a distraction, she guessed, an idle way to change the
awkwardness of not knowing what to say.
His hand closed on her wrist to hold
the oval, iridescent black rainbow stone almost two inches long
between his thumb and forefinger. His brow furrowed. "This
is…Inari."
Krissa pulled her wrist closer to see
the symbol.
Korr and Theen took a keener interest
and leaned over the table to see the stone while Torik held it up
for them.
"What are Inari?" she asked and pulled
her wrist back from their examination. "I found this symbol on
Earth."
"They have long visited
Earth."
Interesting. It explained why she
could find a translation. But what about Onduun?
"Inari can hide, like Onduun, among
the…" Korr's statement trailed away and he pursed his lips in a
look of frustration.
"Humans," she finished for him. "What
are the Inari?""
"Mediators. Peacemakers." Torik's jaw
dropped as he met the eyes of the other two.
"Karik," Theen and Korr said
together.
She looked from one shocked Lereni
face to another. "What are you saying?"
Torik regained his calm and said,
"Inari are trusted, peaceful—"
"Not all."
"The Shirat were defeated," Torik said
to Theen.
"What do they have to do with
me?"
"This appears to be a gift from the
Inari."
"But they would not support an
aggressive species," Korr objected.
"Then maybe the Tah'Na lied about
Onduun."
"Wait," Krissa interrupted. "You mean
you've never met the Onduun?"
"No." Torik's lips twitched in a hint
of emotional unease. "We relied on the stories told by the Tah'Na.
We were not advanced in space travel and had limited contact with
outsiders before the Tah'Na. Others came to us and introduced us to
the possibilities."
Then they had been as primitive as
humans? She bit her tongue on the statement, not wanting to offend
them.
"Misinformation to frighten us?" Korr
asked.
"It would seem," Torik said. "If the
Inari support the Onduun…"
"The gift could be from long ago,"
Theen said in a note of caution.
"It could." A hint of a smile glinted
in Torik's eyes when he caught hers. "Or it could mean the Inari
are trying to help us."
"How would you know?" Krissa looked
from one to the other. Torik had said the Lereni had no space
travel before the Tah'Na. She could only hope he was right about
the other species.
"I met the Inari when I was very young. Before the Tah'Na
invasion, Inari visited Leisil—my family raised quorok , a plant that produces an oil used
for lubricating metal joints. They likely traded with the Onduun,
but we were not familiar with your people. We didn't even know the
Tah'Na until they invaded."
Then she supposed that would make it
easy for them to believe lies about Onduun.
"And they're peaceful, you said? These
Inari, I mean?"
He nodded.
"Then they wouldn't trade with the
Onduun if they were aggressive?"
"No."
"But the Onduun might have found it
minutes until Karik marched back to the command center to isolate
himself once more.
"Can this table access the ship too?"
They had used it to teach her about their world and the Tah'Na
homeworld of Rahmir, and to provide instruction about some of the
larger political issues in the sector. But the question had been
growing with the knowledge that the main functions were in a
section of the ship that could be separated from the main ship.
Surely it couldn't be stranded. There had to be another way to fly
the rest of the ship if Karik decided they had all betrayed
him.
Next to her, Torik shifted on his
seat, a sure sign of his agitation, although he said
nothing.
The other two met each other's gazes
and one gave a slight nod.
She had her answer.
"I get it. You can't tell me because I
might cause trouble."
A soft hand gripped hers. She followed
it to the guilty look on Torik's face.
"Don't worry," she assured him. "I'm
not abandoning you. Your world will be free."
They sat in an uncomfortable silence,
until Torik's hand encountered the bracelet. He lifted it to the
light, a distraction, she guessed, an idle way to change the
awkwardness of not knowing what to say.
His hand closed on her wrist to hold
the oval, iridescent black rainbow stone almost two inches long
between his thumb and forefinger. His brow furrowed. "This
is…Inari."
Krissa pulled her wrist closer to see
the symbol.
Korr and Theen took a keener interest
and leaned over the table to see the stone while Torik held it up
for them.
"What are Inari?" she asked and pulled
her wrist back from their examination. "I found this symbol on
Earth."
"They have long visited
Earth."
Interesting. It explained why she
could find a translation. But what about Onduun?
"Inari can hide, like Onduun, among
the…" Korr's statement trailed away and he pursed his lips in a
look of frustration.
"Humans," she finished for him. "What
are the Inari?""
"Mediators. Peacemakers." Torik's jaw
dropped as he met the eyes of the other two.
"Karik," Theen and Korr said
together.
She looked from one shocked Lereni
face to another. "What are you saying?"
Torik regained his calm and said,
"Inari are trusted, peaceful—"
"Not all."
"The Shirat were defeated," Torik said
to Theen.
"What do they have to do with
me?"
"This appears to be a gift from the
Inari."
"But they would not support an
aggressive species," Korr objected.
"Then maybe the Tah'Na lied about
Onduun."
"Wait," Krissa interrupted. "You mean
you've never met the Onduun?"
"No." Torik's lips twitched in a hint
of emotional unease. "We relied on the stories told by the Tah'Na.
We were not advanced in space travel and had limited contact with
outsiders before the Tah'Na. Others came to us and introduced us to
the possibilities."
Then they had been as primitive as
humans? She bit her tongue on the statement, not wanting to offend
them.
"Misinformation to frighten us?" Korr
asked.
"It would seem," Torik said. "If the
Inari support the Onduun…"
"The gift could be from long ago,"
Theen said in a note of caution.
"It could." A hint of a smile glinted
in Torik's eyes when he caught hers. "Or it could mean the Inari
are trying to help us."
"How would you know?" Krissa looked
from one to the other. Torik had said the Lereni had no space
travel before the Tah'Na. She could only hope he was right about
the other species.
"I met the Inari when I was very young. Before the Tah'Na
invasion, Inari visited Leisil—my family raised quorok , a plant that produces an oil used
for lubricating metal joints. They likely traded with the Onduun,
but we were not familiar with your people. We didn't even know the
Tah'Na until they invaded."
Then she supposed that would make it
easy for them to believe lies about Onduun.
"And they're peaceful, you said? These
Inari, I mean?"
He nodded.
"Then they wouldn't trade with the
Onduun if they were aggressive?"
"No."
"But the Onduun might have found it
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