Under a Starless Sky novel Chapter 38

At fourteen, one of Shen’s duties was to fetch water from the river. It had moved further from the village, and so it was a chore carrying pots of water, dangling from pole bundles. He could carry two hanging pots. He was stronger and healthier than he had ever been in his origin world. He walked on the earth easier. He felt lighter, even when carrying a burden. He passed a guy carrying four pots of water. His name was Tynan. He was huge in terms of muscle strength, and held the cliché male, almost no hips, and broad shoulders look. To complete the stereotype, he was as dumb as a box of rocks. When not carrying water, he liked to fight. Shen had wanted to remain and watch the construction of the latest building, because he was fascinated by their construction technique- but he had been compelled to go collect. TL wanted more insight; he suspected he had been paying too much attention and was given busy work. If anyone knew he had a ghost companion, no one had ever called him on it. The dialogues they shared remained in his head.

The dome under construction was just the surface of the thing. First a huge pit was dug, exposing roots, ensuring that the Sleeper Tree Roots that were exposed were not disturbed. They wanted it incorporated into the ‘under’ space, which included pillars and septic system to rival any modern septic. This matched his understanding of his own poop pit back at his cave. The dome would have plumbing to catch rain water for toiletry and gray water was channeled towards gardens. Gardens near homes were lush directly because of human waste and water use. The gas lanterns inside and outside the house were fueled by this same system. Whatever the bacteria was they used for converting waste gave the gas a particular sweet odor, and when burned it had indescribably flowery scent, like burning orange peels. An active house, always had light.

Once everything in the heart of the home was established, it was filled with a pasty white liquid, not cement, but it grew fairly hard as it dried. They built the interior using bundles of grass, bags of sand, getting everything positioned, covered itwith the same white powdery stuff, made from combination of materials, including human waste, and patted into place and shaped like clay. Crystals were pushed into the clay and would allow for natural light to shine into future rooms. Rope defined the plumbing, and different size coils of rope allowed for the size of the conduit or inner vein like plumbing of the home, for either gas, water, gray water, or black. And then, with Master’s Ceremony of Lights would somehow ignite the whole thing in a white, glorious blaze that was so intense one couldn’t look at it. Three days later, when it was cool enough to touch, they would excavate the sand and the bundles of ashes that used to be grass, smooth down any rough area, and commence living.

The domes were solid stone, and were rumored to be able to last forever. Because of that, it was necessary to make sure it was well thought out to begin with, because there were no do overs.

TL had matured right along with him. She dressed to appear like the others here, only she hadn’t colored her hair because she was not an accepted sister apprentice. She could have, no one would have known- but she maintained per their understanding. They had discussed her being permanently solid and infiltrating the ‘invisible college,’ but had decided not to. She remained his secret companion, and he joined her in secret daydream fantasies as he worked, and spent time with her at night in wake and dreams. They assimilated as much of the local culture as they could into their ‘other’ life to try and understand it.

Shen continued to not sleep in the barracks. He was permitted a tent outside the village. It was a place to sleep, that was it. Still he participated with the men. One of his chores was peeling roots, cleaning them, and putting them in a pot. When the pot was full, he would take it to the barracks where the cook would turn it into a meal for the males.

Shen loved TL. She was beautiful. This was not the Loxy he knew- as he hadn’t known her growing up because, she hadn’t grown up. She came into his life a fully mature adult, with a wisdom and aura that defied explanation. TL had all of Loxy’s memories up to the point of divergence. There would be no way for him to know she wasn’t Loxy, except that they both knew that she wasn’t. It wasn’t complicated. They knew, and yet, they continued as if it didn’t matter. If not for TL’s presence, being here would have been worse than prison.

“You didn’t attend the fire dance last night,” TL said.

“I am not interested,” Shen said.

“You understand, what you learn in the virtual world applies to the real world. You can dance if you want to,” TL said.

“Ummph,” Shen said. “I think I have already done that joke. Besides. The drums are too loud.”

“Don’t stand so close to them,” TL said. “The music allows the men to share in the altered states with the women.”

“Yeah. I don’t want my states altered by the music,” Shen said. “And I don’t want their special magical drink.”

“I think one try won’t kill you,” TL said.

“Probably won’t, but my brain is still developing. I will do drugs when I am older,” Shen said. “Besides. It’s not just a fire dance. It’s a coupling.”

“You should couple,” TL said. “That’s how they do it here. You go to the fire dance, you’re selected, you withdraw, do what teenage humans do, and come back to the fire dance and dance some more until another calls you out to couple again.”

“No one is going to select me,” Shen said.

“No one will select you if you never dance,” TL said.

“I have you,” Shen said.

“You do. The thing is, you’re not availing yourself of me, but even if you were, you still need human interaction,” TL said.

“I can’t risk gifting someone,” Shen said.

“The girls here don’t get pregnant until first ceremony,” TL said. “I have confirmed that much.”

“Yeah, I don’t understand that,” Shen said.

“I don’t either, but it’s not unheard of in the anthropological literature,” TL said. “You probably would have enjoyed growing up in Mangaia.”

“That place make’s Star Trek’s Risa and Star War’s Zeltros, seem like Victorian era monasteries,” Shen agreed. For him, Trek and Wars were the same ‘place’ for him, just different maps. He missed both and wanted to see something from both and then remembered how both had been increasingly more disappointing because it seemed the writers chosen to create didn’t understand what they were writing. He wondered why Cameron was never brought in to make a Trek or Wars movie. More than likely, they were not inept writers- but young writers who simply lacked life experience. In the old days, older people wrote the dialogue for televisions shows- likely men who had been married and understood how conflict arises, and held experience on how matters were resolved, not always peacefully, but a peace was earned. Young people raised on Disney films and the only drama they had experienced was High School dramas wrote themselves into traps they couldn’t reason or emote themselves out of, and so- plot contrivances ‘magically’ moved scenes forwards.

“This place isn’t far off. They’re much more sexually liberated than you’re giving them credit for,” TL said.

“Except that they go out of their way to remind me how unattractive I am,” Shen said.

“Go once,” TL said. “I bet you get called.”

“Called out to be ridiculed?” Shen asked. “Or worse, just an experiment to see who can stand a monster.”

“Some people like monsters. Such as the Munsters, the Adams family…”

“Ha ha.”

“I’ll be you’re Friday if you’ll be my huckleberry.”

“Oh, you are rich today,” Shen said.

“Go to the dance tonight,” TL said.

“And if an older girl calls me out, and I Gift her, I have a problem,” Shen said. “I don’t want to stay on this planet. I have a kid, I am screwed. I’ll have to stay and raise him.”

“Or take him with you?” TL asked.

“If it’s male, he might go, but if it’s a female? She’s not going to want to leave her sisters,” Shen said. “It’s best that I don’t hook up here. I don’t intend to stay. I am a visitor.”

“So, you’re anthropologist?” TL asked.

“Umm, maybe,” Shen said.

“You think anthropologist never hooked up?”

“Oh, I am sure they did,” Shen said. “People like strange.”

“You like strange.”

“Monsters?”

“I could make mine go sideways if you like,” TL offered. “Make it tighter when I split my legs?”

Shen laughed. “Fuck me, that’s an intriguing thought” Shen said.

“Anytime, anywhere…”

Shen and TL came to the place the river should be. There was no water. Clearly, two hours ago, there had been water here as evidence by the fact Tynan was carrying water. He set down his burden and tried to understand, and was tempted to follow it back and see if the stream had been dammed.

“Hurry back,” Loxy said. He recognized the voice, it was not TL- it was Loxy. The companion he thought was gone forever clearly communicated to him. Loxy Isadora Bliss. Spirit guide. Tulpa. First Officer of a Starship that was now more fiction than anything he had in his present reality. TL added: “Don’t just stand there. Go go go. Run like your life depends on it.”

“Use tech,” Shen demanded. “Fly me!”

TL nodded. He jumped, and his Uniform caught him up in a warp bubble. He flew at ground level, shooting past Tynan. He dropped out of warp by the far garden. The first person he encountered was G’Ma sitting by the garden directing the work force. It was more just ‘snapping’ and people agreeing with her.

“Everyone into the main home, now,” Shen said.

No one listened to him.

He ran to the circle and entered, forcing the apprentice on watch to be a little irritated because they had to respond. ‘On watch’ in a village that never had any problems was a little more relaxed and she didn’t want to exit the activity she was in. She forced herself to stop what she was doing and ‘half-assed’ the ritual.

“Seriously, Shen, no one wants an audience with you,” Tora said.

“Get everyone inside the village or they will die,” Shen said.

“Go sleep it off,” Tora said.

“Seriously, call the guard…”

Tama screamed. It was a blood curdling scream that drew everyone’s attention. Tora ignored Shen to go investigate. People from the garden were coming to investigate. Lanore, Tell, and Neva came from the home to investigate.

“What the hell?” Lanore said.

“Everyone inside, now,” Shen said.

“Too late,” Tama said.

The water came, slow at first. G’Ma, making her way now that her granddaughter has cried out, fell in the thin, creeping of water. Those who were with her ran towards the house- going past her, One slipped and fell, but got up. Shen ran out and collected G’Ma. He fell twice bringing her back, but suddenly Neva was beside him. She traded G’Ma to Lanore, and turned to go back. The water was too much. Neva grabbed Shen’s arm, keeping him from going back into the torrent. Another person shaped object went with mud and a tree and was gone. Someone nearby bobbed up- unable to scream, terrified. Shen made to go after the person

“No!” Neva said to Shen. “Even I can’t swim in that.”

Shen extended his arm as if to do magic, and on command shot a web from his wrist as easily as Spiderman. It caught the person and he reeled her in, hand over hand. The woman reached up and took Neva’s hand.

The woman fell to her knees, coughing.

“How did you do that?” Tell asked.

The bulk of the river impacted the string of domes and went around. What gushed over the top knocked some people down, but didn’t carry them out of the village. The river continued to shift, and soon the water subsided. Lanore took over, immediately officiating responsibilities, first with the present and injured. She asked Neva to go the ocean and look for survivors. She took Shen and Tama, her best students. Somehow, her water hut had survived. Foam was helping someone who was holding onto one of the pillars. Tama swam out to help a person on a log. Neva and Shen went feeling for bodies. The bay had never been so muddy, and so there was no eyes opened underwater. Heart beat was useless underwater. Even a shark would have difficulty seeing in this mess. Neva found the man that had gone with the tree. She brought a dead man to shore. Shen found Kyla, floating, thanks to the sensors in his suits. He began performing CPR, there in the water, trying to haul her back. Neva came at him.

“What the hell!” Neva said, trying to pull him off her.

“Help me,” Shen said.

“She’s gone,” Neva said.

“No!”

Shen put a warp bubble around them and carried all three to shore, bringing the water in the bubble with them. On the ground, the bubble popped off and water and mud fell away. He arranged Kyla’s body, opened the airway, blew more air, and then performed chest compressions. Neva hit him. Tama arrived and blocked her.

“Trust,” Tama said.

“TL, I need you,” Shen said.

TL arrived on sight, falling to assist. She put a hand over a heart and a hand on near the right shoulder.

“Ready,” TL said. “Clear.”

“Clear?! We’re all fucking wet just do it,” Shen snapped.

TL released energy. Kyla’s chest. Kyla’s chest rose, her back arched.

Neva and the bystanders’ eyes were wide.

“Trust,” Tama said.

“Breathe,” TL said.

Shen returned to breathing.

Tama sat down on her knees next to TL. “Can I help?”

“No,” TL said. “Clear.”

“Clear!” Shen said, pulling Tama back.

TL touched Kyla’s chest, and again she came off the ground. Shen was going to fall on her chest to do compression, but TL stopped him with a hand gesture.

“Wait,” TL said. “I have a pulse.”

Kyla turned and vomited. Tama began to cry.

“Come on,” Shen said, getting up and going back to the water.

“Jon,” TL said, following him. “We’re not going to bring anymore back. It took us five minutes to get her back.”

“You got a med pack,” Shen snapped.

“Some things can’t be undone,” TL said. “Death is one of them.”

“What good is any of this if I can’t help people?!” Shen snapped. Tora was there and he snapped at her. “What good is having a fucking voice if no one will listen?! You stupid bitch. We could have saved people.”

TL touched Shen’s arm, reminding him to walk softly. Foam and the man she had rescued came at them but Neva motioned for her to hold. Lanore was there. Everyone was there. Shen shrugged out of TL’s touch and faced them all, spinning.

“I am so sick and tired of all of you dismissing me and ridiculing me. I am trying so hard to fit in, but you’re not even giving me a chance to help,” Shen said.

Shen walked away. No one said anything. TL lingered, and without word, followed in pursuit of Shen. When they found him, he was gathering wood for the bonfire where the dead would have last rites. Tynan arrived with his water, completely confused. TL came to Shen’s side and quietly gathered wood. There was a lot of pieces to choose from. They would likely have to use pitch to get it going, but it would burn.